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If this is the camera mentioned in the earlier post, No 277758 , it is a Standard from 1938 which might look somewhat like the earlier I Model C at a quick glance. The main giveaway is the size of the rewind knob which is fat and rigid on the I Model C and thin and extendible on the Standard. The Ic is an altogether different camera from the postwar period. Hopefully, the following does not sound too pedantic. It might be useful to have a sticky thread here which sorts out the number and letter denominations of LTM Leicas, as many Leica fans, even some of long standing, get mixed up with these. I once met a man who had been using Leicas since 1954 and who did not know the difference between a Leica III Model F (from 1933 onwards) and a Leica IIIf (from 1950 onwards). It may seem irrelevant to some, but it is important when it comes to identifying different Leica camera models.

I suspect that this camera was used by the publications branch of the British Admiralty.

William

Edited by willeica
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Thank you both for your replies.    I've inherited the camera from my Dad so know nothing about it.    Since posting my original thread Ive found out from the serial no that it was produced in 1938 and because the top and bottom are silver coloured i was able to see it is a Standard e.   How can i tell if its a fake?   Bit wary now I've looked on line and seen there's a lots of soviet and eastern european fakes.

Btw...don't know what a sticky thread is....I'm new to forums.

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40 minutes ago, Fiona said:

don't know what a sticky thread is

It's a thread that stays at the top of a list within a forum-  it's sticks there - so it doesn't get lost in the myriad threads.

For example the "Repair Specialists" thread in the "Collectors and historica" forum has a little pin icon. It would seem that here they are called "pinned" threads instead of "sticky", but it's the same thing.

Edited by ianman
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39 minutes ago, Fiona said:

Thank you both for your replies.    I've inherited the camera from my Dad so know nothing about it.    Since posting my original thread Ive found out from the serial no that it was produced in 1938 and because the top and bottom are silver coloured i was able to see it is a Standard e.   How can i tell if its a fake?   Bit wary now I've looked on line and seen there's a lots of soviet and eastern european fakes.

Btw...don't know what a sticky thread is....I'm new to forums.

If you can post a photo we can tell. The serial number fits with your description and it seems that it is probably genuine. A photo might also help with identifying the engraving. Did the camera come with a lens? This might also help with identification.

As Ian says, a 'sticky' thread is one which sits on top of the forum and does not move. It is generally used for informational threads. The reason why I suggested this is that posters here often use loose terms to describe cameras from what is a considerable range of Leica cameras produced between 1925 and the late 1950s. 

William

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33 minutes ago, Fiona said:

Im trying to reduce the size of my photos which ive taken on my mobile so i can post them on here...not sure how to

 

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Thanks.  The camera is definitely genuine. Also the arrow above No 2 indicates a British Ministry of Defence item. I have a Reid 1 (British made copy of the Standard) which has a similar arrow above a number. Mine is from the 1950s and was used by the RAF. If you can take the yellow filter off the 50mm Elmar, there should be a serial number engraved inside. The lens is in metres which is perhaps somewhat unusual as I would have thought that the Royal Navy would have used feet rather than metres at that time. The most interesting aspect, though, is the additional non standard stuff on the base plate. It looks a little bit like the base of a Leica SCNOO winder, but it is somewhat lower in profile. Perhaps it is for going on a frame or mount of some kind. If you can send a photo of the base plate taken from the bottom, it would assist with identification.

William

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5 minutes ago, willeica said:

Thanks.  The camera is definitely genuine. Also the arrow above No 2 indicates a British Ministry of Defence item. I have a Reid 1 (British made copy of the Standard) which has a similar arrow above a number. Mine is from the 1950s and was used by the RAF. If you can take the yellow filter off the 50mm Elmar, there should be a serial number engraved inside. The lens is in metres which is perhaps somewhat unusual as I would have thought that the Royal Navy would have used feet rather than metres at that time. The most interesting aspect, though, is the additional non standard stuff on the base plate. It looks a little bit like the base of a Leica SCNOO winder, but it is somewhat lower in profile. Perhaps it is for going on a frame or mount of some kind. If you can send a photo of the base plate taken from the bottom, it would assist with identification.

William

William, you caught the unusual base plate as well! My first thought was SCNOO, but then as you noted the height is wrong for the protruding pieces. Also note that the circular element in the middle is centered under the axis of the lens. This leads me to think this is some kind of specialized technical mount for the camera.

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This is getting sooo exciting....thank you

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6 minutes ago, Fiona said:

Ive screwed the small yellow filter off...its only stamped with 1+ Eleitz Wetzlar Germany round the outside with nothing on the inner rim.  I thought that the lens didnt have a serial no as i think its one of the standardised ones with a nought on

There should certainly be a serial number engraved on the lens. It is essentially "blind embossed", meaning that it is engraved on the lip of the black rim surrounding the front element, but not filled with paint. It is hard to see, but take a magnifier with a light and it will be there.

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28 minutes ago, Fiona said:

This is getting sooo exciting....thank you

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It looks like this was a SCNOO at some point in time. The trigger, guide rail, tape and winding drum have been removed. It is interesting that the same MoD markings are on the bottom plate as there are on the top.

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Just now, Fiona said:

Is that bad?    On both counts?

Not good or bad. There must have been some reason why the SCNOO mechanism was removed. My guess is that the advance became inoperable at some point as they are rather fragile. Parts to repair it would have been hard or impossible to come by. It was war time, and there was no direct relationship with Leitz Wetzlar where parts could have been obtained. The advance mechanism was then removed and the mounting holes filled to maintain light tightness. This way, the camera is still fully functional, just a bit odd looking. Or, this could have happened post war, with your dad not wanting to invest in a repair.

Obviously, in today's market, it would have been better if the SCNOO was intact.

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I'm just getting back to this. Yes, Bill is correct. The base plate is from a SCNOO with the rail and winding mechanism removed, possibly because the tape which activates the winding mechanism broke, which is not that uncommon. My SCNOO suffered a break and has a new tape installed. Unfortunately, I did not send the camera to the repairer and now they are slightly mis-matched and it needs one pull and just a little bit more to wind the film and cock the shutter. The obvious thing to do if the tape breaks is to just remove it and the bits that relate to it and to just use the wind on knob for wind on/ shutter cocking. Bill is correct that a working SCNOO would greatly enhance the value of the camera. Here is a photo of a Standard from my collection with a SCNOO attached.

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The Serial Number of the lens should appear on the black (or brassed with age) ring around the glass with the aperture changing slider attached to it. The lens shown above is slightly different as it is a 3.5cm (35mm) lens rather than the 50mm lens which is attached to your camera. A standardised lens with a '0' on it should usually have a serial number on it unless it is an upgraded very early lens. 

William

 

 

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