Leica LTM Elmar/Hektor Black Barrel Database

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
doubs43

doubs43

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Joe, if you can make this a "sticky" under the Leica Screw Mount Forum, I'd appreciate it.

I'd like to put together a database of 9cm/90mm Elmar and 13.5cm/135mm Hektor screw-mount lenses in BLACK BARREL only. That means pre-war to the late 1940's. I'm not certain when production changed to chrome barrels but it was late 1940's I'm pretty certain.

Any data I collect will be available to all members who are interested.

The data I'd like to have is:

Focal Length - 9cm or 90mm & 13.5cm or 135mm as marked

Serial number - complete if possible

Focusing scale - feet or meters

Aperture Range - i.e., f/4 - f/36

Elmar or Hektor

Coated or uncoated

Pictures of the lens would be nice; side view and view showing the serial number, model etc.

The names of the owners are not necessary.

Please PM the information or email me at: doubs43@cox.net.

Thanks to everyone.

Walker
 
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Bump....... I've had my first reply..... a 1947 Hektor.

Joe, can you make my request for data a sticky? PLEEEEEEEEZE!!??

Walker
 
I have one coming up, Walker. The one William got. I will try it in a Hektor screw moount to get rangefinder coupling.
More when I have it.

cheers, Rob.
 
laptoprob said:
I have one coming up, Walker. The one William got. I will try it in a Hektor screw moount to get rangefinder coupling.
More when I have it. cheers, Rob.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Rob. I have input from two RFF members now. I personally have two Hektors and an Elmar in 13.5cm length and one 9cm Elmar.

I should have also asked for black barrel Elmar 13.5cm lenses. Think I'll go back and do that.

I'm also keeping an eye on ebay offerings as many times the data I seek is in the pictures or descriptions.

I appreciate any information anyone can provide and I'll happily share whatever I get.

Walker
 
Elmar f=9cm 1:4 No 596514. Meter, has some remains of coating. (A dog.)
Elmar f=9cm 1:4 No 556563. Meter, uncoated.
Hektor f=13,5cm No 600125. Meter, coated.

All to f:36 minimum aperture, continental scale.
 
John Shriver said:
Elmar f=9cm 1:4 No 596514. Meter, has some remains of coating. (A dog.)
Elmar f=9cm 1:4 No 556563. Meter, uncoated.
Hektor f=13,5cm No 600125. Meter, coated.

All to f:36 minimum aperture, continental scale.
Click to expand...

John, thank you very much for the data. Elmar #556563 is a 1940 lens. #596514 is an early 1945 lens while the Hektor is a late 1945 lens.

While my data is much too sketchy at the moment to tell anything for certain, what I've been able to find on ebay plus what RFF members have sent me, it appears that Leitz was coating their lenses by at least some point in 1944. Whether they were coating all or only military destined lenses is also not known. That's what I hope to eventually determine if it hasn't already been recorded somewhere. I haven't seen that data in print myself but it could be.

Thanks again.

Walker
 
Walker, I got Williams black Elmar 135 a few days ago. William has given you the info on numbers etc. Do you have all the info you want? It is the uncoupled one.
It is possible to mount the Elmar lens on a later Hektor body, but the Elmar body is shorter, so no real use there. I would like to use the uncoupled Elmar on a coupled body. Maybe I can get an okd-style coupled lens body somewhere.
Do you know how long a black Hektor body is, from flange until the end of the focusing mount (at infinity)?

cheers, Rob.
 
barrel lengths

barrel lengths

I already mailed these to Walker: I have been searching Ebay for info on different types of lensheads with corresponding barrel lengths.
Reason: I would like to be able to use my 1930 Elmar 135mm (not cm!) on a coupled barrel.
I think there are two lengths: 9,24cm for the old type and 10,71cm for the newer type. Measured when set for infinity.
The two types of lensheads are easily distinguishable.

Can anyone confirm this?

thanks, Rob.

march 11: things become clear. The shorter barrel is Elmar, the longer Hektor.
 
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Rob, you would need a focusing mount calibrated for the focal length of your Elmar head. Focusing it to infinity isn't enough, the slope of the cam depends on the focal length.

That's why you want the penciled or engraved number in the focusing mount to match the last three digits of the serial number of the head.
 
According to Puts' book, consumer Hektor 135/4.5 lenses were coated starting at serial 600000. Wartime lenses were coated as early as 1941, but only for sales to the military. (For instance, Summitars for the military were coated starting at 587001.)
 
So now I have two very early Elmars 135mm. Or rather an uncoupled numberless 135mm (meters, possibly 1390, scratch no. 41316) and a coupled 13,5cm (feet, possibly 1932 or '33 no. 142101).

The latest just arrived today from a misnamed Ebay auction. It is not a Hektor! So it may well be that all Elmars have the slightly shorter mount.

Since I am not that much of a collector, the appearantly very rare uncoupled version is for sale. Please make me an offer.

cheers, Rob.
 
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My Elmar 90/4.
Serial # 372160 (1937)

54279560.jpg
 
Finally found my lenses

90 4.0 Elmar #576855 uncoated A 36 Feet only marking

135 4.5 Elmar #415351 uncoated A36 Meter only marking

Both are black finish both coupled RF
 
John Shriver said:
According to Puts' book, consumer Hektor 135/4.5 lenses were coated starting at serial 600000. Wartime lenses were coated as early as 1941, but only for sales to the military. (For instance, Summitars for the military were coated starting at 587001.)
Click to expand...

John, thanks for the information from Puts. That's the first printed information of it's kind that I'm aware of and it dovetails nicely with what I had suspected about the coating of Leitz lenses. One explaination for the way it was distributed is that lens coating may well have been a military secret. It's also possible that the process wasn't sufficiently developed to allow coating of all lenses.

Walker
 
Bill Snell said:
Elmar 9cm f4-36 No. 177712 (1933). Metres. uncoated.
Elmar 9cm f4-36 No. 414995 (1937). Feet. uncoated
Click to expand...

Bill, thank you. Your 1933 Elmar is the earliest one I've encountered so far.

Walker
 
Hey Walker, I sold the uncoupled 135 Elmar to a guy who has a same-period non-standard 1(C). He informed me about his camera and 50 Elmar serial no.: 48679. The 135 Elmar is 49316. The first standardized Leica camera is appearantly a serial 55404.
Hektor 135's start at 156.000 in 1933.
 
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