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[OM] OT Leica, Contax, and Olympus [was: OWCH! That hurt my ear]

Subject: [OM] OT Leica, Contax, and Olympus [was: OWCH! That hurt my ear]
From: "John A. Lind" <jlind@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 18:24:07 +0000
At 15:36 1/16/00 , David wrote:
>It's funny how there seems to be a rivalry between Leica and Contax users. 
>To me both these cameras hold their turf qualitywise.

Oskar Barnack created the Leica "A" for Ernst Leitz in 1925.  It was the
first successful (but expensive) camera using 35mm "cine" film, the
predecessor to what we use today with different emulsions.  Not to be
outdone by Leitz' success, Zeiss Ikon A.G. was formed by the Zeiss
Foundation in 1926 to cash in on the new still camera format.  Bodies would
be made by Zeiss Ikon and the lenses by Carl Zeiss.  The Contax I was
released in 1932, the same year as the Leica II.  The Leica II and the
Contax I were the first 35mm camera systems with interchangeable lenses.
The Contax was the only serious competition to the Leica and sparked the
original 35mm Holy War.  Both were pro systems at the top end of 35mm
format, head and shoulders above anyone else, and set the standards.  The
throttle went through the firewall with the Leica IIIa in 1935 and Contax
II/III in 1936.

The Canon versus Nikon SLR Holy Wars pale by comparison.  It was more than
two companies duking it out for the pro 35mm market for 30 years.  The
rivalry ran through their users with a fundamental philosophical difference
in what a 35mm camera should be, and the design goals for them.  Few will
dispute the "mystique" of Leitz' lenses.  They produce images with an
incredible aesthetic, artistic appeal.  IMO The Leica (A through IIIg) was
a holistic approach by one man, Oskar Barnack, and the final result
dictated design.  OTOH Zeiss Ikon created, by design committee, a precision
optical instrument using Carl Zeiss lenses and Schott Glass and few will
disupute that too.  Detailed performance specs dictated design.  Which
system pros chose to use was a personal statement about photographic style
and the results they were trying to achieve.  An analogy is arguing who the
better photographer is, Alfred Eisenstadt or Ansel Adams.  The Leica Thread
Mount and Zeiss Ikon Contax defined world class excellence differently.

After 30 years, the great RF rivalry ended when Nikon turned the pro 35mm
world upside down with its "F" SLR in 1959.  Zeiss Ikon ceased production
of its Contax IIa/IIIa in 1961, ignoring its flagship to pursue SLR's.
Zeiss Ikon was dissolved by the Zeiss Foundation in the early 1970's.
Leica continued with its "M" series.  The Contax name was resurrected by
the Zeiss Foundation in an agreement with Yashica.  Kyocera (Yashica's
parent) makes the bodies now and Carl Zeiss makes the lenses.  Canon
successfully copied the Leica III's heavily with its RF's through the IV's.
 Nikon copied much of the Contax IIa/IIIa concept (except its shutter
mechanism) with its "S" series.  Their Holy War erupted with competition
for SLR market share.

OM Content:
There is a parallel between Oskar Barnack with the Leica Threadmount and
the Olympus OM's.  The consistency of design goals spanning the M-1 through
the OM-3ti and OM-4T expresses the vision of one man, Mr. Maitani.

-- John

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