Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/09/26

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Subject: Leitz prospectus from 1935
From: Alfred Breull <puma@hannover.sgh-net.de>
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 21:56:59 +0200

I bought (on rather little money) an original Leitz prospectus from 1935
about the actual Leitz lenses of that time. It has 35 pages, example pix,
and decriptions of the usage and abilities of the: 

6.3/ 28 Hektor  
3.5/ 35 Elmar
4.5/ 35 Elmar
3.5/ 50 Elmar
2.5/ 50 Hektor
2/   50 Summar
1.9/ 73 Hektor
4/   90 Elmar
2.2/ 90 Thambar
6.3/ 105 Elmar
4.5/ 135 Elmar
4.5/ 135 Hektor
4.5/ 200 Telyt 

The 3.5/ 50 Elamr had a price of RM 75.--. The most expensive was the 1.9/
73 Hekor (RM 260.--), while the Thambar had a price of RM 195.--, and the
4.5/35 Elmar (Schnappschussobjektiv) one of RM 40.--. 

Leitz describes tthe abilities of the Summar and says that it has ... a
highly perfect, almost borderline apochromatic color correction ... ("... in
einer hochvollendeten, nahezu ans Apochromatische grenzende Farbkorrektur
..."). Additionally, Leitz has a short remark on the out-of-focus performace
of the Summar, which I unfortunately cannot translate (since my english is
to poor). Maybe somebody else can do it, it says about the bokeh:

"... schliesslich in der auffaelligen "Raumzeichner"-Wirkung, die sich durch
allmaehlichen sanften Uebergang der Schaerfegrade ausserhalb des
eigentlichen Tiefenschaerfenbereichs angenehm bemerkbar macht und dem Bild
eine deutlich gesteigerte, harmonische Bildwirkung verleiht."

I feel it rather nice to read those texts. If anyone likes a fotocopy
(against mail costs, ca $ 1 or $1.5, I don't know) ...

Alf