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What Is Considered the First Interchangeable Lens Leica Made for Their Camera Systems?


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I was pondering the history of their lens production. Am I wrong in thinking that the 5cm Summar was the first interchangeable lens they produced? The Elmax lenses were fixed correct? I looked online but Googling first Leica lens etc usually brings up recommends for people buying their first Leica lens so not much help there. Thanks!

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The first camera body to accept interchangeable lenses, the Ic, was available with the 50 Elmar, and the 135 Elmar, possibly the 35 Elmar could also be ordered. Subsequently the 50 Hektor was added.  With standardization, the 3 digit serials on the lenses were no longer necessary and the 90 Elmar was added. The Summar was later.

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9 minutes ago, alan mcfall said:

The first camera body to accept interchangeable lenses, the Ic, was available with the 50 Elmar, and the 135 Elmar, possibly the 35 Elmar could also be ordered. Subsequently the 50 Hektor was added.  With standardization, the 3 digit serials on the lenses were no longer necessary and the 90 Elmar was added. The Summar was later.

Thanks Alan. I appreciate the clarification. I guess looking at it, the 5cm Summar was the first f/2 lens for Leica. Makes sense.

Edited by Hello
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On 8/11/2019 at 9:00 PM, alan mcfall said:

The first camera body to accept interchangeable lenses, the Ic, was available with the 50 Elmar, and the 135 Elmar, possibly the 35 Elmar could also be ordered. Subsequently the 50 Hektor was added.  With standardization, the 3 digit serials on the lenses were no longer necessary and the 90 Elmar was added. The Summar was later.

Hello Alan,

To correct a typographical error in your reply:

The first Leica camera body to accept interchangeable lenses was the Leica I (Model C) which began production in 1930.

The Leica Ic is a camera which began production in 1949-1950 as a simplified variant of the Model IIIc which had begun production in 1940.

Best Regards,

Michael

Edited by Michael Geschlecht
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To complete the story, I add images of the earliest Leica I (C) nº 37380 I had in my Fontenelle collection. It was a complete set in its original ETGAM leather coffer, with three Elmar lenses - uncoupled of course - each one "serialled" 37380 : 35mm, 50mm and 135mm. Note that the engraving of the complete serial of the camera on the lenses was made on the earliest sets only.

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On 8/17/2019 at 10:54 AM, Michael Geschlecht said:

 

 I 

The first Leica camera body to accept interchangeable lenses was the Leica I (Model C) which began production in 1930."The Leica Ic is a camera which began production in 1949-1950 as a simplified variant of the Model IIIc which had begun production in 1940.......................

Agreed, I should have used the parenthesis  to separate the "C".  The nomenclature used to specify the various Leica camera models has had quite an evolution over the last nearly 100 years. In the earliest days, Leitz even started with "LECA, but quickly moved to LEICA. "Most early German brochures consistently use:   "Leica"-Kamera with the italics, or occasionally Leitz Kleinfilm-Kamera "Leica". The italics seem to have been important, perhaps related to the patent situation.  This was used up until mid 1931. In the USA, I  see just Leica without the italics. For the compur camera, Wetzlar used, Leitz"Leica"-Kamera mit compur -Verschlub, in english speaking countries, Leica with Compur Shutter, was used.  The LUXUS also was clearly identified as such, but sometimes "Delux" was used. Everything was simple.

With the introduction of interchangable lenses, we enter the dual system. Wetzlar used "Leica mit auswechselberen Objectiven" which when translated may have still been a little much for non Germans. In the USA, this became the Model C. I have not seen the reference to Model A or Model B for the compur before this period (1930), so I speculate that Model A and B were only adopted later on by salesmen, users and so on. Wetzlar was firm that all three cameras were Model 1's or the first model with differing features.  And, it makes sense.

In Feburary, 1932 Wetlzar introduced the Modell II, a substantial change with the rangefinder built in, by May of that year the USA was using the Model D in the markeing material. As the demand for a  lower cost Leica continued, the model 1 or model C in the US was transitioned into the "Standard". It had the pull-up rewind knob and a few other enhancements. It seems Wetzlar did not think the change was enough to merit the model III, so they also called it the Standard, In the US, both Standard and Model E were used. Some have suggested that the name Standard came from the camera almost always was supplied with the "standard" 50mm Elmar. In  the Vith Leica Handbook, Leica I (Standard) is used. After 1934, in the US, only Model E was used. The London catalogs that I have seen use Standard, so I think they used the Wetzlar system as translated and never the US  system. I assume most other countries did likewise, perhaps Canada and Mexico were exceptions.

The Model III was a clear step forward for Wetzlar, and was the "F" in the US, susequently,  IIIa was Model G, and the IIIb was first called Model G-1938. The III. IIIa, and IIIb were of one family or type. The FF and GG in the US were likely the Reporter or 250 in Europe.   A type IV prototype was developed, but delayed and the IIIc, even with a diecast chassis became the new camera. Thw war was underway and distribution was constrained.

After the war, the US stopped the alphabetical notation and used IIIc, iiif and iiig names too. Each of these had simplified variants such as Ic and IIc, the ...f models came in black dial and red dial, and the IIg was very limited. Here is a photo of the Standard brochures printed in Wetzlar and New York, 1933. With the Depression in process, there was solid demand for the lower cost Leica. A second photo has cut-away brochures for the Leica III, the Wetzlar version leaves no doubt that it is a model III, dated 1934.

This represents my understanding, but corrections and updates are needed and welcome, and I appologize for my poor German.

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Edited by alan mcfall
remove second photograph
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