shutter dust shield added to the Leica Standard, Leica III and later
Toronto. When Leitz produced the Leica, they used a removable base plate to replace films and help reduce the area open to air borne dirt and dust. This worked for models without lens interchangeability.
When the model II gave way to interchangeable lenses, the lens mount offered a gaping opening for dust to penetrate the tiny camera during lens changes. A solution was to add metal barriers to the rolled shutter curtains previously left open to the lens mount. This change was added to all models after the Leica II.
Sadly some copied versions were based on the Leica II but offered lens interchangeability – and an opening to dirt and dust.
Inspiration for this post came from Dylan’s 1974 song, “Shelter From the Storm” on his album Blood on the Tracks (I have the CD version).
