date » 22-11-2025 08:48
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tags » zeiss optics, zeiss 60 mm analog macro, analog-digital adapters, leica brand, sony brand, rangerfinder, leica rangefinder, history of photography, panasonic s 1, L-mount consortium sigma leica panasonic, analog era, yashica 55 mm macro, yashica contax mount, still life, reprodia, kodachrome, modern times movie chaplin, vintage or not vintage,
Two eras compared: on the left, the legendary Contax RTS, here SLR version rather than rangefinder, or the alter ego of the Leica, the rangefinder of photographic history; on the right, Panasonic's Lumix (part of the consortium with Leica & Sigma, or the famous, or infamous, depending on your point of view, L-Mount attachment) therefore essentially Leica (many Panasonic lenses, no less than Zeiss for Sony, for example, bear the Germanic name Elmarit, etc., and when absent rest assured that it is still the “same” optical recipe by Solms-Germany) the "rivalry" no longer so. In fact, with the advent of mirrorless cameras (once called Evil-Devil, not by chance), it is possible to "mix" things up with mechanical adapters, sometimes even optical ones, so that the two analog-digital systems communicate well with each other. In fact, on the left, cover, with its fiery red T, the Zeiss Macro 60 f.2.8, a marvel, thanks to a simple tube (in the case L-Mount) allows mounting on the Panasonic-Leica for exquisitely sharp frames, even though the optical formula was created for the analog Contax Rts, and in digital: chapeau. On the far right, ‘small’ only in appearance, another legendary analog lens, the Macro 55 mm f. 2.8, but from Yashica, which in the early 1970s Brand had a joint venture with Contax/Zeiss, as times of a well-orchestrated oil crisis, like the current standoff between Russia and the West, forced German manufacturers to land in Japan; even Leica signed a deal with the famous Minolta, which was later absorbed by Sony. Gears, in other words, all mechanical and manual wonders, not only to reproduce the legendary Kodachrome slides from the Manunzio archive, along with tons of 120 format slides, but also every still life, perhaps in combination with Helicon focus, no less powerful than aforementioned, which allows, among other things, a pan-focus (everything in focus) of the objects on the set or tresette, a fine game.
Vintage or not vintage this is question...
Integrations or syncretism? There was a time when, perhaps somewhat Manichean, categories tout court did not dialogue with each other, quite unlike the current scene where, on the contrary, they do.Technology as a domain (let's not forget) rather than “liberation” in the broad sense. The subject is difficult and lends itself to a thousand conjunctures, if not enormous contradictions. However, if we look at it critically, there are situations that make us exclaim: oh, the invention of hot water, as if the liquid had always been made possible. Yet we need the liquid, then wood and fire, a boiler to contain it, a tub to bathe in, but also suitable public baths for ‘washing’. And even Therme and their Calidarium... as we can see, it's much complex than just saying ‘hot water’. And so we come to the point. Lenses, crucibles, glass melting and... Zeiss on one side and Leica on the other, above all, incompatible. Optical marvels and excellence, no doubt. Then someone (clever minds?) ‘stirs up’ the fan bases, the worst thing for those who have nothing else to do but idolize, regardless, the mere ‘mechanics & optics’ lines per millimeter, abreactions...Modern times, which is not the Charlotte/Chaplin film, but perhaps a little infamous, as we are currently experiencing. Is this the brief return of the reviled analog vs. digital? Not quite. Syncretism is the magic word that allows the industry to continue to survive while waiting for the final collapse as iPhone Android in the broader sense...let's be clear, but let's stop here.
