[rollei_list] Re: 'Old' Zeiss glass question... HFT and T*

At 08:21 PM 4/26/06 -0700, Peter K. wrote:
>Were there any other joint work between Asahi and Zeiss? Just wondering
>because Asahi made some marvelous lenses so it would be interesting to find
>out if Zeiss were behind any of it.   Peter K

Peter

I don't believe that the coöperation extended to optical design.  Zeiss
wanted Asahi to build a jointly designed camera and to produce
Zeiss-designed lenses for it in Japan.  In those days, Zeiss was making
well over 90% of their income from non-photographic production but the head
of the Zeiss Foundation, the CEO of the combine, had come up through Zeiss
Ikon, so there was a corporate interest in maintaining a prestige presence
in the photographic field.

Asahi decided that their home market would never accept Japanese-built
lenses as "real" Zeiss lenses, so the deal foundered on that.  Zeiss and
Asahi parted friends and have continued to coöperate on a smaller scale
ever since.  Zeiss, of course, next turned to Yashica, and the result was
the Contax RTS SLR.  

Marc

msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx 
Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir!


---
Rollei List

- Post to rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

- Subscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'subscribe'
in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org

- Unsubscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with
'unsubscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org

- Online, searchable archives are available at
http://www.freelists.org/archives/rollei_list

Other related posts: