Text and Pictures by José Manuel Serrano Esparza
The great versatility of
the four-part Leica M mount, a brainstorm by Hugo Wehrenfennig in early
fifties, providing it with the best feasible shape to achieve that the maximum
quantity of light coming from the optical system of the lens could reach the
outermost corners of the image, has been instrumental to enable the coupling of
a hugely comprehensive array of lenses from other brands and different times to
24 x 36 mm format Leica M cameras from 1954 hitherto, also built with that
landmark mount featuring an external diameter of 44 mm and a flange distance of
27.8 mm, and even German and Japanese very old lenses in LTM39 mount through
dedicated adapters with M bayonets which activate the corresponding bright-line
frame in the camera´s viewfinder.
And it has sometimes
spawned unique combos like this Leica M7 with W-Nikkor·C 2.5 cm f/4 wideangle
lens in LTM39 mount, emboding a flawless synergy between one of the evolutive
pinnacles of the Leica M saga of rangefinder German cameras and a gorgeous and
very small Japanese pancake design wide-angle prime whose 4 elements in 4
groups optical scheme, incepted by the Nippon Kogaku Japanese optical designer
Hideo Azuma, dates back to 1953 and lacks any focusing ring.
The Leica M7, launched
into market in 2002, is probably the 35 mm analog rangefinder camera featuring
more functions ever made by the German firm, with a core made up by a very
accurate rangefinder, three choices of viewfinder magnification (0.58x for
wideangle lenses, 0.72x as universal standard magnification, and the 0.85x
version for lenses with medium and long focal lengths up to 135 mm, with
brightline frames designed accordingly for each magnification and being
manually or automatically activated in the viewfinder), and an electronically
controlled, vibration free and horizontally running state-of-the-art focal
plane cloth shutter working extremely smoothly and practically without
vibrations, it all being fostered by a very reliable TTL semispot metering,
which is slightly more accurate than the very precise one featured by the Leica
M6 and Leica M6 TTL.
All speeds are
electronically governed, except 1/60 sec and 1/125 sec, which are mechanical, in
such a way that we have got security margin to spare, because if suddenly the
batteries drain, we can use either of these speeds to get the picture.
Aside from the traditional
manual selection of shutter speed and aperture by means of the light balance in
the viewfinder, which has been thoroughly proved for a lot of decades in
preceding models of Leica M cameras, the M7 also sports the automatic aperture
priority choice, which enhances even more the great quickness of usage based on
a highly precise large base RF enabling very consistent focus once and again,
even with low contrast objects and under very dim light conditions, helped by
the top-notch high luminosity of the slew of Leica M lenses, excelling in terms
of optical and mechanical quality and rendering exceedingly high resolving
power and contrast even at the greatest apertures for which their design was
usually optimized, bringing about crystal clear images, loads of detail and
great colours.
A quality without
compromise, far from any programmed obsolescence and a true photographic tool
to last a lifetime, lacking lots of buttons or knobs, and in which the
photographer has got the control at every moment and takes the decisions on the
keynote of paying attention to the essential and really important things, for
tackling the photographic act with the least ammount of clutter, in an
unobstrusive and inconspicuous way.
In addition, there´s often
the further chance of using hyperfocal techniques and running the show as to
the desired depth of field area, beating in accuracy and speed the best AF of
professional analog and digital SLR and mirrorless cameras in genres like
candid shots or street photography.
If we also bear in mind
that the Leica M7 shutter lag is of only 12 milliseconds (much shorter than the
shutters sported by current top-of-the-line SLR and mirrorless digital
professional full frame cameras), we get the hang of the whole thing: to take
pictures with the Leica M7 is something more spontaneous, relaxed and
convenient, using a very compact and light camera body, along with tiny lenses
most times second to none in optomechanical quality in the 24 x 36 mm format
domain.
On the other hand, it
generates a very low level of noise when shooting, comparable to a whisper (the
Leica M7 beats in this regard the already extremely silent M3 and M6 when using
slow shutters speeds, while when getting pictures at medium and high speeds the
almost imperceptible levels of noise are on a par), the latter being feasible
because instead of the levers, cams and gears driving the speed adjustment in
classical Leica M cameras like the M3 and M6, an electromagnet for each curtain
is now responsible for the timing of the shutter release, and the absence of
the gear train present in classical Leica M models bringing about a very slight
noise during the delay of the second curtain when using slow speeds, turns into
silence with the M7.
Besides, a new
rollerbearing strengthens the main roller of the M7 shutter, and it makes a
difference regarding its precision and seamless duration under stress
throughout many decades, with a remarkable speed steadiness of the traversing
slit.
The shutter of the Leica
M7 operates flawlessly and boasts higher accuracy than the different models of
mechanically governed Leica M rangefinder cameras, though in extremely harsh
environments over 60º C and under -30 º C the utterly mechanical shutters
featuring Willi Stein, Ludwig Leitz and Peter Loseries DNA will work
impeccably, whereas an electronic shutter could not operate.
Regarding flash
synchronization, the Leica M7 has the possibility of being used with
appropriate flash units set for the first or the second curtain, with the added
benefit of a high speed sync choice.
It is a camera built with
a smart mixture of old and new product technology, oozing a very painstaking
care devoted to the design of the viewfinder, shutter and the die-cast housing,
with a tremendously exacting material selection and treatment, engineering
quality and an almost entirely manual assembly following painstaking artisan
guiding principles.
Needless to say that the
M7 is a milestone in the Leica M breed development, needing a three years
groundwork that began in January of 1999 in Solms (Germany) with meetings
between product manager Stephen Daniel and some professional photographers from
whom he gleaned abundant feedback, until the camera came on stream in 2002.
And in spite of being an
analogue camera, it harbingered in a number of aspects the subsequent
development from 2009 onwards of the full frame digital rangefinders Leica M9,
M10, M10-P, M10 Monochrome, M10-R and others, being the conceptual forebear of
them all.
On the other hand, the
possibility opened by the M7 of choosing automatic aperture priority allows the
photographers to attain a more spontaneous and relaxed photographic activity,
since they are not bound to be aware about setting the correct exposure or to
adjust it, in frequent contexts in which light conditions are changing, so they
can pay attention to framing, composition and focusing, immediately after
having selected the subject, because when aperture priority AE is on, the
camera constantly measures the light.
It´s clear that a Leica M
experienced photographer will be able to make things without problems with a
mechanical Leica M3, M2, etc, guessing exposure through estimation, often using
the sunny f/16 rule and operating quickly without any built-in TTL metering and
getting a high rate of accurate focusing and much better pictures than a bad photographer
with a Leica M7, and that the aperture chosen will go on being a very important
aspect to control depth of field, selective focusing and picture quality.
But with the Leica M7 the
option of relying on a well proven electronic system which makes the task of
selecting the appropriate speed in a very fast way, undoubtedly liberates the
photographer of the work and time necessary to manually set the shutter speed
with previous Leica M cameras, while you go on preserving the control of the
significant items and taking the decisions with a minimum intervention of
electronics.
It is also apparent that
sometimes a picture of a brief moment is missed because to manually set the
correct exposure means to take some time and then that instant may have elapsed,
so the advantages of the M7 in this respect, with its available aperture
priority AE can be significant when the photographer has to tackle environments
where he/she must react fast under changing luminic levels.
On the other hand, the
sturdiness of the Leica M7 and its ability to endure a lot of years of hard
professional use is impressive, because only high quality materials are used in
its manufacture.
One example will suffice:
its top cap and base plate are made with solid brass, while the camera body
consists of very special simultaneously light and highly tough diecast
aluminum.
The 4 elements in 4 groups
W-Nikkor.C 2.5 cm f/4, designed by Hideo Azuma in 1953, and clearly inspired by
the Zeiss Topogon 25 mm f/4 for 24 x 36 mm Contax rangefinder cameras, is a
minute jewel in itself, with very small dimensions and weight rendering it a
relish to use shooting handheld.
Obviously, it is far from
the optical performance of much more modern optical designs of similar focal
length and maximum aperture around f/4 featuring multicoatings like the not
coupled Cosina Voigtlander 25 mm f/4 SC Skopar for Nikon and Contax rangefinder
cameras (and also for screwmount Leica rangefinders and Leica M cameras through
adapter), the coupled Cosina Voigtlander 25 mm f/4 SC Skopar in Leica M mount,
and differences would be much bigger in all conceivable parameters if
comparison are made with the superb Elmar-M 24 mm f/3.8 ASPH or with the trio
of reference-class highly luminous 24/25 mm wideangles made up by the Elmarit-M
24 mm f/2.8 ASPH, the Zeiss Biogon T* 25 mm f/2.8 ZM and the Summilux-M 24 mm
f/1.4 ASPH, all of which hugely outperform the W-Nikkor.C 2.5 cm f/4, a lens
created almost seventy years ago.
But it doesn´t matter at
all, because this charming wideangle Japanese vintage lens is much smaller and
lighter than all the aforementioned top-class wideangles in the 24/25 mm realm,
and it is still able to get good pictures, so the photographer using it can
attain virtually unsurpassed levels of compactness, convenience of transport
and comfort shooting handheld coupled to the Leica M7, to such an extent that
probably only the 5 elements in 3 groups Hektor 28 cm f/6.8 in LTM39 mount
(1935-1955), the 6 elements in 4 groups Summaron-M 28 mm f/5.6 (1955-1963) and
the modern Summaron-M 28 mm f/5.6 ( launched into market in 2016 with identical
optical formula and length of less than 2 cm, but far superior optical glasses
and delivered image quality ) would approach the vintage Papanese wideangle
lens in those aspects.
If besides we realize that
the W-Nikkor.C 2.5 cm f/4 only protrudes 0.95 cm from the camera and that it is
possible to shoot hand and wrist at very slow shutter speeds of up to 1/4 sec
without trepidation using first-class modern 35 mm black and white films like
Fuji Acros 100, Kodak T-Max 100, Kodak T-Max 400, Argenti Nanotomic-X shot at
iso 100 and 200 and developed with Nanodol, etc, along with current iso 100
color films like Kodak Ektar 100, Fuji Reala and iso 400 colour film like Fuji
400H, Kodak Portra 400, etc, with the chance of greatly improve the image
quality possible during fifties (in which chemical emulsions were much grainier)
preserving that very special aesthetic of image inherent to classic Nippon
Kogaku rangefinder lenses from the starting halcyon days of Nikon during
fifties, we begin experiencing unique sensations.
This was a Japanese great
optical tour de force design, because 68 years ago it was strenuously hard and
difficult to design a small extreme wideangle lens for the time like this,
featuring such a little diameter, and the manufacture of its four elements
became an exceedingly hard toil, specially the two very thin and brittle
concave elements of its optical formula, whose treatment was very cumbersome.
On the other hand, each
W-Nikkor·C 2.5 cm f/4 produced needed a very special cleaning equipment during
the manufacturing stage.
Hideo Azuma, a great
optical designer working for Nippon Kogaku, studied very thoroughly the four
elements in four groups German Carl Zeiss Topogon 25 mm f/4 for 24 x 36 mm
format Contax rangefinders, created three years before, in 1950, and decided
that the 1953 W-Nikkor·C 2.5 cm f/4 wideangle lens would be based on it, as
well as inheriting the deep aperture ring set from inside the lens.
It quickly dawned on Hideo
Azuma that the creation of the new Nippon Kogaku superwide angle lens (the
focal length of 25 mm was then deemed as that in the 35 mm format domain) would
be a very strenuous optomechanical task.
Moreover, the optical
firms in the post II World War Japan were on a shoestring budget and needed to
use not very expensive glass to reduce designing cost, so it was impossible to
get professional image quality at full f/4 aperture with this kind of
objectives.
But there were two
important advantages: on one hand, such a wideangle lens is most often used at
f stops between 5.6 and f/11, and on the other hand, the Topogon design, though
not being a very luminous one, allows to obtain an extremely flat field
boasting complete wiping out of astigmatism even using not the best and
expensive glasses, and besides, it doesn´t need top-notch and also pricey
antireflection coatings intended for the preservation of the glass from a
chemical viewpoint as happens with other not Topogon modern wideangles in the
range of 24/25 mm and featuring wider apertures of f/3.5, f/2.8, f/2, etc.
This way, Hideo Azuma
devoted himself full blast to the designing of the W-Nikkor.C 25 mm f/4, doing
his best to emulate the Zeiss Topogon 25 mm f/4 for Contax rangefinders, but
with very few means and a short array of optical glasses available, using the
same optical formula of 4 elements in a symmetrical design, optimizing the
performance for f/8 and f/11, in addition to balancing as many factors as
possible by means of hard work and a lot of tests, opting for maintaining some
coma, spherical aberration, some residual flare specially at the widest
aperture and some chromatic aberration.
Therefore, at full f/4
aperture the lens gets a simply acceptable resolving power and sharpness,
becoming progressively soft towards the edges of the 24 x 36 mm negative, while
a little flare appears on the whole image surface, even in the center, so
albeit image quality could be defined as discreet to modern standards in terms
of definition and contrast, it is usable and has a special vintage signature of
its own.
Whatever it may be, the
W-Nikkor.C 25 mm f/4 reaches its sweet spot between f/8 and f/11, where there´s
a visible improvement in definition and contrast (still a bit low to modern
standards but enough), along with an obliteration of flare to practical
effects.
Though always a bit
handicapped by the moderate contrast it delivers, the gradual changes between
tones, hues and shades are very well rendered by this lens, particularly with b
& w films.
Besides, the charming
W-Nikkor.C 25 mm f/4 sports a further trait : the internal helical turns inside
the objective barrel, the exterior barrel being fixed meanwhile.
And the minimum focusing
distance is 106 cm.
The upshot of it is that
this amazing camera / lens mixture manages to successfully blend and make
operative two highly representative photographic products from different times
: the Leica M7 (launched into market in 2002, one of the flagship models of the
Leica M saga of 24 x 36 mm format rangefinder cameras, and whose most defining
and innovative trait is the incredible consistency it attains using the
aperture priority automatic metering in a wide range of light contexts) and the
W-Nikkor.C 25 mm f/4 (a highly praiseworthy extreme wideangle lens for its
time, whose first prototype was created in 1953, being launched into market in
1955 and stemming from the very deep knowledge, ingenuity, passion and working
ability of Hideo Azuma, a great optical engineer of Nippon Kogaku and admirer
of the German photographic industry, who strove upon approaching as much as
possible to the optomechanical performance of the Carl Zeiss Topogon 25 mm f/4
with the very meager resources he had).
The fact that so many
years after the creation of both photographic tools they keep on working
seemlessly speaks volumes about the coherence of their raison d´être.
The author wishes to express his gratitude to Dr. Michael Schwartz, member of the Leica Historical Society of America, who kindly let photograph this camera and lens.
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