Analog Leica produced in Portugal

[ianman]

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2 hours ago, earleygallery said:

It must be like finding out that Santa isn't real

What do you mean?😳

[logan2z]

1 hour ago, ianman said:

What do you mean?😳

You were bound to find out eventually. 

[logan2z]

4 hours ago, logan2z said:

I believe they are...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/search?N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Ntt=Leica Portugal

 

 

The search links to BH keep going bad, but here's one example:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1590193-REG/leica_11708_summicron_m_35mm_f_2_asph.html
 

Edited May 6, 2021 by logan2z

[adan]

The US (and EU) suspended the tariff war that include German-made lenses - but I expect it may take many months for all the lenses already "Made in Portugal" (or still in progress as of March 3) to get sold off dealers shelves.

For the $500 difference, it is probably not economical for Leica to call them all back, swap out the parts engraved "Portugal," and then re-sell them at the "German" price. They'll just slowly get tagged "no longer available" as folks buy the last of them.

[pgk]

55 minutes ago, adan said:

For the $500 difference, it is probably not economical for Leica to call them all back, swap out the parts engraved "Portugal," and then re-sell them at the "German" price.

Ummmm. There a very good reason that they wouldn't do this in any case😇.

[SrMi]

I highly recommend Erwin Puts' excellent book "The Leica Path" book. 

In the book (p107), Erwin writes that it is a myth that modern Leica cameras are made in Wetzlar. Final treatment and assembly is done in Portugal. Only the last stage of the assembly occurs in Wetzlar. The main components were manufactured in Portugal since the late 1980s when old Wetzlar machines were transferred to Portugal.

[WvE]

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On 5/4/2021 at 7:18 PM, adan said:

As Andybarton says, Leitz/Leica diversified the factory locations after WW2, because of the possibility of a Soviet invasion.

But it would not have even required that West Germany "fall."

Wetzlar was/is only about 100km/60 miles west of the East/West German border, and the Fulda Gap - a low point through mountains that was expected to be the primary mechanized invasion route. Leica was essentially right in the mouth of the gun barrel.

Soviet tanks could have been in the streets of Wetzlar in a matter of hours, even if an invasion was repelled within days.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulda_Gap

Interesting, but isn't just about cutting labour costs?

Wetzlar (or Solms) under Russian management would perhaps have resulted in lower prices (and possibly quality).