I think every Leica
enthusiast remembers the Leica camera that ‘started it all’. I am one of the
fortunate individuals that can truly say that I have used Leicas all my life,
well, almost.
I grew up in the
photography business of my father in Germany. This naturally exposed me to
photography and cameras at an early age. It was always my father's dream for me
to take over the business once he retired. That, however, does not mean that I
was pushed in that direction, to the contrary, I was always encouraged by my
parents to follow my own interests, of which there were many. But my dad also
always encouraged me to take pictures of my own. I must have had some
noticeable interest, because on my fifth birthday he presented me with my Leica
No. 1, a Leica III with 50mm f/2 Summar and a Steinheil Culminar 135mm f/4.5.
That also included a Braun Viewfinder, adjustable from 35mm to 135mm and a
Leitz VACU flash synchronization device.
Leica III with Summar 50mm
f/2
Leica III back with Foto
Richter Barntrup Nameplate
Leica III with Summar 50mm
f/2 and FIKUS Lens Shade
I am convinced that
starting out with this camera ultimately made me a better photographer for a
variety of reasons. My dad did not give me a light meter, instead he taught me
the sunny 16 rule and for flash, there was never any automation until much
later in my life. I simply focused and then had to use the old guide number
divided by distance formula to determine the aperture setting. Considering that
I also had to deal with a collapsible lens, I had ample opportunity to make
mistakes, and mistakes I made, many.
After wondering about some
very blurry images, even though I knew I had focused my lens quite carefully,
and after many explanations from my dad, I eventually remembered to pull out
the collapsible lens before I started shooting. I also soon figured out that
taping a little guide in back of the flash with the guide number/distance
formula eventually lessened flash exposure mistakes, as did a note with the
sunny 16 exposures on it.
Steinheil München Culminar
135mm f/4.5
My Laica III with 50mm
Summar 50mm f/2,
FICUS Lens Hood, Braun
Universal finder and VACU Flash Synch
This isn’t meant to give
me a pad on the back. I truly believe that starting out totally manually made
photography in the long run a lot easier for me. Even though I have since
switched to digital Leica equipment, I still use film occasionally, for no
other reason than not to lose my touch. To this day I have no problem getting
correct exposures without the help of a meter. As a matter of fact, once I did
start using a light meter, it gave me cause to explore what these instruments
are capable of beyond just plain camera settings.
Even now, working in my
studio or doing architectural and other photography, I still rely very much on
my light meters. Even in these days of Photoshop, I still approach my
photography as in the film days. That includes careful light readings and all
else that I can do to get the shot right. That certainly makes post production
a lot less time consuming because generally, I don’t have to correct for
mistakes.
Having grown up with
rangefinder cameras, which of course included the use of add-on viewfinders, never
bothered me. I have owned several of the Leica R models, but inevitably I
always gravitate back to the rangefinder Leicas. This is also the reason
because several of the current Leica M models accept an electronic viewfinder,
the new Visoflex. This makes them a true
system camera. Without the electronic viewfinder the rangefinder allows the use
of the typical M lenses from 28 to 135mm and the electronic finder will work
with all other lenses, including Leica R lenses and lenses from other
manufacturers with the help of the Leica R adapter or adapters for other
manufacturers lenses. In addition, the electronic Visoflex finder greatly
enhances the versatility of the camera because it also allows for virtually
unrestricted close up photography as well as the use of long telephoto lenses.
This and the new Leica SL have to be considered the answer for all the Leica R lens owners who, for a
long time, have waited for a digital camera to use their R lenses on.
Thus my good old Leica III
from so many years ago has effectively been the starting point in a long
succession of cameras which, with the exception of the R models I have owned,
have been further developments of the Leica III which, in itself, is
essentially nothing more than a further development of Oskar Barnack’s Ur-Leica
prototype. No other camera anywhere can look upon such a long history and no
other camera ever will.
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