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Antique and classic cameras/lenses price guide.

1 General Introduction.

1.1 Introduction

The Leica camera has been introduced at the Leipzig Spring Fair in 1925 and in its 75th birth day (March 2000) spans three generations of photographers. Since Berek designed the first lens for the Leica, about 200 different optical systems (as a lens is officially called) have been released by the "optisches Rechenbüro" (optical design department) of Leitz-LeicaWetzlar and Leica/Solms. During this period, we have seen many changes in optical design methods, in production technology, in photographic art and practice and in lens performance. The continuing evolution of the Leica lens does reflect these developments. The Leica camera, in the thirties mechanical instrument of workshop craft, became a truly precision engineering instrument in the fifties. Lenses evolved too and in the words of Lipinski "represent not only the highest skill within the camera but also the highest generally applied skill in the engineering world". The study of the Leica lens line and its evolution then is partly the study of lens design and lens engineering. And a comparison of current designs as the Tri-Elmar-M and the Vario-Elmarit-R 1:2.8/35-70 with the Elmax or Summarex of generations ago indicates the differences in design and engineering.

Photography has been called a mechanical representation of reality, as compared to painting or drawing which are assumed to be artistic interpretations of reality and of mood. While it is true that the physical nature of the optical-chemical process is technical, the result of this process is an image that will be perceived and interpreted by the human mind. The craft of photography has always balanced between a technical and artistic emphasis. The Leica cameras have been instrumental in fostering both sides of the craft. Many of the lasting images of the 20th century have been shot with Leica cameras. And the technical quality of Leica lenses and bodies are fine examples of optical and engineering skills. An expertly printed B&W glossy enlargement of a technically impeccable Leica negative is a joy to the trained eye. We should stay sensitive to the content of the image too. The development of the technical expertise of Leica photography is a quite rewarding endeavour. But a picture should be more than an exercise in feasible image resolution. Obviously there is a connection and even a correlation between both approaches. In my view the mastery of the technical and optical aspects of Leica photography is a necessary, but not sufficient condition to exploit the capabilities of the Leica system to the fullest extent. Leica designs its lenses with an admirable ambition for the best image quality in 35mm photography, capable of challenging the mid-format systems. And to be honest, the user pays a lot of money for Leica lenses and bodies. A major part of the cost of a Leica lens can be explained by the mechanical engineering, that is required to hold the very small tolerances that are part of the optical design. This book discusses topics that are of interest to Leica users, new and experienced and to collectors. My approach is a technical one. I will identify and describe most if not all lens designs that have been produced by Leitz and Leica. In the course of my research I have discovered a number of new facts that may be relevant for the collector. The focus is always the change in optical design, not the identification of all different versions of a lens type. In my terminology a lens type is a lens characterized by a focal length and an aperture (1:2/35mm). A lens version of a type is a change in mount, weight or shape. Such changes may affect the use, as a lens mount may be heavier or more ergonomically designed. A change in optical design of a lens type will be identified as the optical system (lens elements) itself does change. In some instances Leica has used a different glass type in an otherwise unchanged design. This will not count as a design change as the optical properties of the lens are not altered. I will also offer comments on how to exploit Leica lenses and their potential image quality. I will provide information that is useful for new and seasoned users of Leica equipment. One topic I do not wish to elaborate upon. Most books on lenses will inform you that a certain type of lens should be matched to certain topics. A 90mm lens is proclaimed as a typical portrait lens and a 21mm lens should be used for landscapes or interiors. Obviously there is a relation between angle of view and what we can capture of the subject in front of the camera-lens. If you care to study the masters of photography, not necessarily confined to Leica photographers, you will notice that any lens can and has been used for any subject.

Many new users of Leica equipment expect that their pictures will improve significantly and visible for anyone to see when using Leica lenses. The converse is true. As is the case with any fine instrument, you need to learn the tricks of the trade and train yourself in the craft before satisfactory results can be reaped. It would be too easy and most certainly wrong to suggest that the mere use of a Leica lens will give you superior results from the start. The true character of Leica lenses needs to be carefully explored and will unveil its secrets slowly and in stages, as when looking at Salome's dance. When the technique, necessary for the use of high-performance lenses has been understood and applied, the Leica photographer is about to explore new worlds.

1.2 Structure of the book.

The book is divided in three parts, which can be read separately, but are interrelated.

In the first part (Chapter 1), I will present an historical and evolutionary perspective on the development of the Leica lenses. From the start in 1925 when Berek created the first lens for the Leica format and had to explore new optical territory, Leica lenses have evolved into dedicated optical systems to exploit the small negative format. In the beginning Leitz had no experience with the design, nor the manufacture of photographic lenses for the 35mm format. Lenses for microscopes are designed for one distance only and are essentially aberration-free for a very narrow angular field. The type of optical correction was different from what was needed for photographic lenses, which typically had much larger angular fields, needed to be stopped down and be focused over a wide range of distances. This chapter tracks the development of the optical designs on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, the management decisions that had to made, the widening scope of the lenses needed for R and M systems, and the need for ever more advanced solutions. It also shows that Leitz could not cope with all these, often conflicting requirements and the efforts to keep abreast of or at least stay in the same league as the competition.

The diversification in designs and systems, the costly production of lenses and the method of manufacturing them, all contributed to the erosion of the proud Wetzlar company. Behind the scenes, the Leitz workers continued to explore the wonderful world of optics and mechanical engineering, with sometimes awe-inspiring results.

The leap forward was possible after a painful restructuring, the scars of which can be sensed even nowadays. The new Solms company should be evaluated on its own performance, however, and when doing this, you can only express admiration for the quality of the new generation of lenses, which in my view for the first time fulfils the performance potential that was envisioned by Berek and colleagues. In the second part I introduce the reader to the dark side of the moon, which is the theory and practice of optical design. My approach is new, in this sense that I do not consider the optical aberrations as separate entities, but show the role they have in the degradation of the image quality, why this happens and what the user of Leica equipment can notice of these optical errors. The central concept here is the focused image and the defocus blur, which is also helpful in explaining depth of field and the widely discussed topic of bo-ke: the quality of the unsharpness zones. The evaluation of image quality is treated in a theoretical and practical way. To stay away from conjectures and long time myths, I have to present some detailed figures. This part is self contained and can be skipped without any loss of information for the other parts. The third part may be considered the backbone of the book. I have analyzed, tested and evaluated every Leica lens in a consistent manner and compared every lens, from the earliest Anastigmat to the latest Apo-Summicron-M 2/90mm against the same set of criteria. The terminology for the description of the lenses has been carefully chosen and reflects my own experiences in taking photographs and developing methods for exploring meaningful differences in optical performance. It is true to a large extent that many lenses stopped down to 1:5.6 exhibit comparable image quality. Still there is a wide gap in the results at 1:5.6 between let us say an older Elmar 1:3.5/50 and the new Summulix-R 1:1.4/50mm. This gap is not easily perceived on casual inspection in moderate enlargements, but when using the best of films, like Kodachrome 25 or 64 and Agfa APX25 and Ilford 100Delta at large projection or big B&W enlargements, there are significant differences to be noted.

Sometimes is it is remarked that Leica photography (as a generic term) is at its best when the light is scarce, the aperture is wide open, the shutter speed slow and the film speed at ISO400 or higher in order to capture the fleeting moment of the human condition. I do agree that the Leica is a superb tool for this kind of photography. The inference that an MTF test may not be relevant for the required image quality in these circumstances, is not true however. High overall contrast, absence of flare and a very good definition of the outlines of major subject shapes may be decisive here and all of these can be directly or indirectly read off from MTF data. As Leica lenses are supposed to excel at the wider apertures and will be used in adverse lighting conditions, I have given much weight in my evaluation to the performance at the 2 or 3 widest apertures, the occurrence of flare and last but not least the quality of mechanical engineering and small production tolerances as indicated by decentring of lens elements. It does not make sense to promote excellent image quality, if the decentring of the lens kills this quality. What I am not interested in at all, are maximum resolution figures and these are disregarded in my analysis. Contrast and the defocus blur are my objects of study and evaluation and in part two I go to some length to explain the theoretical and practical basis of this modern approach to lens analysis.

1.3 Acknowledgements.

A book of this scope cannot be the accomplishment of one person. The team of EKO, the Department of Optical Development and Engineering at Leica Solms, spent countless hours to discuss the design and construction of lenses, bore the burden of opening all archives and guiding me through the more opaque documents discovered there. The unique lens diagrams, that accompany the lens reports, were drawn specifically for this book, and I wish to express my gratitude to Peter who delved into the archives to find the optical prescriptions to feed into the computer and generate these diagrams. I owe much to Mr. Lothar Kölsch who allowed me to fathom the creativity behind and the beauty of optical design as an art form during my interviews. Many friends around the world have directly and indirectly influenced the contents of this book as their conversations and questions about Leica lenses guided me in my choice of topics and my approach to lens evaluations. Derek Grossmark and Ron Clark of Hove Publishing guided me through my first inexperienced steps as a book writer and Lucien acted as a critical reader for the many drafts of the book. Our cat, Wooster, patiently but uninterestingly acted as a model for thousands of pictures for evaluation purposes, and exchanged opinions about Leica enthusiasts with his Canadian counterpart through subspace channels, while sleeping on my most precious documents. My partner/wife Els, deserves all the credit for making it happen. Her strong mental and emotional support and her taking care of all, literally all, day to day household tasks, to free me completely to concentrate on the research and writing of the book for many months, asked much of her own strength and love. She gave me my first Leica CL, many years ago, and I am sure she had no idea what the future would bring.