Rolleinar MC 55mm1.4 Made in Germany?

[z77]

[fuwen]

All Rolleinars should be designed and manufactured in Japan by companies like Tokina, Mamiya and Sigma to reduce the cost of the lenses. Unless there are early production units assembled in Germany by Rollei but I have not heard of that before.

[JanBoettcher]

http://www.janboettcher.de/images/R2835MIS.JPG

http://www.janboettcher.de/images/RNAR28135.JPG

Don't ask, where they were really manufactured.

[z77]

Thanks for your replies. According to Frank Mechelhoff's Rollei site, my lens is an old Contarex planar design. I did a quick and sloppy translation from his German and that's what I got. Apparently the Mamiya lens looks like my lens, rather than the other way around.

Jan, thanks for the pics, I'm shocked; Rolleinars made in Singapore?

[vahe kazandjian]

[JanBoettcher]

[vahe kazandjian]

[z77]

[JanBoettcher]

[vahe kazandjian]

[JanBoettcher]

[z77]

[JanBoettcher]

Well my theory (not my tale!) is: Mamiya stopped production, there were still some parts left (or Rollei ordered some more of them?) and the lenses were finished in Germany (and Singapore).

"Why"? Maybe to be able to offer a (for "political reasons") cheaper 1,4 standard lens than the Planar (remember, the Planar 1,4/50 was produced by Rollei in those days, I don't think production of the Planar 1,4/50 was much cheaper/more expensive than that of the Rolleinar 1,4/55). (same applies likewise to 2,8/35 Rolleinar/Distagon and 2,8/135 Rolleinar/Sonnar)

The only trouble is to find the right people to ask ...