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[philipus]

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Congrats Keith, that's a very nice IIIg! Looks brand new!

 

cheers

philip

Edited November 17, 2011 by philipus

[philipus]

trimming the leader by hand is easy, just make sure you don't cut through a sprocket hole. If someone else is doing the developing for you, twll them the leader has been trimmed - I had one place not do it because the film was "obviously damaged by the camera"

 

 

That's quite funny, Bill. One wonders what kind of torture-like treatment a camera would have to resort to for that to be the result...

 

But on the matter of trimming - - I've seen quite lengthy discussions about this in the past - trimming vs inserting using a library card or the like. I don't even use a card to inser the film, let along trim.

 

Does the need to trim depend on which Barnack one uses?

 

I have a Leica II and never trim. I just insert the film and watch the wheel in the roll turn as I advance the film a few times, then close the lid and tighten with the rewind screw.

 

cheers

philip

[bill]

I avoid the card method purely because if Leica intended it, there would be an accessory for the purpose, probably called "CARDO" or something similar

 

I always trimmed for my III and do so for my II; I also load with the rewind lever disengaged. It's too easy to damage the curtains, IMO and it only takes a minute.

 

As an aside, I quite enjoy the metre of life with a Barnack. It's a Sunday stroll camera, timing your film use so that you finish a roll at about the same time as the need for a coffee and a croissant becomes overwhelming so that you can park yourself at a table and feed both yourself and your Barnack at the same time

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[philipus]

I avoid the card method purely because if Leica intended it, there would be an accessory for the purpose, probably called "CARDO" or something similar

 

Absolutely hilarious, Bill!

 

Do you also put it on Z to keep the curtains open?

 

The best thing - well, one of the best things - with a Barnack is its small size. Fits in a pocket and so easy to bring. I even thought today that I might bring it with me when going for a jog - now that would be a sight!

 

cheers

philip

[wlaidlaw]

This is the card I have used for some 50 years.

 

Wilson

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[bill]

Philip, here's a little tip for you, and anyone else with a Barnack. Leather belt case 18153 for the Minilux (Zoom, I think) - fits my II with 5cm or 3.5cm Elmar perfectly... The lid is slightly shaped and padded, so even if wound on the shutter doesn't trip accidentally.

 

@ Wilson - yeh right :D:D

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[philipus]

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Thanks for the tip, Bill!

[earleygallery]

Just worth pointing out, 35mm film supplied in canisters had a long leader until sometime around the late 70's. So the need to trim film for your Barnack is a relatively new thing. That's why Leica never made a 'CARDO' or 'NOSNIP'.

[bill]

But they made an ABLON...

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[wlaidlaw]

Bill,

 

Would not the original purpose of the ABLON, at the time it was designed, have been to provide the correct leader shape for film strips when cut from bulk rolls and loaded into Leica cassettes. After all, I don't think it was until the Kodak introduced the Retina camera that the disposable 135 cassette appeared in 1934. I still just remember my father using a daylight loader on Leica and Contax cassettes from bulk film, in I would guess 1950/51. 135 film was not particularly common in the north of Scotland until I would guess the mid 50's. Most chemists only kept 120, 127, 620 and maybe 616. My father used to bring Kodachrome 135's back from J. Lizars, on visits to Aberdeen.

 

Wilson

Edited November 18, 2011 by wlaidlaw

[bill]

Who knows? I'm only 49...

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[Enotslliw]

A IIIF with an assortment of lenses...used for years but is now in mothballs. IF with a Super Angulon has risen to the surface...if I need a 21 that is what comes to hand.

[Keith (M)]

Well, I developed the test film from my newly acquired 1956 IIIg + 1951 Elmar 50mm f3.5 this morning. Red Dot had included a freebie roll of FP4+ (thank you), so this is what I used, developed in Ilfosol 3. Naturally I had selected all shutter speeds and all apertures plus a variety of focus-distances, mostly of handy (but mundane) subjects. With a max aperture of only f3.5 I was not expecting too much in the way of soft oof backgrounds and was pleasantly surprised ('Bluebells' image). As to slow shutter speeds, I dug out my tripod only to find the thread size is different - doh! So I had to resort to resting the camera on the breakfast-bar worktop and using the self-timer (see 2nd image). So far the camera/lens combination is proving to be a delightful addition to my photographic armoury.

 

PS - Spot the seagull...

Edited November 18, 2011 by Keith (M)

[hektor]

"I developed the test film from my newly acquired 1956 IIIg"

 

Dear Keith,

Unless you have a preproduction IIIg, your camera can be no earlier than 1957, its year of introduction.

May I suggest you check the serial number.

Have fun.

Hektor

[hektor]

"But they made an ABLON..."

 

The ABLON was introduced in 1931 and over the years changed shapes a few times.

 

In the 'seventies' the Leica dealer in Melbourne gave me a handful of them as they had been gathering dust for years and he did not anticipate there ever being sold !!! The good man did not anticipate the appreciation of old cameras and their revival.

[iphoenix]

 

Would not the original purpose of the ABLON, at the time it was designed, have been to provide the correct leader shape for film strips when cut from bulk rolls and loaded into Leica cassettes. After all, I don't think it was until the Kodak introduced the Retina camera that the disposable 135 cassette appeared in 1934. I still just remember my father using a daylight loader on Leica and Contax cassettes.

Zeiss came up with a similar template. As their Contax 1 came out in 1932, was theirs a copy of the ABLON?

[Keith (M)]

Dear Keith,

Unless you have a preproduction IIIg, your camera can be no earlier than 1957, its year of introduction.

May I suggest you check the serial number.

Have fun.

Hektor

 

Thanks. With regard to the serial no. I was going on the table in Leica WiKi.

Mine is 847xxx, so is one of the batch of 5620 chrome bodies shown as 1956. However, I have since read that whilst the serial numbers were allocated in 1956, as you say they were not actually manufactured until 1957.

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[hektor]

Thanks. With regard to the serial no. I was going on the table in Leica WiKi.

Mine is 847xxx, so is one of the batch of 5620 chrome bodies shown as 1956. However, I have since read that whilst the serial numbers were allocated in 1956, as you say they were not actually manufactured until 1957.

 

Dear Keith,

It could be even more confusing. As you say, the serial numbers were determined when management decided to produce a batch (usually 200) of camera or lenses. However when a new camera or lens is due to be introduced to the market, Leitz would make a number of batches in anticipation; otherwise it would not be able to deliver for some time after the release. It may well be that your beautiful IIIg falls into that category and could have been assembled in 1956.

The question is not really important, but interesting. It is a pity Leitz didn't adopt the Mercedes-Banz practice. In the days before air-bags, when their cars had a large steering wheels, the padded centre could be easily removed, and stamped on the steering boss was the actual date the car came off the assembly line. A great trick when buying from a second-hand vendor who was understating the age of the car. Have fun with your IIIg.

Regards,

Hektor

[TomB_tx]

Zeiss came up with a similar template. As their Contax 1 came out in 1932, was theirs a copy of the ABLON?

Many camera makers had clones of the ABLON. My dad used a Sereo Realist camera exclusively from about 1950, and had their full kit for handling film and binding stereo slides. It came with a leader trimmer just like the ABLON - US made and marked David White Co as I recall. (I still have his camera, but the accessories are long gone.)

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[SailDesign]

Now that we have this excellent new section on the forum lets have a head count of current LTM or screw camera owners/users.

 

<snip!>

 

 

I have just been given my Dad's old IIIa and III bodies, with a few lenses from 28mm to 135mm. Great old beast - I had forgotten how much fun it is to use something without batteries. ;-)