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Supplement to VIDOM Magazine No. 111, June 2016 – Leica Historica E.V

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Supplement to VIDOM Magazine No. 111, June 2016 – Leica Historica E.V Supplement to VIDOM magazine No. 111, June 2016 – Leica Historica e.V. Leitz and Minolta: a successful partnership (p. 8 ff) 1971 – a fateful year for the Leitz The Leica CL, however – although ready for photography department. Since a cost- production – could not be fabricated in covering production was no longer possible in Germany without risking a significant loss. Wetzlar, Leica decided to open a subsidiary In 1971 Leica made a first step by seeking a plant in a low-wage country, started to financially sound partner which they found in conduct negotiations with Minolta Camera Co. Switzerland: Wild Heerbrugg AG, a leading and initiated a cooperation to produce the Manufacturer of optical instruments for Leica CL as well as an SLR camera based on a geodesy. As a second step Leica finally decided newly developed metal-blade slotted shutter. to open a branch in Portugal where the lower This technological partnership between Leica wages, on a similar level like those in Japan, and Minolta lasted for a quarter of a century. and a shorter flight distance to Frankfurt In the early 1970s the German post-war compared to Singapore or Tunisia meant a boom ended. This caused dramatic upheaval locational advantage. Finally, also in 1971 Leitz especially for the wage- and capital-intensive started a venture that initially was seen with photographic industry. Competitors from far serious reservations due to expected language east entered the market with considerably and cultural barriers – the cooperation with cheaper products. Not only the massive rise of Minolta Camera Company in Osaka, Japan. wages and interest rates in Germany but also Despite all doubts Ernst and Ludwig Leitz a susceptible currency fluctuation generated commissioned Knut Kühn-Leitz to initiate and problematic export scenarios and dwindling establish a technological cooperation with profits. While other companies were seeking Minolta. Both companies became partners of salvation in mass layoffs, the Leitz senior equal standing and focused on the latest management felt like upholding the tradition scientific methods including state-of-the-art to sustain as many jobs as possible. Moving to computer technology. The first joint product a low-wage country had first been declined was the Leica CL, a compact M-mount camera because of both the fear to weaken the label with through-the-lens CdS light metering and “Made in Germany” and the fact that the the matching lenses Summicron-C 1:2/40 and complex M5 and Leicaflex cameras could only Elmar-C 1:4/90 (in Japan marketed as M- be manufactured by highly skilled mechanics. Rokkor lenses). The Focal-Plane Shutter, the core of any rangefinder and single lens reflex camera (p. 20 ff) A “focal-plane” or “slotted” shutter is located disadvantages, though: it was extremely directly in front of the film gate and thus difficult to achieve shorter exposure times extremely close to the focal plane of the than 1/1000s and the flash-sync speed was camera. We can distinguish between limited to 1/60s, since this was the shortest horizontal and vertical slotted shutters with time in which the shutter was entirely open. two curtains and a vertical-traverse metal An intense acceleration and a sudden blade shutter. For decades almost all 35mm deceleration also caused increasing wear photo cameras had been equipped with an under continuous load. adjustable focal-plane shutter of the Barnack- Roller blind-, flap- or rotor shutters were not type “Rollo-Schlitzverschluss”. The essential suitable in 35 mm format film cameras. Today feature of that shutter is the varying slit (= virtually all digital reflex or rangefinder “Schlitz”) which changes width according to cameras use vertical-traverse metal blade the exposure time – the wider, the longer. shutters which due to the shorter travel This popular and quiet shutter had some distance of the blades make faster exposure 1 times possible. The first shutter of that kind Verschluss” (LSV) that could be inserted easily was the “Copal Square” in 1960 which was into the camera body. The next evolutionary delivered to camera manufacturers as a very step was the “Copal Leitz Shutter” (CLS). convenient single “drop-in” module, but it was Based on the LSV and with a reduced number rather large and thus demanded a certain of shutter blades was it first used in the XE-1 height of the camera. by Minolta and later in the Leica R3. The following multimode cameras Minolta XD-7 The most complicated “Rollo-Schlitz- and Leica R4 utilized a Seiko MFC metal blade verschluss” was the one in the Leicaflex SL, a shutter with electromagnetic triggering. This precision masterpiece which was system was also used in the world-record unfortunately very expensive to produce and shutter of the Minolta Dynax 9xi which assemble. So, Peter Loseries, a Leitz engineer, achieved an astounding 1/12000s. developed the smaller “Leitz Sektor From the R3 to the R7 (p. 30 ff) When the splendid but extremely and a program mode. It was the core model complicated to manufacture Leicaflex SL2 for the following R-cameras including the R7. needed an easier to produce successor, Leitz The Leica R5 was even more variable than the started a new era with the Leica R3, an R4 and with the R6 Leica gave a fully aperture priority camera based on the Minolta mechanical model to the more traditional XE-1. The “R” stands for “reflex” whereas the photographers. A battery was only needed for “3” denoted the third generation of SLR light metering. The last model of this series cameras by Leica. The later R4, related to the was the R7, the direct successor of the R5 and Minolta XD-7, was a multimode camera with electronically an entirely new micro-processor aperture priority, automatic aperture control controlled camera. Leica R-lenses (p. 36 ff) Not only cameras were developed and Other projects were also successfully produced with industrial partners, Leitz also accomplished, from black chromium plating to manufactured lenses in cooperation and the Minolta CLE, from the Leitz-Correfot auto know-how synergies with other companies, focus prototype to the first serial auto focus for example Zeiss (Super-Angolon-R 3.5/15), system in the Minolta 7000. Both Angenieux (Zoom 2.8/45-90) or Schneider- manufacturers can look back onto a 25-year- Kreuznach (PA-Curtagon-R 4/35 and PC-Super- adventure and a bilateral German-Japanese Angulon-R 2.8/28). But the main partner again experiment. was Minolta who delivered the optical In summary we can state that the construction of lenses such as the Fisheye- cooperation of those two important players of Elmarit-R 2.6/16, the Elmarit-R 2.8/24 or MR- the photographic industry was as broadly Telyt-R 8/500 whereas Leitz provided the lens based as it was prolific and successful. body. The Vario-Elmar-R 3.5/35-70 was Without it the Leica SLR camera would completely assembled by Minolta, just like the probably not have survived after the mid- first version of the longer tele zoom 4.5/80- 1970s. 200. 2 The Summaron 1:3.5/3,5cm (p. 48 ff) On page 42 an exceptional version of this the type font and the maker’s mark (“Ernst lens is shown. The aperture control ring sports Leitz Wetzlar” instead of “Ernst Leitz GmbH a homogeneous overhanging, conical flange Wetzlar”) indicate the early year of engraved with aperture values and production. So far, we only know of two manufactured with a knurled edge. The specimens of this early 1949 Summaron type. tapered shape meets the cylindrical body We would be grateful to receive additional displaying engraved index lines which run information about other specimens of that towards the front of the lens. A different design. realisation of the gravure of the serial number, Leica leather ready cases (p. 52 ff) ETTEL, EPOCH, ESNEL, ETRIN, ETTWO … Often satisfy the high Leitz standards. The photos cases and camera etuis are rarer than the show ready cases, bags for camera sets and items they were supposed to protect. Leitz additional equipment and a suede camera etui maintained a saddlery department in 1905 which was actually close to the idea that already, because no supplier was able to Barnack had for his “Liliput” camera. Auxiliary and close focus devices (p. 56 ff) The first Leica was already seen as a directly and are coupled to the rangefinder of compact, pocketable camera, but it didn’t take the camera so that handling is not changed. long before additional gadgets were offered Versions for Elmar, Hektor, Summar, which expanded its use. Two types of those Summitar and retractable Summicron lenses appliances were auxiliary and close-focus were available. On the Leica IIIg and Leica M devices. Of which the earlier can be cameras those versions for screw-mount distinguished between those with close-up cameras cannot be used due to different lenses and those with extra tubes that were viewfinder systems. Different versions were inserted between camera and lens. Leitz offered for those. Leitz offered a close focus offered close-up lens sets for Hektor and Summicron with two helicoils for M-mount Elmar lenses and tube solutions for 3,5cm and models. It, however, cannot be used on digital 5cm Elmar as well as for Summar and M-cameras, since the rangefinder cam of the Summitar lenses. Most of those combinations lens collides with the camera body. A modern can still be used on modern digital M-cameras. version of a high magnification lens with M- The M (Type 240) facilitates usage with mount is the Macro-Elmar-M 90 which LiveView a lot.
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