| Voigtlander
& Sohn began making scientific equipment such as quadrants and
compasses in 1756 in Vienna, Austria. The business was passed on from
father to son who added optics, including Opera glasses, to grandson
who, in 1840, designed the first all metal camera with an incredible
f3.7 lens. In 1849 the business was moved to Braunschweig,
Germany. In 1956 Zeiss bought Voigtlander. Production of the
Zeiss-Voigtlander cameras ended in 1972. However, in 1974, Voigtlander
was resurrected by Rollei until Rollei went into receivership in 1981.
A cooperative of German photo dealers (Plusfoto GmbH & Co.)
once
again revived the name and in 1997 another cooperative (Ringfoto GmbH
& Co.) bought Voigtlander who continues to make 35mm
rangefinder
cameras up to the present time. |
