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Any KE-7A enthusiasts out there?


vickko

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As a frequent surfer of this section of the forum, I am almost 100% sure that pictures taken with the Elcan 66 have never been published... I only remember (vaguely) some comments about when, time ago, a 66 appeared for sale on one of the well known dealers' site (Photo Arsenal, I seem... maybe it had some "prototype-style" engraving, too...).

 

The KE-7A have been surely displayed by some members that have it... but it seems to be not one of the preferred "specials" (for instance, Postkameras have been surely discussed/showed more frequently).

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Any KE-7A enthusiasts out there?

 

Any shooters with the 66mm f2 Elcan lens?

 

Vick

 

I was not a special "enthusiast" of the KE-7A, but I had both the "civilian" and the military versions in my Fontenelle Collection. Here are the details in my files :

~ Both cameras were engraved Ernst Leitz Canada Midland and Still Picture Camera, and both came with the Elcan f/2 50mm lens

- The "military" one was Serial nº 1294776, and was engraved "FSN 6720-165-7115" and "CONT. F42600-71-C-2429" on the back of the top fairing, under the winding arm. Its Elcan lens was serialled 276-0226 and came with its original screwing-in hood engraved "C42-LS.39F".

- The "civilian" was Serial nº 1294910, had no other special engraving, and came with Elcan lens 2760017, but without hood.

- In Lager 2, three "civilians" are illustrated : 1294947 and 1294996, and 1294974 with an engraving error : Still PictuPe. There is also the military 1294521 and two Elcan f/2 50mm lenses numbered 276-0001 and 276-0498.

 

I couldn't find the corresponding pictures in my collection, but will certainly publish same here if and when I succeed

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As far as I know, alla KE-7A are black chrome: I never read of chrome items... the probable "tests" were surely carried on together with the customer (US Army) and they maybe could have been done with "hand-modified" items based on std. M4... chrome items not to be excluded... but I'd bet that a chrome item properly engraved as KE-7A has never existed; of course, I can be proved wrong in occasion of some sale of old equipment by Uncle Sam... :p

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There's someone there to tell me exactly what are the technical differences

between the KE-7A and an M4?

 

For what I remember, KE7-A had a modfied shutter to work in very cold conditions, and body better sealed for dust; curiosly, they retain the selftimer; I do not remember if the loading film system has some differences over the std. M4. The black chrome finishing seems to me the standard Leitz... of course, there are the proper engravings and also a special bag... the big instruction manual, with the famous chapter in which they explain how to destroy the camera to avoid it to go in "enemy's hands", is very valued to have a really complete item... :)

The ELCAN 50 f2 standard lens is a sort of "simplified" and more compact Summicron, with 4 elements. Lager displays also an item of this lens in chrome finish.

Edited by luigi bertolotti
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Any KE-7A enthusiasts out there?

 

Any shooters with the 66mm f2 Elcan lens?

 

Vick

 

I just noticed this thread. Years ago when living in Japan, I purchased Elcan 1/2 66 MM

283-0010. It has another number: VH6760-168-3240.

The lens is in perfect condition optically and is rangefinder coupled. The focusing is rather stiff, as I did not use it more than a few times.

I will try it out on the M9 as soon as I get the chance and have some time to spare. I have not managed to learn how to upload pictures onto the forum and am practically computer illiterate in a technical sense.

Teddy

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I just noticed this thread. Years ago when living in Japan, I purchased Elcan 1/2 66 MM

283-0010. It has another number: VH6760-168-3240.

The lens is in perfect condition optically and is rangefinder coupled. The focusing is rather stiff, as I did not use it more than a few times.

I will try it out on the M9 as soon as I get the chance and have some time to spare. I have not managed to learn how to upload pictures onto the forum and am practically computer illiterate in a technical sense.

Teddy

Hi Terddy

please have a look here :

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/customer-forum/2341-posting-multiple-images-threads.html

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  • 5 months later...

May I ask if the KE-7A civilian version is a better collection item than the military version please?

Also, anyone knows where I can find out the serial number of the KE-7A civilian & military versions?

Finally is the hood for the Elcan comes with the civilian version and if it is easy to find?

Thank you for your kindest assistance :)

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May I ask if the KE-7A civilian version is a better collection item than the military version please?

think

500 (approx) mil contract

few without mil contract

latter collectors drool drip drip drip

Also, anyone knows where I can find out the serial number of the KE-7A civilian & military versions?

their batch was allocated in '72 1293771-3775 & 1294501-5000

Finally is the hood for the Elcan comes with the civilian version and if it is easy to find?

Thank you for your kindest assistance :)

easy to find - eeeeek

 

sorry that is all i have...

 

Noel

Edited by Xmas
typo in serial
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Hello Everybody,

 

Teddy,

 

You're not the only computer illiterate out there. Welcome to the club. There are a lot of people on this Forum who are more than willing to help both you & me. Just ask during any Post. You will get a number of very competent replys. Unfortunately for me I appear to be somewhat more computer illiterate than some people. I'm sure you will not be the same.

 

I think your lens may have been part of a high resoloution experimental project so you might try putting the camera/lens on a very solid tripod & focussing @ various 2 & 3 dimensional targets from the closest to the furthest focussing points including a very far away infinity such as the moon on a very clear nite. Do this in small steps w/ a new set of photographs repeated @ each possible aperture because we don't know the lens's intended parameters. You might be very pleasantly surprised.

 

Too bad there is no more Kodachrome. There is still Ektar. I find my Ektar negatives produce better prints if I expose them as I would if they were slide film. That is I expose to capture the highlights & let the shadows fall where they may. When you do your sets of photos w/ fine grain B&W film you should expose for the shadows. It is better if you do both color & B&W. We don't know which the lens was designed for.

 

Which brings to mind another point which is the lens may not have been designed for the flatness of digital but may require the depth of emulsion separation of film to produce an optimal image.

 

A historical note:

 

During the war in Vietnam the US Army used some chrome M4's in the field during close combat. I know this because while I was in the Army's First Infantry Division @ Lai Khe during Tet (1968) I taught a combat photographer I knew how to better handle his chrome M4 w/ separate hand held meter. I'm pretty sure his lens was a 50.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

Edited by Michael Geschlecht
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  • 2 weeks later...

The Elcan 50mm lens made for the US military was a simpler design than the contemporary 50mm Summicron, and did not perform as well as the latter lens. But the Elcan 66mm lens is a special model that was made for intelligence-gathering work, and was designed to have the maximum resolution possible with the optical technology of the time.

 

Best regards,

 

Doug

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The Elcan 50mm lens made for the US military was a simpler design than the contemporary 50mm Summicron, and did not perform as well as the latter lens. But the Elcan 66mm lens is a special model that was made for intelligence-gathering work, and was designed to have the maximum resolution possible with the optical technology of the time.

 

Best regards,

 

Doug

 

HI Doug,

Thanks for this very positive information, which I just came upon this morning. I will now get down to trying out the 66mm Elcan on my M9. I still have not managed to post pictures. Very annoying.

Teddy

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A quick test of the f2 66mm Elcan on the Leica M9 against the f 1.4 Summilux asph. showed that the latter's performance at 1.4 is superior to f 2 with the 66mm.

This was not a carefully set up test, however, a relatively simple test showed that the newer lens performs substantially better as far as sharpness is concerned.

Teddy

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That does not surprise me – I should have explained that the 66mm Elcan was designed in the late 1960s, some 40 years before the Summilux ASPH. It was presumably intended to out-perform the contemporary version of the 50mm Summicron.

 

Best regards,

 

Doug

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