Bassism
Well-known
I just caught myself writing quite a long piece on the history of Leica and Midland on my personal blog while gushing about my wait for my M2/Summicron. I thought that it might be interesting to post up here (Especially since all of my friends are going to look at it, think "cameras..." and probably scroll down 😉
I don't claim to be an expert on the history of Leica, and I'm sure that most people around here know what I have to say about Leica, but I bet there are people who are curious as well. However, I do expect that most people don't know very much about Midland or its history and connection to Leica.
I would also welcome any corrections that people might have or sources where I might be able to learn more. And hopefully it will be entertaining if not education to some of you.
Midland is my own hometown, so I've always been interested in Leica. I remember growing up hearing about that factory that made really expensive cameras. That is part of my joy in owning a Leica, and this piece is just an attempt to bring that into words.
So without further ado....
There's another reason why the Leica is my dream camera. Even before I was formally introduced to the wonderful world of photography, I was interested in the Leica...
In the 1950s, my hometown of Midland was running into some trouble. The town was very old, with a rich history. As most towns in central Ontario, Midland was originally a farming community. However, Midland had one advantage: it was located on the shores of Georgian Bay. Logging operations began, which led to early growth. Later, Midland became the terminus for the Midland Railway Companys line. At this point, the logging business only became better, and Midland was booming. Midland City (as it was called) was rebuilt with an eye towards the future. Large lots were connected with wide roads leading to the water and the railroad. Later, grain elevators were built, and Midland became the centre of shipping between upper Canada and the west. By the turn of the century, yet another industry had established itself in Midland: to sustain the volume of shipping on the Great Lakes, huge shipyards were established in Midland
All of this was quite well. The first world war brought contracts for military ships to the shipyards, and Midland continued to be an economic powerhouse. But then, the Great Depression utterly destroyed the town. The shipyards were closed, the forests that the town had relied upon for so many years were becoming sparse, and the simple fact that nobody had enough money to buy meant ruin for a town that was founded upon commerce and industry. The second world war brought a bit of hope to the town as the shipyards were opened once again to supply warships, but that only lasted as long as the war; the shipyards were shut down once more immediately thereafter. The once thriving community of Midland was left with no industry at all.
Then in 1952, everything changed. A few German representatives of Ernst Leitz GmbH had been touring through Canada looking for a location to build a new factory. They found themselves relaxing in Midland and happened to have dinner with the primary photographer of the Midland Free Press. Being a longtime fan of Leica cameras himself, he suggested that they consider Midland for the new factory. Midland did everything it could to ensure that the factory was built there. They offered to build the factory, pay to have it connected to water and hydro, build an entire subdivision to house employees, and gave them huge tax incentives. Midland was chosen over the three other locations that were under consideration.
Now, the Ernst Leitz Canada factory probably didn't singlehandedly save the town of Midland. But they were the first factory to be opened in post-depression Midland. Eventually others followed in their footsteps, and the town was saved. But not only does Leica hold an important place in the history of Midland, Midland holds and equally important place in the history of Leica.
One Walter Mandler, a German engineer who was employed by Leica in Wetzlar, Germany, was chosen to go to Midland for a short time to ensure that things were set up smoothly. He decided to stay in Midland, however, and became a Canadian citizen. While he was in Midland, he designed many groundbreaking new lenses. Leica's classic lenses were wonderful optics with an unmistakable signature, but with the new SLR-centric direction that photography was taking in the fifties, the Japanese lenses were beginning to outperform Leica's offerings in areas such as contrast and sharpness. Mandler took the classic Leica characteristics and combined them with modern technology to create groundbreaking new designs. Some of the most well-regarded lenses in the world were designed and built in Midland. Even my own beloved Summicron 50 was designed in my own hometown.
And one must never forget that what goes around comes around. Just as Leica saved Midland when it had fallen upon hard times, Midland came to Leica's rescue when it was in need. By the seventies, the SLR had all but taken over the photographic world. Already the Leica was relegated to being an expensive, niche market. Sales of rangefinders were at an all-time low; most of the Japanese companies had produced rangefinders through the sixties and abandoned them when they became unprofitable. Leica had just released the M5, an advanced camera designed to succeed the M4. Unfortunately, the M5 was met with a very cool reception; the camera was too much of a revolution and did not find acceptance in the already marginal rangefinder market. As a last-ditch effort, Leica re-released the M4. It was to be built in Midland. This time the camera was to use cheaper materials and less exacting methods of construction. The M4-2 was a proven, popular camera design that could be produced with a greater profit margin, thus it is the camera that saved Leica from the brink of disaster.
So, the Leica is a camera that is inextricably tied to my own hometown. It's quite possible that neither one would exist today without the other. Certainly they could not exist in their current form. Perhaps even more than I love the Leica as a camera, I love the Leica as a small piece of my own history.
I don't claim to be an expert on the history of Leica, and I'm sure that most people around here know what I have to say about Leica, but I bet there are people who are curious as well. However, I do expect that most people don't know very much about Midland or its history and connection to Leica.
I would also welcome any corrections that people might have or sources where I might be able to learn more. And hopefully it will be entertaining if not education to some of you.
Midland is my own hometown, so I've always been interested in Leica. I remember growing up hearing about that factory that made really expensive cameras. That is part of my joy in owning a Leica, and this piece is just an attempt to bring that into words.
So without further ado....
There's another reason why the Leica is my dream camera. Even before I was formally introduced to the wonderful world of photography, I was interested in the Leica...
In the 1950s, my hometown of Midland was running into some trouble. The town was very old, with a rich history. As most towns in central Ontario, Midland was originally a farming community. However, Midland had one advantage: it was located on the shores of Georgian Bay. Logging operations began, which led to early growth. Later, Midland became the terminus for the Midland Railway Companys line. At this point, the logging business only became better, and Midland was booming. Midland City (as it was called) was rebuilt with an eye towards the future. Large lots were connected with wide roads leading to the water and the railroad. Later, grain elevators were built, and Midland became the centre of shipping between upper Canada and the west. By the turn of the century, yet another industry had established itself in Midland: to sustain the volume of shipping on the Great Lakes, huge shipyards were established in Midland
All of this was quite well. The first world war brought contracts for military ships to the shipyards, and Midland continued to be an economic powerhouse. But then, the Great Depression utterly destroyed the town. The shipyards were closed, the forests that the town had relied upon for so many years were becoming sparse, and the simple fact that nobody had enough money to buy meant ruin for a town that was founded upon commerce and industry. The second world war brought a bit of hope to the town as the shipyards were opened once again to supply warships, but that only lasted as long as the war; the shipyards were shut down once more immediately thereafter. The once thriving community of Midland was left with no industry at all.
Then in 1952, everything changed. A few German representatives of Ernst Leitz GmbH had been touring through Canada looking for a location to build a new factory. They found themselves relaxing in Midland and happened to have dinner with the primary photographer of the Midland Free Press. Being a longtime fan of Leica cameras himself, he suggested that they consider Midland for the new factory. Midland did everything it could to ensure that the factory was built there. They offered to build the factory, pay to have it connected to water and hydro, build an entire subdivision to house employees, and gave them huge tax incentives. Midland was chosen over the three other locations that were under consideration.
Now, the Ernst Leitz Canada factory probably didn't singlehandedly save the town of Midland. But they were the first factory to be opened in post-depression Midland. Eventually others followed in their footsteps, and the town was saved. But not only does Leica hold an important place in the history of Midland, Midland holds and equally important place in the history of Leica.
One Walter Mandler, a German engineer who was employed by Leica in Wetzlar, Germany, was chosen to go to Midland for a short time to ensure that things were set up smoothly. He decided to stay in Midland, however, and became a Canadian citizen. While he was in Midland, he designed many groundbreaking new lenses. Leica's classic lenses were wonderful optics with an unmistakable signature, but with the new SLR-centric direction that photography was taking in the fifties, the Japanese lenses were beginning to outperform Leica's offerings in areas such as contrast and sharpness. Mandler took the classic Leica characteristics and combined them with modern technology to create groundbreaking new designs. Some of the most well-regarded lenses in the world were designed and built in Midland. Even my own beloved Summicron 50 was designed in my own hometown.
And one must never forget that what goes around comes around. Just as Leica saved Midland when it had fallen upon hard times, Midland came to Leica's rescue when it was in need. By the seventies, the SLR had all but taken over the photographic world. Already the Leica was relegated to being an expensive, niche market. Sales of rangefinders were at an all-time low; most of the Japanese companies had produced rangefinders through the sixties and abandoned them when they became unprofitable. Leica had just released the M5, an advanced camera designed to succeed the M4. Unfortunately, the M5 was met with a very cool reception; the camera was too much of a revolution and did not find acceptance in the already marginal rangefinder market. As a last-ditch effort, Leica re-released the M4. It was to be built in Midland. This time the camera was to use cheaper materials and less exacting methods of construction. The M4-2 was a proven, popular camera design that could be produced with a greater profit margin, thus it is the camera that saved Leica from the brink of disaster.
So, the Leica is a camera that is inextricably tied to my own hometown. It's quite possible that neither one would exist today without the other. Certainly they could not exist in their current form. Perhaps even more than I love the Leica as a camera, I love the Leica as a small piece of my own history.
