Supplement to VIDOM Magazine No. 118, Dec 2019 – Leica Historica E.V
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Supplement to VIDOM magazine No. 118, Dec 2019 – Leica Historica e.V. Annual Autumn Meeting (p. 4ff) Our autumn meeting took place at a Vollrath and Mr Karbe, both responsible for traditional location, the Wetzlar civic hall. The optical development at Leica. Our honorary main attraction this year was Dirk Wiezorek’s president Georg Mann reported that in his presentation about the “OMA”, the Lens construction department at Leitz, lenses were Testing Devise that Leitz used to measure the “tested” by taking sample photos of the performance of photographic and projector Kalsmunt-Tower. The next morning started lenses and binoculars. The results were with the traditional auction by Hans published as MTF-diagrams. There were two Ploegmakers and culminated in the equally of those devices, one in Berlin and one in traditional photo competition. Winners this Wetzlar. Two of our members were year: Johannes Schuh, Marc Anderegg and particularly interested in this presentation: Dr Michel Specklin. Travelling to Berlin (p. 7ff) This year a group of members travelled to the highlights. On the trip home, the group visited German capital Berlin. Monuments, a city Lynow, the village where Oskar Barnack was tour, the German Museum of Technology, the born 140 years ago. The local Barnack- famous department store “KaDeWe”, a visit at museum was presented with 7 “Barnack Potsdam, the “Classic Remise Berlin” and the Notes” by Georg Mann and – spontaneously - Meister Leica Store as well as the “Revueshow a Leicaflex camera by Norbert Oertel. LH Vivid” at the Friedrichstadt-Palast and an would like to thank the organisers of the trip, original Berlin “Currywurst” were some of the Lothar Funke and Winfried Schmidt. Update: Vollensack Lenses, (p. 11ff) Our member James L. Lager shows several lenses, which were presented in VIDOM 113. leaflets of the 90 and 127mm Wollensak Summar, Summitar, Summicron (p. 15ff) It was common to use a name of a Summicron. The shown lenses illustrate that. predecessor lens to label a development Often the old and the new model were specimen of a new lens. One example is the produced parallelly for a while. “Summitar*”, a predecessor of the The rare Leitz ball head by Saroptico (p. 19ff) The shown ball head is identical to the Leitz “Saroptico” , “St. Ingbert”, “Tête-Leitz” and a FIAKU that was built between 1927 and 1938. stylised convex lens. The reason for the It’s a useful item since once mounted the production in the Saarland region was to avoid camera can be tilted and fastened in many import taxes. The Monte en Sarre Leicas were different positions. Similar to the Leica produced between 1949 and 1951 in St. “Monte en Sarre”, which bases on the pre-war Ingbert, thus this ball head is presumably from Leica IIIa, the heavy Saar ball head is premised that era. on a pre-war design. It is engraved with Leica Safari (p. 22ff) For years collectors have been fascinated with “Reisekamera”. Special destinations made olive-green cameras from Wetzlar. Who had special features necessary and the specialized that idea? Cameras and travelling have always cameras were aimed at travelling trends. The been connected, thus the industry started to olive-coloured R3 “Safari” was marketed in use that for their marketing, the 1977, matching lenses were a Summicron 50 1 and several others. A case and a camera bag went through the ceiling, many different also in matching colour were also available. products, from cars to toys, were marketed as The Safari versions, though, did not have Safari-versions. Nonfiction books about Safari anything to do with those for the German photography followed. The Leica R3 “Safari” Army. The true story is that in those years of definitely suited that mood, although there low financial waters Wolfgang Müller had the was hardly any advertisement for this version idea of a special model in green and in but a pre-printed postcard (p.32) was sent to cooperation with a PR agency the name German vendors – with great success. “Safari” was born. Connections to Africa, Competitors, such as Canon, Zenza Bronica or adventures, nature, campfires, Hemingway Werra used the Safari-idea for their cameras. were very attractive in the late 70s and the TV A Leica R3 Safari still is sold for high prices. series “Daktari” and documentary movies by In 2000 Leica offered 300 specimen of an Bernhard Grzimek, a zoo director, fuelled M6TTL Safari and (with an exception if the those imaginations. A fake message by M9) each digital M from the M8.2 on was sold Grzimek about an all expense tour to the as a Safari version at the end of their African wilderness caused travel agencies to production time. Many collectors still are organize exactly those. Tourism to East Africa looking for their dream “Safari”. Project 530: Compact-Leica (p. 36ff) In the mid-1960s the construction of a early CL “2” already had internal metering by compact M-camera started. The internal name swivel arm, however, the facsimiles (p. 46) was “Gerät E 530”. Leica needed to react to indicate an external metering system. The the growing market of compact cameras. The prototype models differ a lot from each other, E 530 was supposed to fulfil the following sometimes in details, sometimes considerably, requirements: format 24x36, focal-plane shown by a circular viewfinder or a very shutter, exchangeable lenses from the M- different baseplate. Later prototypes were system, TTL light meter and detachable back. named “MC” (M-Compact) or “CM”. The tiny The first idea of an external metering was lens Elmarit-C 2.8/40 was only built 500 times. discarded since the aperture priority would A cooperation with Minolta lead to the later have made new lenses necessary. The photos “CLE” with electronic shutter, aperture show several prototypes, some like a “mini M” priority, M compatibility and a bigger in chrome, others in black paint still very rangefinder base. different to the later marketed series. The The ”MIKAS-250” (p. 68ff) The ERNST LEITZ company marketed their first that could be fixed to a prismatic guide of “Micca” (format 4.5x6 cm) in 1924. The microphotographic devices. “Macca” and the “Makam” (format 9x12 cm) The Leica 250 (“Reporter-Leica”), used for followed two years later. Other constructions military purposes during WWII, were also used by Dr. hc Hermann Heine were the “Lukam” in scientific and research fields for repro- and and the “Lucca”, used for loupe photography. microphotography with special equipment. 1926/27 LEITZ offered the “Mifilmca”, a device The “MIKAS-250” shown here combines the for microphotography on cinematic film in robust construction of the “IFLEX” and the set- cooperation with Oskar Barnack. From 1932 up if the “MIKAS” (thus called “MIKAS-250” by Leica owners could use their camera (except the author). It is the only sample item of the the models IA and IB) for microphotography former photo construction department under by using the “Mikas” top piece. Wilhelm Albert. It was never produced in W. Albert and W. Mohr constructed the series. “IFLEX” micro reflex device with revolving disc 2 The upcoming Leica Historica Spring Meeting 2020 will take place on 18 and 19 April, in Wetzlar. You are warmly welcome! Hotel Wetzlarer Hof | Gastro GmbH & Co. KG Obertorstr. 3 | D-35578 Wetzlar Tel.: +49 (0) 6441 9080 | [email protected] 3 .