LEICA HISTORICA

[sls]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

1 hour ago, wlaidlaw said:

I always thought that Wallace Heaton in New Bond Street were the first UK Leica dealer. The first Leica dealer in Scotland were J Lizars, who had branches in all the large towns. They are still going, as Black and Lizars but now mainly just opticians. My great uncle bought his Model III from their Aberdeen branch in 1934 and inspired by him, my Grandfather bought his Model II in 1935. I still have both of these cameras, with the Hektor for the Model III but the Elmar for the Model II disappeared in the early 1970's (I suspect it was screwed into my father's enlarger which was thrown away). My first new Leica, an M4, was bought from them in 1967, also at their Aberdeen branch and is still working perfectly.  Here is a Wallace Heaton receipt dated 1937 for the original owner of my IIIa and its Summar lens. 

Wilson

 

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!

You may well be right, as I heard that RGL started with Leica in the mid or late 1920s. £36 is £2,400 in today's money, rather good value.

[Pyrogallol]

I remember coming home on the train in the 1970’s with a 135 Elmar from R G Lewis, in the Strand? I think.

this week’s new lens is a 50mm f3.5 Elmar from 1954, the first year of the M bayonet E39 front version, it came off an equally early M3 with unusual details.

 

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!

[Advertisement]

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

[puna jack]

I recently picked up a Leica IIIa No. 200209 with a Summar 5cm 1.2 lens. On the viewfinder housing, above the Serial No. is "N155 6477-54595721  IIIA". Can anyone help me out identifying what it indicates. Is it German Military? Or ???? Thanks

[jerzy]

Am 2.5.2019 um 20:04 schrieb Pyrogallol:

this week’s new lens is a 50mm f3.5 Elmar from 1954, the first year of the M bayonet E39 front version, it came off an equally early M3 with unusual details.

 

 

It is really very early 3,5 in M mount, Thiele lists 1140001 as the first. What is with the M3, which unusal details you mean. Can you post the photo? is the SN below 700800? 

[jc_braconi]

3 hours ago, jerzy said:

  On 5/2/2019 at 8:04 PM, Pyrogallol said:

this week’s new lens is a 50mm f3.5 Elmar from 1954, the first year of the M bayonet E39 front version, it came off an equally early M3 with unusual details.

 

 

have one from 1954 s/n 1 142 153

[Pyrogallol]

On 9/28/2019 at 10:38 AM, jerzy said:

It is really very early 3,5 in M mount, Thiele lists 1140001 as the first. What is with the M3, which unusal details you mean. Can you post the photo? is the SN below 700800? 

I don’t have the camera, but the serial number is 749689, which I am told is from the second series/batch.

[jerzy]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

thank you! There are 30-40 details which Bawendi listed in his article that were changed/modified in M3 below 1M. Especially interesting is the first production batch (700001-700800), they have different die cast frame, separately numbered (3 digit number, different than SN) and with 2 film rails only. Some of these cameras have cornered top cover, similar, but not identical as M3 prototype batch. I though this camera could one of them :-)

[jc_braconi]

Add picture of Leicaflex Mark I and Mark II, black paint, with silver chrome Summicron 2/50 and Elmarit 2.8/35 in the Leicaflex page.
Thanks for looking.

[luigi bertolotti]

On 9/28/2019 at 3:26 PM, jc_braconi said:

have one from 1954 s/n 1 142 153

Speaking of the Elmar 3,5 in BM... does someone know if its front writings never changed ? I mean, the above item has a writing exacltly like my 1.184.913... no strange; and I saw a 1.3xx.xxx - same writing; but the 2,8 changed from 5cm to 50mm and the writing was made in capital letters... was this style applied also to the 3,5, which went out of production much before the 2,8 ?

 

[sabears]

1 hour ago, luigi bertolotti said:

Speaking of the Elmar 3,5 in BM... does someone know if its front writings never changed ? I mean, the above item has a writing exacltly like my 1.184.913... no strange; and I saw a 1.3xx.xxx - same writing; but the 2,8 changed from 5cm to 50mm and the writing was made in capital letters... was this style applied also to the 3,5, which went out of production much before the 2,8 ?

 

Not only: don't forget that there were also 2,8 elmars with the very same engravings (in style) than the 3,5 above...

[luigi bertolotti]

1 hour ago, sabears said:

Not only: don't forget that there were also 2,8 elmars with the very same engravings (in style) than the 3,5 above...

Yes… that's exactly my question : the Elmar 2,8 BM  changed its style ("cm to mm" - "italic to capital") : did it also the 3,5 ?  I doubt (*) but haven't evidence of very late 3,5s...

(*) Lager diplays two 2,8s, both in the 1.6xx.xxx range , one old style, the later new style ; they belong to 1958-59 and Elmar 3,5 ought to be no more made in those years, from the usual sources.

[jc_braconi]

Luigi, 
have one from 1954 s/n 1 142 153 ELMAM in meter Wetzlar cm
I have, if I trust my file, an another one from 1956 s/n 1 336 348 ELMAM in feet Wetzlar cm
First I have not them near me, but not so far, you will need a pict ?

 

•  

[UliWer]

According to Thiele‘s list - which is not always reliable - the last batch of the 1:3.5/5cm ELMAM were 4000 items 1,333,001 - 1,337,000.

The change from 5cm to 50mm and to engraving with capital letters for the 1.2.8/50mm was somewhere in numbers higher than 1,633,839 (my example, which is still in cm), so I doubt that there are any 1:3.5/50mm ELMAM.

It must have been in 2008 or so, when we came rather close to the number when the engraving changed in a certain thread I can‘t find anymore. I remember it was not much higher than the number of my version in cm given above.

(My remembrance still works, but my brain can‘t cope with the search function of this Forum...). 

[Pyrogallol]

7 minutes ago, UliWer said:

According to Thiele‘s list - which is not always reliable - the last batch of the 1:3.5/5cm ELMAM were 4000 items 1,333,001 - 1,337,000.

The change from 5cm to 50mm and to engraving with capital letters for the 1.2.8/50mm was somewhere in numbers higher than 1,633,839 (my example, which is still in cm), so I doubt that there are any 1:3.5/50mm ELMAM.

It must have been in 2008 or so, when we came rather close to the number when the engraving changed in a certain thread I can‘t find anymore. I remember it was not much higher than the number of my version in cm given above.

(My remembrance still works, but my brain can‘t cope with the search function of this Forum...). 

I find that a google search finds things in the forum better than the forum search engine.

[UliWer]

I tried - but no luck. If the discussion about the cm/mm-change was under an insignificant thread title Google won‘t find it for you. 

[luigi bertolotti]

14 hours ago, jc_braconi said:

Luigi, 
have one from 1954 s/n 1 142 153 ELMAM in meter Wetzlar cm
I have, if I trust my file, an another one from 1956 s/n 1 336 348 ELMAM in feet Wetzlar cm
First I have not them near me, but not so far, you will need a pict ?

 

•  

Thanks Jc… 1336348 is really one of the last batch , and if yours is in cm, this means that the Elmar 3,5 BM never had "50mm" and capital letters, I'd say.

[jc_braconi]

4 hours ago, luigi bertolotti said:

Thanks Jc… 1336348 is really one of the last batch , and if yours is in cm, this means that the Elmar 3,5 BM never had "50mm" and capital letters, I'd say.

I did not make any comment, letting you making the conclusion.

[Susie]

Hi guys,

I have a bayonet mount Elmar  marked: " f=5cm  1:3.5   Nr. 1336393 "   so just a few along the production line from JC's

Susie

Edited December 18, 2019 by Susie

[tkipp]

Hello together,

i´m totally new here, and i hope im right under histrica theme, as i´ve get the Camera you can see on photos and some more from my grandpa.

Until now, i only use for some photos on work a new Canon Eos, but never had a Leica.

As my Grandpa is gone, i have no informations for the camera, is there anybody out there who can help me and give me some informations.

Thank you in advance

regards

Tobias

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!

Edited August 24, 2021 by tkipp
Add some word

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[andybarton]

Welcome to the forum. 
 

Sorry to be the bringer of bad news, but that looks very much like a Russian copy to me and not a real Leica. 
 

If it works, it will still take good photographs though and you will always be able to put a real Leica lens on it, and that’s the bit that counts.