At 12:14 11/8/99 , Ian Nichols wrote:
>Didn't Sigma once manufacture a couple of cut-price lenses for Zeiss?
>There is certainly a Sigma APO 75-300 and I think it's F/4 (I have one).
>Could it be a rebadged one of those?
This question came up before (on another list I think). The answer was
that these lenses are *not* Carl Zeiss, GmbH (of Stuttgart and of the Zeiss
Foundation). These lenses were made by a Japanese company *for* Carl Zeiss
Jena, VEB (of Jena in East Germany). CZJ prostituted its good name in
hopes of getting more western sales where it was allowed to use the name
"Zeiss" without running afoul of trademark laws.
If it is marked with "Zeiss," it could not have been sold in the U.S. (CZJ
had been forbidden to use "Zeiss" in the U.S. by then) but was probably
originally sold in one of several European countries. I'll bet if you
inquire with the owner, it will be marked "Carl Zeiss Jena" or something
with "Jena" in it.
The reputation on these lenses is they are not bad, but average as third
party 3x and 4x zooms go. Make no mistake, though. They are not real,
true Carl Zeiss *or* Carl Zeiss Jena lenses and are not deserving of the
legendary "Zeiss" reputation. They are *not* any of the legendary Zeiss
lens designs.
-- John
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|