Re: Zeiss/Contax/Yashica (May be off topic)

[photology@juno.com (Thomas P Myro)]

On Wed, 12 Feb 1997 13:33:14 -0500 Marc James Small
<msmall@roanoke.infi.net> writes:
>It's a contractual arrangment only.  When the Zeiss Foundation decided 
>to
>terminate camera production by Zeiss Ikon, they shopped around for a
>Japanese partner.  After an abortive effort to work with Pentax -- 
>which
>gave Pentax the rights to the T* coating, which they called SMC, and 
>the
>Zeiss-designed K-mount -- Zeiss negotiated a deal with Yashica under 
>which
>they gave to Yashica their rather strong electronic-shutter technology 
>and
>agreed to provide lenses for the new camera.  Yashica in turn agreed 
>to
>produce the camera bodies and lenses in Japan.
>
>(This is the probable reason the deal with Pentax didn't work.  The 
>Japanese
>did NOT want to produce lenses in Japan, as they were convinced the 
>home
>market would never accept that Japanese-produced Zeiss lenses were 
>identical
>in quality to German-produced Zeiss lenses;  at the same time Zeiss, 
>as has
>been their policy since 1945, wanted to minimize camera-lens 
>production.
>Yashica raised this point with some force and the compromise struck 
>with
>them is that all final inspection is performed in a room to which only
>German nationals are permitted.)
>
>The result is:  Zeiss and Kyocera (the deal was carried over to Kyoto
>Ceramics when Yashica went south) jointly develop the concept for new
>cameras and accessories.  The initial camera development is done in 
>Germany
>and all detailed work in Japan.  The lenses are completely German 
>designed
>and initial production is normally German, moving to Japan once the 
>bugs are
>ironed out.  All of the super-wide-angle and fisheye lenses, to my
>knowledge, are German produced.  All technology is pooled:  thus, 
>Zeiss's
>work on night-vision devices, for instance, would be made available as
>necessary to Kyocera for their use, and Kyocera's work on shutter 
>designs is
>fed back to Oberkochen.
>
>Marc
>
>msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
>Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!
>
>
Let's not overlook the F. A. Porsche Group's (yes, the Auto-designer)
input in to Japanese Contax production, designing the "pleasant"
ergonomics, at least of the early models, which still carries over into
today's Contax's.

Sincerely, 
Thomas P. Myro
Photology@juno.com