Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/02/10

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Subject: Re: Leica RF Competitors
From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997 13:22:00 -0500

At 08:06 AM 2/10/97 -0600, Glen M. Robinson, Ph.D.  wrote:

>Carl Zeiss is the owner of Zeiss Ikon, the camera body manufacturer.  Carl
>Zeiss made the lenses for Zeiss Ikon cameras.  Cameras have always been a
>small part of both E. Leitz's and Carl Zeiss' businesses.

Wrong on one count, partly wrong on the other.

Carl Zeiss is a lensworks whose main plants are located in Oberkochen and
Jena.  It is owned by the Zeiss Foundation, an educational trust located at
Heidenheim and Jena.  The Foundation formerly owned Zeiss Ikon, a camera
company with plants at Dresden, Stuttgart, and Berlin.  The Foundation also
owns Hensoldt in Wetzlar, Albert Gauthier in Munich, Leitz Woodworking Tools
(no kin to Leica, by the way) and formerly owned the F&W Deckel concern, now
bankrupt.

Today, Zeiss manufactures scientific and industrial optics.  Camera lenses
are a minuscule portion of their product line.  Hensoldt now makes all Zeiss
binoculars.

Further information can be found in Barringer and (a-HEM) Small, THE ZEISS
COMPENDIUM, Hove, 1995.

As to Leitz, by the early 1960's -- the period under discussion -- I doubt
if microscope and binocular sales made up 15% of their output.  So
successful was the Leica, that the company completely changed course.  You
may want to consult the US Strategic Bombing Survey report on Leitz, which
indicates the percentages as of 1945, when camera output exceeded 90% of
their product line.

Marc

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