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Leica IIc

Santa Clauss brought me a Leica? Wow, thanx Santa. When the box arrived i just couldn't hide my excitement. I was pacing up and down, trying to find on the internet how to load correctly a roll of film and start shooting.
My IIc was produced in the distant 1950. It comes equipped with the Elmar 50 f/3.5 made in 1952. It is in near mint condition, the shutter is accurate and all the controls are smooth. The only problem was a bit of fungus on shutter curtain which required some surgical spirit to clean it. I really like the IIc, it is small, extremely well made and the shutter has the best sound i've ever heard.

Of course there are some shortfalls. First of all, separate viewfinder and rangefinder. Takes time to get used to it (especially if you are spoiled by using a later rangefinder from the '60s (errr... Ricoh) ) but the truth is that it doesn't bother me as i use fast films and i zone focus. Another thing is that you have to select the shutter speed AFTER you have cocked the shutter otherwise you risk damaging the shutter spring. Also, the speed dial is rotating during exposure which is not very ergonomic, especially if you are wearing gloves. Finally, loading the film is a pain. You have to remove the base, put the canister in one side and engage the film in the spool. Then push!!!. Hopefully it has gone far enough. Just to be on the safe side, select "B" and fire the shutter with no lens one. Check if the film is correctly put, otherwise push it with your finger. Sounds nasty? Then buy the special tool that helps you trim the film leader. I think it is called ABLON. Check here for more info.
The Elmar 50 f/3.5 is a Tessar design with 4 elements in 3 groups. It is a later version, with single coating and stops down to f/22. The earlier ones went up to f/18. It is quite sharp, as sharp maybe as the Yashica T4's but i have the feeling that the Rikenon is sharper. This means nothing of course, the Elmar has it's own signature, especially its low contrast and bokeh (pic1, pic2, pic3).

The IIc model is the lower class one, its speed reach up to 1/500 (as opposed to 1/1000 on the IIIc model) and there is no separate speed dial for the slow speeds. This can be a plus too, less things to break. The biggest difference between the IIc and the IIb model is the top chassis. In the IIc it was replaced with one solid piece, rather than the previous one which was made by 3 parts (i think). This adds to its robustness.

Conclusion:
The Leica IIc is the jewel in my photographic-equipment crown. There are some ergonomic issues which were all solved in the later M models but the building quality is well beyond any criticism. This is the camera that i will pass on to my kids after i die - if there are still films available.
The Leica is a solid tool that produces excellent pictures with its own signature.

Lasting Impressions
I just love this great little camera and it is likely to stay in my collection forever. An inspiring peace of engineering...

Comments

  1. Mike14 April 2012 at 12:50

    Congratulations. Great quality in the images from that lens.

    ReplyDelete

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