"Film Transport Housing"

[Pecole]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

When I discovered the "thing" at a flea market, on a table mainly devoted to microscopy stuff, I was quite intrigued. It was marked "Ernst Leitz Wetzlar" - sufficient reason to buy it ! -  and looked more or less like a camera.

In these times (end 1970s), I had to search quite a lot to finally find the answer : it was a "Film Transport Housing" intended to register photographs taken on a microscope, like described in Leitz leaflet "List 540-3C".

To start with, I had only the housing, the micro-attachment with Prontor-Press shutter and its adapter coming later.

The following photos illustrate the characteristics of the "Film Transport Housing" :

- photos 1 and 2 show the general body and its sliding "light screening slide";

- photo 3 : the back;

- photo 4 : the bottom with its support thread and the back-opening button;

- on phots 5 and 6, the hinged opening back and the inside view of the body, showing its relative complexity;

- photo 7 shows how the film transport lever, located in the top-cover,  is actuated;

- photo 8 : the folding rewind crank;

- photo 9 shows the detail of the twin blocking system of the opening back;

- photo 10 illustrates the frame counter;

- photo 11 details the "Made in Germany" engraving on the back of the bottom-plate;

- photo 12 shows the complete Film Transport Housing with its adapter and MIKAS-type micro- attachment;

- and finally, a reproduction of the Leitz leaflet describing the "thing".

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[normclarke]

It looks like a voigtlander or wirgin body to me, I can't believe Leitz made it totally.

 

Best,

 

normclarke.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Pecole]

It looks like a voigtlander or wirgin body to me, I can't believe Leitz made it totally.

 

Best,

 

normclarke.

 

Surprising...to say the least! of course the Film Transport Housing is a Leitz product ! I never heard of "Wirgin", but the vague resemblance to Voigtländer bodies like the Vitoret has no significance at all. sorry, normclarke, but your remark sounds...stupid.

[Wayne]

Wow! what an elegant piece! My first thought: What a wonderful basis for a small camera. It makes me think of my Contax T.

 

Thanks for the photos.

[alan mcfall]

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

Here are a couple more I spotten in my microscope colection.  One has a chrome and the other a black film button.  The front screw mount is not 39mm but is smaller.  They do not seem to be serial numbered.  Great photos Percole.   Regards.

[giordano]

Surprising...to say the least! of course the Film Transport Housing is a Leitz product ! I never heard of "Wirgin", but the vague resemblance to Voigtländer bodies like the Vitoret has no significance at all. sorry, normclarke, but your remark sounds...stupid.

There's no question it's a Leitz product. (By the way, it's listed in a 1967 E. Leitz NY catalog at $72.00 as 543 077 FILOT; the same document lists a MD body at $186.) 

 

But like Norm I cannot (without more evidence) believe that it was entirely designed and manufactured by Leitz. (A) It bears no resemblance to the contemporary Leica camera designs and there is no sign even of commonality of parts. ( It very much resembles many German fixed lens 35mm cameras of the period, including ones sold by Voigtlander and Agfa, in the general shape, the detail of the film advance lever and rewind lever, the design of the base, and the texture of the chrome. © As a Leitz film transport housing for photomicrography it would never have sold in large numbers, but it is designed for mass production (e.g. the die-cast body and back): I doubt whether it would have been economic for Leitz to set up the tooling from scratch. (D) The top housing is tall enough to house range-viewfinder and exposure meter, for which there is no need.

 

Or could it be a vestige of an abandoned compact, economical, Compur or Prontor Leica?

[duckrider]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Thanks for showing, but -if Leitz made- this is the most uglyest Leica I've ever seen!

And, pardon, not to know Wirgin is a great gap of knowledge:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirgin

 

Heinz Waske did create bis later AS Rollei 35 well known compact camera in his Wirgin time, bis boss was that stupid not to recognize the genius of this cam...

 

http://www.ulrichvogt.de/waaske.htm

 

So go in & learn about Wirgin, Wiesbaden!

 

it's never too late!

Thomas

[Pecole]

Thanks for showing, but -if Leitz made- this is the most uglyest Leica I've ever seen!

And, pardon, not to know Wirgin is a great gap of knowledge:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirgin

 

Heinz Waske did create bis later AS Rollei 35 well known compact camera in his Wirgin time, bis boss was that stupid not to recognize the genius of this cam...

 

http://www.ulrichvogt.de/waaske.htm

 

So go in & learn about Wirgin, Wiesbaden!

 

it's never too late!

Thomas

 

Thanks, Thomas ! I did not know "Wirgin" at all, but the name Edixa, of course. As you say, never too late to learn.

[Pecole]

There's no question it's a Leitz product. (By the way, it's listed in a 1967 E. Leitz NY catalog at $72.00 as 543 077 FILOT; the same document lists a MD body at $186.) 

 

But like Norm I cannot (without more evidence) believe that it was entirely designed and manufactured by Leitz. (A) It bears no resemblance to the contemporary Leica camera designs and there is no sign even of commonality of parts. ( It very much resembles many German fixed lens 35mm cameras of the period, including ones sold by Voigtlander and Agfa, in the general shape, the detail of the film advance lever and rewind lever, the design of the base, and the texture of the chrome. © As a Leitz film transport housing for photomicrography it would never have sold in large numbers, but it is designed for mass production (e.g. the die-cast body and back): I doubt whether it would have been economic for Leitz to set up the tooling from scratch. (D) The top housing is tall enough to house range-viewfinder and exposure meter, for which there is no need.

 

Or could it be a vestige of an abandoned compact, economical, Compur or Prontor Leica?

 

Thank you, Giordano. I especially appreciated the reference of the ELNY catalog, that gave me the code I searched for long time.

Coming to your comments about the body, I would favour the last sentence (vestige of an abandoned compact Leica). But the other details definitely make sense too.

Finally, I am surprised that no more discussion had taken place to date in this Forum about this "Film Transport Housing", and happy to have re-discovered the photos in my archives and published same.

[normclarke]

I cannot see Leitz tooling up to manufacture such an elegant peice in such small numbers. I don't believe they would even consider it! I stand by my original statement but on Wirgin this was not their field.

 

Best,

 

normclarke.

[250swb]

My guess would be that it's a generic lab accessory made by one of the many German camera companies and the only bit of Leica is the lens mount, the body being sold as an adaptable holder for film as it suggests. It has none of the Leitz/Leica styling of the period but many clues from other manufacturers, as a wild guess perhaps Kodak AG or Voigtlander could be candidates?

[gyoung]

Looks like the body of a typical cheap 35 of the 60s, might be edixa, or dacora, franka etc. Not Agfa though I think.

 

Not leica standards so a sub contract job

 

Gerry

[kangaroo2012]

Dennis Laney lists the Leica shown in the photographs by Pecole as a  "Simple film transport housing 543077  as a cheap alternative to a Leica for use in German Technical colleges and schools".

The housing is made by Balda, founded in Dresden in 1908, absorbed by Pentacon with a name change to Belca Werk.

The original founder Max Baldeweg re-opened his business in Bunde, West Germany as Balda Kamera Werke.

He supplied film housings to Leica as a cheap alternative to Leica cameras in 1960s. 

Thanks to Jim McKeown for many pages devoted to this marque.

I remember the film housing from my years working for Leica in Sydney.

Kangaroo 2012

[normclarke]

Who is stupid now!

 

Best,

 

normclarke.

[ironringer]

Gentlemen, have a look at this ADOX Polo camera from about 1960, courtesy of the "wikiwand" website:

http://www.wikiwand.com/en/ADOX_Polo#/overview

I own one of these, my first camera, and although rather basic it produced good pictures with its Adoxar lens. As you see it is quite similar in construction to the "Leitz" Simple film transport housing.

According to that website it was made by Fotowerke GmbH who took over the Wirgin factory in Frankfurt. A simple base camera chassis, likely adapted by Leitz to make a useful device.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[Pecole]

Gentlemen, have a look at this ADOX Polo camera from about 1960, courtesy of the "wikiwand" website:

http://www.wikiwand.com/en/ADOX_Polo#/overview

I own one of these, my first camera, and although rather basic it produced good pictures with its Adoxar lens. As you see it is quite similar in construction to the "Leitz" Simple film transport housing.

According to that website it was made by Fotowerke GmbH who took over the Wirgin factory in Frankfurt. A simple base camera chassis, likely adapted by Leitz to make a useful device.

ADOX_Polo_front.jpgADOX_Polo_back.jpg

 

Thank you very much, Ironinger. Your photos are convincing, to say the least. And give justice to the earliest comment by normclark, to whom I own I present my deepest excuses.