Applied Leica Technique
By: Viewfinder Archive
APPLIED LEICA TECHNIQUE
A review of the English language edition of an important new photographic technical manual.
REVIEW BY: Alfred Clarke & Tim Curry
First Published in Viewfinder Vol. 18, No. 2 – 1985
Excellence In Photography: Applied Leica Technique, Günter Osterloh; Umschau Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 1984. Translated in English from the original German version by Rolf Fricke.
This is a book that should have a wide appeal to those interested in better understanding the potentials of the Leica system of photography. Anyone seriously interested in photographic excellence from essentially a technical point of view will profit from the kinds of insights this book contains. It should be noted, however, that Applied Leica Technique discusses Leicaflex and Leica R cameras only – it does not include M cameras, even though the title would suggest that. It is our understanding that a book on Leica M cameras is in preparation (The tentative title presumably will be, The Advanced School of Photography: Leica M Cameras).
The author approaches his subject with impressive credentials. Günter Osterloh is a member of the Leica Technique Department at Leitz headquarters I Germany, and for the last 15 years he has been able to observe and influence the development of Leitz single lens reflex cameras. He has 30 years of photographic experience and is well published in the photographic literature.
A further comment about the background of this book is appropriate. The original Applied Leica Techniques was written in German and translated into English by LHSA member Rolf Fricke. Rolf has updated parts of the earlier edition by including the latest lenses such as the 35-70 mm zoom, new 2/90 and the new R4s. References are also made to current films (including color) available in the U.S. Perhaps more importantly, a conscious effort was made in the translation process to use English for the American market rather than British English. It is a good translation.
The book’s organization is well thought out, and lends itself to finding information quickly. Some of the sections will be familiar to those who have collected Leitz literature and technical bulletins over the last few years. It is most convenient to have this information under one cover, particularly since the Leica Manual has not appeared in a new edition since 1973.
This book is full of techniques and explanations, profusely illustrated with handsome photographs, and the schematic drawings are first rate. There are a couple of very minor sub-heading errors that are almost inevitable in a technical manuscript. Like the Leica, the book will withstand heavy use. It is printed on quality paper, well inked, and has a heft to it that is characteristic of fine craftsmanship. There is a lot of well-tested information and helpful hints based on personal experience passed on to the reader by an author who obviously "knows the territory."
Readers of the VIEWFINDER who are familiar with the history of the Leica will note this book perpetuates the notion that the Leica came about as a kind of by-product of Barnack’s early experiments with motion picture photography and a device for measuring exposures accurately. The most complete historical record suggests, however, that Barnack had offered a very early model of his 35 mm camera to the management of the Carl Zeiss company where he previously worked, and they turned down his idea. Later, during his employment at Leitz he was encouraged to pursue this revolutionary idea, and the rest of the story is well documented. Perpetuation of this legend blurs the record, but this is not a book about photographic history. It is a book about how cameras, lens, and photographic technique work together to make a good image. In short, it is a book about excellence in Leica photography, and it is currently the most complete, up-to-date statement on the market. It sells for $29.50 at A Photographer’s Place, P.O. Box 224, Prince Street, New York, NY 10012.
The Midland M's
By: Viewfinder Archive
The Midland M’s
By Charles Duckworth and Randol Hooper
It is well known that Leitz Canada produced a significant number of M2 and M3 cameras at their Midland, Ontario facility during the years 1958 – 1966. Information concerning these cameras and other Midland M cameras has been sketchy at best with reliable data regarding serial numbers and top plate engravings lacking. Total Canadian M2/M3/M4/etc. production remains unknown. Most were engraved "Wetzlar" on the top plate; the number engraved "Midland" has heretofore remained unknown. Recent conversation and correspondence with a retired Leitz employee involved in the M camera manufacturing process at Midland has revealed new information regarding M production at Leitz Canada.
The first five M2 cameras were assembled in October 1958 with specially engraved top plates. The usual M2 identifier and serial number were replaced by a "PL-P" marking and a special six-digit number. The original body number was engraved internally on the bottom of the shutter crate. The third M2 assembled at Midland is shown with a top plate engraved "PL-P 000 003." A bottom view of the fourth camera, PL-P 000 004 reveals the original number on the shutter crate. The purpose of the special top plate engravings remains a mystery although they could indicate some sort of prototype status. The type style of the large "PLP" was carried over to the "M2" and "M3" of later Midland cameras so one often finds "big" M2 or M3 engraved cameras that fall into the Canadian serial number list. Unfortunately previous lists have failed to indicate which cameras should carry the very rare "Midland" markings.
Conventional serial numbering was resumed after the first five M2 cameras were finished. Table 1 shows that a total of 1620 M2 cameras were subsequently produced in 20 lots of 50 to 100. Of the total of 1625 M2 cameras from Canada, only ten were engraved "Midland." These fall into a small batch at 1102501 – 1102510 that was released on 11/15/65. This batch falls into a larger group of 500 numbers previously thought to have been entirely assigned to MD production at Wetzlar. The reasons behind the assigning of the Midland engraving to this small batch remains unknown but the small quantity involved seems to indicate a special order.
M3 production at Midland began in November 1955 with the first batch of 100 double stroke cameras with serial numbers 746451 – 746551. Leitz Canada continued to produce M3 cameras for more than nine years; the last batch, 1097851 – 1098000, was finished in January 1965. Table 2, which may be incomplete, indicates that a total of 5200 M3 cameras were built at Leitz Canada during this period. Only eight were engraved "Midland." This small batch of eight cameras, 840573 – 840580, was shipped on 12/14/56 and probably represents a special order for one customer. M3 camera 1065100 is known to have been used by ELC for experimental purposes; it was converted to a half frame format! 1065100 was the first fully functional 18x24 format M camera and does not carry an M2 or M3 marking on the top plate. The original M3 film counter mechanism was discarded and replaced with a counter of the M2 type. This was done because the M3 counter stops at 36 and will continue only if reset when the camera is opened while the M2 counter continues uninterrupted so long as the film is advanced.
A cursory examination of Tables 1 and 2 shows conflict with previously accepted ELC serial numbers and production totals taken from the usual Hove sources eg., Rogliatti, LEICA Pocket Book, etc. This is troubling and cannot be easily explained but several observations may be helpful. I believe the Hove lists originated with a Wetzlar source. This source developed a serial number list for Leitz which was periodically updated and supplied to Leitz sales/repair organizations around the world. This list guided those early collectors fortunate enough to obtain a copy from their Leitz distributor and the list subsequently found its way into widely accepted reference sources such as Rogliatti. There was no great urgency on the part of Leitz to insure the accuracy of this serial number list, indeed, it was treated at one time as a sort of "trade secret" and its distribution to early collectors discouraged. The Wetzlar list gives only numbers assigned to ELC production. These were not always completely used by ELC. The numbers in Tables 1 & 2 represent a list kept by an ELC employee of numbers actually engraved on cameras produced at the Midland plant.
Adapting Cosina/Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 to take IR-Cut Filters
By: Benson Shulman
Many of us would like to use the 15mm Cosina/Voigtlander lens on an M8 (effective focal length of a 21mm on film) but face the problem of how to attach a UV+IR filter. There is a new version of this lens with a rather large front extension designed to accept a 52mm filter and it is rangefinder coupled, but it costs $550, is significantly larger, Leica doesn't make a 52mm UV+IR, and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've used the rangefinder to focus a 21mm on my Leica film cameras, so I don't miss the coupling with the tiny original 15mm. At f/4.5 the depth-of-field is already so great that it's hard to spot the actual plane of focus even when pixel-peeping.
Some people have resorted to using gaffer tape, Blu-Tac, rubber bands and such to attach a filter to the 15mm, but those are temporary solutions and the (expensive) filter can fall off. One person makes (or made) an adapter, but it is (was) expensive and (so I've heard) vignettes. Being the innovative type, I decided to come up with an inexpensive and simple solution, and after using it for more than a year, decided it has passed the test of time and I wanted to pass it along.
What you will need (besides the lens of course!):
-One B+W or Heliopan filter in size e39. (Doesn't matter what type of filter, but B+W and Heliopan have brass rings and that is important).
-Small metal pick or tweezers and/or rubber stopper and rubber kitchen glove.
-Access to a small bench grinder or someone who has one and can help you out here
-Epoxy glue (regular or 5-minute, doesn't matter)
Directions:
First you will need to remove the glass from the e39 filter. Some have spring-steel retaining clips and some have threaded retaining rings. The spring clips are pried out with a metal pick or tweezers; the threaded rings can be removed with a rubber stopper, holding the filter down against a table against a rubber kitchen glove, for frictional hold. Don't worry about scratching the glass because you're going to toss it out anyway. Just watch out not to crack it and cut yourself.
Now that the glass is out, you want to grind off the MALE threads from the empty ring. Grind them flush with the ring, so you have a flat surface. See illustration in upper left of the photo. Be advised that if you're not experienced with a grinder, this is probably best left to someone who is. The filter is small, there's not much room for fingers, and when brass is ground on it gets very hot very quickly. Go slow, wear gloves, keep a cup of water handy to quench the heat, and by all means wear eye/face protection!
Prepare a SMALL amount of epoxy, and spread a THIN coat on the underside of the filter ring where you ground. DO NOT apply too much, as you don't want it oozing . Carefully position the filter ring inside the fins of the front of the lens. You have time to move it around a little to make sure it is centered, then apply a little pressure and let it cure overnight. Even the 5 minute epoxy is best left overnight. You now have added front threads to the lens, as seen in the upper right illustration in the photo.
Once the epoxy has set, you can attach any e39 UV+IR filter. The lower illustration shows a Leica UV+IR in place.
Notes:
-The reason I recommend using a B+W or Heliopan filter to make the adapter is because they are made of brass, and tend not to bind as much with aluminum filters such as the Leica-brand UV+IRs. (I use mostly Heliopans and one or two B+W 486s, reserving my 2 free Leica filters for emergency backups.)
-I have verified that with the UV+IR filter removed, the adapter will not vignette on full frame, so you haven't prevented using the lens on a film body. You can't put another filter into the adapter when using it for film, because that will vignette.
-The screw-to-M adapter you'll need is one that brings up the 90mm framelines, and does not have a cut-out opposite the M8's code reader. Early Leitz 9cm adapters work fine, as do the Voigtlander Type-II adapters. I coded mine as a WATE (16-18-21 Tri-Elmar) and find that either the 16mm or 18mm (default) work well to correct cyan corners. I permanently coded my adapters, and my wide-angle M lenses myself, by milling just the recesses designed to be painted black, but that is beyond the scope of this article.
A 180 mm Lens for the M8
By: Richard Santee
Because the M8 is aimed at use with wider angle lenses (logical because of the sensor- size dictated 1.33 x magnification factor) it does not key in frame lines for the 135 mm focal length. That of course did not prevent me from attaching a 135 mm lens to the M8 shortly after I received it. I was disappointed to see that many of my images were remarkably unfocused. Apparently there is a good reason the M8 does not offer 135mm frame lines!
Next, I asked my friend Tom Abrahamsson if he could manufacture a 135 mm rangefinder/viewfinder for the camera. This suggestion was met with little enthusiasm but he did comment that the 135 mm f:2.8 Elmarit-M with “goggles” would fit. This lens was manufactured between 1963 and 1997. This suggestion made a lot of sense to me. The lens was the fastest 135 mm ever produced for the M system and was focused by keying in the 90 mm frame lines and magnifying them to the correct field of view for a 135 mm lens. This allowed the lens to be accurate for close focusing and fast enough for stage and nightclub photography without flash. It works perfectly on the M8 because the camera has 90 mm frame lines and the magnification of those lines corrects for the 1.33 x digital conversion factor. In theory, just bayonet it on and it should work.
In order to test the theory, I was able to find such a lens at modest cost on eBay. Scheduled shortly after this acquisition was the annual Brays Island Plantation Middleton Hounds equestrian fox hunt. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to test the lens and camera combination. It was a cloudy day and I set the white balance to “cloudy.” Like with slide film, I underexposed by 1/3 stop. Because of the 1.33 x digital conversion factor, the 135 mm lens becomes a 180 mm lens in field of view (it still has a 135 mm depth of field).
The images of the hunt speak for themselves. The close-up image of the horse’s eye is important because it illustrates accurate close-up focusing at a wide-open f:2.8. This is a useful lens that expands the capabilities of the M8 beyond its design intentions.