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.
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.
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.
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
Transport of a FODIS Rangefinder in
1927
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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