Speculation about the origins of L label...

If anyone else has a more logical or factual explination of this please offer it, but a thought popped into my head the other day for no good reason but follow me here.

The name Nikon if I recall was a basically combination of Nippon camera and an attempt to copy the then popular Ikon camera name from Germany. Thus N-Ikon.

So before everyone gets on their high horse that Canon would never do something like this, there was a time when both Canon and Nikon got into the market by basically making copy-cat nock offs of classic german cameras like Leica and Zeiss rangefinders.

So the idea of the origin of L popped into my head. Could L and the red-stripe be a lens marketing attempt to brand a Leica-esk image on Canon pro glass? Remember L lenses started in the FD line-up, not the new Eos line from the 80's. And Leica nick names are things like the Red Dot. Canon "L" lenses use a red line. Why not just use blue, green, yellow, or gold or platinum for the line?

The L line-up came out around the time of the first pro-esk Canon camera the F1 if I recall, which clearly was an attempt to market the then 35mm leader Nikon and their F bodies. So Leica would have been a very well known name aswell, and in-use high end lens by the photo community around this time. Likely more so then today.

I have no facts for any of this just meer speculation, and a desire to start an off the wall thread that doesn't discuss focus issues, IS or why your 5D II whatever isn't up to par.

BLASPHEMY!

I think I read something about the "L" moniker in the Bible.

From wikipedia :
"Some have rumoured that "L" originally stood for "asphericaL" but this is patently false and has never been substantiated."

Lighter bank account and wallet

Leads to the trouble (with the wife)

Lots of Overtime Hours

It may be "urban myth" but I've heard from more than one quarter that "L" means/meant "Low Dispersion"

Once upon a time back in the olden days of chrome mounts and manual focus Canon made lenses that were designated buy the special lens elements that they contained like aspherical and fluorite. They have those words written on the lenses. Then in the early 1980s about the time the NEW F-1 came out they also changed the mounts from the chrome FD mounts to the FD mounts and that was the first time the L showed up to my knowledge. Could be like fore mentioned it was because both fluorite and aspherical have the letter L but the also have the letter R also. Its a regular mystery.

Check this one out:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com …/Canon-L-Lens-Series.aspx

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #6964879
It may be "urban myth" but I've heard from more than one quarter that "L" means/meant "Low Dispersion"

Considering the use of exotic glass in Ls, this could well be true .

Kind regards, Wim

Here is the quote they are referring to.

"The bright red line engraved on the lens barrel. And an L for “luxury.”
The Canon EF lens L series possesses a level of quality sufficiently high to be called professional,
designed to include groundbreaking image performance, outstanding operability, and resistance to weather and aging.
“L.” This name is reserved only for those few lenses that can meet stringent standards of performance,
using fluorite (an artificial crystal), a ground and polished aspherical surface,
UD, super UD lenses, or other special optical materials.
Optical design without compromise together with optical theory and precision engineering
technologies that are as steeped in tradition as they are cutting edge.
And the result of our relentless pursuit of these ideals is the L series of Canon EF lenses."

The term L was first coined and deliberated by Kenichi Takasaiki a senior lens engineer with Canon at an informal meeting between head engineers at the Oita Factory on March 12th 1963. Kenica Takasaiki said......... (and the fairytale continues)

I always thought it was L for Luxury but then I never knew I owned a Kwanon
http://www.canon.com/a​bout/mark/origin.html

HankScorpio wrote in post #6964963
I always thought it was L for Luxury but then I never knew I owned a Kwanon
http://www.canon.com/a​bout/mark/origin.html

Since it's been used since 1956, I wonder where in the rankings of longevity does the Canon logo rank?

Red L's are to tell you that the people in possession of them don't really know what they are doing and have not passed there driving test yet, but they are allowed to drive anyway even if they don't have a clue

Whats this got to do with photography?

LiquidSword wrote in post #6964915
Check this one out:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com …/Canon-L-Lens-Series.aspx

...said to cause a disease know as "L-Disease".

I have that. Can only be cured by copeous amounts of money.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #6964972
Since it's been used since 1956, I wonder where in the rankings of longevity does the Canon logo rank?

I didn't see it show up on Canon until the early 1980s.

KarlosDaJackal wrote in post #6964987
Whats this got to do with photography?

Yeah, like this forum is about photography, good one.