Sunday, March 15, 2026

THE EXTREMELY RARE HALF FRAME LEICAFLEX 18 X 24





By Heinz Richter

At the beginning of the 1960s half frame cameras became quite popular.  They used one half of the standard 24 x 36mm full frame to take 18 x 24mm frames, thus doubling the number of pictures that could be taken on one roll of film.  Leitz/Leica had offered the half frame Leica 72, based on one of their previous screw mount cameras, but they were all surpassed with the introduction of the Leica M3.

It also became obvious that SLR cameras became ever more popular, which prompted Leitz/Leica to introduce the Leicaflex.  A very little known fact is that Leitz/Leica also developed a half frame Leicaflex, the Leicaflex 18 x 24 along with a specially designed 35mm Summicron f/2 lens.

The camera was of a rather unique design by Helmut Müller.  It proved to be different from all other Leicas at that time, featuring a rotating shutter, with mechanics similar to those of the Olympus Pen F camera.  This prototype, the only one ever completed, dates to 1962.  However, the project was stopped in 1967 because sales of half frame cameras had begun to slow down considerably.

The photographs in this article are of the only completely finished camera built by Willi Franke of Leitz/Leica over the 5 years of development of this camera. 

Leicaflex 18 x 24 with the original Entwicklungsauftrag (Development Order),
the specially designed 35mm f/2 Summicron
and a note that further development was stopped in 1967








  For other articles on this blog please click on Blog Archive in the column to the right

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap     
 www.eddycam.com        

      



Buy vintage Leica cameras from 
America's premier Leica specialist 
www.tamarkin.com

 http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show


Click on image to enlarge
Please make payment via PayPal to GMP Photography

Click on image to enlarge
Please make payment via PayPal to GMP Photography

Click on image to enlarge
Please make payment via PayPal to GMP Photography


Posted by at No comments:

Friday, March 13, 2026

KLAUS ENDER - FORMER EAST GERMAN LEICA PHOTOGRAPHER

 By Heinz Richter


Almost four years ago the rank of Leica photographers lost one of its most accomplished members on March 18, 2021. Even today, almost 36 years after the reunification of Germany, relatively little is known about photographers who worked in the former East Germany.  Klaus Ender was one of those photographers.

 

He was born in Berlin in 1939.  In 1962 he moved to the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea and fell in love with it.  He was a passionate amateur photographer and was the only East German amateur who managed to publish in major journals such as Das Magazin (The Magazine) and Eulenspiegel and then turn his hobby into a profession. On 10 May 1966 he began his work as a freelance nude and landscape photographer. After only a few years he became one of the top East German photographers and published with more than 50 publishers. In 1972 he left Rügen, because of political pressures and moved to Potsdam.

  

    



        
  
  
 
  
  


He became a commercial photographer and used his free time to pursue his artistic photography.  In 1981 he left the GDR and moved to Austria, where he started over again, penniless and at ground zero.  After only a few years, in 1989, he finally became known internationally.

Companies like Leica, Minox, Zeiss, Hama, B + W, Metz, among others used his photographs for their advertising.

 
Klaus Ender with Leica R8

It wasn’t until 1996, after the reunification of Germany in 1990, that he was able to return to the island of Rügen where he started his career and where he celebrated his 45th anniversary as a professional photographer.

Klaus Ender is one of the few East German photographers who also had an impressive international career.

For more on Klaus Ender go to: http://www.klaus-ender.de


   For other articles on this blog please click on Blog Archive in the column to the right

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap     
 www.eddycam.com        

      



Buy vintage Leica cameras from 
America's premier Leica specialist 
www.tamarkin.com

 http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show


Click on image to enlarge
Please make payment via PayPal to GMP Photography

Click on image to enlarge
Please make payment via PayPal to GMP Photography

Click on image to enlarge
Please make payment via PayPal to GMP Photography


Posted by at 18 comments:
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)