A different look at Leicas and other cameras
from past to present.
Probably the best known
name connected to the research of the evolution of man is Charles Darwin. However, many people don't realize that his
research involved a great omission.
Although he successfully discovered the basics of man's evolution,
nowhere did he mention the evolution that took place with today's elves. These peaceful and industrious creatures must not be mistaken as gnomes,
elves do not wear long, pointed hats.
They play an important role in the lives of many of us. The users of Leicas and other cameras
everywhere owe a great deal to these elves.
The great cultural centers
of the European elves are the Black Forest, some parts of the Alps, the less
harsh regions around Salzburg, and also the Harz mountains, the Erzgebirge in
eastern Germany and the Riesengebirge on the boundary of Silesia and Bohemia. Here they played an important role with the
giant Rübezahl, but that is a different story.
Over time the typical
habitat of the elves became smaller and smaller, primarily because of the
advances of man and the advent of larger cities. Consequently the elves found it necessary to
change their lifestyles as well, many following man into the cities. One of the earliest achievements between man
and elf was reported from the city of Cologne where many elves helped a poor
shoemaker succeed in his business.
Needless to say, the business of making shoes is not the only trade of
the elves. As a credit to their very
small stature, they soon developed tremendous skills in the manufacture of fine
mechanical things. Today's finest clocks
and chronometers are still largely made by elves.
Therefore it is no wonder
that many found their way into the manufacture of cameras. The Erzgebirge is not too far from the former
German optical center in Jena and it was here that the first elf-made cameras
became famous as, for instance the Zeiss Super Ikonta, the Contax and the
Ermanox. Unfortunately, the perils of
time and politics brought an end to this center of optics and cameras. But it was not too far from the Black Forest
to the city of Wetzlar which was to become an integral place for the
performance of the skilled elves.
Anybody who has ever visited this quaint little town, where time seems
to have stood still for centuries, will quickly realize why these little people
came and settled here. We must remember
that these unselfish creatures very much shy away from contact with man. Some might say that this is just another
example of their intelligence.
Wetzlar and the
surrounding hills presented a perfect habitat for the elves. They soon decided to help with the
manufacture of microscopes at the Optical Institute. This took place in approximately the middle
of the 19th century. Another new area
for the elves was the Bavarian town of Oberkochen. A lot of the former Jena elves decided to
settle there when the Zeiss company decided to make Oberkochen their new
headquarters after WWII.
After working on the
Ermanox for a few years, it became obvious that a small, ready to use camera
had a great future. Several attempts
were made by a number of manufacturers to use motion picture cameras for still
photography, but it was not until 1913, when Oskar Barnack at Leitz made the
first prototype of the Leica, that such a camera became a possibility. Oskar Barnack has always been credited for
inventing the Leica and along with it, practical 35mm photography. But equal credit must be given to the
elves. It is interesting to note that
some of the elves, who formerly worked in Jena, decided to visit Wetzlar upon
the recommendation of some of their relatives who lived there. Some decided to stay, and it is they who were
instrumental in the development of the Leica prototype and with it the
development of 35mm photography as we know it today.
Early attempts in creating the Leica were somehat crude
and in need of help from the elves ...
... which soon resulted in the Leica prototype, the Ur-Leica
It is not known if the
basic idea for the camera came from Oskar Barnack or from the elves, but we do
know that they were instrumental in the development of some of the
features. For instance, the prototype or
Ur-Leica had an accessory shoe which was designed by one of the former Jena
elves. It is interesting to note that
the dimensions of today’s accessory shoes and hot shoes on our cameras are
identical to the one originally developed by the elves in Wetzlar. The Ur-Leica initially had to be loaded in a
darkroom. It held enough film for 40
exposures. After finishing the roll of
film, the camera had to be unloaded again in the darkroom. This, of course, proved to be very unhandy,
and soon the elves designed a small, re-loadable, light-tight cassette to hold
the film. Since this cassette took up
some of the space initially reserved for the film, the total length of the roll
had to be shortened to 36 exposures.
That is the very reason why to this day 35mm cameras can hold
(officially) no more than 36 frames.
Even special models like the Panorama Leica and the Leica Turret were soon developed.
Things were destined not
to work as nicely as they could have.
War interrupted the beautiful conditions in Wetzlar. Since elves have never made a gun or any
other weapon, it is even sadder to see how they were influenced by something
they had so little influence on. The
early post-war years were very hard.
This resulted in the decision of the elves to try their fortune
elsewhere. Thus it is not surprising
that when Leitz Wetzlar decided to establish a North American branch in
Midland, Ontario, some of the Wetzlar elves decided to go along.
Midland is a small town
with surroundings very much to the liking of the elves, a perfect habitat. The Midland elves soon felt very much at
home. They did not much care that their
first working space had to be improvised in an ice skating rink. They were finally able to do again what they
did best – make cameras and lenses. The
operation grew and while Mr Kluck and his followers got most of the credit, it
is no secret that without the tremendous skill and help of the elves, there
would be none of those fine instruments for which the name Leitz and Leica has
become known. So even though the Midland
products did not bear the insignia “Made in Germany” anymore, it was still the
same elves who manufactured much of the goods.
Transport of a FODIS rangefinder in 19127
A couple of them worked
very closely with Dr. Walter Mandler and with their help, Midland soon became
the center of optical design for the entire Leitz works. The success of the Leica was assured and in
the early seventies it became apparent that there was a need for expansion. Once again, a small town with perfect living
conditions for the elves was found, this time not far from the Portugese town
of Porto. Some of the older Wetzlar and
Midland elves, now in their prime, decided to relocate in Porto. After all, in one's older years, the milder
climate in Portugal was something to consider.
With the help of the
Wetzlar and Midland elves a marvelous new camera was developed, the Leica R3,
entirely made in Portugal Considering
that most of these elves received their training in the mid-nineteenth century,
it is much to their credit that they were able to make the transition to
electronics. Although Leitz has been
criticized for making changes much too slowly, we must remember that with the
average elf life span of 350 years, 10 years are but a moment in time. According to human standards, elvers are
definitely in no hurry, yet soon after the R3 we were presented with the R4, R5
and up to the R9. The rangefinder
cameras were further developed from the M3 to the M7 and then the digital M8
and M9 and now the incredible Leica M and Leica M Monochrom, along with a
variety of other Leica digital camera and the Leica flagship, the marvelous
Leica S.
For those who have doubts
about the quality of the Canadian and Portuguese Leica equipment, remember that
it is made by the same elves, or their descendants, who brought the name Leitz
Wetzlar into such high esteem. And let
there be no doubt that the people at Leitz in Wetzlar and Solms are fully aware
of the benefits they derive from those elves.
Why else would they have been so careful in the selection of new sites
in Canada and Portugal? They knew that
by selecting such elf-friendly environments, the future participation of the
elves in manufacturing Leica equipment would be assured and it is this that has
and always will set Leicas apart from their competitors.
Legends say that the
Wetzlar elves are descendants from an old Roman elf with the name Cameraus
Automaticus, who is known for making some early experiments in the harnessing
of light. Unfortunately, traces to
modern times are difficult to follow, since so many of his descendants went
into different trades. We do know
however, that one of them, Cervesaus Delectibus, is known to have been
instrumental in establishing the art of brewing beer in Germany.
But back to the
manufacture of cameras. It is no great
secret that elves are a very proud people.
As soon as the Leica became a success, the elves in Jena decided to help
in developing a 35mm camera for Zeiss as well.
The result is the now legendary Contax.
Unfortunately, we cannot
show any photographs of the elves. As we
know from the experience of the shoemaker in Cologne, it is an unwritten rule
that one must not watch or photograph them.
Heaven forbid! This would result
in their immediate departure. So I hope that
the readers of this article will understand that we can only show an artist’s
conception of secret observations of what goes on at night in some of the
camera manufacturing plants.
It was around the time of
the introduction of the Contax that Eastman Kodak decided to buy the former
Nagel Camera Works in Stuttgart. Many
elves had been working there for years, and they too helped in the development
of yet another, the third ever, 35mm camera, the famous Kodak Retina.
Leica M5 Assembly
Working on the Optical
Components of the Leica M Rangefinder
There are many other
accounts of elves helping in the development of cameras. Names like Exacta, Rollei, Hasselblad,
Linhof, Plaubel, Sinar etc. come to mind, too numerous to mention in
detail. But one other success story must
be mentioned.
In the early years after
WWII, with Europe in ruins, some of the elves there got discouraged. They thought it too difficult to rebuild and
subsequently decided to try other regions, far away regions, which led many of
them to Japan. This, of course, also
included some of the “camera elves.”
One of their early
successes was the manufacture of lenses.
They helped the fledgling Nikon company, and it was due to the memory
and the skills of some of the Wetzlar and Jena elves, that Nikon was able to
make versions of lenses which were originally designed with the help of the
elves for Leitz and Zeiss. When Nikon
decided to make cameras as well, it was again with the help of the elves that
the original Nikon came to be. The
former Jena and Wetzlar elves decided to work together and to take the best of
their previous masterpieces and combine them into a new camera. The result was that the first Nikon
essentially was a Contax camera body and lens mount but with the film transport
and shutter system of the Leica. Even
the famous Nikon F was still based on that principle.
Another manufacturer,
benefiting greatly from the help of the elves was Canon. Their factory had mainly Wetzlar elves. Therefore it should come as no surprise that
the early Canon cameras were very much based on the Leica camera.
At this day and age all
the various camera manufacturers of course have camera designs entirely their
own. Tremendous advancements have taken place since the early days of making
cameras, and unfortunately most of us give little thought and little credit
where so much credit is due. It is safe
to say that even in these days of electronics and electronic controls, the top
cameras in this world would hardly be possible without the help of the
elves. The developments of multi
megapixel digital cameras would simply be impossible without them. So let’s all be thankful that the experience
with the shoemaker in Cologne a long time ago did not discourage the elves from
working on our behalf. Photography as we
know it today would not have happened without them.
________________________________________________________________________________________
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great fun article!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bill. It was a fair amount of work putting it together, including my drawing skills.
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