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Leica movie primes meet RED Epic cameras


Overgaard

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REDUSER.net - View Single Post - Epic Meets Leica

... The thing that impresses me most is how much thought has been put into every aspect of these lenses. It seems like they set out to build the perfect set of lenses from the ground up.

Sure sounds like our Leica, doesn't it? :)

 

 

And this quote, referring to the picture Thorsten posted above: :p

REDUSER.net - View Single Post - Epic Meets Leica

This picture is like Megan Fox and Jessica Alba; naked in a spa together - only it's my next door neighbour's spa - and he hates me.

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BTW--that thread also has a link to http://www.fdtimes.com/articles/leica/Leica_Report_10-10HighRezPrint.pdf, which is a PDF of the history of these lenses.

 

One nice understatement from there:

Leica’s future was not assured until 2003, when an interesting Austrian, Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, purchased a Leica camera.

 

:)

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I'll be curious to see tests, but my guess is those lenses will be too sharp for my taste. I worked with Panavision's Primos (which may have had some Leica glass... or where ground at the Leica facility in Canada or something) and now I think they're too sharp, especially for use with video. I like a sharp still lens and a softer, rounder cine lens (Zeiss movie lenses = same issue for me). Even the f/1.4 feature doesn't mean much for cinema -- you would almost never want to shoot at that big of an aperture, focus pulling would be a nightmare, maybe not even possible.

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Anyone knows why these cinema lenses do not appear at the Leica Camera's webpage?

 

I know they were designed by a special team of engineers, and the distribution is different to other Leica products, but these lenses wear the Leica logo, and they would reinforce the brand value. I mean just to include a link with the technical specification of the lenses and a link to the distribution company.

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I was happy to see what an impact these lenses seem to be making (note no autofocus on this type of professional equipment). But I was even more pleased with the emoticons that had escaped my current collection "drool" and "exploding head" in particular:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

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Anyone knows why these cinema lenses do not appear at the Leica Camera's webpage? ...

 

Not produced by Leica Camera.

 

Just like Leica microscopes and Leica Geosystems, I'm afraid.

 

But they are so sexy to oogle, it's a pity they aren't any more closely connected than the Red Dot. :(

 

 

From page 4 of the "Film and Digital Times" pdf linked to above:

The Leica Summilux-C lenses were developed by CW Sonderoptic Wetzlar, a 100% subsidiary of ACM Project Development Company, whose Managing Director is Dr. Andreas Kaufmann.
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Do you mean Dr. Kaufmann? It's difficult to tell when you just use the bare patronymic :rolleyes:

 

Regards,

 

Bill

 

Yes, Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, former CEO of Leica Camera AG. This is a Leica forum, right?

 

(I'll double down on my prediction above of too sharp: Iain Neil also designed the Primos, back in the day.)

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Ted--Here's the intended logic of my response to Rubén's question:

  • Question: Why aren't they on Leica Camera's Website?
  • Answer: They're not made by Leica Camera.

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Well, that's what I was saying -- we don't know. Some group of guys could just be licensing the name and trademark (like Kyocera building "Contax"), or perhaps there is manufacturing or engineering capacity being used. The optical designer is from outside the company, but Kaufmann is from within. I was saying the word used, "produced," is a little vague. That could be design, engineering, manufacture. They were not designed by Leica, we know that, but that doesn't mean Leica isn't contributing something more than a trademark to the product.

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I think the trademark "Leica" belongs to Leica Microsystems, not Leica Camera.

 

Leica Camera uses it under some kind of license (Am I right?).

 

So I figure that Dr. Kauffmann negotiated with Leica Microsystem some type of licensing for these lenses, presumably not included as a possibility in the original licensing contract of Leica Camera.

 

So, they are Sonderoptic lenses, not produced by Leica Camera, and not designed at Leica Camera, but using "Leica" trademark under license.

 

Anyway, Leica Camera and Sonderoptic are companies of Dr. Kauffmann, so it would make sense some type of synergies in the use of the "Leica" trademark.

 

(I was told Dr. Kauffmann was negotiating the use of the name "Leitz" for their companies' products, time ago).

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So I figure that Dr. Kauffmann negotiated with Leica Microsystem some type of licensing for these lenses, presumably not included as a possibility in the original licensing contract of Leica Camera.

 

So, they are Sonderoptic lenses, not produced by Leica Camera, and not designed at Leica Camera, but using "Leica" trademark under license.

 

 

A guess, and then conjecture. Maybe you're right, but maybe not. Why do people on Internet forums have so much trouble just saying, "I don't know for sure"? All we know, as I said above, from the article, is that they were designed by Iain Neil who is from outside the company. We don't know anything else -- the glass could have been ground in Solms, or Canada, or...

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Ted, pardon my refractiveness, but who cares?

 

These are modern lenses built by a high-tech company with many features that cinematographers want.

 

As you already said, they're doubtless too sharp for you, even though they're not yet on the market.

 

And who really cares?

 

They look good in the photos; we'll see what happens with them later.

 

At least it's good to see RED getting some play on the forum. ;)

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I am just recapitulating the argument which explains why these lenses are not included, referenced or even mentioned at Leica Camera website.

 

If Leica Camera did a mere subcontractor job for Sonderoptic (it seems unlikely to me), that does not change the idea.

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