Leica LTM Who has the oldest Leica on the forum?

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Keith, am getting to be that age when I need to clear out, but I am guessing this one would be the last one to go for you? Though I am always impresed with the kit you choose to take to the field. The added ? Paris tag is of interest in itself. Old Leica in Paris is astronimical in price to buy in the shops near Bastille.

I've only put one roll through mine to check it out, shot some street and a few stone buildings to see how the focus and speeds worked, was surprised that other than the expected flare, was pretty OK, a shade would help? Folks seemed to enjoy being photographed with such a camera.

Am thinking if I had the right subjects it might present a good match-- have you thought of putting it in the bag while shooting for when the right subject presents?

I bought a minty Standard prior to the Model 1, in Brno, years ago, shot with it in Paris on the stop home, and it was a delight to work with a camera in the ways I began with zone focus. I have the RF's but a plain VF and some thought for the exposure and distance done prior was refreshingly simple.

The dealer opened up his collector's shop (Pavel has probably the biggest shops outside of the Capital if you are passing through Brno) and it was clear he loves his work, he had to do some pushing to get me to buy, but in the end, it was all worth it.

He does not speak much English, but if I call, he will open up the special shop day or night for me.

Igor did a short visit at a later date, and we took the bus down there, Igor had a heavy suitcase for the trip home back when you could. I had lunch with the pleasant Pavel, no real English, just Czech food, beer, and "Leica talk" - a language of its own?

My perfect Czech friend found camera stores and Neobrom Paper when it was open years ago. She is still perfect, but Neobrom is truly a lost niche. Am pretty sure Pavel is still finding old Leicas -- and if you go to the Largest shop there and ask for him, you won't need the secret hand shake-- a pleasant side trip for those visiting the older States of Europe before they are gone. You will find photos as well.

John
 

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What a beauty! Great looking camera! How do you focus with a camera like this?

Keith said:
This thread inspired me to take a fresh set of pics of the 1a ... and I may actually load a film into it in the next few days which hasn't happened for several years. :D


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You guesstimate the distance, and set it on the scale on the lens mount.

Cheers,
Dez
 
In case anybody got itchy viewing this thread:

eBay sale #310712122974, close to USD 3,000 gets you Leica Ia nr.1849...

:cool:
 
Yeah, some unhealthy fogging the film luckily was prevented too.

Airport scanners fogging film, I'm not buying it but a blast like this would have sent any film into orbit, I reckon :D
 
johannielscom said:
Never seen a full nickel plated camera before.

In the video you can see at 1:19 that the lens cap is blueish chrome, while the whole camera is yellowish nickel.

Such an early serial number and fully nickel, a one-of-a-kind rarity.
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I don't see the serial n. on the top plate but if it's n.671 this camera was originally delivered as a black paint with Elmax lens.
Later totally rebuilt with mixed parts from different cameras and totally repainted: we see wrong lens, wrong mounting ring, wrong (later) baseplate too, I don't see if the viewfinder is original but the cap too is later, from the '50.

kind regards.
 
sabears said:
I don't see the serial n. on the top plate but if it's n.671 this camera was originally delivered as a black paint with Elmax lens.
Later totally rebuilt with mixed parts from different cameras.
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Well, yes, but it survived. Not many Leicas 1A did.

The number is shown here:


leica-i-top-1-s.jpg
 
Thank you for the photo Erik, now we see also wrong frame counter dial and wrong speed dial...undoubtedly heavily reworked, very, very few parts "original" (even if original is a big word, the top plate was original, now is repainted). And we don't know inside...for ex. "racheted" film advance?
The question is whether it also can focus properly with this Elmar lens, as you know, distance from film plane had to be adjusted one by one, and moreover there was a different Elmax lens.

Yes, I agree with you: an original Elmax camera would have been very rare.

cheers.
 
Sabears,

given that the owner owns a camera shop and repairs cameras himself I'm assuming it can focus properly, the pictures taken with it are a little soft but that might have to do with the shutter curtain giving in.

Must have been the light in the video on this camera, in the pictures shown on the blog page it is clearly a re-chromed camera. And not a nickel one as I thought I saw earlier.


So, the quest for the earliest Leica on the forum continues, and who is the mysterious owner of the 0-series camera here?:rolleyes:
 
sabears said:
The question is whether it also can focus properly with this Elmar lens, as you know, distance from film plane had to be adjusted one by one, and moreover there was a different Elmax lens.
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The original Elmax-lens can still be there as the front part of the lens with the f-stop numbers is easily replaced.

Erik.
 
Erik van Straten said:
The original Elmax-lens can still be there as the front part of the lens with the f-stop numbers is easily replaced.

Erik.
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I think there are no chance, Erik. Look at the optical tube, the Elmax and early Elmar lenses have the lens tube engraved on the outside with small parallel grooves, perpendicular to the camera body, all around: undoubtedly the front ring (engravings aside) should be with internal recess in rounded edge (again first Elmax and Elmar type I), so this is of an Elmar lens.
At the end here we see that all the barrel is from an Elmar lens, moreover the mount ring on the camera body belongs to an Elmar lens too.

best regards.
 
sabears said:
Look at the optical tube, the Elmax and early Elmar lenses have the lens tube engraved on the outside with small parallel grooves, perpendicular to the camera body, all around.
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Yes, I remember, these grooves reappear on the Summar. However, the optical block of the Elmax can be reinstalled in the tube; I myself have postwar Elmar blocks reinstalled in prewar tubes. They fit and can be adjusted with rings below the retaining ring. The optical block of the Elmax will fit too. There are examples of that, also of the Anastigmat.

Erik.
 
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