Ad for Leica G (or Leica IIIa as it is known by outside the USA)
Toronto. Most of us have heard of the rivalry between Leica (Leitz, Wetzlar) and Contax (Zeiss, Jena) last century. On page 455 of the October 1935 issue of American Cinematographer, Leitz, New York placed this ad to extol the virtues of its 1935 model Leica – model G (or IIIa) with its f/2 lens rather than the slower f/3.5 Elmar.
Also noted was the camera’s ‘modern chrome finish’ option which wore better than the traditional black enamel that was prone to faster ‘brassing’ when in heavy use. Leica was made by the family-owned optical house of Ernst Leitz while Contax was the brain child of the mighty Zeiss organization commissioned to rationalize the German camera industry and run Zeiss-Ikon for the German government.
A big thanks to good friend and retired industrial cinematographer, George Dunbar, for sharing this interesting bit of history.
