Leica 1 Model A, some questions

[laffertyphotography]

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I will have the use of the above camera and have some questions which hopefully someone can help me with.

 

Does anyone know the name for the small screw in filters for the Elmar 50cm. They appear to be approx 18mm and screw in to the front of the lens?

 

I had heard that you have to load cannisters with film as opposed to using one bought from the shop however, I am now reliably informed that a 36 exposure film I purchase from a shop will work. Is this correct?

 

This Leica 1 model A doesn't have a take up spool. Will the spool from the iiif fit and work?

 

Finally, I am hoping to use the camera without a rangefinder and instead estimate distances and use the figures on the lens for focusing. Does anyone know if I set the lens at infinity at say f18, what the minimum distance that everything will be in focus? For my iiif at f16 the figure is 5m.

 

John.

[luigi bertolotti]

The old small filters (their type is identified as "E19") for the Elmar are rather rare : their names were FIHRE - medium Yellow, FIXIO - Green, FCZOO - Red... and probably some other : hard to find, anyway. I seem to remember that someone still made those kind of filters not so many years ago, or maybe still makes...

 

But on the Elmar you can mount , and find easily, the clamp-on A36 filters : they cover the whole front so you can't operate the f stop ring, and this is the only issue.

 

You can use the std. film cassettes, but I do not know by sure if the taking spool of the IIIf does fit: someone here surely knows.

 

About your question on depth of focus, any Elmar (or, better to say, any 50 mm lens) has the same DOF on a 35mm camera, provided that the same standards are used to compute the DOF itself (there is a value, the "circle of confusion" that is, to a certain extent, arbitrary and any lens manufacturer can choose its standard, which explains some differences one can see around)

 

Btw, in theory, to obtain a depth of focus that extends from a certain distance to infinity, you must not focus the lens at infinity, but at a bit shorter distance (see "Hyperfocal distance" on Wikipedia, on the matter): with a 50mm closed at f 18, a common computation (DOF on line calculator) says that you can have all at an acceptable focus from 4,7 meters (around) to infinity - well in accord with the 5m at f 16 you quote.

[gyoung]

I bought a B&W UVa for the Elmar a couple of years ago, special order but must have been stock as it didn't take long to arrive

 

Gerry

[laffertyphotography]

Thanks Luigi. Interesting stuff.

 

I have read that if I use a Filca for a 1929 model I will need the original Filca and not the Filca B... That's if I cant use a bought pre loaded film with the iiif spool.

 

On another note, am I right in thinking that everything being in focus at 5m to infinity at f16 as aith my summitar will apply to the Elmar and any other 50mm lens.

 

John

[farnz]

... I seem to remember that someone still made those kind of filters not so many years ago, or maybe still makes... ...

Walz made a set of 19mm filters marked "for Elmar" on their plastic carrying case. I found a set on 'that online auction' site which has blue, green, yellow, orange, and red filters and came in its own little protective leather case. The 19mm filters are handy because you can change the Elmar's aperture setting without removing the filter.

 

Pete.

[gyoung]

...which is why I bought th Uva, I also bought off the same auction site a 3rd party lens hood which should rotate to move a prong engaging the aperture setter. It needs dismantling to free it off to work properly and I haven't got around to it yet:-(

 

Gerry

[thomas_schertel]

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You can also insert the VALOO into the A-36 filters or the FISON, FICUS etc sun shades. By turning the filter or shade, you can move the aperute ring.

 

Yours sincerely

Thomas

 

Remeber the Barnack-Challenge!

[laffertyphotography]

Can one use a V100H with a Leica 1 Model A?

[jc_braconi]

Can one use a VIOOH with a Leica 1 Model A?

Why not ?

[laffertyphotography]

Hi. Well I wondered whether the viewfinder was designed for bigger later Leica models not the small Leica 1

 

John

[thomas_schertel]

The difference in height between a Leica I and the models with rangefinder ist about 1 cm. So the parallaxe differs in the the same category. On minimal focussing distance the image you see in the VIOOH differs 1 % from that on the film. I think the parallaxe-adjusting-lever of the VIOOH is much more inaccurate.

 

yours sincerely

Thomas

 

 

Remember the Barnack-Challenge

[laffertyphotography]

Hi. Can you explain what you mean about the parallax lever being inaccurate? Many thanks

 

John

[luigi bertolotti]

Hi. Can you explain what you mean about the parallax lever being inaccurate? Many thanks

 

John

 

I think that he means that the intrinsic tolerancing of the parallax adjustement (accomplished by lever) of the VIOOH is exceeding the small error that, based on pure geometry, you have from the difference in height from the Leica I and the later versions with RF. Easier to explain with a simple drafting than in words...

[laffertyphotography]

Hi. I am still not sure of this. Sorry.

 

I think what is being said is that the camera size will make minimal difference and so the v100h will work fine

 

But

 

Is it suggested that the parallax lever on the v100h isn't very accurate regardless of which camera it is used on?

 

or

 

that the parallax lever isn't accurate when using a smaller camera like the Leica 1a?

 

John

[luigi bertolotti]

Hi. I am still not sure of this. Sorry.

 

I think what is being said is that the camera size will make minimal difference and so the v100h will work fine

 

Correct, me too think this is the sense; and is my own opinion on the fact, too... I used on my Leica a VIOOH-style finder from Zeiss (which had the plus of 21mm framing) : it was made for Contax... a different sized camera : but don't remember to have suffered of significant errors

 

But

 

Is it suggested that the parallax lever on the v100h isn't very accurate regardless of which camera it is used on?

 

I think this is the correct interpretation : and, imho, it is someway un-accurate not for the fact that it is badly made (as all Leitz accessories, it is very finely built) , but because such a small mechanism , which must control a tilt of 0 to 2 degrees about of the finder axis through the (small) rotation of the lever, has, intrinsically, a certain degree of inaccuracy... also for the fact that there is , on the user side, also a certain degree of "error" in setting precisely the distance he is framing to... the scale on the lever is obviously small and with few printed values (3 or 4 apart infinity, iirc)

 

or

 

that the parallax lever isn't accurate when using a smaller camera like the Leica 1a?

 

John

 

Anyway... Thomas will probably join with his definitive interpretation...

[thomas_schertel]

The parallax lever is engraved from infinity to 1 m. The round scale has a diametre of 9 mm and turns about 180 degrees. So the way from infinity to 1 m is about 15 mm on the scale. From 1, 5 m to 1 m it turns 4 mm. So the difference you have to turn for compensating the different height of Leica models with/without rangefinder is less than 0,1 mm. Even if the marks on the scale are exactly engraved for a specifc type of camera, this difference is less than the thickness of the engraved lines.

 

yours sincerely

Thomas

 

Remember the Barnack-Challenge

[jc_braconi]

Why not ?

As you cannot change the lens may be it will occurs to use a SBOOI (viewfinder for 50mm)

[laffertyphotography]

1I think the v100h may work with a leica 1a.

2 I think it may not be quite accurate with the leica 1a as the leica 1a is smaller than the cameras it was intended .

3 I think the parallax lever may be inaccurate for any camera but perhaps amore inaccurate for a leica 1a.

 

Can anyone confirm the above?

 

John

[luigi bertolotti]

1) Yes

2) Yes in theory, but with no practical effect (see the well detailed Thomas' computations)

3) As 2)

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[250swb]

1I think the v100h may work with a leica 1a.

2 I think it may not be quite accurate with the leica 1a as the leica 1a is smaller than the cameras it was intended .

3 I think the parallax lever may be inaccurate for any camera but perhaps amore inaccurate for a leica 1a.

 

Can anyone confirm the above?

 

John

 

I think the word 'inaccurate' is being focused on () too much. It may be perfectly accurate as a mechanism, but it is almost impossible to adjust the lever perfectly accurately in the field (with close focusing), the increments are too small to be accurately set on any sort of consistent basis. I think what the contributors are telling you is that it is 'good enough' but not perfect. Most users would know their own tricks to compensate when they know it is getting critical, mine would be to 'bracket' the composition, make a few images of the same thing with a slightly different bias of the frame each time.

 

Steve