FED film pressure plate

[santino]

Recently I got a beautiful Fed 1 (apparently C) and under closer inspection noticed a hole in the film pressure plate. Does it serve any purpose or is it just a manufacturing fault?

Any ideas?

 

[Erik van Straten]

Probably it is from a Leica.

Perhaps you have ever looked at the back of an early Leica. In the middle of the vulcanite, you can often see a small round metal area. If you remove the lens from the camera, you will see a round hole in the film's pressure plate. Through the hole you can see the slot of a screw head. That is the front of the small plane visible on the back of the Leica. With a screwdriver, you can unscrew the metal plate out of the back of the camera. Of course, this will create a hole in the cameras back. If you put a transparent piece of film in the camera, put the camera on a tripod, and look with a magnifying glass through the hole in the back panel you can check if the focus point of the lens is on the right spot. Don't forget to put the round metal plate back when the checking is finished.

Erik.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Recently I got a beautiful Fed 1 (apparently C) and under closer inspection noticed a hole in the film pressure plate. Does it serve any purpose or is it just a manufacturing fault?

Any ideas?

I can't open .ru sites at work to find out in details. But this is known for earlier production. Not fault.

 

[santino]

Thats really interesting!
Thanks Erik! Now the hole totally makes sense (at least on an early Leica). I haven’t ever looked at the back of an early Leica and regret not owning a screw mount Leica at all (I was close buying a IIIg and finally passed because I already had an M3).

 

[Erik van Straten]

On the IIIg you will not find such a hole, only on the early Leica I and maybe on the early Leica ll.

Good luck,

Erik.

 

[santino]

If I get lucky, I think would get a Leica II or III (not G). I love the size and aesthetics of the II but like to have slow speeds. I don’t necessarily need the hole 😄
What screw mount Leica has in your opinion the best build quality? I know that all of them are build up to incredible quality standards but there seem to be models with bearings and so on.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

If I get lucky, I think would get a Leica II or III (not G). I love the size and aesthetics of the II but like to have slow speeds. I don’t necessarily need the hole 😄
What screw mount Leica has is in your opinion the best build quality? I know that all of them are build up to incredible quality standards but there seem to be models with bearings and so on.

I would prefer IIIf with updated lenses frame holder on the back. Metal instead of silly plastic one which cracks and not available anymore lenses are getting lost.

 

[Erik van Straten]

My favorite is the Leica lll black. The big advantage of the lll over the Leica ll is the magnification factor of the rangefinder (1:1,5 instead of 1:1). The build quality of these early III's is enormous. A few years ago I bought on eBay a "wreck" of a late black lll for EUR 90. However, after a week crafting it became my favorite camera! There was no need for any replacements. Only some cleaning, some drops of oil and adjustments. Even the vulcanite was 100%, no cracks or parts missing. The most vulnerable part is the helical spring under the transport knob. These are no longer available. See if the transport/shutter tension works. If those functions don't work, it's better not to buy the camera. Another important part is the rangefinder mirror. Those may be replaceable, but the original ones are by far the best.

gelatin silver print (summar 50mm f2) leica lll

Amsterdam, 2023

Erik.

 

[santino]

Very nice 👍
I will look then for an early III.

 

[raydm6]

I would prefer IIIf with updated lenses frame holder on the back. Metal instead of silly plastic one which cracks and not available anymore lenses are getting lost.

Yes me too. I have two red dials and have the later models that don’t have the exposed screws holding on the top-cover. It gives it a cleaner look.

A IIIF without screws?

Yesterday I got the below (right side) IIIF ST in the mail. When comparing it with the IIIF (at left side) for the first time I realized that the ST has no screws for the attachment of top plate. When I started looking around at photos in my books and on the internet I saw only IIIF's with screws...

www.l-camera-forum.com

 

[santino]

I can't open .ru sites at work to find out in details. But this is known for earlier production. Not fault.

That is even more interesting. Did Fed copy the hole just because Leicas had it or did really early Feds exist with the „metal area“ on the back that can be accessed through the hole in the plate like with early Leicas?

Since it is a pre war camera the plant probably didn’t use german parts like in Jupiters and Kievs. This particular camera has spent almost its entire life in the „west“, so could have been repaired with Leica parts.

 

[Dralowid]

Early (by which I mean pre war) Feds had the collimation hole in the back and other Leica like details like the 'kick' in the viewfinder window.

They are very, very well made and now very expensive. I doubt they went on general sale when new.

The last one I had, which was one of the versions without an accessory shoe, went to a collector in Ukraine.

 

[Erik van Straten]

gelatin silver print (summar 50mm f2 nickel) leica lll black/nickel

Amsterdam, 2023

Erik.

 

[Brambling]

Recently I got a beautiful Fed 1 (apparently C) and under closer inspection noticed a hole in the film pressure plate. Does it serve any purpose or is it just a manufacturing fault?

Any ideas?

This is a hidden opportunity to align the camera-lens bundle))), similar to the current hidden features of Windows and iPads)))

 

[Coldkennels]

That is even more interesting. Did Fed copy the hole just because Leicas had it or did really early Feds exist with the „metal area“ on the back that can be accessed through the hole in the plate like with early Leicas?

The reason for the hole on early Leicas is that the early production run wasn't standardised - every lens needed collimating to the body it was intended to be used on. It was only with the introduction of the Leica Standard in 1932 that this practice was no longer necessary, but FED bodies and lenses weren't standardised until much later. I've never handled a pre-war FED - only the (really very nice) lenses - but I assume they'd all have and need the hole for the same reason.

If I get lucky, I think would get a Leica II or III (not G). I love the size and aesthetics of the II but like to have slow speeds. I don’t necessarily need the hole 😄
What screw mount Leica has in your opinion the best build quality? I know that all of them are build up to incredible quality standards but there seem to be models with bearings and so on.

There's not really a "bad" screwmount Leica, but I'd honestly skip the II and III. Those early Leicas have a charm, but they also have eyeglass-destroying eyepieces (which may not be as much of an issue for you as it is for me!) and, more importantly, a much larger gap between the RF and VF windows. The (relatively rare) IIIb has the same construction as the early III but introduces the closer (and faster to use) arrangement of RF and VF.

The IIIc and IIIf are honestly the best of the "normal" Barnacks - oh-so-slightly larger than the earlier II and III, a little cleaner in aesthetic, very common, and the cheapest of the Barnacks by quite a long way. They're also the models with the "improved" ball-bearing shutter, but I honestly don't know how much difference that makes. However, the IIIc often has corroding chrome, so I generally recommend the IIIf - you're likely to find one in nicer condition.

 

[bbutterfield]

I have a 1931 Leica I model C and a 1936 Leica III model F, along with a more modern IIIc and IIIf. I prefer shooting the older cameras which, while somewhat less rugged than the newer Barnacks, have a distinctive look and feel not matched by the later models. I also like that the earlier cameras have a quieter shutter release sound; more rounded and less tinny. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[Erik van Straten]

I have a 1931 Leica I model C and a 1936 Leica III model F, along with a more modern IIIc and IIIf. I prefer shooting the older cameras which, while somewhat less rugged than the newer Barnacks, have a distinctive look and feel not matched by the later models. I also like that the earlier cameras have a quieter shutter release sound; more rounded and less tinny. Has anyone else noticed this?

Yes, in my opinion the earlier LTM Leicas - models I, II and III - are the best build Leicas, they simply last forever. And they are made in black and nickel, much nicer to use than the shiny chrome ones. The late Leicas III in black and nickel (with click stops on the long time dial) are the best of the best.

Erik.

 

[Erik van Straten]

gelatin silver print (color skopar 50mm f2.5) leica lll black/nickel No.194331

Amsterdam, 2022

Erik.

 

[Coldkennels]

I also like that the earlier cameras have a quieter shutter release sound; more rounded and less tinny. Has anyone else noticed this?

I think the shutter sound is going to depend more on the condition of the camera than anything.

I had a IIIf serviced some years ago, and while it was a nice soft shutter sound before the service, it was much more metallic and louder post-service. I suspect that the technician over-tensioned the shutter to get it running to spec across all speeds and that was the reason for the change in shutter noise.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Yes, often the sound of the shutter changes after servicing the camera, the change of the tension is changed and so the traveling speed of the curtains too.

The difference in terms of sound between a Leica lll and a Leica llla is absolutely remarkable. In fact, they are almost the same cameras, but the llla is more modern. I think different materials were used. The llla is a lot quieter. From the IIIa onward, no Leicas were made in black/nickel. Maybe the curtains run faster, thats why 1/1000 is possible.

Erik.