Photos with the original Leica I with fixed lens.

[Benjamin Marks]

Erik: The thing that always catches me about your stuff is the tonality. That full range from whites to blacks. Just superb!

 

[Erik van Straten]

Erik: The thing that always catches me about your stuff is the tonality. That full range from whites to blacks. Just superb!

Thanks! This is because I make my scans from split-grade prints made on that incredible Adox paper.


Erik.

 

[shawn]

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.

The Retina 117 was the first to be built for Kodak's cassettes.

https://retinarescue.com/retina1type117.html

They are nice little black and nickel cameras too!

Thanks for the info on 'modernizing' a Leica I. I have a junk IIIc but not sure if I want to swap over the parts.

Shawn

 

[carbo73]

I posted this images in other threads, but I repost them here as the thread is obviously about these models.




My first Leica I (A), a 1930 model. It works quite well, and has the quite unusual detail of having not one but two former owner's names inscribed (well, in fact scratched) in it. Somebody called O. Kolda (or Korda), probably the second owner, and Bruno Maixner, probably the first owner, as it's name is place more prominently (and in the bottom plate, too). I'm quite sure I've even put a face to this name. For more information here:
https://flic.kr/p/2iHBueg

 

[Timmyjoe]

I've been looking for a Leica I for a while now and one thing keeps confusing me. I see cameras with a fixed lens, the "hockey stick" design, listed as Leica I or sometimes Leica IA. Then I see cameras with interchangeable lens mounts listed as Leica I and Leica IA. Then I see both types of cameras listed as Leica Standard cameras.

Can someone explain to me the difference. I think I'd prefer a camera with interchangeable lens mount, from the late 1920's or early 1930's, so what would that be called?

Best,
-Tim

 

[Ambro51]

The basic Leica Camera (Model 1 / A) was tha basis for all non rangefinder Leicas up to the 1g. The first Leica with interchangeable lenses was the 1c. The first few of these (rare) ere non standardized and were sold with matched accessory lenses. Soon after, the focal distance was standardized at 28.2 mm and those and later cameras were stamped with a “O” at the top of the camera lens flange. The “Standard” as we call it is the model E, though it IS a 1 in lineage it is not referred to as a 1. The 1f is very basic, with two accessory clips and no viewfinder. •••. Fear Not the lack of a rangefinder. Get to know zone focusing and depth of field. I’ll add, MANY cameras built as “hockey stick” were later updated to a variety of newer feature Leicas by the factory itself. This was a “feature” of the day.......customers could get their cameras updated. The serial number though was Always retained. So if you have a camera with a Sn under 60000 and “newer” features, it’s a Leitz conversion. The E could also be updated.

 

[Erik van Straten]

There are several books, now quite old, where you can find all the Leica models. I very much like the small books by Rogliatti, but these contain many inaccuracies.

Very correct are the early books (red soft cover) by James Lager. These can be found quite cheap.

Neither of these contain the later models, they stop around 1980.

Erik.

 

[mretina]

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,

Can either FILCA A or FILCA B be used in any Leica Ia? Or as the FILCA B was introduced only in 1930 (according to Von Einem) are there are some restrictions of use in the early models? The book says that B is an improvement with respect to A but seems to imply that either should work.

Max

 

[Erik van Straten]

There are no restrictions for using type B cassettes in an original Leica I A.

I have a Leica I A with the old type cassette guide (the long one, in the camera) and old type pin grip (in the bottomplate) that works perfectly with type B cassettes. I also have type A cassettes around, but I can't find them at the moment, but that's OK, as they are unreliable (they have a V-folded spring on top). The type B (with a simple spring, a lip, on top) fits perfectly in this camera. However, the modern commercial cassettes loaded with film do not fit in this camera. What you can do with such a camera, is to take the spool and the film out of a commercial cassette and put them both (the film wound on the spool) in a type B cassette. First practice in daylight with a piece of crappy film on a plastic spool to see how to put it in the cassette. Then do the same - in the dark!!! - with an unexposed roll (spool and film) from a commercial cassette. Take care that the start of the film hangs out of the slit of the cassette before loading the camera.

If the Leica cassettes are new to you, study them carefully before using them.

Good luck!

Erik.

 

[David Hughes]

The basic Leica Camera (Model 1 / A) was tha basis for all non rangefinder Leicas up to the 1g. The first Leica with interchangeable lenses was the 1c. The first few of these (rare) ere non standardized and were sold with matched accessory lenses. Soon after, the focal distance was standardized at 28.2 mm and those and later cameras were stamped with a “O” at the top of the camera lens flange. The “Standard” as we call it is the model E, though it IS a 1 in lineage it is not referred to as a 1. The 1f is very basic, with two accessory clips and no viewfinder. •••. Fear Not the lack of a rangefinder. Get to know zone focusing and depth of field. I’ll add, MANY cameras built as “hockey stick” were later updated to a variety of newer feature Leicas by the factory itself. This was a “feature” of the day.......customers could get their cameras updated. The serial number though was Always retained. So if you have a camera with a Sn under 60000 and “newer” features, it’s a Leitz conversion. The E could also be updated.

I think you mean 28.8mm but it's late at night and brain fade is setting in; so I may be wrong...


Regards, David

 

[David Hughes]

In every advert from that time that I have seen for the hockey stick camera it was called "The Leica" and nothing else. Shown below in a 1920's brochure.

Then we had the standard Leica with or without little zeroes on the lenses and body flange. In the 1938 Leitz NY brochure it is called the standard, for example.

To add to the fun a few of the hockey stick ones were modified by others to take a range of lenses from (f'instance) Meyer.

Regards, David

 

[carbo73]

There are no restrictions for using type B cassettes in an original Leica I A.

I have a Leica I A with the old type cassette guide (the long one, in the camera) and old type pin grip (in the bottomplate) that works perfectly with type B cassettes. I also have type A cassettes around, but I can't find them at the moment, but that's OK, as they are unreliable (they have a V-folded spring on top). The type B (with a simple spring, a lip, on top) fits perfectly in this camera. However, the modern commercial cassettes loaded with film do not fit in this camera. What you can do with such a camera, is to take the spool and the film out of a commercial cassette and put them both (the film wound on the spool) in a type B cassette. First practice in daylight with a piece of crappy film on a plastic spool to see how to put it in the cassette. Then do the same - in the dark!!! - with an unexposed roll (spool and film) from a commercial cassette. Take care that the start of the film hangs out of the slit of the cassette before loading the camera.

If the Leica cassettes are new to you, study them carefully before using them.

Good luck!

Erik.

Thanks for the detailed information! I've used a modern plastic reuseable cassette with my 1930 Leica I(A) with no problems at all. On my other, 1929, Leica I(A), wich seems much more original, the cassette guide is different, I'm not sure is the oldest but anyway it's different. So I've bought a FILCA model B just to be sure.


Thanks!

Salvador

 

[Erik van Straten]

In every advert from that time that I have seen for the hockey stick camera it was called "The Leica" and nothing else. Shown below in a 1920's brochure.

Then we had the standard Leica with or without little zeroes on the lenses and body flange. In the 1938 Leitz NY brochure it is called the standard, for example.

To add to the fun a few of the hockey stick ones were modified by others to take a range of lenses from (f'instance) Meyer.

Regards, David

Lovely advert from the twenties, but why, on earth, was an advertisment for a camera made with a painting?

Erik.

 

[David Hughes]

Lovely advert from the twenties, but why, on earth, was an advertment for a camera made with a painting?

Erik.

Good question; probably to get them in colour by hand (artist) rather than mere B&W by a machine (camera). And who wants realism when looking at young ladies in sales brochures?

Regards, David

 

[mretina]

Thanks Erik.

I am really tempted to try the FILCA B type on my Ia. I have taken many photos with IIIa and later models, but with any older model have always thought that something may go wrong, that they were not suitable for using a modern cassette, etc...

Will definitely practice.

Max

 

[Ambro51]

That IS a curious thing about Leica folks. The Model A, from 1930, is thought of as an ancient camera yet all the II and III Cameras.....are just Cameras.

 

[David Murphy]

Nice work as usual Erik.

What's astonishing here to me is how good this camera and lens are in skilled hands compared to say something totally modern churned out by Voigtlander or Leica today (or recently). These examples really seem to reenforce the idea the simple approach (with quality) is resoundingly effective in basic photography.

 

[carbo73]

First pictures with my 1930 Leica I(A) "Bruno Maixner"; Elmar 50mm; Fomapan 100 developed with Rodinal. No rangefinder nor light meter used.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Great shots, carbo73!


Erik.

 

[Timmyjoe]

Lovely advert from the twenties, but why, on earth, was an advertisment for a camera made with a painting?

Erik.

My mom was a commercial artist in the 1940's and even then they would very rarely use photographs for illustration in any print advertising. She worked for a large department store and used to draw and paint all kinds of products for advertisements in newspapers, magazine, store displays. My kid brother still has some of her illustrations from that period, they look so strange for those of us who grew up with photography so common in advertising.

Best,
-Tim