It is often said that the
Leica was the first 35mm camera.
However, that does require some qualification. If we look at cameras at their prototype
stage, the Leica was there almost from the very beginning. But even the Ur-Leica, the original
prototype, was not the first still camera that used 35mm film.
The credit to have
established 35mm photography as we know it goes without a doubt to the
Leica. It was of a revolutionary design
and practicality that eluded all the early 35mm cameras to the point that the
only thing they had in common was the fact that they utilized 35mm motion
picture film.
In their infancy motion
picture cameras used a large variety of different films and types of
perforation. As a matter of fact, even
photographic plates were used at one time.
These were carefully fastened in wooden frames, connected between two
leather belts with grommets. which had the same function as the film
perforation. This was the invention of a
Scottish gentleman. The system worked,
but it was very prone to failure and ultimately, while working in principle,
was way ahead of its time. This was at
the middle of the 1800s, and we had to wait until the end of that century
before practical motion pictures did reach the market.
Here the main credit goes to
the Lumiere brothers in France and Thomas A. Edison in the US. Both used perforated film material to assure
proper handling of the film within the camera and projector. However, while Edison used a small, enclosed
viewing device, accessible to only a couple of people at a time, the Lumiere’s
were the first to project film onto a large screen in a theater.
The 35mm film as we know it
today came about upon the initiative of Edison and George Eastman of
Kodak. They both realized that the
multitude of different film formats and perforation arrangements needed to be
standardized. They decided on a film
with a width of 35mm and perforation on both sides of the film and an image of
18mm x 24mm.
These films proved to be of a
rather good quality, far better than the glass plate material available at the
time for still photography. Thus it
should come as no surprise that some people rightly figured that the same film
should be useful for standard still photography as well. All that was necessary was a suitable camera.
Just as the film was spun off
from motion pictures, the cameras used the same path. Virtually all of the early 35mm still cameras
were essentially no more than motion picture cameras, converted for single
frame operation. As a matter of fact,
some even used unperforated 35mm film to allow for a larger image size. In those cases the film was made with a paper
backing like conventional roll film. The
cameras that did use standard 35mm film initially all utilized the 18mm x 24mm
image size or something quite similar.
This shows the great
farsighted ness of Oskar Barnack, the inventor of the Leica. Even his prototype camera, the so called
Ur-Leica did away with any of these conventions. Rather than running the film vertically, like
in all motion picture cameras, he decided to run the film horizontally. This allowed for a twice as large 24mm x 36mm
image size which was to become the standard of the industry. In spite of the large image size, the camera
was substantially smaller, which is another reason for the later success of the
Leica.
Leica Prototype or Ur-Leica
1913
The world’s first 35mm camera
design goes back to June 25, 1908 when a patent was issued to Dr. Alberto Lleo,
a physician, Pablo Audouard, a photographer and Claudio Baradat, an engineer,
all from Barcelona. As far as it is
known, the camera was never produced.
Lleo 35mm Camera
The first 35mm camera with
the 24 x 36mm format was designed by George P. Smith of Richmond Heights,
Missouri in 1912. But it never went
beyond a handcrafted working prototype.
The camera never went into production.
Smith 35mm camera
Another early example of a
35mm camera was the Tourist Multiple from 1913.
It was made by the Herbert & Huesgen, New Ideas Mfg. Co. in the US
and was the first commercially produced 35mm camera ever. The camera used a 50 foot magazine for the
film which allowed 750 half frame 18mm x 24mm exposures to be made.
Tourist Multiple 1913
The Tourist Multiple was soon
followed by the Simplex in 1914, made by Multi Speed of New York. It was the first 35mm camera manufactured and
sold with the 24 x 36 mm format. A lever
allowed to close half of the film gate to switch to the 18 x 24mm half frame
format, giving the camera a capacity of 800 exposures.
Simplex 1914
Needless to say, because of
the great length of film, these cameras were rather large and heavy. It wasn’t until 1915, when Levy Roth of
Berlin introduced the Minigraph that
film length became a lot more manageable.
The Minigraph used film for 50 exposures in special cassettes. It was the first 35mm camera to be sold in
Germany. But this camera too followed
the motion picture cameras with its half frame format.
Minigraph 1915
Another camera with a 50 half
frame capacity was the Le Phototank from 1922.
It was made by Victor Houssin in France.
Another camera from 1922 was the Sico, madeby Simons & Co in Switzerland. The Sico took a different path by utilizing
unperforated 35mm film. This allowed for
a much larger 30mm x 40mm negative size with a capacity of 25 exposures.
Le Phototank 1922
Sico 1922
These cameras were followed
in 1923 by the Sept. It was made in
France by Debrie. The camera was
equipped with a spring driven motor which essentially made it a motion picture
camera with a still frame feature. Even
though the camera itself was relatively compact, it was very heavy and not very
comfortable to use.
Sept 1923
1924 saw the introduction of
the Krauss Eka camera. It was made in
Paris. It was a relatively small, well
designed camera, using unperforated 35mm film with an image size of 30 x 42 mm
and 100 exposures.
Krauss Eka
The last pre-Leica 35mm
camera was the Amourette, made by Jaques Singer from Vienna, Austria. It too used unperforated 35mm film with an
image size of 24 x 30mm with 50 exposures.
The camera was produced until 1930.
Amourette
One of the 35mm cameras
produced in the US was the Ansco Memo made by the Agfa Anco Corporation. There is conflicting information about when
it was first made and marketed. By
design, the camera definitely precedes the Leica The first instruction book shows a printing
date of 1926 and first advertisements date back to 1927. However the GAF Corporation, the successor to
Agfa Ansco stated in a letter to photo historian DR. Joseph A Bailey that the
first Memo was introduced in 1924. That,
however, seems to be a misprint which most likely meant to say developed,
because there is little doubt that the camera was introduced in January of
1927.
Ansco Memo
One other camera deserves to
be mentioned. It is of an uncertain
vintage, most likely made in Germany. Apparently
never went beyond the working prototype stage.
The camera somewhat resembles the Leica Reporter offering spool to spool
film transport for 150 exposures of 24 x 36mm negative size. Considering its Schneider Xenon 45mm f/2
lens, this camera seems to be an early post Leica effort. Unfortunately it too was relatively bulky
because of its large film capacity.
German 35mm prototype
Thus it was not surprising
that the Leica created quite a sensation when it was introduced at the Leipzig
Spring Fair in 1925. The camera was
substantially smaller and lighter than anything seen before. In addition the camera used the 24mm x 36mm
full frame format which assured noticeably better results. This was further enhanced by the outstanding
performance of the 50mm f/3.5 Anastigmat lens.
Leica 1 or Model A
The camera quickly gained
acceptance by a wide range of photographers from professionals to
amateurs. Finally there was a camera
that was easy to use and, because of its diminutive size, easy to carry. It was this camera that put 35mm photography
on the map, so to speak. As a matter of
fact, the Leica influenced photography to a much greater extent than any other
camera before or after. Photography as
we know it today simply would not have happened without the Leica.
Summary
of35mm cameras up to the introduction of the Leica
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