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Leica on why it crafts its lenses by hand

Leica on why it crafts its lenses by hand

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Humans Invent speaks with Leica's Director of Product Mangement, Stefan Daniel, about what goes into hand-crafting the company's famously precise lenses.

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leica lens (humans invent)
leica lens (humans invent)

Leica’s cameras and lenses have a special place in the annals of photography, being synonymous with both uncompromising design and unaccommodating prices. Humans Invent speaks with the company’s Director of Product Management, Stefan Daniel, about what goes into hand-crafting the company’s famously precise lenses. The interview touches on how a shortage of skilled workers limits the number of lenses Leica can produce. And as for why so much of Leica’s production is done by hand in the first place, Daniel says that because of the company’s small batch production model, trying to automate would wind up being less efficient.