The “coloring” booths at our Nakano factory are staffed mainly by women. The ambiance there is very different from the working areas with milling machines or plating baths with rising fumes. The coloring work proceeds quietly at neat and orderly workbenches under carefully designed, soft even lighting.

The booths do not have large machines, nor are there any power tools. Each worker has and manages glass syringes as their own personal tool. The syringes are filled with paint that the workers inject into the grooves of engraved letters and symbols.

White for “Voigtländer” and red for “Aspherical”.

Paint applied into the engravings slightly recedes as it dries.

To compensate for that, paint is applied to the point that it is just about to spill over. This job requires dexterity and precision that only comes from experience. Calmly and focused, the workers draw an arch with a single stroke of the syringe. Even the slightest deviation can leave part of the engraving unpainted. But, it is not good to fill the engravings with too much paint either because when the excess paint is wiped off, paint in the engraving is wiped out as well, leading to an uneven finish.

All work to wipe off spillover around engravings is done by hand so as to leave paint only in the recessed areas. With delicate, undaunted and deliberate motions of the fingertips, brand name, lens model code and serial number will appear. The coloring must be clearly visible from all angles. The sense of perfection is the motivation for making quality products. While it is a basic principle at Cosina to give men and women equal rights, the coloring process puts to good use the female esthetic skills.