Paul,
Yes. I know they do.
The 120 mm did not need a change in its glass at all to gain a stop. And its glass hasn't changed.
It needed a shutter with larger aperture.
Perhaps you should stop believing that with time things can, and will, only get better.
Take for instance the 1950s Biogon. When it was finally changed, using 'brute force' computer power trying to outdo the slide rule and pen and paper original calculations, they absolutely failed to improve the original design.
Or the f/5.6 250 mm Sonnar, which today is still the same as it was when it was introduced in the early 1950s, for use on the 1000-series Hasselblads.
Other lenses too have not changed since they were first introduced, most of them being at least 30 years old, some even almost 50 years.
And where real improvements were achieved, it was done by producing completely new designs, new lenses (40 mm FLE Distagon, 50 mm FLE Distagon, 180 mm Sonnar, 350 mm Superachromat, 500 mm Tele-ApoTessar).
And look at the 40 mm FLE Distagon. When they tried to improve upon that design, producing the IF, they indeed managed to improve one aspect (resolution), but only at the cost of another aspect (distortion) of the design.
That's what you get when producing high quality items. Any change of one aspect will disturb the balance, and result in a loss of quality in other aspects.
Yes. I know they do.
The 120 mm did not need a change in its glass at all to gain a stop. And its glass hasn't changed.
It needed a shutter with larger aperture.
Perhaps you should stop believing that with time things can, and will, only get better.
Take for instance the 1950s Biogon. When it was finally changed, using 'brute force' computer power trying to outdo the slide rule and pen and paper original calculations, they absolutely failed to improve the original design.
Or the f/5.6 250 mm Sonnar, which today is still the same as it was when it was introduced in the early 1950s, for use on the 1000-series Hasselblads.
Other lenses too have not changed since they were first introduced, most of them being at least 30 years old, some even almost 50 years.
And where real improvements were achieved, it was done by producing completely new designs, new lenses (40 mm FLE Distagon, 50 mm FLE Distagon, 180 mm Sonnar, 350 mm Superachromat, 500 mm Tele-ApoTessar).
And look at the 40 mm FLE Distagon. When they tried to improve upon that design, producing the IF, they indeed managed to improve one aspect (resolution), but only at the cost of another aspect (distortion) of the design.
That's what you get when producing high quality items. Any change of one aspect will disturb the balance, and result in a loss of quality in other aspects.