What Barnack should I buy ?

[Kl@usW.]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Am 26.1.2022 um 18:41 schrieb Anbaric:

The things I would consider are:

 

Anbaric, thank you for your systematic and extensive approach, a lot of useful information. And thank you for the link to the  manuals !   ( When I worked in the lab, there was a note stuck on the wall: If anything fails, go to the manual...) I didn't know the LTM are capricious about the shape  of the film leader--in the M I just pop in the film and put on the lid....But maybe the LTMs are princesses compared to the more mundane M´s... 

Shutter speed range: thinking about it. Not really doing much tripod stuff with my MPs

Condition - I have a thick folder named: Camera service, subfolders Leica (the thickest) ; Hasselblad, Canon, Others.... After buying a lot of stuff-new and used- I  have come to the conclusion to look more for the general appearance, hints for gross negligance or damage and to factor in  the cost of a service. If unnecessary:  great ! 

Lenses - Whatever else you get, get a collapsible 50mm:   Done so ! 

Film - Trim the leader so that it corresponds to the shape in the manual or the diagram under the base plate. :    Note taken ! 

[Advertisement]

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

[a.noctilux]

Some old Leica user informed me that ABLON is a must have to use LTM Leicas.

I did otherwise, I never have ablon but learned to cut (approximatively at first) the modern film to use on them.

20 or 21 sprockets counting + a pair of scissors can do it easily for me.

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!

For your next lens 35mm, Summaron 3.5/3.5cm is very good choice to go with your 'already appreciated' 3.5/5cm.

more compact than newer

here in Wiki

Edited January 29, 2022 by a.noctilux

[Pyrogallol]

There is s screw 35mm Summicron asph here https://www.reddotcameras.co.uk/254-screw-lenses#/focal_length-35mm&orderby=position&orderway=asc&n=1

You don’t need to buy an expensive ABLON, just make a template like this one I made in the 1970’s or buy a copy like this Photax one.

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 January 29, 2022 by Pyrogallol

[frame-it]

49 minutes ago, a.noctilux said:

20 or 21 sprockets counting

i usually cut upto #16, never had a problem.

[frame-it]

1 hour ago, Kl@usW. said:

Thinking about  a 35 mm LTM lens:  the Summaron 3,5/ 35 would be the logical addition to the Elmar ?  

the elmar 35mm LTM is a delicious lens..lovely rendering

[Matlock]

4 hours ago, Kl@usW. said:

 

Matlock, it does look clean !   And I wasn't aware that there is an LTM version of the S´cron asph 35... Quite a combo ! 

 

Several modern lenses were made available in LTM, mainly for the Japanese markets I am told. Here is my IIId with Summilux

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!

[mikemgb]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

On 1/26/2022 at 9:36 AM, Kl@usW. said:

Oh, that's a treasure trove of information. Thank you William, Luigi, frame-it, Uli, Nitroplait, Pyrogallol and Ko.Fe.  Now I have a lot of decisions to make. Looks as if  I might need more than just one Barnack.... 

Thank you again, Klaus

You’re on a slippery slope there, you will find that one Barnack is never enough. Then once you have a few you may discover the clones, Leotax, Nicca, even Reid if you’re willing to sell a child to fund one. 
 

I started with a III, then a IIIa came along, that was followed by a Ia, then a Leotax called my name…..

[Kl@usW.]

vor 9 Stunden schrieb a.noctilux:

Some old Leica user informed me that ABLON is a must have to use LTM Leicas.

I did otherwise, I never have ablon but learned to cut (approximatively at first) the modern film to use on them.

20 or 21 sprockets counting + a pair of scissors can do it easily for me.

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!

For your next lens 35mm, Summaron 3.5/3.5cm is very good choice to go with your 'already appreciated' 3.5/5cm.

more compact than newer

here in Wiki

a.noctilux; the paraphernalia of the Leica cosmos are a never ending pleasure. Incredible. And thank you again for your advice concerning the 3,5 centimeters. I'm all for the compactness. 

[Kl@usW.]

vor 8 Stunden schrieb Pyrogallol:

There is s screw 35mm Summicron asph here https://www.reddotcameras.co.uk/254-screw-lenses#/focal_length-35mm&orderby=position&orderway=asc&n=1

You don’t need to buy an expensive ABLON, just make a template like this one I made in the 1970’s or buy a copy like this Photax one.

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!

Thank you, Pyrogallol. I went to the red dot  site following your link--and a door opens to a world were I might get lost easily.  Next time when and if I'm in London I´ll make a little detour and send my wife shopping in the meantime ....  Actually I was considering a Cron 35 for my MP on and off; but in the end  I thought the `lux 35 on my shelf   can do everything the ´Cron could. Apart from the size.   In the LTM world I will try to get accustomed to the Elmar 50 first and take my next steps from there. 

It's long ago since I did metal work--but your nice  example is a kind of motivation. Thank you ! 

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by Kl@usW.

[mikemgb]

If you have access to a 3D printer this "ALBON" works well: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1951048

[willeica]

11 hours ago, Kl@usW. said:

Thinking about  a 35 mm LTM lens:  the Summaron 3,5/ 35 would be the logical addition to the Elmar ?   ( I don't need something faster, I have that in M-mount ) 

 

The Summaron is lovely compact lens which gives great results if you can find a good copy. 

I had forgotten about my LHSA You Tube Zoom from 2020 about Choosing and Using Old Leicas. The link is in this article.

https://www.macfilos.com/2020/08/26/leica-cameras-of-the-20th-century-a-video-presentation-from-noted-expert-william-fagan/

In the Zoom I chose my IIf Red Dial as one of my favourite post war LTM cameras. It has 1/1000th top speed, but no slow speeds. You will note that I say I prefer to have nothing under my right hand when gripping the camera and I don't use the slow speeds anyway.

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!

Also in the talk I say that while I have an ABLON I don't use it and I prefer to just use scissors which suits me perfectly.

There is a lot more in the video.

William

 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by willeica

[Jul]

1 hour ago, Kl@usW. said:

thank you again for your advice concerning the 3,5 centimeters. I'm all for the compactness.

Well, late version is slightly less compact but has a more standard filter size, its barrel does not rotate as you focus which is something you might appreciate if you use polarizing filter and the distance scale is where you expect it as M user.

[a.noctilux]

11 hours ago, frame-it said:

i usually cut upto #16, never had a problem.

You are right,

I follow the good advice of old Leica user and found confirmation in the base (inside) of Leica IIor III "<---10cm = 4"--->", about 20-21 sprockets .

As said I cut in advance "rough guess" my films preparing for use with LTM.

Just measure and count on one film I prepared some weeks ago (not use it yet),  #17 and about 8cm of cut portion.

For some years this rough guess film cut works fine also for me.

 

[Anbaric]

23 hours ago, Pyrogallol said:

There is s screw 35mm Summicron asph here https://www.reddotcameras.co.uk/254-screw-lenses#/focal_length-35mm&orderby=position&orderway=asc&n=1

You don’t need to buy an expensive ABLON, just make a template like this one I made in the 1970’s or buy a copy like this Photax one.

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!

Even the vintage copies seem pretty expensive nowadays, though not as bad as the ABLON, which costs about as much as the cameras. A home made one like yours would be a nice project for anyone with access to the tools! I'm a bit surprised one of the companies that sells things like lens hoods from China on ebay hasn't made a cheap metal copy - it's no more specialised than some of the things they do make, like the SNHOO E39 adapter that only fits the Summitar. I recently found a modern cutting template, the UNX-8624,  in the Meister range from UN in Japan:

https://www.un-ltd.co.jp/unx-8624-en/

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be widely available outside Japan, though I've spotted it selling for an inflated price on ebay. There is also the Photonbox plastic version:

http://www.photonbox.com/filmtrimmer.html

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154808435167

and, as well as the conventional design mikemgb mentions, some odd looking 3D printed things that turn up on ebay and elsewhere:

https://cameractive.shop/products/leica-ablon-film-trimmer

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255255735074

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203804827470

 

Edited January 30, 2022 by Anbaric

[Anbaric]

11 hours ago, a.noctilux said:

You are right,

I follow the good advice of old Leica user and found confirmation in the base (inside) of Leica IIor III "<---10cm = 4"--->", about 20-21 sprockets .

I also count sprocket holes, leaving 23 unpaired as in the picture in the IIIf manual, which I expect is a few more than necessary. The main thing is to cut between, rather than though, the sprocket holes (leaving one damaged is asking for trouble), and I round off the corner to give the cut a similar profile to the ABLON.

[a.noctilux]

Anyway, it's necessary to cut longer than modern film leader.

I tried out sometimes without cutting the 17-21 sprockets cut (not cutting in the sprocket 😉), when in a hurry or when I forgot to prepare film in advance.

...

I use the credit card trick or help loading in T setting, this works well also, but need some practices,

to avoid complications.

[Anbaric]

On 1/29/2022 at 10:35 AM, Kl@usW. said:

And thank you for the link to the  manuals !   ( When I worked in the lab, there was a note stuck on the wall: If anything fails, go to the manual...)

One other thing you might find interesting is the Morgan & Lester manual, a full length book that was published in various editions from the 30s onwards:

https://archive.org/search.php?query=morgan lester leica

The 12th edition from the early 50s is especially good, with contributions from people like Alfred Eisenstaedt and Ansel Adams. You can still find hardback copies of most editions for very reasonable prices, unusual for anything to do with Leica!

[Anbaric]

5 minutes ago, a.noctilux said:

Anyway, it's necessary to cut longer than modern film leader.

I tried out sometimes without cutting the 17-21 sprockets cut (not cutting in the sprocket 😉), when in a hurry or when I forgot to prepare film in advance.

...

I use the credit card trick or help loading in T setting, this works well also, but need some practices,

to avoid complications.

My solution for cutting film 'in the field' is to carry one of these, the ideal accessory for any LTM user 🙂

https://www.leatherman.com/micra-20.html

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[a.noctilux]

Credit card loading trick discussion which we can see stating 28 holes !

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/loading-an-old-leica.171389/

 

As side note, with Leica IIIf and IIIg, Leitz did add a clever device to push in the film when loading .

T device attached to base plate, but when I use the device with modern film, this not always work.

 

Edited January 30, 2022 by a.noctilux

[frame-it]

51 minutes ago, a.noctilux said:

...

I use the credit card trick

 

yes, i always keep a stiff plastic card with me when using the iii's..it was actually the owner of a shop in Tokyo, [where i bought the iiif], that showed me to cut 16 + insert card trick.