Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/01/01
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 11:50 PM 01-01-97 +0800, you wrote: >Recently, > >Is there any truth that SIGMA is manufacturing the lens elements for >this lens? Supposedly only the first batch of 2000 were made by Leica >and thereafter by Sigma. A collector's shop I visited to offers both >versions but the price difference is 3x!!! Is there any truth to >this? This sounds like a rumour of a rumour of a rumour. There are two versions of the aspherical 35/1.4, and the first one was made in a limited production of about 2000, and could possibly be worth 3x what the new version costs (I hope so, I own one of the first versions), but both versions are made by Leica. The first version had two aspherical elements inside that were essentially hand polished (and hence expensive and difficult to produce). Leica subsequently developed (or perhaps perfected is a better word) a method for making aspherical glass molds that met Leica's strict quality demands, and this enabled them to produce a version of the lens (with only one aspherical element) that could be mass produced and sold at a more affordable price. I doubt very much if any third party lens manufacturer (apart from Hughes in Canada) has any hand in the making of the aspherics (or any of the M-lenses, for that matter). Happy New Year! Dan C.