Supplement to VIDOM Magazine No. 113, June 2017 – Leica Historica E.V
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Supplement to VIDOM magazine No. 113, June 2017 – Leica Historica e.V. Annual Spring Meeting and AGM in Wetzlar (p. 4 f) After many of our members had visited the auction and continued with our annual Solms Camera Fair, we met on Saturday general meeting in which all members of the evening in order to listen to Olaf Nattenberg’s board were re-elected. Afterwards our new excellent and entertaining lecture on the Website was introduced and presented. It differences and similarities of Leica and Exakta needs to be especially mentioned that we had cameras. It was also possible to try out some two “birthday children” with us: our dear of the collectibles that he had brought to friend Hans Ploegmakers and our “first lady” Wetzlar. The next day traditionally started Ursula Rosswog. Happy Birthday again! with Georg Mann’s enjoyable beneficial An „Essential“ Night (p. 9 ff) On January 18, Leica invited sellers, customers by Leica. Dr Andreas Kaufmann and CEO Oliver and journalists to a “Festival of Photography”. Kaltner showed on stage the “Ur-Leica” and Joel Meyerowitz was accepted to the Leica the new M10 next to each other, before the Hall of Fame and the new Leica M10 was CEO presented more details of this new, presented to the public. This evening was a beautiful camera, which sports a huge pleasant mixture of professionalism, nice viewfinder, cuts down the handling to the ideas and a familial charm so often nurtured essentials and is a joy to hold and touch. Leitz Telecron 1:6.3/1200 (p. 12 ff) For a long time the “longest” lens in the Leica- was produced for more than 25 years in a System was a 400mm, first marketed in 1936 virtually unaltered version in not even 350 as an f/5 Telyt and followed by several specimens. improved models. From 1966 on, 560mm A Photokina anecdote from 1970 says that on lenses were offered as well. In 1971 a new one of the Telyt 800 prototypes the name focal length was presented: the Telyt-S “Telecron” was shown. Then, in early 2017 6.3/800 (“S” meaning “Sonderglas” = special something extraordinary surfaced: in the glass that was necessary to build a three- estate of a former Leitz employee a element design of that quality). This lens 6.3/1200mm lens was found, also named indeed offers an amazing image quality as “Telecron”. The rear part was very similar to proven by Reinhard Künkel’s pictures of the one of the Telyt 800. Towards the front it African animals. The lens came in time for the changes into a conical tube with a massive 1972 Olympics. Equipped with a Leica-R- lens head. The unusual dimensions become mount, it can still be used adapted e.g. to the clear when we look at the 120 cm length, the new Leica SL. The optical design consists of a 16 kg weight and the 22 cm front lens three element cemented achromat and was diameter. Factory documents prove that three computed by Georg Knetsch. The whole lens is prototypes were built. This achromatic three- 79 cm long and weighs 6,9 kg. The diameter of element design also was computed by Mr the front element is almost 15 cm. It can be Knetsch, but named “Telyt” on the data sheet. put apart in three parts and thus be It was originally probably planned to use the transported in a special suitcase. The middle suffix “cron”, originally introduced for the part sports a rugged handle also used as a 1953 Summicron 50, in order to connect to target sight. The black paint of the body the use of special glass in the tele lens. The sometimes caused thermic problems in hot most fascinating aspect of the “Telecron” is conditions – one of the reasons why later tele that is cannot be found in any of the lenses were painted silver. The Telyt-S 6.3/800 renowned literature. Nobody seems to know 1 it. Perhaps it was some kind of “top secret” APO-Televid 82 with the new Leica SL, can lens. It was never produced in series. produce a similar magnification and 800 mm had been the longest focal length of a performance but at a much lower speed of Leica lens for quite a while, until in 2006 the effectively f/15. The relatively fast f/6.3 was Leica APO-Telyt-R 1:5.6/1600 was built as a important in times when 400 ASA film was unique specimen (two prototypes exist). considered to be the fastest low light medium, In 1948 a 1:10/1000 lens was tested but it is but it is no longer since digital sensors not known if it has ever been completed. produce a considerably better quality even at Handling such a long and heavy lens is highly much higher ISO settings. Hence nobody complicated, as is its use for photography. would think about producing such a lens Todays Digiscoping alternatives, such as the today. The Leica M Lens Bayonet (p. 23 ff) It is always an exciting challenge, not only to 1948 by a group of Leitz designers around deal with the functionality and details of our Hugo Wehrenfennig. The patent for the M- collectibles but also to find out about the bayonet dates from 1952 (applied in 1950 reasons why some decision had been made already). Whereas most parts of the M camera and perhaps even discover some kind of were created from scratch, the M mount was “signature” of certain engineers. built around the old screwmount. When the One example is the M-bayonet which finally new bayonet was developed, they had to keep only shows some of the aspects of all its in mind several aspects: compatibility, future original design ideas. The development from reliability, compactness yet a wide mount the Leica IA to a top-class camera system was aperture. The diameter of the opening is the one reason for its success. The bayonet surely bottleneck of the construction. Wehrenfennig was an essential interface to external contrived a solution: four recesses between periphery. Compatibility has always been each of the four interlocking wings of the lens crucial which sometimes meant restrictions bayonet, widen the bayonet aperture for engineering. The open diameter of the considerably. Interestingly, this detail was M39 screwmount for example is about 37,7 never taken into serial production. Much later, mm whereas the diagonal frame of format there was produced a very small quantity of 135 film measures 43 mm. This and the Elcan 1:1/90 mm lenses for the U.S. Military, position and gradient of the rangefinder which finally used this idea for the lens elements have basically defined the relevant bayonet. The Visoflex III prototype with the parameters that have been valid for 85 years same feature from Hugo Wehrenfennigs now. estate seems to be a one of a kind. A much The development of the M-mount, reaching larger diameter of a bayonet for 24x36 mm back until the mid-1930s, was intensified after format can be seen in the new Leica SL. Early Leica M Lenses (p. 27 ff) Complementing the text about the M- Summarit 1.5/50 and Summarex 1.5/85 also bayonet, several early M-mount lenses are show differences to their later serial M presented. These lenses are not screwmount versions. The depicted Elmar 4/90 and Hektor versions with adapter rings but solid M-lenses, 4.5/135 unveil their peculiarities only at close dating from the earliest M mount protoyping. inspection (compare the circular part of the Especially interesting is the Summitar-M M-mount). Apart from the Hektor 6.3/28, of specimen from 1949 with an M-mounted which no M-variation is known, virtually all helicoil and two levers entirely different from lenses that were part of the system in 1949 the later prototype Summicron version. The also existed as early M-mount prototypes. 2 Lens Bayonet on a Leica I (p. 33 ff) Much earlier than 1954 Leica was dealing with Here an interesting camera is shown which the constructional elements of the M-camera. already features a bayonet mount for Oskar Barnack did some research on film- interchangeable lenses. It is a modification on transport levers, hinged back covers and a basis of a Leica IA, that uses recesses to grant non-rotating shutter-speed dial for light-meter a straight insertion up to the beginning of the coupling as early as the 1930s. contact point of the screw mount flange. Three Lenses on a Leica (p. 35ff) A Dr. Bawendi article in VIDOM 107 explains stored inside the camera bag, and it that using the OROLF lens revolver made it additionally averts the handling disadvantages possible to mount three M-lenses on one of the lens revolver. The Benser holder with camera. Additional information was provided the two additional lenses support the in VIDOM 108 and 109. In practical use the photographer when holding the camera revolver had some disadvantages, though. steady. There are several tricks to mount even However, there has been another method to unusual lenses on the holder. The included attach three lenses to an M-body and still be images show different ways of usage. Perhaps able to change them rapidly, namely the the relatively high original price of the item Benser lens holder (cf. advertisement on p. (comparable to a mirror finder of that era) 38). Analog M cameras from model M4, can prevented it from being more successful. The be retrofitted with the necessary hang-in pin inventor of the Benser lens holder, Walter (for CTOOM flash bracket originally), since the Benser, was a member of Leica Historica until holder needs to be attached underneath the he passed away in 2002.