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Who makes liteicon4/2/2023 ![]() Both this and the 35mm Summilux are relatively heavy lenses and remind us of the German-made SL optics in both appearance and feelĪs an aside, Leica’s lens design supremo, Peter Karbe, said at the LHSA meeting that the 35mm Summilux and the APO-Macro-Elmarit-TL 60 mm f /2.8 ASPH are his favourite optics for the system. Peter Karbe’s second most favoured TL lens is the the other one made in Germany, the 60mm Macro. If they knew, surely they would be saying. Yet these days, nothing much remains secret for long, and the Nokishita website seems exceptionally well informed on the Japanese industry. That’s unusual these days, with the intrusive internet at play, and I can only assume that the company insists on anonymity and does its utmost to ensure privacy. The strange thing about all this is that -as far as I am aware - this phantom supplier of lenses to Leica has not been identified before now. ![]() The only factors worth considering are build quality and performance and the Japanese-made TL lenses score high on both counts. And Leica has a long history of cooperation with Japanese manufacturers - for many of the R lenses, for instance. Quality is quality, from wherever it comes. Should we worry? No, of course there is nothing wrong with a high-quality lens made in Japan. It is a high-quality high achiever, but it is made for Leica “somewhere in Japan”Īccording to Leica, these lenses are “engineered and designed in Germany, made in Japan.” It’s very similar to Apple’s “Designed in California, Made in China” strapline and no one, other than POTUS on high, seems concerned by this. The fact that all these lenses look somewhat similar isn’t significant because, as we know, they are all designed by Leica.Ĭrêpe japonaise: The 18mm Elmarit-TL is one of my favourite lenses, a perfect pancake to complement the CL. While it is likely that Panasonic builds the Leica-branded DG lenses for micro four-thirds, it is also possible that this same third-party shrinking violet is the actual manufacturer. That rules out Sigma, Cosina-Voigtländer and even Panasonic. ![]() The emphasis on the mystery manufacturer not making branded lenses seems quite specific. It’s one of Peter Karbe’s favourites and it is also made in Germany (Image Mike Evans) The 35mm Summilux-TL (used to take the shot, mounted on the CL), is an outstanding lens in the crop-sensor lineup. “It is a third-party lens manufacturer which does not make products under its brand.” Previously, even Panasonic - as a long-time Leica partner - has been in the frame.īut when asked about this during the recent LHSA meeting in Wetzlar, Stefan Daniel made it quite clear that the manufacturer of these lenses is not one we would recognise. ![]() With the announcement of cooperation with Sigma under the new L-Mount Alliance, there have been suggestions that Sigma must be chief suspect. Who is Leica’s lens partner in Japan? Who makes most of the TL lenses, which are marked “Made in Japan” except for the 35mm Summilux and 60mm Macro which are labelled “Made in Germany? It’s a subject that has been much discussed on the various forums and many people are sure they know the answer. But who makes them for Leica? (Image Leica Camera AG) The 23mm Summicron-TL, in common with all TL lenses other than the 35mm Summilux and 60mm Macro, is made in Japan. ![]()
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