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Re: [OM] Lens Group

Subject: Re: [OM] Lens Group
From: "Paul D. Farrar" <farrar@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 1998 19:57:05 -0600
At 06:07 PM 4/3/98 -0500, Denton Taylor wrote:
>
>>
>>The following lenses are only produced on demand:
>>
>>18mm/3.5, 24mm/3.5 shift, 35mm/2.8 shift, 20mm/2 macro, 38mm/2.8 macro,
>>180mm/2, 250mm/2, 350mm/2.8, 400mm/6.3, 1000mm/11, 600mm/6.5
>>
>I find that to be a rather curious statement. What is the meaning of 'on
>demand'?
>
>Does this mean they will build one lens because a dealer wants one? Hard to
>believe...
>
>Or do they mean when enough dealers grovel and beg they will begrudgingly
>fire up the line?

Nikon and Canon do that, at least for some of their lenses which only sell a
few a year --  the Nikon 6.5mm fisheye and 13mm wide-angle, the 1200mm
Canon. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole OM line, including the
Olympicosinas, were built that way. The OM-2000 batches might be several
hundred before they switch the line over to Kalimars, Vivitars, Yashicas,
etc, whereas the Zuiko 1000mm batch might be a single lens. I've heard that
a single technician has assembled most of Olympuses low-demand lenses by
himself. For stuff like this, Flexible Manufacturing is the name of the game
now.

This doesn't mean that you can't walk into B&H and pick up some of the
above. They list several, and unlike Smile and Cambridge, they actually
carry what they list. A while back, I bought a 38 from them, but they were
backordered on 2-13 screens. Maybe they're backordered on 38s now!

Paul Farrar


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