[LRflex] Re: Next "R" Camera Survey - 20 Questions.
- From: David Young <telyt@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2006 13:19:44 -0700
At 19/10/2006, you wrote:
>Well David
>Those are all nice thoughts, but the company you are
>describing already exists. It's called Canon. As for
>this Lees fellow not haveing the time to answer
>questions on this list, if that's the case why should
>we have the time to buy his cameras! BAD ANSWER!
Curious, Javier, that I don't see Canon's boss answering questions on
the Canon list.... Or Nikon's boss on the Nikon lists. If that is
your criteria for buying a camera, then I guess you'd better take up
painting! Of course, only if the paint maker's president will answer
questions on your local painting list!
>As for the young managers, thing. It looks like they want
>to start marketing themselves as a young and vibrant
>company! I have never liked companies that worship
>the youth culture and I avoid them like the plague! If
>that's what Leitz turns into then I will not have
>anything to do with them.
That is your choice.
>As for the survey. I found one question very unusual.
>That was the use of polycarbonate lens barrels. I
>believe unreinforced polycarbonate has a higher
>expansion coefficient than most metals including I
>think, aluminum. That makes it useless as a carrier
>for optical elements in a critical design either
>directly in the lens packs or in the focusing barrels.
>Polycarbonate is also more flexible than metals and
>can distort more easily under load. Again, it's not
>suitable for critical apps. I believe a few R lenses
>were made with plastic barrels but I think they were
>limited to the normal Summicrons. Also, when designing
>a premium lens the cost savings of polycarbonate over
>spun aluminum is minimal. All this sez to me that
>someone at Leitz is trying to squeeze the last
>possible cent out a lens by taking shortcuts that
>shouldn't be taken.
Actually, Javier, that tells you nothing.
This survey was not provided by Leica. It was designed entirely by
myself, in the hopes of helping Leica understand our wants &
desires. I asked the question because those plastic lens barrels,
which you despise, are prevalent in nearly all autofocus lenses,
including those made by your "does the job" Canon. I simply wanted to
know if our members would accept such materials.
Polycarbonates (or similar materials - I am not an engineer) are used
because they are lighter, and thus can spin (read focus) faster, with
less inertia and can be driven by smaller motors, which, in turn,
consume less battery power. They have a lot of advantages, of which
cost is one of the least important. However, as you point out, they
are not suitable lens carriers for high quality lenses. Still,
Nikon, Canon and just about everybody else, use them.
When I asked Leica about the possibility of plastic lens barrels,
they told me that they will have nothing to do with such materials.
Simply not good enough, as you point out. And no, there are not any
Leica lenses using plastic lens barrels in any current or older models.
My friend, you seem much to ready to jump to conclusions based on
erroneous assumptions. Why not simply complete the survey and email
it to me? That will do much more to ensure you get the products you
want from Leica, in the future, than all manner of arguing and complaining.
Respectfully,
David.
---
David Young,
Logan Lake, CANADA
Wildlife Photographs: http://www.telyt.com/
Personal Web-pages: http://www3.telus.net/~telyt
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