Meyer Optik Görlitz
German optical brand historically known for camera lenses, including the Trioplan lens family.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Meyer Optik Görlitz was a German optical manufacturer and later a revived photographic-lens brand based historically in Görlitz, Saxony. The business began in 1896 as Hugo Meyer & Co., founded by optician Hugo Meyer and businessman Heinrich Schätze. Its early success was associated with the Aristostigmat wide-angle lens and with the acquisition of the Schulze and Billerbeck optical institute, whose Euryplan lenses became part of the company's product heritage. A major technological and commercial turning point came in 1920, when Meyer began working with optical designer Paul Rudolph. Rudolph had previously contributed to important Zeiss lens designs, including the Protar, Planar, and Tessar families. His cooperation gave Meyer access to Plasmat lens technology, then regarded as exceptionally advanced. In 1936 the company adopted the name Optische und Feinmechanische Werke Hugo Meyer & Co. and was producing roughly 100,000 lenses annually. During the Second World War, civilian production was suspended and the factory concentrated mainly on optical components for telescopes. After the war, the company was expropriated and reorganized in East Germany as VEB Optisch-Feinmechanische Werke Görlitz. Its post-war output included Trioplan triplet lenses, many of which were supplied for viewfinder cameras made by Dresden-area manufacturers such as Welta, Balda, Beier, and Altissa. The company was later incorporated into the VEB Pentacon and VEB Carl Zeiss industrial structures. From 1971, the Meyer-Optik name generally disappeared from lens engravings, and a number of Meyer designs were discontinued in favor of competing Carl Zeiss products. The company also lacked the equipment needed to develop and manufacture competitive high-quality zoom lenses. Following German reunification, Feinoptische Werk Görlitz was separated from VEB Carl Zeiss in 1990 and converted into a private limited company. It briefly resumed production under the Meyer-Optik name, but failed to secure investors and was liquidated soon afterward. The name later returned as a commercial brand rather than as a straightforward continuation of the original manufacturing company. In 2014, the publicly listed German company net SE, working with brand manager Globell B.V., presented new Meyer-Optik-Görlitz lenses at Photokina and began deliveries later that year. A United States subsidiary, Meyer Optik USA Inc., was established in 2015 in Atlanta to support distribution. The revived brand became especially visible through crowdfunding. A 2015 Kickstarter campaign promoted a modern Trioplan 50 mm f/2.9, marketed around the distinctive swirling or “soap-bubble” bokeh associated with historic Trioplan lenses. Further Kickstarter campaigns followed, but the collapse of net SE in 2016 left many backers without the products they had funded. The episode became a significant part of the brand's modern reputation and raised questions about manufacturing capacity, delivery sequencing, and the use of successive campaigns before earlier commitments had been fulfilled. In 2018, OPC Optics acquired Meyer Optik Görlitz. The revived portfolio included premium-priced manual-focus lenses such as the Nocturnus 50 mm f/0.95. That product attracted criticism after reporting indicated that it was based on a Chinese-made lens while being presented with “Made in Germany” labeling. Consequently, Meyer Optik Görlitz is best understood as a historic optical name that has passed through several corporate and political structures: an independent German manufacturer, an East German state-industrial operation, a post-reunification failed company, a crowdfunding-led revival, and a later brand controlled by OPC Optics.
History
Meyer Optik Görlitz traces its origins to Hugo Meyer & Co., established in 1896 in Görlitz by optician Hugo Meyer and businessman Heinrich Schätze. The firm's first growth came from optical design and acquisition, notably the Aristostigmat wide-angle lens and the purchase of the Schulze and Billerbeck optical institute, associated with Euryplan lenses. In 1920, Meyer entered into a relationship with Paul Rudolph, a designer formerly associated with Zeiss's Protar, Planar, and Tessar lenses. Rudolph provided access to Plasmat technology, strengthening Meyer's position in advanced photographic optics. By 1936 the business operated as Optische und Feinmechanische Werke Hugo Meyer & Co. and reportedly produced about 100,000 lenses each year. Wartime conditions ended civilian production, and the factory concentrated on telescope-related optical components. Post-war nationalization transformed the business into VEB Optisch-Feinmechanische Werke Görlitz in East Germany. The company became known for Trioplan triplet lenses, which were used in cameras made by several Dresden-based manufacturers. Integration into the VEB Pentacon and VEB Carl Zeiss collectives reduced the independent visibility of the Meyer name; after 1971, lenses commonly no longer carried it. Some Meyer designs were dropped in favor of Carl Zeiss alternatives, while limitations in production equipment hindered the development of sophisticated zoom lenses. In 1990, after reunification, Feinoptische Werk Görlitz was separated from VEB Carl Zeiss and converted into a private limited company. The attempt to continue production under the Meyer-Optik logo failed to attract sufficient investment, and the company was liquidated soon afterward. The brand was later revived by net SE with Globell B.V. as brand manager. New products were shown at Photokina in 2014, followed by deliveries and the creation of Meyer Optik USA in 2015. The modern revival relied heavily on Kickstarter. Its Trioplan 50 mm f/2.9 campaign drew attention to the lens's characteristic soap-bubble bokeh, and multiple campaigns were launched for additional products. net SE's bankruptcy filing in 2016 left backers without some funded products and led to criticism concerning production capacity and the order in which campaigns were conducted. OPC Optics acquired the brand in 2018. Subsequent controversy over the Nocturnus 50 mm f/0.95 concerned reports that the lens was Chinese-made despite German-origin labeling. The brand therefore combines a substantial historical optical legacy with a more contentious modern commercial history.
- 2018
OPC Optics acquisition
[1]OPC Optics acquired Meyer Optik Görlitz and continued to develop products under the brand.
- 2016
net SE bankruptcy
[1]The company linked to the modern revival filed for bankruptcy, disrupting deliveries to crowdfunding supporters.
- 2014
Commercial brand revival
[1]net SE and Globell B.V. exhibited new lenses under the Meyer Optik Görlitz name at Photokina.
- 1990
Post-reunification privatization attempt
[1]Feinoptische Werk Görlitz was separated from VEB Carl Zeiss and converted into a private limited company, but was later liquidated.
- 1971
Meyer name disappears from many lenses
[1]After integration into Pentacon and Carl Zeiss structures, the Meyer-Optik name was no longer generally engraved on lenses.
- 1945
Post-war East German reorganization
[1]The business was expropriated and reorganized as VEB Optisch-Feinmechanische Werke Görlitz.
- 1936
Corporate renaming and expanded production
[1]The company adopted the name Optische und Feinmechanische Werke Hugo Meyer & Co. and reached reported annual production of approximately 100,000 lenses.
- 1920
Cooperation with Paul Rudolph
[1]Meyer began working with former Zeiss designer Paul Rudolph and gained access to Plasmat lens technology.
- 1896
Hugo Meyer & Co. founded
[1]Hugo Meyer and Heinrich Schätze established the optical company in Görlitz.
Products and positioning
A heritage German optical brand positioned around distinctive manual-focus lens rendering, historic Meyer designs, and specialized bokeh effects, particularly the soap-bubble bokeh associated with Trioplan lenses. In its modern revival, the brand also emphasized premium pricing, limited-production optics, and German optical heritage.
Wide-angle photographic lens
Aristostigmat
An early Meyer wide-angle lens associated with the company's initial success after its establishment in Görlitz. It represents the brand's early emphasis on optical design rather than merely contract production.
Triplet photographic lens
Trioplan
The Trioplan family became Meyer Optik Görlitz's best-known historical photographic line. Its rendering is particularly associated with circular highlights and a distinctive soap-bubble bokeh effect, which later became central to the revived brand's marketing.
Manual-focus photographic lens · 2015
Trioplan 50 mm f/2.9
A modernized lens promoted through Kickstarter in 2015. It was presented as a contemporary revival of the Trioplan character, with the product's appeal centered on its unusual out-of-focus rendering rather than conventional sharpness-oriented design.
Ultra-fast manual-focus photographic lens · 2018
Nocturnus 50 mm f/0.95
A premium ultra-fast 50 mm lens introduced under the revived brand after the OPC Optics acquisition. Its approximately f/0.95 aperture positioned it as a specialist low-light and shallow-depth-of-field product, but its reported manufacturing origin became controversial.
Advanced optical lens design · 1920
Plasmat lenses
Plasmat technology entered Meyer's portfolio through the company's 1920 cooperation with Paul Rudolph. At the time, Plasmat designs were regarded as among the most powerful photographic lenses available and formed an important part of Meyer's interwar optical history.
Controversies
2018
Controversy over Nocturnus manufacturing origin
The Nocturnus 50 mm f/0.95 was reported to be Chinese-made despite being labeled “Made in Germany,” prompting criticism of the revived brand's origin and manufacturing representations.
2016
Crowdfunding delivery failures after net SE bankruptcy
net SE's bankruptcy left Kickstarter backers without some products they had funded. A contractor cited limited manufacturing capacity and criticized the launch of new campaigns before earlier products had been delivered.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Trioplan 50 mm f/2.9 Kickstarter
International
Meyer Optik Görlitz and its associated corporate partners used Kickstarter to fund a modern Trioplan lens. The campaign emphasized the historic design's soap-bubble bokeh and helped reintroduce the brand to a contemporary enthusiast audience.
Outcome. The campaign contributed to strong visibility and was followed by additional lens campaigns, but later delivery failures associated with net SE's bankruptcy damaged confidence among backers.
Brand decisions
2018
OPC Optics acquires the brandM&ABackground
The previous corporate structure collapsed after net SE's bankruptcy.
Action taken
OPC Optics purchased Meyer Optik Görlitz and resumed product development under the historic name.
Aftermath
The acquisition created a new chapter for the brand, including premium manual-focus products such as the Nocturnus 50 mm f/0.95.
2015
Adopt crowdfunding for product developmentStrategyBackground
The revived brand needed a route to finance and market new lenses while operating through the net SE and Globell structure.
Action taken
Meyer Optik Görlitz launched Kickstarter campaigns, beginning with the Trioplan 50 mm f/2.9.
Aftermath
The campaigns generated attention and supported further launches, but subsequent non-delivery and bankruptcy created substantial reputational damage.
1920
Collaborate with Paul RudolphStrategyBackground
Meyer sought access to advanced optical expertise and designs during a period of intense lens innovation.
Action taken
The company began working with Paul Rudolph and obtained access to Plasmat lens technology.
Aftermath
The relationship strengthened Meyer's position in high-performance optical design during the interwar period.
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