The First Leica I Used

[edmond_terakopian]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Someone asked me a short while ago when I started using Leica cameras and I thought it was my M4-2 which I bought from a colleague in the early nineties. I remembered a couple of days ago that in fact my first experience was in 1989 when my father's best friend, who was into photography as a young man, lent me his camera for a couple of weeks. It was an immaculate M3 with a matching 50mm lens; alas can't remember which model.

I took it into my first paper, a weekly called the Ealing Gazette. The look on my picture editor's face was fabulous; he saw this crazy 19 year old clutching a museum grade M3 and going out on newspaper assignments! Must say it was absolutely gorgeous as were the pictures. Lovely memories :-)

 

Edmond

[chris_tribble]

My first Leica? My father's ex-Luftwaffe Leica IIIc (genuine SFAIK - bought in the UK on the blackmarket around 1943!). He let me use this alongside his Rolleicord + also taught me processing and darkroom technique. He always used the Leica 50cm f3.5 lens in his enlarger.

 

No respecter of persons he modified the body in the 1960s to enable flash synchronisation . This involved drilling the body, installing a flash sync socket and rigging a circuit breaker with a piece of flattened copper wire which was swept by an internal cam + lots of Araldite. It worked - but I do feel that it was a monstrous thing to do. He eventually stopped using the Leica and got a Pentax MX. A falling away from grace.

 

Despite his infatuation with flash, I loved my father dearly, and was pleased to inherit the camera from him when he died in 1989. After keeping the IIIc in a cupboard for a few years (I was using an OM1 and OM2 in those days) I decided to sell it and traded it in with Jessops Classic Cameras (used to be Pied Bull Yard, London - Ivor of Red Dot was working there). The lens was worth a lot more than the desecrated body - but the combination gave me a very large part of the value of a used M6 .72 and a 35 Cron v. IV).

 

The M6 user eventually became an M6TTL (which I still have), a second M6 TTL 5.8, and then an M7.

 

The problem was that around the time I got the M7, film stopped being really viable for my work (I'd been running the Leicas alongside an EOS 1v system with fast zooms), and the Canon 20D dragged me into digital. I had around 5 years shooting Canon digital (I still have a 5D2) and then came the very expensive 2 year roller coaster of the M8, M8.2 and then the M9.

 

I'm not sure if the M9 will be my last Leica - probably not - but it does feel like I came home with this model, and I'm not lusting after the next great thing.

 

Excuse this rather extended post - it suddenly felt worth sharing. Thanks Edmond.

[edmond_terakopian]

Thanks for sharing Chris; a wonderful story and so beautifully written - I love the "Despite his infatuation with flash, I loved my father dearly" comment :-)

 

I too feel like I've come home with the M9. Alas I had to sell my M6, M4-2, R6.2 and all my lenses to be able to get my first proper pro DSLR (Nikon D1H - was using a Kodak DCS315 before, which was close to useless!!). Alas the M8 didn't work for me but I loved the M9 the second I saw pictures from it. So good to be back to Leica. I just so wish I had all my old lenses!!

 

In fact, on July 27th, along with my birthday, I'm celebrating one year with my M9!!

 

Cheers,

 

Edmond

[TomB_tx]

The first Leica I used was an M2 in college in about 66. I had a Pentax H1a at the time, and borrowed the M2 and 90 (Fat) teleElmarit to shoot football and hockey! I really liked being able to see the action outside the framelines. That was long before autofocus, and there were no motor drives on campus then either. Most people with SLRs had max of 135 or 200mm, so the Leica wasn't at a disadvantage for sports.

By '68 I bought a new M4 at higher price than an M3 (it was still on the market then). I got it because the local dealer got another teleElmarit, and I couldn't resist. I still have and use both.

After an SL and R4 I got an M6, then my new family and career changed my priorities and everything sat in the closet until I retired a few years ago. I borrowed digital cameras along the way, but didn't find one that felt like a "real" camera until the M9 came out. As you say, it was "coming home." Still using my old 60s-70s lenses, and have refreshed my film cameras and use them as much as the M9.

Also picked up another H1a, which still does amazingly well. A first love isn't easily forgotten.

[stuny]

I had admired and wanted a Leica for many years. Then while waiting in an airport lounge in either Bangkok or Tokyo at the beginning of 1999 I read an article about high performance, compact binoculars. I was surprised at the relatively affordable 10 x 25 binoculars from both Leica and Zeiss, and gave the article to Barbara to read. A month later we visited Bergen County Camera with our compact Nikon binoculars in hand and tried the two German beauties. Both greatly outclassed Nikon, and the Leicas were significantly better than the Zeiss, so we bought our first Leica, though it wasn’t a camera. A few months later Barbara surprised me with a Christmas present of an R8 and an 80-200 zoom. I added a 28-70, and bought a second used R8 via eBay just days before visiting Virgin Gorda. A couple of years later Barbara bought a 60 MM macro lens, and three or four years later a DMR. In between I bought other lenses, a flash (almost never use it, but needed it to catch a tapir in the Manu rainforest in Peru at night), accessories, and before the DMR, my D2 and a Panasonic forerunner of the V-Lux 1.

[Twotone]

Mine is an M3 I bought in January of this year followed by a type two 50mm Summicron and a 90mm Elmarit.

 

My first serious camera was a Nikon EM that my wife bought me for my 21st birthday in 1980 which I still have, in fact I have the entire kit of lenses and gear that I bought over the subsequent next five years.

 

I bought myself a Nikon D40 three years ago and never really got to grips with it but kept for taking family pics etc and sticking stuff on the computer. I've just sold it and a zoom lens that I bought for it that's only been used about five times.

 

I'm now taking the best photographs of my life with the M3 and I absolutely love the simplicity and sophistication of the camera and, the quality of the lenses are at a different level to what I've been used to these past 30 or so years.

 

I bought the M3 to be the last camera of my life and to get back to recording photographs on film that will last so that my kids and their kids will be able to look back in the same way that me and my wife look back at old photos of our own families now.

 

Digital images are fine but they end up on a computer hard drive and eventually get forgotten and lost somewhere in some folder, I have about 2000 images on the computer and the vast majority of them are rubbish with multiple images of the same photographs.

 

I only wish I had been able to afford a Lieca when I was 21 but back then I only sort of knew about them vaguely and kind of thought about them like a very expensive watch that I would never be able to afford.

 

Tony

[edmond_terakopian]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Mine is an M3 I bought in January of this year followed by a type two 50mm Summicron and a 90mm Elmarit.

 

My first serious camera was a Nikon EM that my wife bought me for my 21st birthday in 1980 which I still have, in fact I have the entire kit of lenses and gear that I bought over the subsequent next five years.

 

I bought myself a Nikon D40 three years ago and never really got to grips with it but kept for taking family pics etc and sticking stuff on the computer. I've just sold it and a zoom lens that I bought for it that's only been used about five times.

 

I'm now taking the best photographs of my life with the M3 and I absolutely love the simplicity and sophistication of the camera and, the quality of the lenses are at a different level to what I've been used to these past 30 or so years.

 

I bought the M3 to be the last camera of my life and to get back to recording photographs on film that will last so that my kids and their kids will be able to look back in the same way that me and my wife look back at old photos of our own families now.

 

Digital images are fine but they end up on a computer hard drive and eventually get forgotten and lost somewhere in some folder, I have about 2000 images on the computer and the vast majority of them are rubbish with multiple images of the same photographs.

 

I only wish I had been able to afford a Lieca when I was 21 but back then I only sort of knew about them vaguely and kind of thought about them like a very expensive watch that I would never be able to afford.

 

Tony

 

How funny! My first 'real' camera was a Nikon EM too!

Here's it's story: Help Me Find My First Camera | Photo This & That

 

Cheers,

 

Edmond

[Twotone]

How funny! My first 'real' camera was a Nikon EM too!

Here's it's story: Help Me Find My First Camera | Photo This & That

 

Cheers,

 

Edmond

 

Hi Edmond,

 

an interesting story you have there. Have you had any luck finding the EM?

 

 

I was actually thinking about selling my Nikon EM stuff as I've really no intention of ever using it again as I don't shoot in colour now and even if I did I can use the M3 for that.

 

Actually the EM I have now isn't the original camera that my wife bought me. The original developed a fault with the self timer during the warranty period and when I returned it to the dealer he simply gave me a new camera saying that it wasn't worth sending the original back to Nikon.

 

If I remember correctly the EM cost my wife £100 in August 1980 and it came with a Nikkor 50mm 1:8 lens, which I hardly ever used and which was later replaced by a 28mm lens.

 

The camera also came with a camera case.

 

I still have the 50mm lens, a 135 mm lens and a few other bits and pieces.

 

Regards

 

Tony

[StephenPatterson]

First Leica was a IIIf with a bunch of lenses I used in college, early 80's. I think I paid $150 for a nice body and 2 lenses. SLRs were the fashion then.

 

First real camera was a Yashica Electro 35, early 70's. What a great camera (and lens).

[lars_bergquist]

I am sorry to say that it was an MD which lived on top of a Reprovit II ...

 

The absent-minded old man

[earleygallery]

My first Leica, which I still have and use, is my lllf RD bought in 1982. I traded a new Nikon FM for it! I just saw it in a shop window about the same time as I'd read an article in the AP about the Barnack cameras, and it caught my imagination.

[edmond_terakopian]

Hi Edmond,

 

an interesting story you have there. Have you had any luck finding the EM?

 

 

I was actually thinking about selling my Nikon EM stuff as I've really no intention of ever using it again as I don't shoot in colour now and even if I did I can use the M3 for that.

 

Actually the EM I have now isn't the original camera that my wife bought me. The original developed a fault with the self timer during the warranty period and when I returned it to the dealer he simply gave me a new camera saying that it wasn't worth sending the original back to Nikon.

 

If I remember correctly the EM cost my wife £100 in August 1980 and it came with a Nikkor 50mm 1:8 lens, which I hardly ever used and which was later replaced by a 28mm lens.

 

The camera also came with a camera case.

 

I still have the 50mm lens, a 135 mm lens and a few other bits and pieces.

 

Regards

 

Tony

 

Hi Tony,

 

Alas no luck.....yet!

I really want to have my original one as it would make it somehow mean more I guess!

 

Fingers crossed!

 

Edmond

[asmith]

My first camera, bought from Woolworths in 1933 took 16 pictures on 127 film which I used to dish develop by ruby lamp and print on printing out paper. After a series of nondescript and cheap cameras I got a half plate camera and then via super Ikontas, Rolleicords Rolleiflexes to an elaborate Exakta outfit. Then a friend lent me a Leica M3 and I was hooked. I bought an M4 from David Stephens' father and have since had just about every M and R model as well as screw models. I still have M2,M3,M4, IIIF, IIIG and many lenses - although not used much since I went digital. I am very happy with my M9 and M9P.

Alwyn

[mmradman]

My first Leica was not camera but lens.

It all started with being exposed to wonderful images taken by APO 70-180 Vario Elmarit. After doing some research I found APO Elmarit 180mm at Ffordes which I converted to Nikon mount via Leitax flange – all this happened round November 2009. After taking first batch of test images I was hooked. Gradually I increased my collection of R lenses, at one particular moment of madness I bought Summilux R 35mm which by the way was not convertible, so I ended buying my first Leica camera, the R8. Soon after I reversed all R lenses from Nikon conversion back to original and was happy shooting slides again.

About that time I was getting interested into M system. There were two drivers; first I learned my photography on my father’s Yashica Lynx in 1960s which was RF camera and second on one occasion I was lugging D700 with 300f2.8 all day plus bag full of smaller lenses and I was in pain for days afterwards. It was time to consider quality portable kit. M9 already established itself as serious contender to DSLRs so I start looking long and hard into the M system. I thought one of film models could be good start before commiting to major spend. I looked into all models from M3 to MP and after lurking for many hours on LUF and Leica-Wiki set my heart on black MP, only problem they were very difficult to find on S/H market except through the a-la carte programme.

At the time I just took delivery of APO Telyt 280mm and I was enquiring the seller about strap when I casually asked him do they ever get any black MPs for sale. He informed me that he just happen to get one in stock and is not on their website yet. Two days later camera and collapsible Elmar 50mm were in my hands.

Nowdays I am happy camper with my walk everywhere MP kit with 35/50/90 lens, there will be room in my Hadley Small for M9 as soon as finance allow.

Recently I did my lens & camera inventory and I am surprised I can still afford to eat – but who needs food when soul is content.

5 x Nikon Ai-S Lenes

5 x Nikon AFD/AFS Lenses + 2TC

7 x Pentax SMC-M Lenses

9 x R Lenses + 1TC+Bellows

4 x M Lenses

3 x Nikon Film SLR

1 x Nikon DSLR

2 x Pentax Film SLR

1 x Leica Film SLR

1 x Leica Film RF

[spydrxx]

In the late 1960s I was a young naval officer looking to do some serious photography. The officer running the division next to mine had been a Leica salesman and continually touted his M3 and collection of lenses. At the time I was using an Olympus Pen F and borrowing his darkroom facilities aboard ship. He loaned me his M3 and my choice of lenses for a week...I was impressed, but couldn't afford it. Then a Leica rep came aboard ship one day and offered an enormous discount on everything...I vascillated between him and the rep selling Spotmatics, but at the end of the day I ordered an M4 and a 35mm/2.8 Summaron. Stupidly about 10 years ago I sold the Summaron, but still have the M4. I also had an M6 for 3-4 years, but couldn't see keeping both RFs, so sold the M6. The used R models came down so much in price in the 1990s, that I picked up a Leicaflex SL, somebody gave me an R3, I learned about the SL2 and got one (which I still have), and owned an R8 for about 5 years, but sold a few months ago. Of the whole batch, the M4 has remained my favorite.

[RJV]

As a college student in 1963, I had just repaired a Kodak Pony lens in my dorm room. I showed it to my photo friend proudly stating it has 3 lens elements. He showed me his M3 and proudly stated his lens has 7 elements. That just blew my mind and etched my memory. In 1967 after purchasing a new SLR that had a stuck diaphram, another friend loaned me his IIIC that I used on an extended vacation in NW Canada. I had to get one of those. Got one in 1969. Traded it for an M3 DS in 1980. What a camera. In 1983 I found a near mint M4-2 which I paired up with the M3 as a hyper-stereo rig. Later I saw the photo article about the new M6 and I absolutely HAD to get one so I got an early one, 1676XXX. Super camera; the best yet. In 1987 I inherited a IIIFBD with 8 screw lenses from my late boss; his wife insisted that I should have the system. Now during the last few years after getting tired of a computer with a lens on it, I now am having fun with my M9 that works just like all of my earlier REAL cameras do and all because of that loaned IIIC with a Summitar that I experienced in 1967.

 

Robert

[TomM]

I saw an advertisement in the Cape Argus (Cape Town evening paper) in 1953 in my first year at university. A young German tourist who had walked and canoed down Africa from Egypt to South Africa was about to return to Europe by boat and was short of cash. He had this camera at the German Book Shop in Cape Town which I went to see. I ran a film through it of the street scenes around the store (still have the negatives) and then went across to Kodak where I had a friend. He got them to process the film while I waited and the results were obviously good. The camera was a bit dirty and the leather case had lost its front flap but everything worked just fine. I got the local Leitz agents to return it to Wetzlar where they added the IIIf black dial flash contact and cleaned it up. The Elmar lens was coated and all returned to me like new. The camera cost me 20 pounds and the repairs 17 pounds and 10 shillings and it was a beautiful object. Serial Number 383094 (by memory). I sold it in England in 1960 to buy an engagement ring for my wife to be. By then I had a IIIG so was not totally lost. I wonder whether a reader has the camera?

[wda]

[quote name=Twotone;1777595....

Digital images are fine but they end up on a computer hard drive and eventually get forgotten and lost somewhere in some folder' date=' I have about 2000 images on the computer and the vast majority of them are rubbish with multiple images of the same photographs....

Tony[/quote]

 

Tony, yours is a familiar story. However for around £50 you can buy Photoshop Elements which can help you edit (and scrap your rubbish) your collection of digital files. Provided you are prepared to spend a little time on the task, continue to keyword your keepers and rate them. Then you can quickly filter them to find the pictures you want, or simply the best ones. I do this in Lightroom soon after I download my files.

[wda]

My first Leica was an M3 with 28, 50 and 90 lenses. Only recently did I part with the Series 1 28mm Elmarit and 90mm Tele-Elmarit, replacing them with modern equivalents. I still have the M3 and 50 Summicron. Since then I have added M6TTL; CM; Digilux 2 ...... all still with me .....joined by M9. All excellent for use and inspiration.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[Twotone]

Tony, yours is a familiar story. However for around £50 you can buy Photoshop Elements which can help you edit (and scrap your rubbish) your collection of digital files. Provided you are prepared to spend a little time on the task, continue to keyword your keepers and rate them. Then you can quickly filter them to find the pictures you want, or simply the best ones. I do this in Lightroom soon after I download my files.

 

Hi David,

 

I've got PE 6.0 which came with the laptop about three years ago. I uses it resize photos to post here but I've never been able to work out what else it did.

 

Must have another look at it or is there a now a newer better version that's a bit easier to use?

 

Tony