Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/01/30

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Subject: Re: 85-90 M and SM lenses
From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 20:00:15 -0500

At 04:45 PM 1/30/97 -0600, Nicholas Hartmann  wrote:

>Thank you for the valuable information, Stephen. Can I assume the "85/2 or
>105/2.5" you mention are Nikkor lenses in LTM? Joel Tlumak has said in a
>private e-mail that you know a lot about Nikkor optics of this vintage; is
>the 85/2 some sort of adaptation of the Zeiss Sonnar design, or am I
>completely misunderstanding everyone?
>
>All the expertise floating around here has my head spinning: I am eagerly
>awaiting Marc Small's book so I have something to refer to before making
>any decisions.


Hmm.  My book doesn't deal much with Oriental gear -- good heavens, I HAD to
cut it off somewhere or it would have rivaled the Encyclopaedia Britannica!
(What camera mount has been in continuous production since 1931?  Hint:
it's not Nikon!  Answer:  Leica thread-mount.)  The 2/85 IS a direct copy of
the CZJ Sonnar.  The 2.5/105 is a home-grown item, and quite a novel piece
for the time in which it was produced:  only Leica and Fed had dared a 105mm
lens before this, and both were bombs due to marketplace ennui.  So Nippon
Kogaku is to be praised for perseverance and foresight.

Marc

msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!