Das Boot and Leica

[offshore]

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I just watched Das Boot the directors cut again and realized the young propaganda officer that came on board the submarine was using a Leica. Anyone ID'd the camera? Leica II, IIIB,C,D? Looks like it has the classic 50 mm F3.5 Elmar collapsible. Excellent movie and if you have a Dolby capable TV like I do you can hear the water dripping all around you. Watch it in German with English sub titles.

[kenneth]

Very good film- thoroughly enjoyed it- didn't notice any cameras though but I guess I wasn't looking at the film with that sort of agenda. Unbelievably brave souls those submariners. I have great respect for them

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[summarod]

Hi everyone!

Lothar -Günther Buchheim used a "Contax" in real life.

Best regards Wolfhard

 

Reference: http://www.abendblatt.de/extra/service/944949.html?url=/ha/1976/xml/19761105xml/habxml761012_4127.xml

Edited February 21, 2009 by summarod

[jhild]

Hi all,

 

I recon Mr. Groenemeyer(the actor ) is using a Leica IIIc.

 

Cheers

 

Jo

[thrid]

I think it's a IIIA or IIIC with a 2/50 Summitar. I saw a reissue of the film the theater right around the time I bought my Summitar.

[rubenkok]

Hi,

Great film

According to Andrew Nemeth at Leica FAQ - Leica Spotting & at the Movies

Das Boot (1981): The military reporter on the sub uses a shiny chrome Leica III

regards

Ruben

[Philippe D.]

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According to Andrew Nemeth at Leica FAQ - Leica Spotting & at the Movies Das Boot (1981): The military reporter on the sub uses a shiny chrome Leica III

Ones again, like for "Vicky, Victoria, Barcelona" of Woody Allen and the guessed Summilux witch is in fact a Summarit, it's wrong guess.

I just had a look at the DVD. It must be either a IIIa, b or c, but not at all a III, because the Leica's rectangular window, in Das Boot, doesn't have the step.

[RITskellar]

Ones again, like for "Vicky, Victoria, Barcelona" of Woody Allen and the guessed Summilux witch is in fact a Summarit, it's wrong guess.

I just had a look at the DVD. It must be either a IIIa, b or c, but not at all a III, because the Leica's rectangular window, in Das Boot, doesn't have the step.

 

Anybody have a screen shot to attach? Should be relatively easy to tell the difference between a IIIa/b and a IIIc, as the c has a one piece top that extends down to the lens mount.

[MAX]

The used kamera in the Film "Das Boot" from the War-Reporter Herbert Grönemeyer ( Artist ) is a LEICA IIIc.

But the CONTAX was the mostly used Kamera from selected german war reporters.

 

more Info`s: Bundesarchiv - Picture database: Simple search

Edited February 21, 2009 by MBI

[NZDavid]

I had an idea the Summitar was the predecessor of the Summicron, produced post WW2. Or was it an earlier lens? A Kriegsmarine Leica, possibly?

[thrid]

But the CONTAX was the mostly used Kamera from selected german war reporters.

 

more Info`s: Bundesarchiv - Picture database: Simple search

 

Contax?

 

I'm not so sure of that. Leica's with Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe or even Marine markings are relatively common. I think I've only ever seen one Contax lens that was marked Marine. Also a few Robot cameras for the Luftwaffe.

 

I don't ever recall seeing a photo of a German war photographer with a Contax, but there are plenty of examples of someone with a Leica.

 

I only know of one photographer who primarily shot with a Contax II and that was Robert Capa. He started with a Leica during the Spanish Civil War and switched to Contax towards the end of that conflict and beyond.

 

Eugene Smith shot briefly with a Contax II in the Pacific, but I think he lost it when he was wounded.

[thrid]

I had an idea the Summitar was the predecessor of the Summicron, produced post WW2. Or was it an earlier lens? A Kriegsmarine Leica, possibly?

 

The Summitar came out in 1939. WWII ran from 1939 - 1945.

The Summicron inherited a lot of the DNA from the Summicron and a batch of 50 (?) prototypes were

disguised as Summitar lenses. They are marked with an '*' (asterix).

 

Anastigmat / Elmax 3.5/50 (1925)

Elmar 3.5/50 (1925)

Hektor 2.5/50 (1930)

Summar 2.0/50 (1933)

Xenon 1.5/50 (1935)

Summitar 2.0/50 (1939)

Summicron (v1) 2.0/50 collapsible (1953)

Summarit 1.5/50 (1954)

Summicron (v2) Rigid/DR 2.0/50 (1957)

Elmar 2.8/50 (v1) (1957)

Summilux (v1) 1.4/50 (1959)

Summilux (v2) 1.4/50 (1961)

Noctilux 1.2/50 (1966)

Summicron (v3) 2.0/50 (1969)

Noctilux 1.0/50 (1976)

Summicron-M (v4/current) 2.0/50 (1979)

Elmar-M 2.8/50 (v2) (1994)

Anastigmat 3.5/50 (2002)

Summilux-M ASPH 1.4/50 (2004)

Summarit 2.5/50 (2007)

Noctilux 0.95/50 (2008)

Edited February 22, 2009 by thrid

[MAX]

Certainly! Of course! , the LEICA was the priority used Kamera from the Wehrmacht

with the Waffengattungen: Heer - Marine - Luftwaffe. ( unfortunately only in german language )

 

I wrote "from selected !! german war reporters" for example

Walter Frentz the CameraAssistent from LeniRiefenstahl

AND War Reporter temporally in different HKL`s ( Hauptkampflinien )

 

The Contax was the "Nikon - Feeling" ( working Horse ) in the Time of WWII

[NZDavid]

Thrid, very useful list of Leica lens vintages. Should be posted somewhere as a "sticky" for reference purposes.

[Guest suilvenman]

Certainly! Of course! , the LEICA was the priority used Kamera from the Wehrmacht

with the Waffengattungen: Heer - Marine - Luftwaffe. ( unfortunately only in german language )

 

I wrote "from selected !! german war reporters" for example

Walter Frentz the CameraAssistent from LeniRiefenstahl

AND War Reporter temporally in different HKL`s ( Hauptkampflinien )

 

The Contax was the "Nikon - Feeling" ( working Horse ) in the Time of WWII

 

I have often wondered which camera - Leica or Contax - was used to take the photo of that young Jewish boy with his hands up during the Warsaw ghetto roundup, or that photo of an old Russian woman being beaten over the head by an enthusiastic Wehrmacht officer or that photo of a dozen naked women and children somewhere in Lithuania being shot through the head in front of a mass grave. I've often wondered that.

 

Cheers, Ken.

[rob_x2004]

You mean Mendel Grossman or someone like that?

[rob_x2004]

Leica I'm guessing.

[Guest suilvenman]

Yeah, Rob. Something like that.

 

Cheers, Ken.

[jevidon]

I believe that Leica was the standard military issue for Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine and Wehrmacht, with Robots also issued to the Luftwaffe primarily for recon. use. So, seeing it in Das Boot or any other authentic WWII movie is not surprising. BTW, Das Boot and the Hollywood movie The Enemy Below are my favorite WWII sub movies and IMO are the best.

Edited February 24, 2009 by jevidon

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[LeicaTom]

As I recall Herbert Grönemeyer (Lt. Werner is`nt it?) uses a Leica IIIF with a Summitar!!!!!!!!

 

There`s a part in the movie where he turns the back to the camera around so you see the back of the upper part of the top plate and there`s a flash sync port there!!!!!!!! Needless to say that`s 100% wrong, but you KNOW how these modern movies can be.

 

Bavaria Film Studio`s dropped the ball there....I mean how easy would it have been to film a "beat up" 1941 Leica IIIC

"roten tuch" in Germany to use for "prop" shooing?

 

Cheers

 

Tom

Edited March 22, 2009 by LeicaTom_old