Leica III (or model F) advertisement in fall 1935
Toronto. In 1935, advertisements pointed out how a particular camera or maker was different. Was superior to the rest. Was a far better buy than the competition.
This was especially noticeable in highly competitive America. For example, Leitz NY would not just show the technical specifications and how well built their products were, but how much better they did their job – faster speeds, easier and faster to use, and far superior in construction.
In a typical ad (September, 1935 issue of American Cinematographer), a new model F (Leica III) is shown (top shutter speed 1/500th) but the copy states Leica had a top speed of 1/000 second (actually this was for the Leica IIIa or an earlier model factory modified). With a fast shutter speed and a fast SUMMAR f/2 lens, the camera could easily take a sequence of bicycle shots in a couple of seconds (a model with 1/500th shutter speed and a slower lens would be just fine, too).
Because the higher end models had a slow speed mechanism that was continuously adjustable from 1/20th second to a full second, a feature not available for other cameras, this was also emphasized in the ad.
The mechanism used was a clockwork device that held the second shutter curtain back briefly to extend the shutter speeds down to a second. If a lower cost Leica model without the slow speeds was returned to the factory, this device could be easily retrofitted.
My thanks to my good friend and retired corporate photographer, George Dunbar, for both the ad and the idea.
