Leica is a name that is synonymous with the birth of 35mm photography and rangefinder cameras. The success of 35mm film in becoming a serious photographic format was in a large part courtesy of a not very large German microscope firm, E. Leitz of Wetzlar.
The Leica II of 1932 - the first 35mm camera with built-in rangefinder focus apparatus - began to satisfy the need for a light weight, miniaturized, semi-pocketable camera that was highly precise and easy to focus. By today's standards, the Leica II would be considered a spartan camera, but it once was a technical tour de force.
Leitz also was the first offer interchangeable lenses. So, this was the first truly interchangeable lens system as we now know them. With the Leica II each lens was not only easy to install or remove, but easy to focus with as wel. With its standard 50mm lens, which was collapsible, the camera could be stored in a coat pocket. 35mm film which was difficult to source, at first, allowed for 36 exposures per roll. These were breath taking innovations in 1932.
It was also one of the most expensive camera systems in its day. Not many photographers could afford one, but 50 plus years later they are now very affordable and still capable of capturing stunning images.
- Coupled-Rangefinder Photography -
For anyone unfamiliar with a coupled-rangefinder apparatus, it utilizes a separate set of optics for focusing that are mounted above the lens. The rangefinder apparatus gathers two images which the photographer views when he or she looks into the rangefinder eyepiece. On a Leica screw mount these images are gathered through two round windows that one sees at the front of the top cover.
With a coupled-rangefinder, the photographer operates the rangefinder, by rotating the lens focus ring. The sees two images within the rangefinder that line up or coincide as a single image once lens is focused.
An uncoupled rangefinder on the other hand does not interact with the imaging lens. So, an uncoupled-rangefinder is simply a device used to measure the distance between the photographer and his or her subject. The distance information is read off which ever dial that used to adjust a the rangefinder images. At which time the photographer will then adjust the lens focus ring which is independent of the uncoupled-RF.
Coupled-rangefinders are built into the camera. Uncoupled-rangefinders can built into the camera, but are usually a removeable add on that would be separate purchase.
- A cross section of the Barnack rangefinder & viewfinder design -
The image above shows a rangefinder apparatus that is independent of the viewfinder. On a Barnack Leica with a built in coupled rangedfinder the front rectangular window serves as the front lens for the viewfinder. This arrangement uses a separate viewfinder eye piece. Therefore, unlike any modern camera built today, a Leica II or III user has two eye pieces to contend with, one to focus the lens and a second to compose with.
The viewfinder only shows a field of view for a 50mm focal length lens. When utilizing lenses other than the 50mm focal length, a separate viewfinder needs to be slid into the accessory shoe, which is located atop of the camera. This standardized accessory shoe has evolved into what we now call a flash shoe.
- Rangefinder Operation -
- When the photographer looks into the RF eyepiece, chances are that he or she will see two images.
- When the lens focus ring is adjusted - the two images will combine in the RF finder to eventally line-up as one image, at which point the proper focus has been achieved.
- While not as simple or direct as through-the-lens focusing of a modern single reflex camera, or a twin-lens reflex camera for that matter, the coupled-RF method focusing cap is very precise with lenses that have with a focal length of 100mm or less.
- This provision for quick and precise focusing of interchangeable lenses definitely broadened the appeal of the nacient 35mm film format.
The Leica was first introduced in 1925 and was designed by Oskar Barnack. His goal was offer a much smaller precision camera that could be carried anywhere. While not the first to use 35mm motion picture film in a still camera, Barnack's innovation was that he turned the camera sideways, to widen the image frame from the standard 18mm by 24mm of the cine format to the 24mm by 36mm frame we know as 35mm film. He also built a superb camera to go with the new format.
Before 1931, the lens mount was not standardized which limited its ability to use interchangeable lenses that were not specifically calibrated to an individual body. Shown above is the Leica I - Model C - which in this case has an uncoupled rangefinder fitted into its accessory shoe. The Leica I - Model C - was the third variant of his original 1925 design and the basic building block for the next camera, the Leica II - Model D.
The speed factor at which the Leica II with its built-in rangefinder could be operated was immediately appreciated by professionals and high income amateur photographers alike.
Once the film was loaded in a 35mm rangefinder camera - the camera was ready for action in seconds. Rangefinder focusing was a snap of the wrist. Second and third exposures could be made within two to three seconds of the taking the of the first. At an event, one could wind and shoot repeatedly at a time when most cameras took 10 or more to set up a second exposure. This combination of speed, the ability to make repeated exposures, an eye level viewfinder and the camera's pocketability all favored the rise of the more natural candid style now known as reportage photography.
The big downside of the new format was the lack of prepackaged 35mm film cassettes. Before 1935 - Leica users had to respool motion picture film from bulk rolls into a reloadable cassette - or - buy "pre-cut sections" of this film from their local dealer that then needed to be spooled to a Leica reloadable cassette. Either way, this procedure had to be done in total darkness or with a very dim safe-light, if the photographer was respooling the then commonly available orthochromatic film. Early Leica users were true pioneers in the use of the new smaller format before it became a world-wild standard.
Introduced in 1933, the Leica III was Leitz's response to the introduction of the Zeiss-Ikon Contax. It was also Oskar Barnack's last design before he died in 1935. Unlike the Leica II, the Leica III includes an extended range of slow shutter speeds. The slow speeds range from 1/20th of second to one full second.
Both the Leica II and III share the basic body shell Leica I. To produce this third tier Leica, a separate front mounted dial was installed onto the front body shell of the Leica II. The Leica III camera used the same RF/VF architecture as the Leica II. The Leica III also has two lugs or eyelets added to the body for a camera strap.
Aside from the extra front mounted shutter speed dial and the two lugs for a camera strap, the Leica III looks almost identical Leica II. As a tribute Oskar Barnack's frugal genius, one body shell now served as the basic platform for the Leica I, II, and III. E. Leitz could now sell 35mm cameras at three different price levels.
The front dial is only used to set the added slow shutter speed escapement. The top shutter speed dial was still used in the same manner as the Leica II to set speeds faster than 1/20th of a second. With the Leica III, the photographer could select shutter speeds between 1/500th of a second to 1 full second compared to the Leica II which only ranged from 1/500th to 1/20th of a second.
While it was an improvement over the Leica II, the Leica III still did not match its major competitor, which was the better specified Contax.
Fortunately for Leitz, the relatively uncomplicated horizontally moving, twin curtain, cloth, focal plane shutter, that been designed with the Leica I in mind, proved to be very reliable even when extented to the Leica III. On paper at least, the newly released Contax was a very impressive design, but its magnificent all-metal, roller blind shutter proved to be troublesome during its early years.
To bring the rangefinder of the Leica III closer to the improved specifications of the Contax, the III would be fitted with a 1.5 magnifier to its rangefinder optic. Magnification of the RF image is one way to improve the accuracy of the existing Leica II rangefinder and it also saved Leitz from having to produce a separate top assembly just for the Leica III.
- A Leica IIIa was released in 1935 and it added a top speed of 1/1000th of a second.
- A Leica IIIb was released in 1938 with a redesigned viewfinder optic, which brings the RF and VF eye pieces close together.
- The Leica IIIc and later Barnack inspired Leicas - -
A major redesign of the body and shutter crate was introduced in 1940 as the IIIc. Remarkably, the external appearance of the early Leica IIIc is almost identical to its 1930's predecessors, the III, IIIa and especially the IIIb.
To prove the point, the above photo shows a late Leica IIIc that was modified post 1950 to IIIf specifications - to include an adjustable flash synchronization dial mounted below the shutter speed dial. A gussied up film advance knob has been added from the IIIf parts bin. To complete the modification, the Leica technician screwed a thin metal plate with the necessary engraved synch numbers to the top cover of the older IIIc.
The war years took its toll on Leitz. For most of the 1940's, the IIIc wasn't as well finished as the late 1930's IIIb. Cut off from the Far East, Leitz no longer had access to the same high-quality silk curtains that graced the pre-war Leicas. Chrome was a strategic material in short supply, so most war time cameras had painted bottom plates and top covers. &nbps; At this time substitute shark-skin like material was often use in place of hard rubber vulcanite covering on the lower body. The chrome plating on the post war IIIc has tendency to pit or peel as well.
By 1949 most of these cosmetic issues had been corrected, but if buying a post war IIIc - do have the shutter curtains check and figure in a replacement beam splitter for the rangefinder.
Even though all was not perfect in Leicadom during the war and immediate post-war period, the IIIc is a brilliantly designed camera. It simply evolved under difficult conditions. The post war IIIc no longer had a stepped platform for the rewind lever. It was simplified to a level design and was accompanied by a corresponding change to a simplified one piece diopter lever, which was now missing its little knob. The main improvement was the introduction of a miniature bearings to the top spindle of the rotating shutter drum. This was originally a wartime modification to improve reliabilty in extreme cold weather.
- The Leica IIIf, Black Dial versus Red Dial -
To easily tell a IIIf BD or IIIf RD from the previous IIIc, just look for the flash synch dial, which will not be found on an unmodified IIIc.
On the first IIIf of 1950, the engraved numbers below synchronization and top shutter speed dials are painted black. Hence, they referred to as a IIIf BD.
In 1953 - yet another redesign of the shutter assembly led to the IIIf Red Dial. The IIIf RD had an improved flash synch speed of 1/50th of second versus the 1/30th of a second of the IIIf BD. In addition to an extra set of miniature ball bearings being used on the main shutter drum. I'm told that the curtain and drum assembly were lightened to achieve this modest increase in the synch speed. The late IIIf seems to have returned to higher quality shutter curtains, more durable chrome plating to exterior parts and a beam RF splitter that seems to age much better than those on earlier cameras. In 1954 Leitz added a self-timer to delay the shutter release - so the photographer could get in the photo.
Other improvements included on both versions of the IIIf are film speed reminder at the top of the winder and a tab on the removeable base plate to prevent modern preloaded film cassettes from slipping downward during use. The Leica IIIc lacked this tab on its bottom plate. Without the protruding tab, modern preloaded film will often ride so low across the film gate that the exposure occurs over the sprocket holes at the bottom of each frame.
- The Leica IIIf versus the IIIc -
With regards to the added flash synchronization system - this was a big deal back in the early 1950's when Kodachrome color film was rated at sluggish 12 ASA. 25 ASA to 50 ASA was the normal B/W film rating. So, the use of a flash was essential for hand-held indoor photography. Prior to our modern strobe a wide variety of single use flash bulbs were available of different flash durations that made the adjustable synch dial more useful than it would be today.
Keep in mind that both versions of the IIIf will accept modern preloaded film cassettes without any of the off center framing issues that results in sprocket holes appearing in the image. The IIIf Red Dial tends to age better than either the IIIc or IIIf with its brighter RF patch and better quality shutter curtains.
For the purist, the Leica IIIc is still the simpler design. It has all the bare essentials for ambient light photography, but a bone stock IIIc or early IIIf for that matter, could really use a new set of shutter curtains and have a new half-silvered beam splitter installed to bring back the RF to its origninal specs.
- The Leica IIIg -
Leitz released the Leica IIIg in 1957. It was the final variant of the IIIc architecture. A newly designed top cover with a noticeable larger and improved viewfinder are immediately noticeable.
Had it been released in 1950 or 1953, it would be far more numerous today. The truth is that Leitz had shifted the playing field with the 1954 release of the Leica M3 It was an all new design with a new lens mount and an improved camera body that has little commonality to original Barnacks and the IIIc derived IIIf. The Leica M3 set a new benchmark for 35mm rangefinders that would last nearly 50 years. Leitz at long last had a camera that outclassed both on paper and in operation Contax.
The new larger viewfinder of the IIIg with two sets of illuminated framelines housed in a larger top cover was inspired by the even larger M3 viewfinder which had three sets of illuminated framelines.
The IIIg was in commercial production for only 3 years. The Japanese were by now ramping up production of cameras that incorporated the ergonomic improvements of the Leica M3 and adding a few of their own. The IIIg not only had to compete against the better spec'd Canon P and Nikon S3, but after 1958, a sister to the M3, the newly release Leica M2. The Leica M2 was to be a runaway success.
The biggest failing of the Leica IIIg is that it lacked the combined VF/RF assemblies, which allowed for a single much larger eye piece for focusing and composing at the same time.
The Leica IIIg features the following changes when compared to the IIIf Red Dial.
- A larger .7 mag viewfinder with two sets of illuminated, parallax corrected, framelines for the 50/90 focal lengths.
- Both shutter speed dials are calibrated with a modern shutter speed progression - which we still use today.
- The front shutter dial for the slow speeds is now a one way progression versus the old two way progression.
- Separate flash synch dial was deleted to be replaced with two flash settings at 1/50 and 1/25th of a second on the shutter speed dial.
- The film reminder dial is now located on the back of the body shell and exceeds ASA 100.
The IIIg looses a certain "je ne sais quoi" of the older Barnacks with its taller and less pugnacious viewfinder housing. It is however a joy to compose with and the finder also eliminates the need to carry an external finder for the 90mm focal length. The IIIg is not as common as either the IIIc or IIIf, which makes this camera attractive to collectors. Consequently, they sell for double or triple the price of well cared for IIIc or IIIf.
- Using a Barnack size camera today -
Truly the best photography is that which portrays the uncommon in a common everyday subject. This is where the photographers sense of "kraft" enters in and partially their equipment. How a subject is approached photographically is not unique to Leica or any other brand of equipment. The choice of lenses and equipment are secondary concerns, but still affect the final print.
An entry-level digital SLR with a moderately priced zoom as opposed to rock bottom zoom around can be purchased for the same money as a IIIf with three lenses. While the IIIf will probably be worth what you paid for it in five years, the DSLR body will probably be worth virtually next to nothing on the second-hand market at that time. For color photography, the digital SLR is by far the most practical choice. Furthermore, through the lens metering, auto focus, auto exposure, macro and long distance telephoto are not part of the reportoire of a Barnack Leica.
Also, the old screw mount Leicas lack any of automatic pilot settings of today's mass market cameras. There isn't even a built-in light meter. One uses either a hand-held meter or well versed in the "Sunny 16 Rule" to set the exposure on an old Leica. Consequently, old Leicas won't impress Paparazzi gear heads, especially those who chase the leading edge of technology hoping to use this season's "must-have" feature.
So, one may ask, so why use an old Leica III?. Aside from the handling a well built compact camera that is totally free of photography by wire, the best reason to carry an old Barnack is B/W photography.
The word photography literally means to write with light. B/W imagery has only the nuances of light, shapes and subject matter / context to work with. It is becoming an uncommon medium today, and to be done well B/W requires a more sophisticated technique than with color photography.
For the traditionalist good B/W photgraphy reveals itself on the print, not on a computer monitor. Using an vintage Leica III series, with their old-school optics delivers a unique look that has become unique in today's digital landscape. Converted digital on the other hand has look that is similar to a fine grain tabular B/W film. Digital raw files converted to B/W are gaining popularity, but have a different tonality and the Bayern pixel pattern is a much different structure than the grain of traditional non-tabluar silver halide B/W films, such as Tri-X or APX 100. Combined with some good close in composition, plus the unique vintage signature of the older Leitz lenses, and there will be no mistaking the print with as a digital produced still.
Unfortunately most amateur photographers still think the B/W photography is the purview of professionals. In reality, B/W film is easier to develop at home than you would think and it doesn't require a darkroom. It's the traditional printing on photographic paper that requires the use of darkroom.
The two processes are very different. One requires a lot of physical manipulation, chemistry and time to get out a print. The other depends on software manipulation on a computer and can be printed on a periphial printer within minutes of taking the photo. It is instant gratification versus delayed gratification that goes into a traditional silver halide print.
While the diminutive Leica screw mount may not a clear winner in the multipurpose photographic category today, it is still a powerful photographic tool. It captures its images without pull down menus, numerous electronic buttons or battery power of any kind.
As a primary camera system it won't be nearly as versatile as a modern digital SLR, but for intimimate, close-in shooting of people, a screw mount Leica will more than earn its keep.