Photos with the original Leica I with fixed lens.

[Timmyjoe]

Did I miss something here. Erik, are you shooting all these images at one fixed shutter speed and just adjusting the aperture to control the light levels? Are there issues with the accuracy of the shutter speeds on these Leica I models?

Best,
-Tim

 

[Erik van Straten]

Tim, no the shutter works excellent, as good as on a Leica II or III, it is the same design.


Usually the shutters of these camera's when you buy them are not really fine tuned. To get an even exposure both curtains need to have the same speed, but because at the end of the travel they run faster than at the start the slit must be wider at the end. The tension of the springs of the curtains can be changed by the two little screws on the bottom of the shutter crate. All focal plane shutters have tensioners like this.


Erik.

 

[Erik van Straten]

I think you have nailed it by sticking to one relatively high shutter speed, that is probably stable, and just adjusting the light with the iris. No slow speeds to betray leaks. Of courses, a good eye.

No, all speeds are quite stable, however, I avoid using 1/500 and 1/200, also on other old Leicas. 1/100 is good. The slow speeds are usually very good, the slower the better. The slowest is 1/20.


Erik.

 

[shawn]

Erik, thanks for the push in this thread... I spent the afternoon adjusting the shutter in my 1930 Ia, recovered it and cleaned out the lens elements.

New leather fits pretty well but isn't quite perfect, probably be my fault though as I didn't have the body screws in when I put the cover on. It is much better than the original Vulcanite that was loose pretty much everywhere. I had to reglue the vulcanite under the lens mount to keep in it place properly.

Now to get a roll through it.

Shawn

 

[Richard G]

Wow. Good work with a 90 year old camera.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Well done, nice leather! Maybe some black paint around the screws helps.


Happy shooting!


Erik.

 

[Dralowid]

Did you have to re-collimate the lens or could you use whatever was there originally? I can't quite tell from your pictures.

The reason I ask is that I thought on the 'hockey stick' cameras that the vulcanite went underneath the lens flange and was machined to a flat surface.

 

[shawn]

Yes, this had the vulcanite under the lens. My first step was to remove the body shell and score the vulcanite around the body screws to give me easier to manage pieces for the lens base. Used contact cement to reglue to vulcanite under the lens mount. I mounted the lens to hold that all in place and to keep it flat while it dried. Next was scoring the vulcanite around the lens base and then just snapping the rest of the vulcanite off up to the lens base and the cleaning the shell (was easy) and then putting the new leather on which was sized to go up to the lens flange. The picture above shows the combination of original vulcanite under the mount and the new leather.

Shawn

 

[Erik van Straten]

Nicely done I would say.


I like your new leather. Where did you got it?


Erik.

 

[Erik van Straten]

For shots like this you'll need a FODIS. I have one whith a big wheel, called FOFER, I presume it is more precise than a FODIS.

Leica I (1930)/Elmar 50mm/TMY400-2/AdoxMCC110

Erik.

 

[shawn]

Nicely done I would say.


I like your new leather. Where did you got it?


Erik.

Thanks, I got it from Morgan at Cameraleather.com. Was great to deal with, he needed a picture of the front of the camera to help position the holes for the hockey stick as apparently Leica placed them after the vulcanite was on so there is some variability in their location. I scanned the camera on a flatbed and sent that to him. He shipped same day I paid him. The leather was $32.

Shawn

 

[Dralowid]

Yes, this had the vulcanite under the lens. My first step was to remove the body shell and score the vulcanite around the body screws to give me easier to manage pieces for the lens base. Used contact cement to reglue to vulcanite under the lens mount. I mounted the lens to hold that all in place and to keep it flat while it dried. Next was scoring the vulcanite around the lens base and then just snapping the rest of the vulcanite off up to the lens base and the cleaning the shell (was easy) and then putting the new leather on which was sized to go up to the lens flange. The picture above shows the combination of original vulcanite under the mount and the new leather.

Shawn

Shawn, a good solution that solves a problem! Michael

 

[shawn]

Yes, that was all Morgan though, I just followed directions.

Shawn

 

[Erik van Straten]

Leica 1A (1928)/Elmar 50mm f/3.5/TMY400-2/AdoxMCC110

Erik.

 

[carbo73]

I, I've just bought a 1929 Leica I model A, in very nice condition. It completes my Leica IIIf, IIIb and II collection. But I have a key question. There are any problems with standart modern 135 cassettes with these very early Leicas? Because they were made before the existance of the 135 format (which premiered with Kodak Retina as all of you know for sure). I have tried to put a cassette and had to stop in fear of it being stuck in such a cramped space. Any bad experiences here?


Thanks in advance!

 

[Erik van Straten]

I did not know that the Retina was the first camera with the "135" standard!

What you can do with your Leica I is to use the first type Leica cassette, code name "FILCA". It is clear that your Leica I never was modernized to accept the later type cassettes or the standard 135 cassette. Simply roll out the film from the ready bought cassette and put it into a FILCA. In the dark.

Another thing you can do is to "modernize" your Leica I with parts from a later Leica. The parts that you need are a (complete) base plate lock: both the parts in the camera and the parts in the bottom plate. After removing the concerning parts from your Leica I install those later parts.

Good luck!

Erik.

 

[David Hughes]

The difference between a Leica reloadable cassette then and a modern one is a matter of height. Most of us cut out a cardboard washer or two and use it/them as spacers.


This should show the difference:-

The original is the one on the far left.


In this photo I have taken the film across from one spool to the other to show exactly where the difference in size is.

The modern one is about 42½mm and the old one is 47mm high.


I hope this helps.


Regards, David

 

[Erik van Straten]

Yes, what David shows, is the so called "A" cassette. That one fits in your camera. However, the "A" cassette is not entirely reliable. The inner sleeve may be accidentally pulled out and the film may catch unwanted light.


Erik.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Leica 1A, Elmar 50mm, TMY400-2, AdoxMCC110.

Erik.

 

[carbo73]

Oh, many thanks for your answers and information. Yes I think I will bought some FILCA redoable cassettes just to be sure. And it will do a better early Leica experience