New Nikon F mount Meyer-Optik Goerlitz lenses

[farlymac]

Meyer Optik Görlitz lenses for Nikon F-mount | Nikon Rumors

Not much information on the company web site.

Willkommen bei Meyer Optik Görlitz

PF

 

[KoNickon]

Interesting indeed. I had no idea they were still in business. The lenses look nice, though "Figmentum" is an odd name for a lens. Let's hope these are not a, uh, figmentum of someone's imagination.

 

[farlymac]

It's too early for April Fools.😀

PF

 

[gustavoAvila]

These are not a figmentum of someone's imagination!

They are rebadged Zhong Yi (a.k.a. Mitakon) and Russian Helios lenses, with "Made in Germany" price tags!

The 599 € 35mm F2 Figmentum is a $183 (Amazon.ca) Zhong Yi Creator!

Apparently, the "Made in Germany" labeling regulations are so loose that very little, to no German content is actually required!

 

[Huss]

They say that on their website, but they claim the lenses are assembled and tested in Germany.

"components of the lenses we designed in Germany and [manufactured] globally... so we can offer the best technology at reasonable prices. Meyer-Optik Görlitz lenses are mounted in Germany, but most of all they are tested, measured and fine-tuned in Germany."

Reported and reviewed here:
http://nikonclassics-michalke.de/blog/?p=1915

Hmm, that's how a lot of Italian shoe/clothing mfgs are able to get away with "made in Italy" labeling. All they have to do is import the product and have the final finish done in Italy. Like sew in a zipper. Then they legally can attach the made in Italy label.

If this is an EU thing, then this company may be getting essentially complete lenses from China etc, with all they have to do is screw on the filter ring (for example) in Germany to claim made in Germany...

All conjecture of course, but this whole thing seems to be a marketing ploy.

 

[zuiko85]

Some enterprising outfit is just renting a old recognized name to slap on some lenses made who knows where.

 

[Huss]

Yeah it is $199 with free shipping on Amazon for the Mitakon.

But they are sold out. Hmm, maybe because Mayer Optik bought them all to relabel and resell at $800...

 

[Huss]

Or you could buy a new Nikon 35 1.4 AIS, full metal, manual focus, made in Japan etc new, from B&H for the same price as this Mitakon.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/36949-GREY/Nikon_1429_Wide_Angle_35mm_f_1_4.html

 

[John E Earley]

"Figmentum"

Sounds like something from a Dilbert cartoon.

 

[sevo]

The name owner is just a big re-branding importer - not known for ever having designed or produced anything on their own...

 

[veraikon]

Interesting indeed. I had no idea they were still in business. ...

"Meyer Optik" from "Görlitz/NS " (later "VEB Feinoptisches Werk Görlitz" after 1989 Feinoptisches Werk Görlitz GmbH ) is really out of buisness since 1991 . The brand is now owned by Globell Deutschland ( = net SE, Koblenz (Germany)) These lenses are relabeld from Russia (without love) or somewhere else 😉 .

 

[David Murphy]

Well the links indicate they are made in Germany and the engravings on the lenses shown on one of the photos reflect this. The company may no longer exist, but any new German made lens (especially in F mount) is certainly welcome by me! I mean after all, many of us adore modern era "Voigtlander" lenses and don't quibble about the name.

 

[Huss]

Well the links indicate they are made in Germany and the engravings on the lenses shown on one of the photos reflect this. The company may no longer exist, but any new German made lens (especially in F mount) is certainly welcome by me! I mean after all, many of us adore modern era "Voigtlander" lenses and don't quibble about the name.

Don't you think the fact that they are identical to the Mitakon lenses puts lie to that? Final 'assembly' may be Germany, by which they added the lens cap...

The only thing German about these lenses is the head office of the holding company.

 

[sevo]

Well the links indicate they are made in Germany and the engravings on the lenses shown on one of the photos reflect this. The company may no longer exist, but any new German made lens (especially in F mount) is certainly welcome by me!

The "maker" is a company distributing rebranded photo, computer and smartphone accessories in German retail chains. So far, they haven't designed anything other than logos, brand names and the paper inserts for the blister packs their Chinese OEMs seal the items in.

I mean after all, many of us adore modern era "Voigtlander" lenses and don't quibble about the name.

Cosina issued that up-market line as "Cosina Voigtländer", made in Japan and with no attempt to tag it with a fake "made in Germany". And it were their own, new products exclusively marketed as CV (arguably, Rollei later re-branded one camera and lens, but that was not Cosina's doing) - there was no rebranding of some pre-existing regular cheap lens already traded by dozens of other importers for a fraction of the price. And Cosina had a standing of their own, supplying lenses and cameras to major brands for several decades.

 

[k__43]

I find it awful they drag down yet another German brand name (Blaupunkt, Grundig, Rowenta to name a few). I find that if you are called Meyer Görlitz you should at least be around the area of Görlitz/Dresden.

Cosina is a good company with excellent lenses and no need to use the Voigtländer brand. Yet they did and I love their products so I don't care.
I do not believe that this net SE company makes their own lenses. A very precise hand made lens "made in Germany" can't cost 599€ .. maybe they are buying chinese lenses in parts and assemble them here, but that's not "Made in Germany" for photography.

 

[David Murphy]

Don't you think the fact that they are identical to the Mitakon lenses puts lie to that? Final 'assembly' may be Germany, by which they added the lens cap...

The only thing German about these lenses is the head office of the holding company.

I don't pretend to know what "Mitakon" is or is not, what their "holding company" is or is not, nor do I particularly care. If they are Chinese that may be even better as China today is a manufacturer of many high quality consumer products. I remember when I was young it was common for consumers to bash Japanese products, just as so many slight Chinese products today (and that was an era when the Japanese were in reality eliminating most of the German camera industry).

Any manufacturer of traditional style 35mm camera lenses is heartily welcomed to the market by me. I'm 100% on-board with these interesting new lenses and I plan to order one as soon as I can!

 

[Huss]

I don't pretend to know what "Mitakon" is or is not, what their "holding company" is or is not, nor do I particularly care. If they are Chinese that may be even better as China today is a manufacturer of many high quality consumer products. I remember when I was young it was common for consumers to bash Japanese products, just as so many slight Chinese products today (and that was an era when the Japanese were in reality eliminating most of the German camera industry).

Any manufacturer of traditional style 35mm camera lenses is heartily welcomed to the market by me. I'm 100% on-board with these interesting new lenses and I plan to order one as soon as I can!

That's the thing. They are not new lenses. They are Mitakon lenses that you can buy right now for 1/4 of the price that these Chinese knock-offs will go for.

If you don't care that you will be paying 4 times the cost for the exact same thing , then, well, have at it.

FYI this is not Chinese bashing, but bashing an unashamed rebranding of an existing product targeted at those that care not about substance, but about perceived style.

 

[CMur12]

I know that Minolta contracted out some zoom lenses to Tokina, and perhaps others, in the 1980s. As I understand it, the lenses had Minolta's coatings, to match color rendition to the rest of the Minolta line.

We don't know if these new lenses will simply be rebranded or if there will be any touches specifically for Meyer Gölitz that might affect performance. I would be curious to see the results of side-by-side tests, if any photography publication is bold enough to do it.

- Murray

 

[veraikon]

If Mr Michalke is right, Globell (net SE) has about 20 employees. Imho is to less for re-assembling russian and chinese lenses, but enough for glueing labels on it 😉 http://nikonclassics-michalke.de/blog/?p=1915

 

[Waus]

According to wikipedia 90% of the Leica M (240) is made in Portugal... so I don't see any problem in outsourcing or rebranding. The price difference hower is to big...