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No, it wasn’t Walter Zapp. He is known as the inventor of the Minox, but he had nothing to do with the development of the Minox lens. And without this brilliant optical design, the Minox would have been a flop from the start.

A year and a half ago, I conducted a comparison test between this lens, the Minostigmat, and its successor, the Complan. It became clear just how good the Minostigmat already was. A few months ago, I was tormented by the question of who could have developed this lens and how that person could have achieved such a masterpiece.
It took me 10 weeks of continuous work to find a solid answer. I never would have thought it could be so fascinating and multifaceted. Historical, technical-physical, optical, and practical considerations were necessary. I couldn’t have done it alone, but fortunately, I had sparring partners who helped me when I wasn’t sure of myself. Fortunately, they are all top-notch experts in their respective fields.
Now I’ve written it all down in a way that’s easy to read, so you can form your own opinion about what developing a camera lens meant in 1935.
If you’re interested in how camera lenses were developed 90 years ago and how optical calculations were performed with the help of human computers, read the full story here:

A year and a half ago, I conducted a comparison test between this lens, the Minostigmat, and its successor, the Complan. It became clear just how good the Minostigmat already was. A few months ago, I was tormented by the question of who could have developed this lens and how that person could have achieved such a masterpiece.
It took me 10 weeks of continuous work to find a solid answer. I never would have thought it could be so fascinating and multifaceted. Historical, technical-physical, optical, and practical considerations were necessary. I couldn’t have done it alone, but fortunately, I had sparring partners who helped me when I wasn’t sure of myself. Fortunately, they are all top-notch experts in their respective fields.
Now I’ve written it all down in a way that’s easy to read, so you can form your own opinion about what developing a camera lens meant in 1935.
If you’re interested in how camera lenses were developed 90 years ago and how optical calculations were performed with the help of human computers, read the full story here:
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