Tag Archives: Leitz

a better view

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. In a recent post, I looked at the Visoflex  ‘chimney’ for the mirror box fitted between a Leica and its bellows. Even before the Visoflex series went to market, Leitz made mirror boxes like the PLOOT which came with … Continue reading →

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not up in smoke

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Leitz came up with a mirror box housing that converted its famous Leica rangefinder to an SLR for close-ups and telephoto shots. The first version (Visoflex I) came with the 5x vertical magnifier (LVFOO). A 45 degree 4x magnifier … Continue reading →

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one ringy dingy …

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Who can forget comedian Lily Tomlin and her hilarious send up of the telephone company? Leitz often separated the lens assembly from the focussing mount. To use the lens on the bellows, a ring would connect the lens (or … Continue reading →

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saddle soars

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. Leitz was on a roll with its accessory viewfinders complementing the squinty single focal length one built into the Leica. During WW2, cradle or saddle versions were released (1943). The version for the 9cm lens was called a SOOUT. … Continue reading →

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come here, you little rascal …

Posted on December 19, 2024 by Robert

Toronto.  … I pictured my mother saying as I ran out of the kitchen. When I was born, the movie short ‘Our Gang‘ or ‘the little Rascals’ was popular in movie houses. Leitz began marketing the Leica mid 1924. The … Continue reading →

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what the heck?

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. Around 1931, Leitz decided to make their tiny Leica an interchangeable lens camera and produced the first few new focal length lenses. Within a year, the Leica’s film to lens mount distance was standardized and thereafter any screw mount … Continue reading →

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more on making it better

Posted on January 12, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. When Leitz made special enlarging lenses, the first such lens was the VAROB made from about 1933 through 1939. Some people considered the VAROB lens an Elmar lens in a special barrel for use on an enlarger. Others, like … Continue reading →

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Dail M for …

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. … Dr Mandler. The late Walter Mandler was a world renown camera lens designer. The link takes you to his eulogy by Rolf Fricke. This eulogy was published in volume 5-2 of the PHSC newsletter in May, 2005. Dr … Continue reading →

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a Johnny come lately

Posted on December 3, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Introduced in 1924, the Leica by Leitz was a flat out success. Two years later, in 1926, its competitor, Zeiss formed the Zeiss-Ikon group to rationalize the German photographic Industry. By 1932, the first Zeiss Contax reached market – … Continue reading →

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name game

Posted on November 18, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Shortly after the Leica was first marketed, Leitz standardized the lens-to-film distance and offered a group of interchangeable lenses suitable for any camera. To compete with the Johnny-cum-lately CONTAX by the mighty Zeiss factories, Leitz looked to others to … Continue reading →

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