As I study further, let me draw something here to clear my mind:
Facts are :
- There is a cloning habit in the early Jp camera history.
Like, Canon clone Leica LTM, Nikon develop from Contax RF, the multiple brands of TLRs from the Rolleis.... so the SLR lenses could be actually from some models of existing models (Contarex? or from RF lenses?). The Jps could have been studied it, improved, and making the improved version by themselves.
-Rebranding , like selling as Sears, Soligor have happened for a long time.
- Oversea companies co-op exists. Germany let Jp do the jobs, like Zeiss/Yashica, Leica/Minolta co-op in history.
- Internally Jp-Jp companies co-op also exists , like Cosina making T60 for Canon, FM10 for Nikon, OM2000 for Olympus. Tomioka has make lens for various parties for sure.
-Some glass/optical makers ONLY make glass or just ONLY do the assembling.
They never know each other
-Acquiring happens.
-Some patents has expired , not applied or not protected in different countries (Soviets, East Germany, and even Japan?).
-Some companies never have complete details in serial numbers. Making everything untraceable.
- Many Internet studies are based on studying the appearance, dissembling the lens, counting glass numbers to suggest who made that lens.
Beside, the facts from myths are:
-There are actually plenty suggestions that could be from one's own believing without much evidence support on web.
Many of them are gone since the sites shutting down. But quoted in fragments leads to inaccurately carried over.
-Good pictures helps to spread and even reviews have continued spreading the myths.
And it comes to questionable areas I have noticed
:
-Why serial numbers are not well documented ? Too big to record, or is that just intended not to be recorded? Or someone needs to do decoding before we know whats behind?
-Could that glass making and lens assembling also happen in the same company?
They just add the name plate who ordered it and ship it . The workers have never leaked any information?
Some articles even real life rumors claim people have seen how it was done and surprised them a lot. <- Is it real ?
- Could it be just today's internet found out the lenses are having similar diagrams and appearance so that it concluded the lens from that maker?
And from that it leads to further questions in co-op agreements:
1. One has the good design, they have to look for interested investors, gaining enough orders before putting into production. Then just put on the name plates for the orders?
2. One has the agreement to use the design and making into different mounts.
The designer has created a nice design, but they are really tight in budget to make, so they prefer to co-op . Within this agreement , this lens design has be allowed to manufactured in various mounts to let the manufacturer to gain their profit or cover any possible lost?
lenslegend.com
