Leotax, Nicca, And Others Vs Barnacks

[nf3996]

So many, perhaps all, improved on the Barnack designed cameras that I wonder why we call them copies. It doesn't happen with SLRs; f'instance no one posts about K1000 copies or OM-1 copies. Nor, for that matter, do we call them Exakta copy bayonets.

The early FED and the Reid are probably the nearest to being a copy.

A minor puzzle is why Leitz never looked at the "tribute" cameras and thought about the changes.


Regards, David




PS If anyone is interested I've an article about - from memory - the launch of the Reid in the 50's. I could find the magazine in the heap if I ever get any spare time...

And two years later ... David, if you do find the article about the launch of the Reid, I'd be interested in seeing it.

Regards,

Alan

 

[x-ray]

I owned several Leicas, IIIA, IIIB, IIIC, IIIF rdst and IIIG and a Nicca. The Nicca worked just as good as the Leicas and didn’t exhibit any fading in the RF. The Nicca’s I’ve looked at didn’t have any apparent fading in the RF. In that regard I think they’re better than the Leicas. Mechanically they performed flawlessly.

From what I’ve seen the Canon cameras are built like tanks. I’ve not owned one but have thought of buying one several times.

I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to buy a Nicca or a Canon.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I have an early MIOJ Nicca III that came with a collapsible Nikkor 5cm F2, and another IIIS given to me- needs work. I had Youxin do a full CLA on the Nicca III, needed new curtains and the beamsplitter replaced. The IIIS- needs the same, but have not done that one. I also have a Nicca YF. That one- great user, bought from Mark Hama

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I had Nicca, Leotax and Canon
They are not Leica. But build fine and I find them easier to work on due to larger bodies and less quirky construction.

 

[wlewisiii]

I had a Canon IVSb & a Leica IIIf. The Canon was the superior camera. Better built and the finder was far nicer to use.

I'd rather get a P than any Barnack style camera now, though.

 

[Erik van Straten]

I very much like the Leica lll in black; I like it better than the later Leicas IIIa, IIIb, IIIc etc. The construction is so simple that you can do almost all repair yourself, were it not for the fact that a Leica lll practically never breaks down. The modern Voigtländer lenses with LTM are wonderful on a lll or ll.

gelatin silver print (color skopar 50mm f2.5) leica ll

Utrecht, 2018

Erik.

 

[xayraa33]

With older eyes now I find the Nicca/Tower clones of the Leica III easier to focus than the bottomloader Canons.

 

[das]

I really miss the really old eBay days where you would buy a Tower or Nicca or old Canon just for the 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor or whatever lens it was bundled with. Sell the body, keep the lens. I must have acquired at least 4-5 M39 lenses that way. Too bad those days are long gone!

 

[xayraa33]

I really miss the really old eBay days where you would buy a Tower or Nicca or old Canon just for the 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor or whatever lens it was bundled with. Sell the body, keep the lens. I must have acquired at least 4-5 M39 lenses that way. Too bad those days are long gone!

Long before the internet I remember what an old camera salesman told me in the 1980s, that in the late 1960s any non working Nicca/Tower camera traded in for a new SLR that was suspected to have faulty shutter speeds was chucked in the trash bin but the store kept the Nikkor lenses they came with.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The scientists and engineers at my work used to buy Nikkor and Leica lenses just for the individual elements in them, late 1950s and 1960s. Cheaper than buying the individual optics. Most tossed during the decades, but found enough to know the story was true.

I picked up a collapsible 5cm F2 Nikkor on an early MIOJ Nicca and a Simlar 5cm F1.5 -one of the first 100 made- on a 4-digit Leotax D-IV. I did the CLA on the lenses myself, and sent the bodies to Youxin.

 

[throtol]

I own a small collection of Leica iii rangefinders (a, c and f) as well as Leotax, Nicca (Yashica YE/YF) and Zorki clone cameras. I must say that the Soviet models moved away from being a direct clone to a genuine Barnack inspired rangefinder. Some of the Zorki cameras work well, others do not. Since I purchase most of my rangefinders online, I take a chance when purchasing. In many cases, I have purchased these cameras simply for the lens itself. I own a FED 2 but am not too fond of the aesthetics and design.

As far as the Japanese clones, in my experience I have discovered that the quality of the Leotax and Nicca cameras are close or equal to the Leica iii cameras. In some cases, the slower speeds tend to be out of sync. However, I live in the desert with its sun so rarely use stops above 1/50th of a second. My personal favorite is the Yashica YE which resembles the Nicca 33. It was released immediately after Yashica acquired Nicca.

As far as lenses go, I have too many Soviet lenses that I purchased inexpensively. I own several Jupiter 8 lenses which have provided me sharp image resolution but have a couple of Canon LTM and a Leica Summar on my Leica iii a which is a gem.

 

[z.bruce.li]

I took possession of a Nicca 3-F lever wind recently, which is almost new. I used to own a Leica IIIf RD (not any more), and my memory says the Nicca and Leica are comparable in fit and finish. I have never opened one up to see the internals, so no idea if the internal quality is on par as well.

I also have a Zorki 1 (D variant) with FED 50/3.5 collapsible, probably from the mid 1950's. Although not quite comparable in precision, that early Zorki also has its own charm at a fraction of the comparable Leica II combo.

 

[throtol]

I own a Leica iiif RD model as well as a couple of Nicca rangefinders. I would say that the quality of the camera is comparable. There are far more Nicca models as compared to Leica ii/iii, so it is hard to do an apples-to-apples comparison on a particular model.

Obviously, the quality of Soviet cameras including the Zorki 1 is not comparable to either Leica or Nicca, I believe that the significant price differences online can make it an exciting camera to own. The only downside of Soviet cameras is the quality is all over the place.

 

[splitimageview]

I picked up a collapsible 5cm F2 Nikkor on an early MIOJ Nicca

@Sonnar Brian what's the serial on the collapsible? I have one from the Nov. '48 batch.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

8-11-2168, November 1948, 2168th.

Nikkor 1940s Set by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

My 1940s Nikkor collection.

 

[splitimageview]

Great set! Mine duplicates my dad’s set from the Korean War: 35/3.5, 50/2 collapsible (811-1000) and 135/4, and the MIOJ variframe vf.

 

[hilltime]

Still my fave Barnack copy: Leotax FV w/5cmF2 Panda Topcor and hard to find Topcor 5/9/13.5 finder

 

[wrs1145]

I've got three Canons: an L1, an L3, and a Model P. I couldn't be happier.

 

[aw614]

These are addicting especially when you can find them for reasonable prices. Not pictured is a Canon L1 a Minolta 35 and a Zori 1 that I am waiting for a rangefinder assembly to replace the one I broke. It surprises me how much bigger the Leotax F is vs the IIIC.