wlaidlaw Posted August 16, 2015 Share #1 Posted August 16, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) I see that Leicarumours are saying that they believe that the Q 28mm Summilux AF lens was designed by Konica Minolta. I know Leica had a tie up with Minolta for the R and various lenses a long time ago but that was before K-M sold their camera business to Sony. Sony themselves partner with Zeiss for lens design, so that make the K-M tie up even more unlikely. I could understand if Leica accessed Panasonic expertise from their Micro Four/Thirds experience for making fast AF lenses but Minolta? I just don't believe it. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 16, 2015 Posted August 16, 2015 Hi wlaidlaw, Take a look here Q lens designed by Konica-Minolta - seems unlikely . I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
earleygallery Posted August 16, 2015 Share #2 Posted August 16, 2015 Konica Minolta aren't in the photo business any more AFAIK - Kyocera on the other hand could be involved (who also have made other Leica lenses). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjh Posted August 16, 2015 Share #3 Posted August 16, 2015 I see that Leicarumours are saying that they believe that the Q 28mm Summilux AF lens was designed by Konica Minolta. Of course it is quite unbelievable that a Leica lens was designed by Leica. Konica Minolta, that renowned manufacturer of laser printers and photocopiers, is a much more likely candidate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted August 16, 2015 Share #4 Posted August 16, 2015 Good one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernie.lcf Posted August 17, 2015 Share #5 Posted August 17, 2015 A couple of things. A wild rumor is just that: a wild rumor... and should be treated as what it is. Konica Minolta is still active in the photo business - three mouse clicks and you'd be able to read about it on KM's website: http://www.konicaminolta.com/opt/index.html To my knowledge, there has only been a single lens sold as a Leica lens and known to be neither designed nor manufactured by Leica: the infamous Vario-Elmar-R 28-70mm ƒ3.5-4.5 lenses ( #11364 and #11265). This lens was designed and produced by Sigma for Leica. The Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm ƒ3.5 (#11244) is a tricky one, because it is reported to be a Minolta design... however, there has been an update to this lens under the same reference number which was at least produced in Germany - and perhaps modified. Other than that, all Leica lenses in Leica camera and other cameras (Panasonic, Fuj, etc.) are at least designed by Leica. They are either manufactured by Leica or by others - this includes the T lenses which are not made, but only designed by Leica. Whether or not the Summilux-Q is a pure Leica design, will be up for Leica to reveal. However, it does at least include one Panasonic element: the OIS. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 17, 2015 Share #6 Posted August 17, 2015 Fisheye Elmarit (Sigma), nearly all early zooms (Angenieux and Minolta), PA Curtagon (Schneider),MR-Telyt 500, Summarit 1.5/50 (design) are but a few that spring to mind as non-Leica designs/non-Leica made. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share #7 Posted August 17, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) You could add the 15mm/f8 Hologon-M, which was a Zeiss design and I believe made by them also. I wondered if this was the same lens as the 16mm/f8 Hologon I had for my Contax G2 camera but where Leica rounded down the focal length and Zeiss rounded it up. I suspect the photo activity on Konica's website may be legacy from before the Sony purchase of their camera business, although they may well still be making components for various camera makers. I don't think Kyocera are in the camera or lens trade at all now - retired hurt! There is certainly nothing on their website to indicate they are still in the business. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 17, 2015 Share #8 Posted August 17, 2015 A couple of things. A wild rumor is just that: a wild rumor... and should be treated as what it is. Konica Minolta is still active in the photo business - three mouse clicks and you'd be able to read about it on KM's website: http://www.konicaminolta.com/opt/index.html To my knowledge, there has only been a single lens sold as a Leica lens and known to be neither designed nor manufactured by Leica: the infamous Vario-Elmar-R 28-70mm ƒ3.5-4.5 lenses ( #11364 and #11265). This lens was designed and produced by Sigma for Leica. The Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm ƒ3.5 (#11244) is a tricky one, because it is reported to be a Minolta design... however, there has been an update to this lens under the same reference number which was at least produced in Germany - and perhaps modified. Other than that, all Leica lenses in Leica camera and other cameras (Panasonic, Fuj, etc.) are at least designed by Leica. They are either manufactured by Leica or by others - this includes the T lenses which are not made, but only designed by Leica. Whether or not the Summilux-Q is a pure Leica design, will be up for Leica to reveal. However, it does at least include one Panasonic element: the OIS. Not so, there were quite a number of R lenses made by Sigma, Minolta, Kyocera and others. The Panaleica lenses are made in partnership. Panasonic make lots of other lenses too, so I'd say it's more probable that they refer certain designs to Leica for approval (to use their name). The T lenses are made by a third party company in Asia. Panasonic or Kyocera would be likely contenders. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 17, 2015 Share #9 Posted August 17, 2015 You could add the 15mm/f8 Hologon-M, which was a Zeiss design and I believe made by them also. I wondered if this was the same lens as the 16mm/f8 Hologon I had for my Contax G2 camera but where Leica rounded down the focal length and Zeiss rounded it up. I suspect the photo activity on Konica's website may be legacy from before the Sony purchase of their camera business, although they may well still be making components for various camera makers. I don't think Kyocera are in the camera or lens trade at all now - retired hurt! There is certainly nothing on their website to indicate they are still in the business. Wilson You didn't look hard enough Wilson. http://www.kyocera-optec.jp/english/index.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share #10 Posted August 17, 2015 James, Those are all what I would term "industrial" products rather than photographic on the Kyocera site. As they are still a major producer of photocopiers, for which optics are required, I am just guessing that these lenses might be an outgrowth from that. When I last visited them in 2006, they were very bitter about how things had worked out with Zeiss and the impression I got was that they wanted nothing further to do with the photographic industry. They thought that Kobayashi San at Cosina would get his fingers burnt but he is a very smart cookie. Kyocera presented me with a pair of stunningly sharp ceramic scissors, which unfortunately I lost last year in Taiwan and a ceramic carving knife. You had to be very careful putting a hand into my shaving bag with these scissors, to check they were closed, as they would cut you if you just touched them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 17, 2015 Share #11 Posted August 17, 2015 I also found this link http://americas.kyocera.com/kicc/products/lpd/ Kyocera made the highly regarded Leica R 35-70 f4 lens, which was one of the last new R lenses. They certainly seem to have the facilities, and obviously the experience, to make camera lenses for Leica and others, but of course I have no inside knowledge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mschoe Posted August 17, 2015 Share #12 Posted August 17, 2015 Other than that, all Leica lenses in Leica camera and other cameras (Panasonic, Fuj, etc.) are at least designed by Leica. They are either manufactured by Leica or by others - this includes the T lenses which are not made, but only designed by Leica. The T-lenses are obviously NOT designed or built by Leica: http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2015-04-15 http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2015-03-25 http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2015-03-13 http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2013-12-27 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 17, 2015 Share #13 Posted August 17, 2015 Hmmm.. translated might be more comprehensible. Are these the construction drawings supplied to Konica-Minolta? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted August 17, 2015 Share #14 Posted August 17, 2015 Hmmm.. translated might be more comprehensible. Are these the construction drawings supplied to Konica-Minolta? In the first link, beneath the illustration is, "Leica Vario-Elmer T f3.5-5.6 / 18-56mm ASPH." (ライカ バリオ・エルマーT f3.5-5.6/18-56mm ASPH.) EDIT: The rest of the text is ambiguous to me. Here it is. "Leica standard zoom of the T system is 18-56mm F3.5-5.6. Konica Minolta is a different lens and patent application. However, Konica Minolta and the embodiment of the optical system is in the pending patent application, Leica because the T system focal length are the same" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalfx Posted August 17, 2015 Share #15 Posted August 17, 2015 I see that Leicarumours are saying that they believe that the Q 28mm Summilux AF lens was designed by Konica Minolta. Wilson "designed" or built? Leica has stated that they designed the lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Aurmont Posted August 17, 2015 Share #16 Posted August 17, 2015 Basically, Leica Q is not really Leica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 17, 2015 Share #17 Posted August 17, 2015 Shhh...It is not even a Q.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
screwmount Posted August 18, 2015 Share #18 Posted August 18, 2015 I think they found out in another thread: Lens was designed by Fujifilm. After all the Fuji lenshoodcap fits! Furthermore, the very first digilux was a relabeled Fuji camera. That should be enough evidence! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
asiafish Posted August 23, 2015 Share #19 Posted August 23, 2015 Fisheye Elmarit (Sigma), nearly all early zooms (Angenieux and Minolta), PA Curtagon (Schneider),MR-Telyt 500, Summarit 1.5/50 (design) are but a few that spring to mind as non-Leica designs/non-Leica made. 24mm f/2.8 R is a rebadged Minolta lens as well, and quite good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnloumiles Posted August 23, 2015 Share #20 Posted August 23, 2015 Does anyone have actual link where the lens is referred to as a KM design because I only remember seeing a commenter throwing that out there on LR without providing any evidence? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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