German vs Japan made Lens

[photostranger]

<<The first post war Nikon lens (formerly Nippon Kogaku, supplying optical instruments to the Imperial Navy) was brought to the US in the late forties, unmarked- it was sent to a lab for testing and they came back with excellent results as well as a hefty dose of curiosity about this new "German" lens.>>

I think it's a pretty obvious fact that Nikon has been on a downward spiral since then, and a very fast decline since the 1970's.

So long as Zeiss is designing the lense, I don't care who makes it so long as quality control is there, with out a doubt, it is.

 

[wolfgang]

I have german and japanese lenses as well, I cannot find any differecies. A friend owns the P85/1,4 (germany), I compared it to my "japanese": also no differences visible. I totally agree to Shawn: "I don't care who makes it so long as quality control is there, with out a doubt, it is".

regards
Wolfgang

 

[mkjyg]

> [I have a Japan made MM 50/1.4 lens that had oil leak on diaphragm. Contax USA charged me quite a lot of money to fix it. I suspect the oil leak points to some bad made lens.

Just some info. ]

 

[pkipnis]

>Oil can appear on diaphragm blades regardless of country of manufacture. I've had the problem over the years with a variety of format and manufacturer lenses and the solution is to have the lens totally disassembled, cleaned, re-lubed then reassembled. Just like focal plane shutters need service from time to time.

 

[kaisern]

>=20 >=20 >=20 > [I guessed as long as the lens is considered from the same manufacturer a= nd > same specification then it should be the same although you may find out t= he > German lens coating has a purple reflection while the Japanese version > reflection is green. Brgds/Kaisern] >=20 >=20 >=20

 

[nickser]

All my lenses, german & japenese are purple tinted.

 

[dja]

>>[I guessed as long as the lens is considered from the same manufacturer and same specification then it should be the same although you may find out the German lens coating has a purple reflection while the Japanese version reflection is green. Brgds/Kaisern]<<

I always believed that a "purplish" reflection was an indication of a more layered multicoat. A green reflection was usually a indication of dual coating; amber & blue. That doesn't necessarily mean dual layer coatings are always inferior. A manufacturer should only apply what is needed for a particular element or lens type.

I don't recall seeing any recent T* lenses that weren't "purplish". (Some internal element surfaces may reflect green or even amber.)

David

 

[bobbytan]

The German lenses have a better "perceived value" than the Japanese, as the Germans have a very long tradition of making very fine Carl Zeiss and Schneider lenses.

 

[bobbytan]

... and Leitz, Rodenstock, and what-have-you.

I suppose it's like comparing Japanese cars and German cars. The Japanese cars are very good indeed, but are they as good as or better than German cars? It depends on who you ask!

I have the German made 85mm/1.4 and 28mm/2.0 (both MM versions) and they are excellent lenses ... but the Japanese 28mm/2.8 is also one terrific lens.

I made a 30 x 40" enlargement of a photo taken from a 28mm/2.8 Japanese lens and it blew the mind of my colleague who shoots with Leica lenses!

If given a choice, I would pick a German version over a Japanese version ... but it's strictly a matter of personal preference.

 

[photostranger]

<<I suppose it's like comparing Japanese cars and German cars>>

If BMW manufacters a car in Japan, is it no longer a BMW?