Post by doubs43 on May 9, 2007 13:47:29 GMT -5
The following is my opinion of the differences between German and Japanese lenses. It is NOT intended to show that one is superior to the other but rather that the engineers in each country designed great optics with differing values in certain areas.
Prior to WW2 the Germans were the undisputed champions of camera and lens design and manufacture. It's true that Kodak sold untold thousands of inexpensive consumer cameras and Graflex ruled the press camera market in the U.S. but the best quality medium amd small format cameras were undeniably German. The most notable were Zeiss, Leitz, Rollei and Ihagee (Exakta). Meanwhile, the Japanese optics industry was largely unknown and their best was consummed by their military anyway. In spite of their relative obscurity to the rest of the world, they were turning out world-class optical equipment.
Following the war, the Allies recognized the need for Germany to have hard cash and the camera industry was given priority with most of the output going to the U.S.. Leitz was largely intact and production for civilian consumption began quickly. Zeiss was split between the Allied and Russian sectors and it took longer for them to begin production. Rollei (Franke & Heidecke) were on-line quickly while Ihagee was in the Eastern Zone and took time to begin production again. The Cold War created complications for the East German camera industry.
Meanwhile, the Japanese camera and optical industry was growing but remained largely unknown until David Douglass Duncan used Nikkor lenses to take pictures of the Korean War. The eyes of the world were suddenly opened to see Japanese optical products as first class. Within 10 years they would be taking large shares of the market from the Germans and names such as Nikon, Pentax, Canon and others would be widely recognized brands. The Japanese also sold their products more cheaply than the Germans and everyone likes a bargain.
So what about those early pictures taken by Duncan stood out from the ordinary? In a word: contrast! The Nikkor lenses he used emphasized contrast which gives the appearance of being sharper while not necessarily being sharper or resolving as many lines-per-inch (lpi) as a lower contrast lens. And that is essentially the difference between German and Japanese optics of that period.
German engineers seem to have concentrated on resolution with lower contrast while the Japanese favored contrast with some loss of resolution. Over time the Germans made efforts to improve contrast and keep resolution high. So did the Japanese. Both turned out world-class optics that we can all enjoy as film cameras and lenses have never been more plentiful or less expensive.
It should be noted that the division of Germany into two countries gave rise to two separate camera industries. In the West, the West German products were considered superior to the East German goods and in some respects that was true. The East Germans had no answer for the Leitz and Zeiss rangefinder cameras but if one wanted an SLR, it was the East Germans who offered the best value and arguably the best designs. The Exakta SLR was quirky but still a camera with tremendous capabilities. The Pentacons and Prakticas evolved into excellent system cameras. East German optics are also excellent and give up nothing to their competitors except speed in certain focal lengths. The Japanese offered 50 & 55mm f/1.4 lenses while the Germans on both sides of the Iron Curtain concentrated on f/2 and f/1.8. The 50mm f/1.4 Pancolar offered by the East Germans is both rare and expensive and never became a widely available optic.
The fly in the ointment for the East German camera industries were two fold; materials and a state-run economy. The state needed hard cash and production was geared to provide as much currency as possible but at the expense of better design. The East German engineers had to compromise their designs to facilitate faster production. To complicate matters more, they were often working with poorer quality materials than the West Germans. The East Germans used plastics in places that could have used metal to better advantage. Additionally, the plastics they used have proven to be of an inferior quality, resulting in failures that wouldn't have happened if better plastics or metal been used. Aluminum was also used in places that would have been better served by brass or even steel. The last area that could have used better materials was in lubricants. The grease used for lens helicals will often be found to have stiffened or hardened and must be replaced for smooth operation. On the positive side, the East Germans had access to some of the world's best optical glasses and the performance of their lenses shows it.
That's my opinion of the differences between the optics from Japan and the two Germanys. They are different in certain ways but ALL are capable of first rate results. I own and use cameras and lenses from all three places and all are worthy. I'm content to use my cameras and lenses from all three places...... or somewhere else entirely!
I'm hoping that PeterW and John will help to flesh out and maybe even correct me on a point or two. Both are very knowledgeable about the German optical industries.
Walker
Prior to WW2 the Germans were the undisputed champions of camera and lens design and manufacture. It's true that Kodak sold untold thousands of inexpensive consumer cameras and Graflex ruled the press camera market in the U.S. but the best quality medium amd small format cameras were undeniably German. The most notable were Zeiss, Leitz, Rollei and Ihagee (Exakta). Meanwhile, the Japanese optics industry was largely unknown and their best was consummed by their military anyway. In spite of their relative obscurity to the rest of the world, they were turning out world-class optical equipment.
Following the war, the Allies recognized the need for Germany to have hard cash and the camera industry was given priority with most of the output going to the U.S.. Leitz was largely intact and production for civilian consumption began quickly. Zeiss was split between the Allied and Russian sectors and it took longer for them to begin production. Rollei (Franke & Heidecke) were on-line quickly while Ihagee was in the Eastern Zone and took time to begin production again. The Cold War created complications for the East German camera industry.
Meanwhile, the Japanese camera and optical industry was growing but remained largely unknown until David Douglass Duncan used Nikkor lenses to take pictures of the Korean War. The eyes of the world were suddenly opened to see Japanese optical products as first class. Within 10 years they would be taking large shares of the market from the Germans and names such as Nikon, Pentax, Canon and others would be widely recognized brands. The Japanese also sold their products more cheaply than the Germans and everyone likes a bargain.
So what about those early pictures taken by Duncan stood out from the ordinary? In a word: contrast! The Nikkor lenses he used emphasized contrast which gives the appearance of being sharper while not necessarily being sharper or resolving as many lines-per-inch (lpi) as a lower contrast lens. And that is essentially the difference between German and Japanese optics of that period.
German engineers seem to have concentrated on resolution with lower contrast while the Japanese favored contrast with some loss of resolution. Over time the Germans made efforts to improve contrast and keep resolution high. So did the Japanese. Both turned out world-class optics that we can all enjoy as film cameras and lenses have never been more plentiful or less expensive.
It should be noted that the division of Germany into two countries gave rise to two separate camera industries. In the West, the West German products were considered superior to the East German goods and in some respects that was true. The East Germans had no answer for the Leitz and Zeiss rangefinder cameras but if one wanted an SLR, it was the East Germans who offered the best value and arguably the best designs. The Exakta SLR was quirky but still a camera with tremendous capabilities. The Pentacons and Prakticas evolved into excellent system cameras. East German optics are also excellent and give up nothing to their competitors except speed in certain focal lengths. The Japanese offered 50 & 55mm f/1.4 lenses while the Germans on both sides of the Iron Curtain concentrated on f/2 and f/1.8. The 50mm f/1.4 Pancolar offered by the East Germans is both rare and expensive and never became a widely available optic.
The fly in the ointment for the East German camera industries were two fold; materials and a state-run economy. The state needed hard cash and production was geared to provide as much currency as possible but at the expense of better design. The East German engineers had to compromise their designs to facilitate faster production. To complicate matters more, they were often working with poorer quality materials than the West Germans. The East Germans used plastics in places that could have used metal to better advantage. Additionally, the plastics they used have proven to be of an inferior quality, resulting in failures that wouldn't have happened if better plastics or metal been used. Aluminum was also used in places that would have been better served by brass or even steel. The last area that could have used better materials was in lubricants. The grease used for lens helicals will often be found to have stiffened or hardened and must be replaced for smooth operation. On the positive side, the East Germans had access to some of the world's best optical glasses and the performance of their lenses shows it.
That's my opinion of the differences between the optics from Japan and the two Germanys. They are different in certain ways but ALL are capable of first rate results. I own and use cameras and lenses from all three places and all are worthy. I'm content to use my cameras and lenses from all three places...... or somewhere else entirely!
I'm hoping that PeterW and John will help to flesh out and maybe even correct me on a point or two. Both are very knowledgeable about the German optical industries.
Walker
