Non circular speed dial

[mickjazz]

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I have seen a couple leica ii's and a standard with a non circular speed dial. Two shapes: one mostly circular with a slight point at one position; the other like a circle converted to an arced triangle. They are all chrome and are noticeable against nickel hw on black cameras.

 

Are these after market replacement dials?

[willeica]

I have seen a couple leica ii's and a standard with a non circular speed dial. Two shapes: one mostly circular with a slight point at one position; the other like a circle converted to an arced triangle. They are all chrome and are noticeable against nickel hw on black cameras.

 

Are these after market replacement dials?

 

They are for operating flash outfits. A device such as a VACU http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leica-Flash-Synchronizer-VACU-/360981724929 fitted over this and the unusually shaped speed dial acted as a cam to operate the VACU and create a 'spark' to operate a flash such as the CAVOO. It was a post WW II device but many pre-war cameras were fitted with the non circular speed dial to use the flash set up. I have a IIIa with such a speed dial and a VACU device. I have not yet picked up the CAVOO flash to go with it, but I probably will some day. I am not sure about what bulbs the flash would take.

 

William

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[mickjazz]

William thanks so much for the explanation. Probably added to the camera later then.

[willeica]

William thanks so much for the explanation. Probably added to the camera later then.

 

Definitely. My IIIa is from 1935, it was the 23rd one ever made, but the dial and VACU come from about 1950.

 

William

[Leicapasion]

Another compatible device for the dial:

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[George Furst]

I have the VACU and flash but not the modified dial on the speed dial. I have never seen how to set up this flash mechanism. Has anyone directions of its setup? I realize that the orientation on the dial was critical. Also did it work? Of course it must have been a short lived option for flash and the iiif came along and superceeded all other flash gadgets.

[pico]

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Canon made a couple elegant alternatives to Leica's flash add-ons. I have two in storage which work with Canons and a couple Leica models. Oh, don't make me drag them out of storage.

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[willeica]

I have the VACU and flash but not the modified dial on the speed dial. I have never seen how to set up this flash mechanism. Has anyone directions of its setup? I realize that the orientation on the dial was critical. Also did it work? Of course it must have been a short lived option for flash and the iiif came along and superceeded all other flash gadgets.

 

This may help. You will see here that as well the shaped dial, which I have, there is also a cam attachment which goes over a normal shaped dial. There is a reference here to 4 different cams for different camera models. The author of this blog has left an email address where he can be contacted, if you have further queries.

 

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.ie/2012/03/leitz-vacu.html

 

You should be able to see the shaped dial on my IIIa in this photo. I can do a better one if you want, this was taken some time ago for another purpose.

 

 

 

William

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[Pecole]

And here are two photos from the archives of my Fontenelle collection, where you see the COONT (VACU) flash connection attachment mounted, and where the corresponding CAVOO shaped speed setting dial is distinguishable.

 

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e. 

[madNbad]

I have the VACU and flash but not the modified dial on the speed dial. I have never seen how to set up this flash mechanism. Has anyone directions of its setup? I realize that the orientation on the dial was critical. Also did it work? Of course it must have been a short lived option for flash and the iiif came along and superceeded all other flash gadgets.

 

A local shop has a IIIa with the cammed shutter speed dial.  No one knew what it was for, so I started looking around.  From what I have learned, after releasing the shutter, the spinning of the cammed shutter speed dial is the transmitter for the flash to fire.

[alan mcfall]

Here are two quick photos of the instruction for the Vacu.  They are both June 1951 and in German.

 

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The larger one is 6 pages and covers the technical aspects of the Vacu.  The smaller is 4 pages and shows the various dials and the serial numbers of the cameras they belong to. Six different dials( or positions of the same dial) are shown. The pre 392600 cameras are using the 1-1/20sec dial, and cameras afer 392600 use the 1-1/30sec dial.  Or so it seems.

 

 

 

This system was so complex and difficult to adjust properly that leitz relatively quickly replace it with internal syncronization. Dealers were most likely swamped with requests for help with the Vacu.

Further complicating things, there were two different Vacu units, one for flash bulbs and one for electronic flash.

 

This photo shows the Vacu on the left, the Vacu for electronic flash on the right and the red box they came in.

 

 

Here is my dial collection, and the small paper envelopes they came in.

 

 

Good luck sorting it all out, I never have taken a flash photo with the Vacu, and I have 20 or more of them.

 

Regards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willeica]

 A nice collection of non circular dials, Alan. My example must be an A (they are very hard to tell apart!) as it is on a IIIa from the very first batch with SN 157423 which is below the lowest SN shown on the document which you posted. Like yourself I have not used the camera with my VACU. My excuse is that I have not yet got the flash to go with the VACU. I can understand how customers were confused by all of this.

 

William

[jc_braconi]

On the first flash BTLOO the cup to be slip on the shutter dial is on the flash itself retained by a spring

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