LEICA Barnack Berek Blog

THE LEITZ (LEICA) GLASS RESEARCH LABORATORY

2026-11-14T10:47:41.986-06:00

Photo: Marlies Amling

By Heinz Richter

People often wonder if Leica makes their own glass for the manufacture of their lenses. They used to, as a matter of fact, they operated their own glass research lab where they developed many of the exotic types of glasses that are used in their lenses today. However, for a relatively small company, that proved to be unsustainable, and they closed the lab as well as their glass manufacturing operation.

The Leitz Glass Laboratory, which operated until 1989, was the driving force of Dr. Gustav Weissenberg, of the Mineralogical Institute of Marburg, Germany. The Institute grew crystals, and Weissenberg’s idea was for it to create optical glasses as well as to meet the demands by optical designers for high refraction glasses to correct aberrations. He wanted to replace the highly radioactive thorium oxide in existing glasses with an oxide free of thorium. So, in 1949, the Leitz brothers established a glass laboratory within their company to pursue Weissenberg’s research.

After lengthy experimentation the glass laboratory discovered that lanthanum oxide offered the best chances for success. They found that glasses could be created with a refractive index of n 1.7. However, such glasses could not be made in large quantities because their strong propensity for crystallization made it difficult to prevent crystal grooves, or striae. Other substances, such as zirconium oxide, yttrium oxide, and tantalum oxide, had to be incorporated to produce more stable high-refraction glasses in large numbers. Leitz then granted the German company Schott (Schott is part of Zeiss, headquartered in Mainz, Germany) a license to produce the new LaK 9 glass exclusively for Leitz.

Meanwhile, the Leitz optical designers wanted to design lenses that were even faster than f/2, and the dreamed of doubling the speed to f/1.4. This required glasses with refractive indices close to n 1.8, and for this they had to find the right technology. Evaporation at the surface of the molten glass while the high temperature in the crucible is being lowered can easily cause striae, which can only be prevented by stirring to produce constant blending of the molten mass. In order to accomplish this, technicians had to incorporate interference factors, so that one oxide would prevent another from crystallizing. Laborious experiments led to three new types of Leitz optical glass, with refractive indices of ne 1.80 and ne 1.82 and a dispersion value of ny 45. These new types of glass made the design of the 50mm f/1.4 Summilux lens possible

Platinum crucible

Stirring rod

Pouring of molten glass

But for glass types with indices of refraction higher than ne 1.8, it was difficult to obtain enough chemicals with sufficient purity at a reasonable cost. At the time, one kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of 99.99 percent tantalum oxide cost the equivalent of nearly $2000.00 at that time.

In 1966, Leitz introduced the 50mm f/1.2 Noctilux, which incorporated aspherical surfaces. Then years later, it was producing the 50mm f/1.0 Noctilux , which did not involve aspherical surfaces. This was made possible by still another new type of optical glass: one with a higher zirconium oxide content.

The company was seeking a lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.2, for which optical glass with a particularly high index of refraction was necessary. Ultimately, it wanted to double the maximum aperture of the 50mm f/1.4 Summilux lens to f/1.0. The higher zirconium oxide content permitted production of the 900403 glass with a refractive index of ne 1.9005 and a dispersion value of ny 40.

Comparison of optical glasses

The large circled dots indicate glasses used in Leica lenses, the small circled dots indicate Leica glasses not currently in use. The plain dots indicate glasses from other manufacturers

These developments were not without difficulties, however. The new lenses utilized glass with a very high melting point of nearly 1600 C (2912 F). That came close to the melting point of the platinum crucibles. Also, the shape of the stirring tools in relation to the viscosity of the molten glass was important for the homogenization of the glass. So, the temperature of the melt in the crucible had to be lowered considerably before it was poured out. Workers then had to cool the slabs at a carefully controlled rate over 10 to 12 days and nights in order to prevent molecular tension. Furthermore, the glass was still quite susceptible to crystallization.

Another area of investigation at Leitz was correction of chromatic aberrations in apochromatic lenses with long focal lengths. Fluorite, grown in single crystals, possesses such anomalous partial dispersion for correction of the fourth color in optical glass. Leitz competitors like to use these calcium fluorite crystals for lens elements in telephoto lenses, but Leitz did not regard them as suitable for photographic lenses because they have very poor shape retention. Also, because of their low index of refraction of only ne 1.43, the fluorite crystals require strong curvatures, which are disadvantageous. Leitz preferred to search for a true glass with an amorphous structure.

The company discovered that the fluorites remained stable in metaphosphate suspensions. By incorporating several fluorites, it was able to optimize the proportions so as to avoid creation of striae during the cooling process. Eventually it succeeded in developing a true glass with anomalous partial dispersion and a refraction index greater than ne 1.544. With that, Leitz became the first lens maker to manufacture such lenses. The 800mm f/6.3 Telyt-S was such a lens [see blog article “Dancing Bear and his Magic Lens”]. It attracted a great deal of attention at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

A few years later, with the addition of titanium oxide, Leitz was able to produce glass with an anomalous partial dispersion value of ny 66.6 and a refraction index of 1.544. This glass was used in the 180mm f/3.4 APO-Telyt, which ranks to this day as one of the best lenses ever made. Since then, the company has made a large number of lenses with apochromatic correction, and it is creating new ones regularly.

Overall, the Leitz Glass Laboratory developed 35 new glasses from 50,000 experimental melts. For a time, these glasses were used exclusively in Leica lenses. Without the laboratory, in fact, most of the modern lenses of the period 1949 to 1989 would not have been possible. Because of its work, the company produced up to 10 metric tons of glass a year, partially because of close communication between glass researchers and lens designers. Other large glass manufacturers were often behind Leitz/Leica because optical glass is of only minor importance to them. Phototropic glasses, construction glasses, television tubes, baby bottles and the like are their real moneymakers. When these companies do undertake to develop optical glasses, it is only for those for which they anticipate a large demand. It was the exotic wishes of the Leitz Company that permitted it to develop the glasses it did during the 40 years it held sway in this area.

Once it was possible with new technology to derive maximum performance from optical glasses, however, Leica closed the Leitz Glass Laboratory. The growing number of glass manufacturers and new methods of processing glass and manufacturing lens elements also made this desirable from a financial standpoint. However, some of the rare glasses developed by Leitz are still not available to any other lens manufacturer. Instead Leitz has these glasses made exclusively for them by other companies like Schott, for instance. Still, the company looks back with pride to the breakthroughs of the researchers and designers at the laboratory.

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ONE OF THE GREATEST LEICA PHOTOGRAPHERS EVER – ERNST HAAS

2026-11-12T11:07:42.486-06:00

By Heinz Richter

Ernst Haas (1921–1986) is considered one of the best, most celebrated and influential photographers of the 20th century and considered one of the pioneers of color photography. Haas was born in Vienna in 1921. He did not become a photographer until after the war. His early work showed Austrian prisoners of war returning home. This brought him to the attention of LIFE magazine. Initially he declined a job offer as staff photographer in order to keep his independence. But an invitation from Robert Capa changed his mind. Soon after, Haas joined Magnum in 1949. There he developed a close associations with Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Werner Bishof.

In 1951 Haas moved to the United States where he began experimenting with Kodachrome color film. He soon he became the premier color photographer of the 1950s. In 1953 LIFE magazine published his groundbreaking 24-page color photo essay on New York City. This was the first time such a large color photo feature was published by LIFE. In 1962 a retrospective of his work was the first color photography exhibition held at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

Ernst Haas using a Leica

Photo: Glenn Beier

Throughout his career, Haas traveled extensively, photographing for LIFE, Vogue, and Look, to name a few of the many influential publications that featured his work He created four books during his lifetime: The Creation (1971), In America (1975), In Germany (1976), and Himalayan Pilgrimage (1978).

Ernst Haas continued to work until 1986, the year of his death. He has been the subject of numerous museum exhibitions and publications such as Ernst Haas, Color Photography (1989), Ernst Haas in Black and White (1992), and Color Correction (2011). The Ernst Haas Studio, located in New York, continues to manage Haas's legacy, aiding researchers and overseeing all projects related to his work.

It would be wrong to claim that Ernst Haas used only Leica equipment, but Leicas have definitely been an integral part of his professional life, and many of his famous photographs have been taken with Leica cameras.

When Ernst Haas began photographing in color, he soon created an entirely new approach to color photography by purposely using rather slow shutter speeds to blur the image. However, as he explained, this was not left to chance. He used the colors of the scene, and by deliberately blurring the image, he was actually able to create additional colors through the blurred overlap of the various subjects in the scene.. This approach was made especially famous by his photographs of bullfights in Spain.

Obviously, Haas applied his blurring technique to other subjects as well

Photograph from his book "The Creation"

The above photograph was later used by Kodak for the Kodak Colorama at Grand Central Station in New York City in 1977. The original picture was taken with a Leicaflex SL and a 50mm Summicron-R lens on Kodachrome 25. The finished Colorama consisted of 20 vertical panels of 3 feet width and 18 feet height for a total size of 18 x 60 feet This was the first time a 35mm picture had been used for this project. It presents a 508 times enlargement to achieve the width of the image. It was a definite testament of the quality of the film and that of the Leica camera and lens.

From the book "In America"

Ernst Hass quite often tried to take photographs of ordinary subjects and to present them as an apparently abstract photograph, although, as he explained, that is a contradiction of terms. A photograph cannot possibly be abstract because a camera can only record actual subject matter.

"The Cross"

"Snow Lovers"

"Holy Underwear"

"Torn Poster"

Ernst Haas had an uncanny ability to find ordinary subjects and by seeing beyond the obvious, was able to create extraordinary photographs.

The first time I met Ernst Haas was at a meeting of the Leica Historical Society of America. He had been invited as the main speaker for the event. One thing that struck me immediately was that here was a person who gained international fame with his wonderful color photography and his masterful use of colors, yet he was clothed all in black, black pants, black shirt, black jacket, black tie. I saw him talking in German to Walter Heun, the former director of the Leica School. That in itself was quite an interesting conversation. I knew Walter Heun and, upon noticing me, he introduced me to Ernst Haas. I was fortunate to meet him again on a couple of other occasions.

There have been many excellent and important photographers, past and present. Ernst Haas was without question one of the greatest of them all.

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THE STORY OF SEAN FLYNN'S LEICA M2

2026-11-09T11:05:12.728-06:00

By Bellamy Hunt

This is a story about a camera, a rather special camera. Every camera has a history, so they say. But it is not all that often that one has such a rich and documented history. One that was thought to be lost but has been found again. This is the story of Sean Flynn’s Leica M2.

I have been very lucky throughout my career to have found some amazing cameras, but every now and again you come across something that sets itself apart. This is one of those cameras. The vast majority of the cameras I see have no record — you literally have no idea where they have been. But this camera is different, it has a well-documented history that was thought to have been lost. But through a bit of digging and a lot of luck, the history of this camera has revealed itself.

This really is a story of serendipity. I was offered this camera earlier this year by a representative of the Flynn family. As soon as I was told about the history of the camera I knew exactly who would want it. One of my clients has a particular taste for cameras with a history and this was the camera for him.

But first, we should go back and talk a little bit about Sean Flynn.

Who Was Sean Flynn?

Sean Flynn was the only child of the famed actor Errol Flynn and Lili Damita and was well known for his work as a photojournalist covering the Vietnam War. Flynn worked closely with special units in Vietnam and Cambodia, capturing incredible images of the war. Many of his images would be considered to be the raw view of an especially brutal war.

Flynn even parachuted into war zones with the unit he was embedded with, working side by side with the soldier to capture extremely compelling images.

In 1970, he was kidnapped in Cambodia while on the way to an assignment with fellow photojournalist Dana Stone and was never to be seen again.

There were reports that both Flynn and Stone were kidnapped by the Vietcong and then handed to the Khmer Rouge before being executed, but remains were never found. Flynn’s mother spent her life and fortune trying to find a trace of her son, but sadly it was to no avail. Sean Flynn was declared legally dead in 1984.

Upon his disappearance, Sean Flynn apparently left behind an apartment in Paris which contained a number of his belongings, most of which went back to the hands of his family and friends, though there is some dispute about this as it seems there were a number of belonging that were missing. One of the pieces that did go back was this camera though. The camera. Sean Flynn’s Leica M2.

The Camera

This is Sean Flynn’s Leica M2, with a Steel Rim Leica 35mm Summilux and a strap that was hand fashioned from a parachute cord and a hand grenade pin.

One of the things that makes this camera so special is that we absolutely know where it has been, who it belonged to, and what it has been doing. How do we know this? Because the camera has been doing nothing, absolutely nothing. This camera has been tucked away in a dark corner for more than 30 years. But recently the family finally decided that a new home should be found for it, which is when they found me.

This means that the last person to use the camera was in all likelihood Sean Flynn. To me that makes this camera really special. The camera has a beautiful patina, from heavy usage. But it also has grime, grime that could well have come from Sean Flynn handling the camera. There is dust too, but I would not dare wipe it away. You can see the memories and the marks on the camera, and you can attribute them to someone, which is amazing.

This is an important camera due to the nature of ownership, and with that comes a certain amount of responsibility. A camera like this is an important piece of history and needs to be treated as such. Fortunately, I had someone in mind whom I knew would be the perfect person to take care of this remarkable piece.

And this is where the serendipity kicks in. It turns out that the new owner of this camera was not only aware of the history of the camera, but he was friends with Frank Palmos, who knew Tim Page.

Tim has been instrumental in helping piece together the history of this camera for us. Tim confirmed that this is the camera that Sean shot with in Vietnam, as he remembers sitting with Sean in ‘Frankie’s House’ as Sean made the strap for the camera from the parachute cord and pin: “We used to have arts & crafts sessions where we would customise our field kit and equipment”.

He also very kindly provided images taken of Sean with the camera and pictures that Sean had taken with the camera which you can see here.

This was a major discovery — that we actually have a record of the camera and images taken with the camera. But it was about to get even better. You see, it turns out that this story started when a photographer in the USA found Sean Flynn’s bag at an antique show in Atlanta. Tim Page was sent the bag and it is in his possession, soon to be reunited with the camera.

What’s Next?

So this is where the story ends, right? Will the camera be locked up in a collectors cabinet, hidden from the public eye to be forgotten? No, this camera is far too important to have that happen. This camera is going to be the centerpiece of a retrospective show of Sean Flynn’s work, and the work of other photographers that knew Sean Flynn.

The camera will be featured with the bag and prints of Sean’s, Tim’s and other’s work at shows in the Leica store in Hanoi and at a government house in Ho Chi Minh city. There is the possibility of the show touring to other countries in the future. The camera will reside in Saigon with its owner.

The camera survived Vietnam, Cambodia, PNG, Indonesia, the 6 Day War in Israel and Euro travels. Fortunately, Flynn did not have the camera with him when he was captured in the Parrot’s Beak of Eastern Cambodia, near Chi Pou on April 6th, 1970 with fellow photographer Dana Stone.

It is an honor to have been able to be a part of this incredible story. Finding cameras is always exciting, but this one is a once-in-a-career event. I will be attending the shows in Vietnam in the coming months, and I am looking forward to meeting the photographers that worked with Sean Flynn and knew him.

Helping to put something like this together is what makes my job so rewarding for me. Seeing the life of a camera so special is an exciting and emotional experience.

I am always on the lookout for cameras with a history and a story to tell. Drop me a line if you have one or know someone that does.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Chad Kiser for helping me to work with the Flynn family. And to Tim Page for assistance with the images you see here. All images used with permission. No reproduction without prior consent.

About the author: Bellamy Hunt is a photographer based in Tokyo, Japan, and the man behind Japan CameraHunter. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. Hunt sources quality cameras and photo gear from Japan for customers around the world. You can find more of his writing on his website. This article was also published here.

HOW SEAN FLYNN'S LEICA M2 WAS FOUND

I received an email from Billy Beach, offering me the back story on how the camera was found. It is an interesting addition to the above article.

By Billy Beach

I'm flying at 483 miles per hour aboard a Delta commercial flight heading to Honolulu from Wilmington, NC. I've got another 3,569 miles to go. I'm reading Michael Herr's "Dispatches" on my google pixel and through my headphones, I'm listening to the "Clash" song "Sean Flynn." What's ironic is that Sean Flynn's camera is sitting in a heavily padded case, wrapped in an East Coast Film Lab t-shirt by my feet. How did I get here?

For those of you who don't know, Sean Flynn was one of a group of Gonzo (high risk) photojournalists during the Vietnam war. These photojournalists would go anywhere do anything to get the shot. They brought back some iconic images of the Vietnam War. Sean even parachuted with the 5th Special Forces Group and the 101st airborne. Flynn was also the only son of the Hollywood swashbuckler actor Errol Flynn. (Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Charge of the Light Brigade, et al). Sean had a brief recording career and a short lived career as an actor before he found his niche as a war photographer for Paris Match, Time Life and finally United Press International.

On April 6th 1970 on highway one from Phnom Penh on the way to a press conference in Saigon, Sean and his friend Dana Stone (shooting for CBS news) opted to ride motorcycles to get some shots of the VietCong manning a checkpoint. They were captured by communist guerilla's en route. The last know still shot taken of them was right before they left and it was taken by Steve Bell, (who later hosted ABC's Good Morning America). Right before the checkpoint a French TV news crew interviewed Sean.

Last known still photo of Sean Flynn and Dana Stone

on the way to Saigon from Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

Photo by Steve Bell.

Sean was using his Nikon the day of his capture. His prized Leica M2 was left in his lodgings with his other gear. After his disappearance, John Steinbeck IV, (son of John Steinbeck the author), got hold of Sean's Leica and kept it to pass on to Sean's family. In 1972 Sean's sister Rory was modeling in London. John Steinbeck IV, brought the camera to her, fulfilling his obligation.

Rory kept the camera, hoping that Sean would be found. Sean's mother (the actress Lilli Damita) spent a small fortune, trying to find what happened to Sean, and Rory later helped finance an expedition to find the bodies of her brother and Dana Stone. The camera stayed in Rory's safe for many years.

Sean Flynn in Vietnam

I've always been a fan of the actor Errol Flynn, and had read several books on him and his family over the years. Being a photographer I was quite familiar with Sean Flynn and the somewhat crazy photojournalists who photographed the Vietnam war. I knew he was missing and that his and Dana's disappearance was one of the great mysteries of the Vietnam War. While working part-time in the local camera store in Wilmington, NC, I looked over the shoulder of one of the employees while she was scanning some photos. I recognized Errol Flynn and asked who brought the images to the store. She replied "Some woman named Rory." Rory Flynn? Errol Flynn's daughter? She lives here? I had no idea. A few weeks later while working the store Rory came in. I struck up a conversation with her and over the next couple of years a tenuous friendship developed. She mentioned that she had Sean's camera and I asked to see it. Several months later she brought the camera to the store. A very beat up Leica M2 with a 35mm 1.4 Sumilux lens. It had a grenade pin and some parachute cord for a strap. It was heavily brassed but in working order. My jaw fell open. Several months later Rory called me and stated that she realized that Sean was never coming back and would I help her sell his camera.

I knew this was a historic camera but had no idea of it's value. I got together with my friend and business partner Chad, who is a bit of a genius when it comes to film cameras. We co-own East Coast Film Lab. Our immediate thought was to put it on ebay, and see what an auction would bring. Again, we had no idea of the value and were nervous to have to ship the camera to someone we didn't know. We built a website (seanflynnscamera) with images and the story of the camera. Chad was a devoted follower of Bellamy Hunt the infamous Japan Camera Hunter. Bellamy specializes in rare, hard to find, historic cameras so we reached out to him. Bellamy seems know everyone in the film camera world and he immediately told us he was interested and would help find a buyer. Several months went by with a lot of give and take, but Bellamy found a buyer in Vietnam of all places.

Getting ready to jump

Now the problem was getting the camera to Bellamy in Tokyo. We were very nervous about shipping such a historic camera and the insurance would have been through the roof. I started checking prices on flights to Tokyo. I used to live in Japan, so a trip to Tokyo would have been fun but I couldn't take much time off, so it would have been a very quick trip. I was getting ready to buy my ticket when Bellamy skyped Chad that he would be in Hawaii the following week. I also used to live in Hawaii and being it was December, a trip to Hawaii was shorter, less expensive and a better fit all around. I flew to Honolulu on a Monday, got settled in my hotel and went to meet Bellamy. I met him outside his hotel and handed over the camera. It was bittersweet. I had enjoyed having Sean's camera in my possession but Rory, Chad and I knew it was going to a collector who would treasure and take care of the camera. Going back to Vietnam after all these years was sort of prophetic and I feel we got the right owner. Bellamy will be telling the rest of the story on his website Japan Camera Hunter sometime in the near future. My next trip might be to Vietnam.

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NEW LEICA BOOK "DAS LICHT IM RÜCKEN"

2026-11-06T11:30:42.484-06:00

by Heinz Richter

For my birthday I received a welcome surprise gift from my sister. A new book about the Leica, Oskar Barnack, the Leitz family and the development of the camera, with the title "Das Licht im Rücken" (The Light In The Back). Not that the development of the Leica has not been written about numerous times. But this book is different in as much that it is written as a novel.

The author Sandra Lüpke tells the story of the Leica, from the time of patient tinkering at the beginning of the twentieth century to its triumphant march around the world. How this groundbreaking invention shaped the fate of two families.

A novel about bold visions and bitter disappointments, at a time when lies and truth became a matter of perspective.

It starts with Oskar Barnack taking the famous photograph of the Eisenmarkt in Wetzlar in 1914.

"Nobody paid him any attention. A slight man with wavy hair. He forgot his hat in the excitement. Now he solemnly raises the metal box to eye level, looks through the viewfinder, and forces himself to calm down. A push of a button, followed by a dry click. It is the sound with which he captures the moment. Nobody noticed anything. And yet nothing is as before".

Another major part is where Sandra Lüpke describes Ernst Leitz making the fateful decision to build the Leica. This was shortly after the German economy was in dire straits. Inflation had been rampant, to the point that people were faced to pay one million marks or more for just a loaf of bread.

Ernst Leitz II, called 'Der Zweite' (the second) in the book, had struggled for some time to find a solution that allowed him to pay the people working for him adequately to allow them to get back on their feet.

On a trip to the USA, he recognized the potential of the camera and pushed the production of the camera forward, despite war and inflation. Eventually it had been decided to make a small number of preproduction models for evaluation.

He had called a meeting with his closest advisors to discuss the matter. A sample of the cameras sat on a table.

"What we see here is only a small part of results from our prototypes. Twenty-five working cameras that were in more or less experienced hands. Admittedly, there are blurry or incorrectly exposed images. Nevertheless, I think that the majority is impressive".

A lively discusion regarding the feasibility of the camera follows. Many are afraid that such an unproven venture into the marketing of cameras for a microscope manufacturer might backfire.

"A failure could cause lasting damage to our good reputation".

At the end the final decision is up to Ernst Leitz II. He decides:

"...We will risk it".

Courage and patience finally payed off, only to be faced with much more dramatic decisions when the Nazis come to power. Can you be a successful entrepreneur in times like these - and remain human?

The times under the Nazis are a considerable part of the book, including the arrest and imprisonment of Ernst Leitz II daughter Elsie. Only a considerable amount of money results in her being kept from being sent to a concentration camp...

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LEICA MONOCULAR FOR NASA’S APOLLO 11 LUNAR MISSION

2026-11-03T11:19:36.189-06:00

By Heinz Richter

The Apollo 11 moon landing 56 years ago wasn’t just a giant leap for mankind – it was also a historical event for the Ernst Leitz optical factory in Wetzlar, Germany. NASA, based in Houston (Texas), had ordered a special Leitz Trinovid from Ernst Leitz GmbH for the lunar mission in July 1969. The original Leitz Trinovid manufactured for the Apollo 11 mission can be found in the Leica Camera AG archive.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon 56 years ago: on July 20, 1969. The Leitz Trinovid specially developed for the Apollo missions is a monocular, consisting of one tube focused over the central bar. Mainly for weight reasons, the NASA scientists had decided on a customized version – the special monocular known to this day as the “Eye of Apollo”. In addition to the monocular, NASA also used other products from the Ernst Leitz company: Leitz microscopes were employed in their laboratories to examine the moon’s rocks, and the launches of Saturn V rockets with Apollo spacecraft were documented using Leica and Leicaflex cameras.

“Our monocular TRINOVID 10 x 40 already flew with the Apollo 8 and Apollo 10 missions and was an important navigation aid for the crew of Apollo 11 and the lunar module ‘Eagle’. According to NASA research, it proved to be the best of our many glasses offered for this mission,” noted Jerry Rzeznik, a Leitz employee at the time, in the September 1969 issue of the Leitz employee magazine Objektiv. Jerry Rzeznik also provided detailed information on where the Leitz Trinovid monocular was used: “We all know that the moon can only be reached with multi-stage rockets. There are separations of the individual stages, disconnections and couplings of spacecraft. These difficult maneuvers require precise preparation and timely detection of the arriving and departing parts. (…) At the speeds the spacecraft were traveling at, it was necessary to locate them from a distance of about 300 km.”

to our friends

astronauts used binocular trinovid 10 x 10

in Apollo 11 + was already on board of

Apollo 8 and 10 + trinovid obviously selected

by nasa because with optimum performance

small light handy and atmospherically independent +

are proud of this proof of quality +

7. 21, 1969 ernst leitz gmbh wetzlar

In a telegram dated July 21, 1969, the company writes: “astronauts use monocular trinovid 10 x 40 in apollo 11 + was already on board apollo 8 and 10 + trinovid obviously chosen by NASA for highest performance plus small lightweight handy and atmospherically independent + are proud of this proof of quality.”

Photos: NASA Archive/Leica Camera Archive

For more information on other Leica products and cameras used by NASA go here.

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COMPOSITION

2026-10-31T11:31:56.604-05:00

By Heinz Richter

Many camera owners take advantage of social media to show off their photographic endeavors, unfortunately often with rather questionable results. Too many people fool themselves in believing that today’s auto everything cameras are foolproof and therefore don’t require any nominal knowledge of photography. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the result is that far too often we see pictures with the wrong color balance, with total lack of tonality, wrong exposure settings and poor composition.

Volumes have been written about the topic of composition and probably without exception, it is always mentioned that there are really no rules that are carved in stone. What we do have is a number of guidelines, all designed to help us create better pictures. However, these should not be looked upon as a replacement for visually evaluating whatever we try to photograph. What we see in the viewfinder of our cameras remains as important as ever. One piece of advice that I always give is “if it looks good, shoot it.”

Some individuals intuitively use good composition and end up with good pictures. For them the guidelines of composition will turn into an explanation of why their pictures look good. For the majority, however, these guidelines will help to create better pictures by simply evaluating what is seen in the viewfinder, applying some of these guidelines and thus end up with better pictures than what otherwise might have been the case.

It is not the purpose of this article to touch on each and every one of these rules. Instead I will concentrate on just the most important ones in order to keep this from getting too tedious.

Of all these guidelines, without question the most useful one is the rule of thirds. Here we divide the image seen in the viewfinder by two evenly spaced vertical and horizontal lines. This will help composition in a variety of ways. Not only does it lead to better placement of the main subject of the picture, it also suggests better placement of the horizon as well as placement of other important aspects of the picture.

In these four examples I used the rule of thirds by placing the main subject onto one of the four areas where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect. Especial with cameras where the autofocus sensor is in the center of the viewfinder, it is almost intuitive to place the main subject in the center. That usually has the result of the picture looking somewhat static. Applying the rule of thirds usually will lead to a noticeable improvement of the picture.

Of course, this brings up the question which of the four intersection point to place the subject on. In the first example, the upper left intersection point is most advantageous in order to emphasize the height of the flying bird. In addition, it is usually better to place a moving subject such that it appears to be moving into the picture, with space in front to move towards.

For the second example there is no clear advantage of one over the other. Here it is simply a matter of what one feels looks best.

The third example is similar to the first one, again leaving room in front of the bird to move towards. I chose the lower right intersection point since the bird just took off, flying low across the surface of the water.

The fourth example was taken from a low vantage point, leading to an upward camera angle. Therefore the picture looks better with the bird up high in the picture with space in front of the bird. The upper right intersecting point is the best choice in this case.

Another aspect of good composition is lines and diagonals. They help to lead the eye toward the subject and into the picture. The path in this photograph shows strong lines. The main subject was best placed on the lower left intersection point because this way the lines lead to the impression of the bikers moving forward and into the picture.

Even though placing the subject into the center of the picture usually will lead to a static looking image, there are times when this is actually advantageous, as in this case. The picture contains some very strong lines which all lead the eye toward the main subject. Utilizing these lines actually made for a better picture by placing the subject into the center.

Another aspect of the composition of this picture is the cropping. Some photographs simply look better when cropped from the typical format of the camera. The horizontal emphasis of this picture by cropping the top and the bottom further enhance the subject position within the picture.

The horizontal and vertical lines of the rule of thirds also give an indication of proper placement of strong verticals or horizontals within the picture, like the horizon in this case. The lower horizontal is advantageous because it not only eliminated empty grass space in front of the buffaloes it also allowed to take advantage of the marvelous clouds and blue sky.

This example combines several aspects of good composition. The strong diagonal lines of the background lead to the main subject, the statue, in the center. In addition, the columns create a strong pattern which is another element of composition. Finally, the lady viewing the statue creates a second important viewpoint of the picture. The placement on the lower left intersecting point very much adds to the composition, as do the strong colors in the otherwise subdued colors of the picture, especially the bright, red hair.

This is another example of strong subject placement, in this case on the right vertical line. The picture would have had a lot less impact had the subject been placed in the center. In addition the picture is further enhanced by the cropping and the pattern of the seats in both the foreground and especially the background.

Placing the subject on the lower left intersecting point emphasized the upward camera angle without allowing it to appear distant as it would have been the case had it been placed on the upper left intersection point. In addition, the mostly black background creates a lot of so called dead space. This is often preferable over background detail which would be distracting. Finally, the violin bow is a strong diagonal line, leading to the main subject of the picture.

Color can be another important element of a photograph as in this example. While the colors are not an element of composition on their own, they have a great impact in this example by being placed prominently in the center, surrounded by the muted colors of the shadows and by creating a very strong diagonal.

Diagonals are especially effective when they combine to triangles as in this photograph. But it is important that these remain natural. Trying too hard to create diagonals and even more so triangles can easily lead to contrived looking pictures.

Framing can be used to emphasize the main subject of a photograph. In the first example, the dark arch draws the eye immediately to the main subject, the street scene. Similarly, the trees in the second example achieve the same result.

In portraits it is generally preferable to have more space in front of the face than in back. Choosing to place the subject in the left vertical of the rule of thirds assured proper subject placement in this case.

There are, however, times when the rule of thirds does not apply, as in this case. The strong face of the person in this picture was emphasized by the close up of it. Since it fills the entire frame, there was no other choice than to center it. Anything else would have been distracting.

Another element of good composition is curves or s-lines. As in this example, they are an interesting element of the picture that helps to lead the eye into the picture.

Of course, these elements of good composition don’t apply just to photography. They have been applied by the great masters for years, just as in this case of the painting “The Bridge at Argenteuil” by Claude Monet. It contains numerous elements of good composition. The bridge shows several strong lines, including a pattern created by the upright pillars and it also leads the eye toward the background. The sailboat in the foreground is placed in the lower left intersection point of the rule of thirds. The mast, the boom and the bowsprit of the boat also form very strong lines. The white sail of the boat in the background form a strong triangle and the invisible connecting line between the two boats form a clear diagonal. The combination of all these elements of good composition ultimately make for a very interesting picture.

There are certainly additional rules of composition. As mentioned above, to keep this article from becoming too long and possibly too confusing, I tried to concentrate on the most useful ones here. Applying these when possible or warranted will lead to better pictures and over time, photographers will get used to it to the extent that these rules and their application will become second nature. At that point, we have bridged the difference between just taking pictures and creating photographs.

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THE NEW LEICA M EV1

2026-10-25T13:51:26.828-05:00

By Heinz Richter

My first digital Leica was the Digilux 2. It was a huge departure from the Leica M cameras that I had used up to that time, and it brought up the idea of a Leica M camera, digital, with similar features, including the electronic viewfinder and, of course, the interchangeable M lenses. That was in 2004. Since then, we have had several digital Leica M cameras and along with them, the call for Leica to offer an electronic viewfinder Leica M camera as well.

It has been roughly a year now since the introduction of the Leica M EV1. Technically, the Leica M EV1 builds on the foundation of the M11, featuring its 60 MP BSI CMOS full-frame sensor with Triple Resolution Technology – one of the world’s most advanced. Precise color rendering, remarkable detail, and a high dynamic range lend images the unmistakable Leica Look, with vivid depth and striking presence. Images can be captured in DNG or JPEG format at resolutions of 60, 36, or 18 MP. The powerful Maestro III processor handles data swiftly and reliably, storing it either on the 64 GB internal memory or an SD card.

Future tests will reveal how well the electronic viewfinder works in comparison the time-proven rangefinder. To a long-time Leica rangefinder user, at first glance the camera does require getting used to. The missing viewfinder gives me the impression of something missing. But I am sure that will change with time.

Let's take a look at this new addition to the Leica M range of cameras:

The big difference, of course, is the viewfinder. Acfcording to Leica the M EV1 offers a seamless entry into the world of M photography. This makes manual focusing a matter of pure precision. Focus peaking highlights the active focus plane with a colored overlay, offering real-time guidance to help you frame your composition. Used separately or additionally, the focus zoom with two levels of magnification ensures precise control. Particularly when using fast Summilux and Noctilux lenses with shallow depths of field and at close range, you can achieve sharp focus with the help of focus assist.

The high-resolution 5.76-megapixel EVF delivers brilliant colors and outstanding clarity, capturing every detail of your subject. All shooting data – shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation – can be shown outside the image area, allowing you to maintain full focus on your composition. An individually configurable eye sensor enables smooth transitions between the viewfinder and touch panel, while the diopter adjustment from -4 to +2 fine tunes the viewfinder image to suit your vision.

Yes, no autofocus. That would have required an entirely new camera and lenses. One of the big advantages of the M lenses is their size. Adding autofocus would necessitate the incorporation of an autofocus mechanism and electronics, which would greatly increase the size and weight of the lenses.

The Live View exposure preview displays every nuance – from brightness to image framing – in real time. Whether you’re working with ultra-wide-angle or super-telephoto lenses or creative photo filters, you maintain complete control over your composition, without ever taking your eye away from the camera. All settings are instantly visible, unlocking new creative possibilities with the Leica M. Using advanced tools like digital zoom, level gauge, and perspective control, you can compose your images with precision, freedom, and intuition.

The frame preview lever for the rangefinder would have no function with the electronic finder. Rather than eliminating it, another function has been created. It can be individually configured to activate one of the focus assist functions or the digital zoom for the EVF. Moving the lever to the left or right allows you to switch swiftly and intuitively between functions, ensuring your subject remains in view as you compose. With this refinement, the M EV1 combines classic mechanics with contemporary functionality.

Thus, the new Leica M EV1 is a logical addition to the Leica M line of cameras, building on the far-sighted design of the Leica M3 from 1954.

For more info go to Leica M EV1

Of course, there is the argument that the addition of autofocus would have been a welcome addition to many. That is basically correct, but as stated above, that would have required extensive changes to the camera and more so, the lenses.

One of the advantages of the Leica M cameras is the small size of their lenses. Added autofocus mechanisms and electronics could not be achieved without a considerable increase in size and weight. The same would be the case for the camera body.

Instead, hyperfocal settings are the solution with the help of a depth of field scale. Most lenses available today no longer have depth of field scales and thus make focusing via hyperfocal settings impossible. Fortunately, most Leica lenses still offer this advantage, and its application can overcome the lack of autofocus to quite an extend.

That is because the vast majority of the Leica M lenses are non-zoom lenses. That is the reason why to this day all of them have a depth of field scale. Many photographers and picture takers have no idea what a depth of field scale is, and if they do, they rarely know what to with it.

It is a known fact that the aperture setting on our lenses, the f-stop used to take a picture, determines how much of what we photograph will be in focus, how much depth of field there will be. The smaller the aperture, the more depth of field. That is what a depth of field scale is all about. It will show the distance from the point closest to the camera to the point furthest from the camera that will be in focus.

Increase of depth of field by decreasing aperture size

Effectively one third of the total depth of field will be in front of the point of focus and two thirds will be beyond it. If applied correctly, this can actually greatly improve the sharpness of our photographs. Imagine taking a picture of a mountain scene. The mountains are obviously far enough away to constitute infinity as far as the focus settings on our lenses are concerned. Subsequently it seems to make sense to set our lenses to infinity to make sure the mountains are in focus. As a matter of fact, with any camera, this is exactly what will happen.

However, let’s remember the above fact which states that two third of the depth of field is beyond the point of focus. That means in our mountain scene, two thirds of the depth of field will be wasted. The depth of field scale will help to prevent that, if properly applied.

In this example, the boy flying his kite is obviously the main subject and therefore should be in focus.

However, focusing on him would most likely render the background out of focus.

Utilizing the depth of field scale assured that all is in focus.

Our exposure settings will always be a combination of shutter speed and aperture. Once we or the camera determine the correct exposure settings, we will know what aperture the picture will be taken with.

Back to our mountain scene. Instead of setting the infinity mark opposite the focus mark on the lens, all that needs to be done is to set the infinity mark opposite the marking of the aperture we are using. That will still give proper focus to infinity, but it will greatly increase sharpness in the areas closer to the camera as indicated by the other aperture mark on the depth of field scale.

It is a fact that the smaller the aperture, the more depth of field we will have. But we shouldn’t indiscriminately use the smallest aperture all the time, because this can easily lead to the necessity of too slow a shutter speed which in turn can lead to blurry pictures because of camera movement. In addition, most lenses will display a decreased performace with very small apertures.

Why do all of this instead of just using the rangefinder and focus on our main subject? Because you can greatly increase your speed of operating the camera. Using the depth of field scale and setting the lens as explained above, using hyperfocal setting, will eliminate the need to focus altogether and thus make the operational speed of your camera that much greater.

What about the opposite? What if we want to minimize depth of field, to make sure the background is out of focus? Here too the depth of field scale can be of help just as well. If using a smaller aperture will lead to a greater depth of field, it stands to reason that a larger aperture will do the opposite. The depth of field scale will once again display the range of focus from the point closest to the camera to the one furthest from the camera.

Are there any other advantages to a Leica rangefinder camera? Yes. For instance, Leicas have always been some of the quietest cameras available, and the latest models of the digital Leica M cameras have nearly silent shutters. In most cases, rangefinder cameras are also lighter than their SLR/DSLR as well as their mirrorless counterparts.

Leica rangefinder cameras essentially have not changed their appearance since the introduction of the Leica M 3 in 1954. They certainly don't look at all like any of their modern counterparts. I have had it happen quite frequently that people think I am using an ancient piece of equipment. That might make the Leica rangefinder cameras less desirable to thieves. Personally, I don't put much stock into that argument. My equipment is covered by my insurance. Besides, many people don't consider cameras as a necessity anymore unless they are in form of a mobile phone.

Ultimately the choice of a camera is up to each individual. But the Leica rangefinder cameras are not anywhere near the anachronism many like to make them.

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ERICH SALOMON – THE FIRST MODERN PHOTOJOURNALIST

2026-10-21T11:27:20.746-05:00

By Heinz Richter

With the introduction of the Leica in 1925, many photographers were enabled to approach photography like never before. The small size and speed of operation of the camera allowed photographers to work in a much different manner than what was possible with the slow, large cameras before. The Leica literally allowed photographers to create an entirely different type of photography, modern photojournalism.

Erich Salomon is credited of being the father of modern photojournalism. His candid photographs of important events in the early 1900s are masterworks that even today are important examples of excellent photographic work.

Mussolini, left, talking with a delegation of German diplomats in 1931.

Erich Salomon was born on April 28, 1886 in Berlin. His father was a banker; his mother came from a line of prominent publishers. He first studied zoology and then switched to engineering before finally settling on law. He got his degree in 1913.

At the outbreak of World War I Salomon was drafted into the army. He was captured during the first Battle of the Marne. He spent the next four years in prisoner-of-war camps, where he served as an interpreter. He became fluent in French which later proved to be invaluable in gaining entry to conferences.

After the war Salomon began to work for Ullstein publishing house in 1925. At Ullstein, Salomon immediately was fascinated by photography, and soon began shooting feature pictures for the Ullstein dailies. He began to experiment with the technique of shooting indoors by existing light and, after mastering it, had no trouble convincing Ullstein to let him cover the headline-making trial of a police killer for Berliner Illustrierte.

Ermanox camera with Ernostar 100mm f/2 lens

Erich Salomon with his Ermanox camera

Erich Salomon, Self-Portrait on Board of the Mauretania, 1929

Erich Salomon, right, using a Leica camera, and E.O. Hoppé photographing each other, 1936

The camera Salomon used was the Ermanox, a 2 1/4 x 1 7/8 glass plate camera with a 100mm lens of the then sensational speed of f/2. Later on, when the Leica too offered lenses of that speed, Salomon switched to using the smaller and easier to operate Leica cameras.

Photography in courtrooms was forbidden. Any pictures taken would have been a major scoop for the paper, but the ones that Salomon returned were extraordinary. Salomon had accomplished this by hiding his camera in a bowler hat, cutting a hole for the lens. On the last day, when a court attendant finally realized what he was doing and demanded his negatives, Salomon resorted to a trick he used time and time again. He handed over unexposed plates, and left with the exposed ones still in his pockets. Salomon was known to have rather droopy coat pockets. He was using glass plates in his camera at the time, unexposed plates in one and the exposed ones in the other. In 1928, only one year after he had become interested in photography, Salomon´s career was launched.

Krantz trial. Hilde Scheller in the witness box, Berlin, 1928

At another murder trial Salomon concealed his Ermanox in an attaché case which contained a set of levers to trigger the shutter. When these pictures were widely published throughout Europe, he left his staff position at Ullstein to become a full-time professional. That same year, he covered his first series of international conferences: the summit meeting in Lugano, a session of the League of Nations in Geneva, and the signing of the Kellogg-Briand disarmament pack in Paris, where he calmly walked in and took the seat of the absent Polish delegate. In his free time, he frequented diplomatic and social events in Berlin.

Five Gentlemen Conversing around a Table, c. 1928

Albert Einstein with British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, Nobel Prize-winner Max Planck, far left

and other German political and business leaders in August 1931

Because of his persistence, unobtrusive manner, and dramatic results, Salomon found little objection to his presence at events where all other photographers were excluded. Indeed, many statesmen began to develop a good-humored acceptance of his presence. At the opening of an international gathering, the French Foreign Minister, Aristide Briand is known to have been looking around saying, "Where is Dr. Salomon? We can´t start without him. The people won´t think this conference is important at all!"

Aristide Briand pointing to Salomon, shouting: "Ah ! le voilà ! The king of the indiscreet !" (1930)

German Foreign Minister Gustav Stresemann en route to Paris for signature of the Briand-Kellogg Pact, 1928.

By 1931, Salomon was at the top of his career. But Salomon´s celebrity in his homeland was short-lived. Only a year later, after returning from his second trip to America, he found Hitler gaining power in Germany. The Weimar Republic was soon to come to its end. Salomon began making preparations to leave.

Salomon decided to settle in Holland, his wife´s native country. They moved to The Hague where he still covered many important events. He also continued to travel. Britain especially fascinated him, and he made frequent visits to photograph government and opposition leaders and members of the royal family. In the late thirties he was invited to come to America by Life magazine. They had published many of his photographs. He considered emigrating, but kept procrastinating. Soon it was too late to leave. In May 1940, the Nazis took Holland in just four days. The famous photographer from Berlin was now forced to wear a yellow star. In 1943, Salomon and his family went into hiding. They were betrayed by a meter reader who noted an increase in gas consumption. According to Red Cross records, Erich Salomon, his wife and their younger son died at Auschwitz in July 1944, a month after the Allies landed in Normandy.

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THE LEICA PLANT IN PORTUGAL

2026-10-18T12:00:27.033-05:00

By Heinz Richter

When Leica still operated their North American Plant in Midland, Ontario, I constantly ran across individuals that questioned the quality of the items produced there. The question always was if a product made in Canada could possibly be of the same quality as if it were made in Germany.

The facility in Canada has long been sold, but I see the same questions being asked about the Leica Famalicão operation in Portugal. If anything, the doubts about the quality of the Portuguese made items is even greater than they were during the ELCAN days.

Being German myself, I should feel honored that some people think that German craftsmanship is superior to anyone else’s. I have said it in the past, and I am writing this article to say so again, such opinions are total nonsense.

Virtually all Leica equipment is at the technical and performance front of what is possible today. The reason for that is that Leica sets performance standards which are higher than most of their competition. Mechanical and optical tolerances are tighter, and adhered to more stringently than with other companies. That is what sets Leica apart and it does not make any difference where or by whom these standards are being adhered to.

The Famalicão plant is divided into an optics, a mechanical and an assembly section

Many sub assembly steps like milling, anodisation, and chrome plating are done in Famalicão

Most of the Leica binoculars and telescopes are made in Portugal, but I did see binoculars being worked on in Wetzlar during my last visit there as well. Without going too deeply into what is made where, the two facilities work closely together. Many subassemblies are made in the Portugal plant and then shipped to Wetzlar for final assembly. Add items which are not made in house, like sensors for instance, and the question of where a camera, a lens or a pair of binoculars is being made becomes difficult to answer at best.

Milling, grinding and polishing of optical binocular components are all made in Famalicão

However, it is my understanding that a lot of the final assembly steps are done in Wetzlar, as is the final testing before packaging and shipping.

Leica is the world’s leading manufacturer of aspherical lens elements and, as far as I know, these are all made in Wetzlar.

The body of the Leica SL cameras is milled from a solid block of aluminum for greater strength

International trade rules allow a company to state as the final country of origin, where an item is assembled and deemed ready for shipment. Therefore most Leica items are labelled “Made in Germany.” Some consider this as being misleading, but would it be helpful to have a whole list of countries of origin based on the various parts that are used to make an item?

Be assured that buying a piece of Leica equipment will always give the assurance that it is of the highest level of quality and subsequent performance.

For complete information on the Famalicão operation in Portugal go here
Related topic: "ELCAN - ERNST LEITZ CANADA LIMITED" go here
Related topic: "MAKING CAMERAS AND LENSES THE LEICA WAY" go here

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LENS TESTS - DO THEY REALLY TELL US WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW?

2026-10-13T12:00:11.315-05:00

By Heinz Richter

A large number of test reports on cameras and lenses can be found in many camera magazines and on the internet, and it seems that in many cases these are more confusing than helpful. Owners of Leica equipment often wonder why their supposedly superior equipment in some cases does not perform to their high expectations. The reasons are diverse and difficult to explain.

As we all know, a modern photographic lens is an immensely complicated instrument, with a great number of performance characteristics. For years, photographers have tried to find a valid method to determine the overall performance of a lens. Unfortunately, it is almost as difficult to measure true lens performance as it is to design the lens in the first place. The emphasis here is placed on “true” performance.

Many readers of magazines and the internet are misled to consider resolution as a valid measure in determining the quality of a lens. The obvious argument is that a lens must be good if it is capable of high resolution. Unfortunately, resolution is not a very good measure, especially if it is taken alone and at face value. This is the very reason why some test reports also publish contrast figures. The contrast level of a lens is at least as important for overall performance as the resolution. As a matter of fact, in the past Leica has at times sacrificed overall resolution of lenses in order to gain a higher contrast level. Contrast is a very difficult to explain criterion. In simple terms, it can be referred to as the ability of a lens to reproduce high resolution at a recognizable level. This is not the same as increasing the contrast of a photograph. Lack of contrast of a lens cannot be corrected by any printing technique or digital manipulation.

Virtually all resolution tests are done with high contrast (black and white) targets which make it very easy to differentiate between minute details. The results are expressed by lines per millimeter, l/mm, where each black or white line is counted as an individual line. Another measure is line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm), where one black and one white line are counted as a pair.

Actual picture taking is different, however, because a lens is rarely subjected to the ideal conditions of a test target. Instead the lens is confronted with multicolored scenes or subjects, all of which need to be distinguished. Regardless of photographing in color or black and white, a photographic lens must (in most cases) reproduce a colored subject or scene. A lesser lens might very well reproduce two almost identical shades of the same color as one color or the same shade of gray, and thus not be able to resolve this slight difference at all, while a better lens will be capable of making that distinction. On the other hand, in a common lens test, when confronted with high contrast test targets, the lesser lens will inevitably show a higher resolution than it is capable of under everyday conditions.

This is a perfect example showing the importance of contrast over resolution. When viewed from a normal distance of approximately two feet, the bottom picture will immediately look better. Upon closer inspection one will notice, however, that the actual resolution of the top picture is substantially better. This can be seen especially by the small test targets in the center. The actual resolution of the bottom picture is only 50% of that on the top. Yet the substantially higher contrast of the bottom picture immediately gives the impression of a better image, even higher resolution. As I pointed out, a pure black and white target will show relatively high resolution, even with a low contrast lens. Had the center target been separated only by different shades of gray and white, rather than black and white, the differences would not have been visible, in spite of the relatively high resolution as displayed by the top image. This is a rather extreme example. Differences from one lens to another rarely are as great as in this example.

The gradual disappearance of detail with low contrast subject matter

For that and a number of other reasons, lens manufacturers use a computer read out, the modulation transfer function (MTF), to better express lens performance. Rather than giving resolution figures, the MTF is based on a fixed resolution value, giving the contrast level of the lens over the entire image area at the various f/stops.

MTF functions also rely on a test target. Like in the example above, the target shows vertical and horizontal lines. This is done because most lenses can distinguish fine detail better in one direction than the opposite. This is the reason why MTF functions always show two curves, one for the sagittal test patterns and another for the tangential or meridional one. Either one shows the lens performance starting at the center of the image and going out to the edge of the image.

This is the MTF function of the Leica 50mm f/2 Apo-Summicron-M at f/2, f/2.8 and f/5.6

The four curve pairs show the level of contrast at 10, 20, 40 and 80 lines per millimeter resolution.

The curve at f/5.6 is an optics designer's dream, virtually flat across the top of the chart,

a performance level unrivaled by other manufacturers.

A competitor's MTF function for a similar lens.

Please note: The function is only for 10 and 30 Lines/mm with no indication of the aperture,

and it only gives information up to about 15mm from the center.

The Leica MTF function above gives the information up to 21mm from the center

Most published MTF curves are based on a rather low resolution of 10 and 30 lines per millimeter at the most. The same “standard” is used by most magazines and digitally published tests for their resolution figures. It is obvious that 30 l/mm is a criterion that can be met by virtually any lens short of the bottom of a pop bottle. So it is no wonder that the majority of the lenses tested do achieve relatively good figures; especially in view of the fact that a 100% contrast rendering is unattainable. But even with these relatively low criteria, the much more even performance level of the Leica lenses is still revealed. Even at maximum aperture they usually perform to levels that many other lenses do not achieve unless stopped down, if at all. If the contrast figures were based on a resolution of 60 l/mm or even higher, it might become apparent that there are substantially greater differences among various brands of lenses than we are usually led to believe. It must also be noted that competitors MTF functions rarely show figures all the way to the edges of the image frames. In the examples above, Leica shows results up to 21mm from the center while the competitor’s chart goes to about 15mm from the center.

I have often maintained that photographic magazines and websites which get the majority of their revenue from advertising, have to conduct themselves in a manner that is not detrimental to their advertisers. Although these tests are generally very good and unbiased, they are also conducted and presented via criteria which work to the advantage of the publication's subsidizers.

I think it is (or should be) obvious that optical companies other than Leica are all very much capable of making first rate equipment. But their merchandise is also in most cases heavily mass produced. The bench-made process, as used by Leica, gives them a good competitive edge. But the superiority of Leica lenses especially shows itself in extreme situations. This includes lens performance at maximum apertures and performance under adverse conditions. Unfortunately, published tests do not always consider this and subsequently Leica lenses often seem to be less of an advantage than generally expected.

One might also notice in the written evaluations of Leica lenses that the writers often seem to be a bit strained to avoid the overuse of superlatives. But we have seen comments like “...the lens against which all others have to be measured (400mm Telyt)...one of the best lenses ever tested (50mm Summicron)...the closest to our test standards ever (40mm Focotar).”

Grinding of an aspherical lens element at Leica

Checking the surface accuracy of a lens element at Leica

In recent years aspherical lens elements have been used more and more to obtain better optical correction of lenses. Leica has come a long way since they introduced the first commercially produced lens with aspherical elements back in 1966. That was the original Noctiluc 50mm f/1.2. Aspherical elements could only be manufactured with careful hand grinding and/or hand finishing, a very expensive preposition.

Today lens manufacturers use three different approaches. The least expensive one is to make a standard lens element with spherical surfaces and then apply a thin, asperical plastic layer on top of it, usually made of a high quality acrylic. This method was first developed by Zeiss. They ultimately discarded this process because it could not match their high quality standards. The problem was, and still is, that even the best acrylics contain rather huge molecules. Light, when transmitting through such materials, will literally scatter and thus adversely influence lens performance. The result is that only relatively inexpensive lenses are made with this process.

A noticeably better performance can be achieved by precision molding glass elements. Here the prefinished glass elements are reheated to the point where they become pliable and are then precision molded into their final shape. However not all photographic glasses lend itself to this process. Especially glasses with a high refractive index and a low level of dispersion cannot be used for this process. Subsequently such glasses, which are generally used to increase optical performance, must be replaced with glasses of less desirable properties.

All Leica lens elements are individually ground by precision grinding machines

The best and, unfortunately, most expensive method to make aspherical lens element is to grind them into their required shape. Leitz has developed this process to a level unavailable to other manufacturers. They apply tolerances of 0.0001mm or 0.1 μm (micrometer), a level of accuracy not available from other consumer lens manufacturers. The result is that Leica today is the foremost manufacturer of high end aspherical lens elements. The complexity of this process is shown by the fact that Leica tried to have some other lens manufacturers make some aspherical lens elements for them to increase production. The process requires such high precision that Leica often can only produce as few as 10 or less such elements in one day. This did not work out because the lens manufacturers they contacted either were unable to make the lens elements with the required precision or they were unable to make them within the cost parameters required by Leica.

The grinding compounds for many lens elements is of an exotic nature that requires constant agitation to avoid deterioration

So far we have talked much about optical performance, the sole criterion used in most lens tests. The mechanical quality of a lens, however, is just as important. Poor mechanical design and quality will eventually degrade even the best lens to mediocre performance. Automobile magazines routinely run 50,000 or even 100,000 mile performance tests on automobiles and I have often hoped that something like this would be done with cameras and lenses as well. The performance of a lens, when brand new, is one thing, especially if it is delivered for tests by the manufacturer after careful tweaking and adjusting to assure the best possible performance. But what about its capabilities after it has gone through several months of use, after it has been knocked around in gadget bags, in cars and airplanes for an extended period of time? Heavy use and the rigors of professional use take a great toll and only the best will remain on top. This is where mechanical quality translates into optical performance and shortcuts in quality will show lower grade results immediately.

Price is the final criterion I should mention. Nobody in the optical industry today is able to perform any miracles. Although mass production does have a beneficial influence on the price of lenses and cameras, this advantage quickly fades when we deal with lenses of an exotic nature that are sold in a much smaller quantity and cannot be mass produced. Suddenly we find lenses from competing companies to be equally expensive than their Leica counterparts. Extreme wide angle lenses and long telephoto lenses, especially those that have proven to be close in performance to their Leica counterparts, usually sell for not much less than their equivalent of Leica lenses. This is the case with most of the major lens manufacturers. Yet when dealing with absolutes in performance, none of them have anything to offer that can compete on all levels with the newly designed Leica lenses featuring apochromatic design and aspherical lens elements. The heart of any camera system is its line of lenses, and this is still one of the main reasons for choosing a Leica.

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ARE RANGEFINDER CAMERAS STILL A VALID CHOICE?

2026-10-12T11:25:11.377-05:00

By Heinz Richter

A little while ago I received an email from Leica Store Miami with the question, ’Why A Rangefinder?’ It made me think. I have used rangefinder Leicas all my life and the question never really came up as far as my own use is concerned. But it is a valid question none the less.

Ever since the introduction of professional caliber SLR cameras, the use of rangefinder cameras has steadily declined with the result that the Leica M cameras are the only survivors of the breed. But they do have a loyal following.

SLR cameras have all but been replaced by mirrorless cameras, where the mirror housing and the pentaprism has been replaced by an electronic viewfinder which receives its information directly from the sensor. Like with the previous SLR cameras, the viewfinder displays what is actually registered by the sensor.

In addition, virtually all cameras today, with the exception of the Leica rangefinder models, do offer automatic focusing. Combined, all those features are a considerable blow to a rangefinder system. Yet the Leica continues to thrive. Why?

Let’s look at some of the main arguments, one of which is the viewfinder. Instead of displaying what is actually received by the sensor, the Leica viewfinder has a fixed image size where the field of view of the lenses is outlined by illuminated frames. Not as accurate as with an SLR or mirrorless camera, but very useable.

Photos: Leica Store Miami

However, the Leica M viewfinder has one huge advantage. The overall viewfinder image shows more than what is actually recorded. The user is not limited to just the field of view of the lens. This allows you to see the subject before it enters the actual image frame as well as everything surrounding the subject. With an SLR or mirrorless camera, it is quite possible to miss items that might be advantageous to be included in the shot.

But what about close-up and long lens work? Any lens put on and SLR or mirrorless camera can be observed through the viewfinder. That definitely used to be a drawback of rangefinder cameras. But beginning with the Leica M240, all digital Leica M cameras can be equipped with an electronic viewfinder of their own, allowing easy use of long lenses and close-up work. Even though that adds to the overall size of the camera, DSLR and even mirrorless cameras are still larger, and the electronic viewfinder can be removed when not needed, like with lenses from 28 to 135mm.

Which leaves autofocus as the only other major drawback. But how much of a drawback actually is it? None at all when it comes to lens size. All Leica M lenses are substantially smaller than equivalent autofocus lenses for the simple fact that an autofocus mechanism adds size. In addition, a rangefinder has the advantage that the camera user can chose where or on what subject to focus without needing to rely on an automated system. ‘But autofocus is a lot faster’ is the argument most often heard. Is it?

Photo: Leica Store Miami

With the advent of autofocus one little trick to speed up focusing of our cameras has all but been forgotten. I am talking about hyperfocal lens settings with the help of a depth of field scale. Most lenses available today no longer have depth of field scales and thus make focusing via hyperfocal settings impossible. Fortunately, most Leica lenses still offer this advantage, and its application can overcome the lack of autofocus to quite an extend.

Increase of depth of field by decreasing aperture size

In this example, the boy flying his kite is obviously the main subject and therefore should be in focus.

However, focusing on him would most likely render the background out of focus.

Utilizing the depth of field scale assured that all is in focus.

Ultimately the choice of a camera is up to each individual. But the Leica rangefinder cameras are not anywhere near the anachronism many like to make them.

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HORST FAAS : THE DEAN OF VIETNAM WAR PHOTOGRAPHERS

2026-10-11T10:46:07.394-05:00

By José Manuel Serrano Esparza

Horst Faas in Vietnam in 1967. He is using three different 24 x 36 mm format cameras and lenses : a Leica M2 rangefinder camera with eight elements in six groups groups Summicron-M 35 mm f/2 First Version (top), a second Leica M2 coupled to a 6 elements in 4 groups Summaron-M 28 mm f/5.6 (middle) and a Zeiss Ikon Contarex Super chrome reflex camera with a 7 elements in 3 groups Zeiss Sonnar 85 mm f/2 (lower). Hanging from his right shoulder is the special waterproof aluminium case designed by him to take his photographic gear inside it during the frequent crossing of rivers and streams.

During his long service as an AP foreign photojournalist and picture editor in the Vietnam War between 1962 and 1974, Horst Faas (1933-2012) became one of the best war photographers ever and mentor of a number of other top-notch war photographers like Peter Arnett, Huynh Thanh My, Nick Ut, Malcolm Browne, Eddie Adams, Hugh van Es, Dang van Phuoc, Henri Huet, Richard Pyle, Steve Stibbens, George Esper, Art Greenspot, Robert Ohman, Ghislain Bellorget, Neal Ulevich, Roger King, Ollie Noonan Jr, Dick Blystone and others, making up the mythical AP Saigon Bureau, which provided a very high percentage of the most famous images of the conflict to a number of newspapers and magazines all over the world.

Horst Faas in 1967 during an assignment in Vietnam, holding a 24 x 36 mm format Zeiss Ikon Contarex Super reflex camera coupled to a 4 elements in 4 groups Zeiss Sonnar 135 mm f/2.8 lens from 1964 (designed by Erwin Konschack and Günther Lange) with single-layer coating and B56 shade. The great German photographer knew that this superbly built telephoto objective (whose aperture control mechanism was on the camera body rather than on the lens) yielded excellent resolving power, contrast and sharpness, while simultaneously being prone to flare and loss of contrast, so he always used it with its hood attached.

Winner of two Pulitzer Prizes of Photography (1965 and 1972), the Robert Capa Gold Medal (1997) and the Dr. Erich Salomon Prize (2005),

First Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for News Photography bestowed to Horst Faas in 1965 for his coverage of Vietnam War.

Horst Faas has been one of the greatest and most influential war photographers in history, particularly excelling during his coverage of the Vietnam War, creating a raft of iconic pictures faithfully depicting what war really was and oozing impact, in addition to proving once and again a huge flair for this photographic genre, using Leica M cameras and highly luminous 35 mm lenses as main photographic tools.

THE BEGINNING OF A PRODIGIOUS CAREER

Horst Faas´s photographic baptism took place in 1951, when being only eighteen years old he took a job as a darkroom assistant for Keystone Photo Agency in Munich, where he discovered his photojournalistic vocation on developing a lot of black and white films exposed by different photographers, as well as making prints.

The feeling on beholding black and white images appearing on photographic paper inside the darkroom was something magical for him, pervading his soul, and he started to develop an exceptional memory and thoroughness with pictures, along wit a tremendous organization and archival ability with original negatives and contact sheets, something that which would be one of his hallmarks throughout his professional career.

Three years later, he became a full-fledged photojournalist for Keystone Press, covering the Vietnam Peace Talks in Geneva in 1954 and making some more assignments in 1955, until in 1956 he was hired by AP, creating his first reportages as a war photographer between 1960 and mid 1962, making photographs of the Civil War in Congo and the Algerian War of Independence.

A BOUNDLESS COURAGE

Horst Faas was an utterly fearless war photographer on the battlefield and steadily risked his life to get good pictures, most times from a very near distance, so his bravery was legendary among his professional colleagues.

1963. An U.S crewman running away from a U.S Army Piasecki H-21C Shawnee helicopter which was flying low and has just been shot down by Vietcong guerrillas on December 11, 1962 near the village of Ca Mau, in South Vietnam. Host Faas is at a very short distance from the pilot, who tries to desperately escape from a possible explosion of the aircraft, hit by a rocket (whose hole is visible beside the upward back left wheel of the airship touching the ground) fired by a Vietcong guerrilla fighter hidden in the jungle, probably with a B40 handheld antitank grenade launcher (North Vietnamese clone of the RPG-2), against the lower area of the chopper, destroying the tail rotor during its ascending trajectory.

Besides, he always had an amazing ability to anticipate where the action would be.

And imbued with a pretty unselfish personality, the German photographer was highly skillful discovering, recruiting and supporting new photojournalists gifted for war photography, subsequently putting them under his tutelage.

His courage in the midst of the most dangerous contexts was truly mind-boggling and he never lost his nerve.

A U.S. Marine CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter starts to come down in flames after being hit by Vietcong ground fire during Operation Hastings, just south of the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam, on July 15, 1966.

Impressive photograph in which Horst Faas captures a group of American soldiers trying to take cover as fast as possible, just after the same CH-46 Sea Knight U.S helicopter shown in the previous picture has crashed on the ground on July 15, 1966.

Incredibly, the bulky but very fast and agile German photographer has been able to run some hundred meters following the trajectory in the air of the shot helicopter during the previous seconds until reaching a spot very near a hill area where it has crashed and exploded killing one crewman and twelve marines, while three crewmen have managed to save their lives.

Horst Faas doesn´t hesitate to greatly risk his life, putting one knee on the ground to get the picture from a very low angle and achieve maximum feasible impact, sense of motion and collective convulsion. The timing accuracy and sense of composition of this image are staggering.

The middle area of the picture is the most meaningful and important one, proving for the nth time Horst´s Faas huge talent, with the two G.I running in opposite directions (the nearest one to the camera adjusting his helmet to his head and his right leg and foot in motion, while the other one is about to begin his run with his left foot on the ground and the right one in motion).

A very powerful triangle is made up by these two soldiers, hugely enhanced by the pronounced diagonal towards the left of the image described by the U.S soldier holding his rifle with his left hand crossed on his chest towards the right of the picture.

The heavy smoke visible in the background adds drama to the image, reinforced by the American soldier appearing in the distance (naked from waist upwards) between the two main characters of the photograph, framed by other soldiers around them, who run in every direction looking for shelter.

In addition, the German genius has managed to strengthen the tension of the image with a masterful pressing of the shutter release button of his Leica M2 just at the moment in which it seems that the trajectories of the soldier adjusting his helmet with his right hand and the one visible on the left of the image with both arms stretched, supporting his body weight on his left foot and with his right leg and foot in motion, will inevitably collide in the lowest middle border of the image.

Furthermore, Horst Faas has shown an stunning experience and knowledge of the distance from which he must get the picture, because if he would have approached more with his camera to the epicenter of the action, he would have become a physical hindrance for the soldiers in such a chaotic context like this, so he shoots with his Leica M2 coupled to a Summicron-M 35 mm f/2 1st version from a very near distance, but leaving a wise chosen space between him and the G.Is, masterfully capturing the atmosphere of the moment with the fastest autofocus in existence then and nowadays : shooting with the camera previously set for use with hyperfocal technique, having probably selected f/8 diaphragm, in order to get extensive depth of field and enough sharpness in the whole image, from foreground to background, to such a degree that even the pieces of earth flying in the air as a consequence of the very near impact of the shell are visible slightly on the left of the middle area of the image.

Horst Faas made always a point of getting the best possible images of the Vietnam War, with a fundamental keynote : to turn Associated Press into the reference-class news agency of the conflict in terms of defining pictures.

And he was successful, being willing to pay a high price for it if necessary.

Horst Faas on a stretcher, helped by some U.S medical soldiers while receiving a blood transfusion a few minutes after being hit by the shrapnel of an RPG rocket grenade launched by Vietcong while he was getting pictures with his Contarex Super chrome camera and Zeiss Sonnar 135 mm f/2.8 lens attached to a B56 hood in the surroundings of Bu Dop American airfield near the Cambodian border during the morning of December 6, 1967. The skill of the twenty year old U.S Army medic taking care of his shattered legs was specially instrumental to save him from bleeding to death.

And after being wounded by a rocket grenade during fighting near Bu Dop (Province of Binh Phuoc) in 1967, he was about to lose both legs.

Horst Faas during a photographic mission in South Vietnam in 1965, embedded with American troops and standing on board of a gunboat sailing through the Mekong river. Dangling from his neck is a black Leica M2 coupled to a 4 elements in 4 groups Leitz Canada Telyt-V 200 mm f/4 with built-in extendable lens hood and connected to the camera by means of a Visoflex II reflex housing with bayonet mount.

Horst Faas was also an exceedingly talented planner of assignments both for him and other photographers, able to get scoops by dint of perseverence, uncommon intuition and sense of anticipation.

A very young Horst Faas in 1965 inside the makeshift drying room for original negatives installed within one of the showers of AP main bureau in Saigon (South Vietnam). He is looking at a roll of 35 mm Tri-X 400 black and white film. An electric dryer visible beyond the door looks the part, while two further strips of 24 x 36 mm format b & w film and another one of 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 (6 x 6 cm) can be seen on the left. In the same way as had happened with Edward K. Thompson (assistant picture editor of Life magazine from 1937 and managing editor between 1949 and 1961) during the three previous decades, Horst Faas was able to read a picture from a negative, upside down, in the hypo, so he could work at full throttle and have prints of the best pictures within an exceedingly short time.

The upshot of it is that Horst Faas had a got a huge talent both generating defining images and as a picture editor, choosing at top speed the best pictures made by other war photographers and transmitting them by wire before the deadlines, in addition to being a great writer able to befittingly explain with words the images he saw through the lens of his camera.

ECLOSION OF HIS INTERNATIONAL FAME DURING THE VIETNAM WAR

January 1, 1966. Three women and a little child take cover from intense Vietcong fire in Bao Trai (Province of Long An), 20 miles west of Saigon, crouching behind a brook lavish vegetation. Horst Faas got this extraordinary picture, also being inside the water with a Leica M2 coupled to a non aspherical Summicron-M 35 mm f/2 First Version, shooting from a very near distance. The good depth of field inherent to the wideangle lens allows to discern detail in the background of the image, where some American paratroopers from the U.S 133rd Airborne Brigade with helmets and large backpacks are likewise taking shelter and watching the enemy movements. On making this image, the photographer has managed to achieve the most important goal for any good photojournalist : to go unnoticed during the photographic act, to such an extent that the three panic stricken women have been captured unaware of Horst Faas presence close to them. The countenance of the older woman located most on the left of the picture with a checkered handkerchief on her head speaks by itself, while the left hand of the young girl just behind (probably her daughter), grabbing her left shoulder and crying, adds tons of drama to the photograph and is in stark contrast with the glance of the little baby wearing a hat, held by his mother with her left arm and looking at the photographer, fully unaware about what is happenning around him. Fifty-four years later, the noise of bullets can almost be heard on seeing this image.

In late 1962, Horst Faas was sent by Associated Press to Saigon (South Vietnam) as a war photographer and picture editor.

To begin with, this was an uncommon double mission (both roles and professions were clearly differentiated at the time), conspicuously showing the boundless confidence AP had on the German photographer and his already proved tremendous visual culture, experience and insight with images, bolstered with a stunning flair for selecting the most meaningful pictures.

The legendary AP Crew in Saigon, also known as Horst´s Army, in June 1970. Kneeling, from left to right : Dang Van Huan, Nick Ut, Henri Huet, Lu Xay and Tobi Pyle. Standing, from left to right : Jay Sharbutt, Le Ngoc Cung, Willis Johnson, Andree-Paule Mason, Tran Trung Tho, Horst Faas, Mark Godfrey, David Mason, Huynh Minh Trinh, Richard Pyle, Carl Robinson, Rick Merron, Tran Xuan Bao, Dang Van Phuoc, Phil McMullen, Peter Arnett, Nancy Putzel, Tran Mong Tu, Edwin Q. White and Hugh Van Es. George Esper, on leave, is represented by the telephone, while also absent are Ghislain Bellorget, Holger Jensen, Max Nash, Michael Putzel, Bob Tuckman, Neal Ulevich, Terry Wolk-Erstorfer, Luong Ba Tinh, Tran Ngo Bo, Truong Van Tam, Le Kim Phung and Tran Quan Hung. Those were the times.

Right off the bat, Horst Faas, named to practical effects Chief of Operations of AP in South East Asia, managed to spawn what would be internationally known as " Horst´s Army ", made up by the aforementioned well-known war photographers, trained and mentored by him, who would supply a lot of defining images of the Vietnam War to the best illustrated newspapers and magazines in the world during sixties and first half of seventies, complementing the extraordinary pictures made by Horst Faas himself.

Horst Faas with two Leica M cameras : the upper one Leica M2 connected to a Summicron-M 35 mm f/2 Version 1 and the lower one Leica M3 coupled to a 6 elements in 5 groups chrome Summicron-M 90 mm f/2 early version with Leitz IUFOO 12575 lens hood and connected to the camera by means of a special Visoflex III reflex housing with bayonet mount and a 45 degree 4x magnifier code number 16487.

Moreover, Horst Faas was (along with Larry Burrows) a pioneer in the use of Leica M2 camera in Vietnam, because until his arrival, vast majority of AP photographers had used big 4 x 5 " (10 x 12 cm) large format Speed Graphic cameras.

But he went to Vietnam taking with him the Leica M2 cameras and lenses that he had been using since 1959 in Congo and Algeria.

And it paid off for him.

Horst Faas knew that the image quality delivered by the large format Speed Graphic cameras was impressive and it enabled to do very big enlargements and excellent selective reframings.

But they were too big, heavy and cumbersome to shoot handheld for the kind of photography he wanted to do, with both eyes open, enjoying a totally unfettered freedom and great speed of movements, enabling him to anticipate to action and above all to unobtrusively approach as much as possible to the thick of combats.

The Leica M2 (1958-1967) was the main camera used by Horst Faas during his coverage of Vietnam War from 1962 onwards. Though not reaching the stratospheric optomechanical quality of the Leica M3 and the Nikon SP (best 24 x 36 mm format rangefinder cameras ever made, both in the analogue and digital eras), it was and goes on being a formidable camera, thanks to its range-viewfinder whose optics was computed by Willi Keiner in early fifties, optimizing it for use with 35 mm wideangle lens (the photojournalistic focal length par excellence), adding a specific bright-line frame that enabled the photographers to enjoy a superb viewing quality in symbiosis with the 0.72x viewfinder magnification, so avoiding the use of expensive optical viewfinder attachments that were needed to couple 35 mm lenses to the Leica M3, whose viewfinder magnification was 0.92x.

And the best photographic tool to attain this was a 24 x 36 mm format Leica M rangefinder camera, because of the very tiny size and light weight of both body and lenses, the superb optomechanical quality of its objectives, the lack of a swivelling mirror making possible to shoot handheld at very low shutter speeds without trepidation and a breathtaking shutter lag of only 12ms (Leica M2) between the instant in which the photographer presses the shutter release button of the camera and the exposure.

January of 1965. A patrol of South Vietnam troops accompanied by some U.S advisers rests in the middle of the jungle near Binh Gia (Phuoc Tuy Province), 65 km in the east of Saigon. The picture shows the classical wonderful black and white image delivered by the non aspherical 8 elements in 6 groups single layer coated Summicron-M 35 mm f/2 1st Version, a very small and extraordinary lens for b & w photojournalists, with a second to none mechanic construction, particularly the brass double helicoid system confirming that this was a handcraftdely made wideangle lens with a lot of manual adjustments made by highly experienced Leica technicians during the assembly stage. Horst Faas has leveraged the full potential of this landmark lens, creating a very nice photograph in which the sunbeams enter through the Vietnamese dense jungle, lighting the soldiers. In addition, the level of detail kept in both the highlight areas and the low key ones of the rifle and holster of the standing South Vietnamese soldier nearest to the camera are commendable, all of it being visually strengthened by the triangle made up by the two visibly exhausted American advisers (the one on the left being squatted on the ground and the other one sitting on it) and the capped South Vietnamese soldier most on the left, whose forehead, nose, lips and chin are lit by the rays of sunlight.

Moreover, the images created by Horst Faas during the Vietnam War feature the unique and very nice image aesthetics delivered by non aspherical Leica M lenses designed by Walter Mandler at the Leitz Factory in Midland, Ontario (Canada), particularly the 8 elements in 6 groups Summicron-M 35 mm f/2 SAWOM 11308 First Version (1958-1969) in chrome mount and 12504 lens shade, which was the one most widely used by the German war photographer throughout this conflict.

An image clearly showing the very big size and physical strength of Horst Faas during his coverage of Vietnam War. He appears wearing helmet, photographer jacket, a Leica M2 with Summicron-M 35 mm f/2 1st Version attached to a 12504 lens hood, and a second M2 camera coupled to a Leitz Telyt-V 200 mm f/4 lens through Visoflex II reflex housing.

On the other hand, Horst Faas was a very strong man, full of stamina, featuring an outstanding resistance to fatigue, and incredibly agile for his big size and weight, who developed a highly protective attitude towards the photographers with whom he worked in Vietnam, always helping them as much as possible, guiding their careers, becoming a source of inspiration, and creating unforgettable moments and anecdotes with his very special sense of humour. And he was also instrumental in the careers of three great women photographers : Edie Lederer ( who in October of 1972 became the first woman assigned full time to cover the Vietnam War by AP), Christine Spengler (who after buying a one way ticket to Saigon and ask AP for a chance to photograph at the front, was assigned for the first time in Vietnam by Horst Faas in 1973 after a meeting in the 17th floor of the AP building in that city and shortly after it she made her first picture of a South Vietnamese soldier swimming in a rice paddy near an ox, image that made the first page of the New York Times), Catherine Leroy (who being only twenty-one years old met Horst Faas on her arrival in Saigon in 1966 and a year later became the first woman to parachute in a combat area with the 173rd U.S Airborne Brigade during the Operation Junction City as a Life magazine war photographer), Germaine Swanson ( a stringer for Time Life in Saigon who became a key translator and liaison for the Press Corps) and others.

A GREAT HUMAN BEING WITH VERY DEEP KNOWLEDGE OF ASIAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

Aside from his immense talent, courage, speed of movements, sense of anticipation, unwavering commitment in everything he did, incredible accuracy on pressing the shutter release button of his camereas to capture the most defining instants, perseverance, abiding love for his trade, leadership and many more things, one of the key factors that turned Horst Faas into one of the foremost war photographers on earth during his coverage of the Vietnam War was undoubtedly his deep fascination for Asia, its different countries, ancient cultures and history, to such an extent that he became an expert on it.

Faas was always mesmerized by the unique landscapes of countries like Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, China, Burma, etc.

And whenever it was possible, he prepared in advance each photographic mission in Vietnam, paintakingly studying maps, books and all kind of things that could help him to glean as much information as possible about the areas where he would get pictures,

January 1, 1966. Horst Faas gets this great picture of an engrossed in his thoughts American paratrooper with an M79 grenade launcher and wearing helmet, resting beside the lavish vegetation of a stream, while three Vietnamese women are likewise inside the water with their children, taking cover from Vietcong fire. The German photographer is also inside the water, has become invisible, goes unnoticed and captures a fleeting moment made everlasting in which the two very little children clinging to their mothers are gazing at the soldier´s face, perceiving his anguish and weariness. Once more, the rendition of subtleties and tonalities accomplished by the Summicron-M 35 mm f/2 First version (specially apparent in the brook waters on the right of the image) in synergy with the Leica M2 and the Kodak Tri-X 400 par excellence photojournalistic b & w film proves to be sensational, though obviously the most important factor is Horst Faas´s mastery to be at the adequate place and moment and press the shutter release button of his camera at the most meaningful instant, conveying different messages to any observer of the picture.

many of them depicting the civil population suffering the war.

Breathtaking picture made by Horst Faas at dawn of January 10, 1966 during an extremely dangerous photographic assignment covering the advance on canoes of soldiers of a South Vietnamese Army company through the waters of Mekong river to attack a Vietcong camp thirteen miles in the northeast of Can Tho. The German photographer has taken advantage of the great quality of diffused light beautifully enhancing the damp helmets of the sitting soldiers occupying the right half of the frame, in symbiosis with the other soldiers on board of some more canoes visible on the left of the image and rendered in a more high key area, while the Monsoon rain falls on them near Vinh Long and many drops of it can be seen touching the surface of the water on the left half of the picture. The depth of field attained by the Summaron-M 28 mm f/5.6, probably stopped down to f/11 coupled to a Leica M2 is very extensive, generating great sharpness on the whole image, from foreground to background, including the right arm of the South Vietnamese soldier nearest to the photographer and the many palm tress visible just beyond the river. Horst Faas has masterfully captured the stress of the moment in which every soldier is silent and standstill, trying to avoid any noise that could detect their presence and constantly looking at the surrounding areas, with the exception of the soldier on far right of the image, appearing in deep introspection. Needless to say that this is a very risky mission, since Vietcong guerrilla combatants, hidden within the lavish vegetation adjacent to both shores of the river, used to open fire with AK-47 assault rifles and SKS carbines, so the whispering sound produced on pressing the shutter release button of the Leica M2 (much more silent than in a reflex camera) has been highly valuable.

Another of his top priorities was always to prevent the AP photographers (both foreign and Vietnamese) he had trained and encouraged from taking too many risks during the assignments, frequently choosing to go alone during the most dangerous missions, so minimizing as much as he could the probability of death of other not so experienced colleagues.

That was the reason for which when he hired a 15 years old Nick Ut as a photographer for AP on January 1, 1966, he ordered him not to go with his cameras to any war zone, so Huynh Thanh My´s seven brother spent the next two years working inside the AP bureau darkroom until 1968, when he began to get pictures of combats.

As a matter of fact, from his very arrival at Vietnam in 1962 until 1974, Horst Faas became a kind of father for the rest of war photographers and correspondents in the AP Bureau of Saigon, which gained huge world celebrity on winning nothing more than five Pulitzer Prizes of Journalism throughout those twelve years :

- Horst Faas (1965, for his combat photography of the War in South Vietnam in 1964).

- Peter Arnett (1966, for his coverage of the War in Vietnam).

- Eddie Adams (1969, for his photograph " Saigon Execution " ).

- Horst Faas and Michel Laurent (1972, for their picture series " Death in Dacca " ).

- Nick Ut (1973, for his picture " Vietnamese Girl Running After Being Burnt with Napalm in the Village of Trang Bang " ).

Horst Faas was the mastermind behind everything, not only for his signature photography of the Vietnam War, but particularly as a brilliant editor and manager of AP´s far-flung international photo network, always doing his best to promote and spread the pictures made by other AP photographers, including a cadre of young South Vietnamese men coached by him to take photographs, providing them with cameras, b & w films and daily assignments.

He was a Renaissance Man with vast culture, able to speak for many hours on a wide range of topics, and had great interest for history and art, to such an extent that he would turn into a great collector of Asian antiquities.

All of his colleague war photographers loved him, and the Vietnam conflict forged lifelong bonds amongst them, greatly built on the new standards Horst Faas set for future generations of professionals embracing this photographic genre and also steadfastly searching for the most telling images.

August of 1962. Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the South Vietnamese 36th Infantry Division inside a troop carrier of the U.S Navy are being taken towards their base in Ca Mau (a city located in the delta of Mekong River, 362 km in the south of Saigon) after fighting against Vietcong forces for some days. Shooting from an elevated position, raised on the top border of the vessel, Horst Faas masterfully captures the utter weariness of these huddled South Vietnamese soldiers appearing in the image, most of them frazzled and overcome by deep drowsiness. The most important element of the composition is the sitting South Vietnamese soldier placed on the middle left area of the picture. He has got a M1 Garand rifle and is engrossed in his thoughts, highly probably remembering the ordeal all of them have experienced, embodied by his countenance, since conditions for both South Vietnamese and U.S troops during Vietnam War were appalling because of a number of reasons : the huge levels of humidity between 80% and 90% often bringing about thermal sensations around 50º C increased with the stress of combats, the constant sweating buckets, the continuous and relentless ambushes organized by Vietcong (using hit and run tactics and whose members were very difficult to spot, hidden and camouflaged within the dense foliage of the Vietnamese jungle), the massive presence of VC snipers shooting from close and medium distances with AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifles and SKS carbines and from long ranges with Mosin-Nagant rifles, the booby traps put everywhere by VC, the network of deep tunnels dug by VC all over South Vietnam and from which they launched surprise attacks, etc.

Horst Faas never lost his passion for great stories, took a lot of pride for being an AP newsman and made all the photographers and journalists around him better.

A young South Vietnamese woman photographed at widest aperture by Horst Faas with a 24 x 36 mm format Zeiss Ikon Contarex Super camera coupled to a black Zeiss 135 mm f/2.8 telephoto lens with chrome focusing ring in April of 1969 near the village of Dien Bai (in the east of the city of Hue) while she covers her mouth as she stares into a mass grave where victims of a reported Viet Cong massacre were being exhumed. The woman's husband, father and brother had been missing since the Tet Offensive, and were feared to be among those killed by Communist forces. Though Horst Faas made vast majority of his pictures of Vietnam War with Leica M2 rangefinder cameras and Leica M lenses,

he also used the reflex Contarex Super with this medium telephoto lens, fully aware that since its introduction in 1967, it was by far the best and most advanced 24 x 36 mm format slr camera in the world, an utterly mechanical masterpiece of German engineering and even superior to the also extraordinary Nikon F2 launched into market in 1971. Horst Faas applied a practical approach, because though the Contarex Super was big and heavy, he could easily handle it thanks to his great physical strength and bring into play its reference-class unbelievably bright and sharp viewfinder and its state-of-the-art for the time TTL true spot metering system. In addition, many of the Carl Zeiss Oberkochen lenses for Contarex cameras are even nowadays unsurpassed within the 24 x 36 mm reflex scope in terms of optomechanical quality (Horst Faas knew that the extreme precision of the centering of their optical elements and its very special lens mount made them get the upper hand) and superb cosmetic appearance with their gorgeous satin chrome finish, as well as featuring highly advanced automatic diaphragms to the extent that the camera was focused with the lens at full aperture, which then stopped down automatically when the shutter was fired, remaining stopped down until the camera was wound.

On the other hand, Horst Faas was highly admired not only by his colleague war photographers and journalists but also by the rank and file of U.S G.Is, paratroopers and marines, and some high officers often confirmed that the German photographer had probably seen and experienced more gruesome situations than vast majority of the soldiers involved in combat operations.

March 19, 1964. Horst Faas photographs a shocked father who holds the body of his child and stares at South Vietnamese Army Rangers looking down from their armored vehicle.. The child was killed as ARVN forces fought against Vietcong guerrillas in a village near the Cambodian border. The German photographer stated many times that apart from the coverage of military operations and combats, one of the most important goals with his images was to depict the suffering, emotions and sacrifices of Vietnamese civil population, caught in the crossfire between contenders.

Two American soldiers help a wounded comrade during an operation against Vietcong in the Vietnamese jungle. In spite of shooting from an exceedingly near distance and a perpendicular position, just in front of them, the photographer manages to go unnoticed and masterfully captures the arduous endeavour made by the two G.Is to take the wounded man to a rescue helicopter which both of them are looking at and is in the air approaching to the place. Many of the images made by Horst Faas in Vietnam also reflect the huge hardships that American troops had to endure during this war.

THE FINAL YEARS OF A MAN WITH A LION´S HEART

After Vietnam War, Horst Faas moved in 1976 to London as AP´s senior photo editor for Europe, retiring in 2004.

In 1997, Random House published the book " Requiem : By the Photographers Who Died in Vietnam and Indochina ", written by Horst Faas and Tim Page (a war photographer of United Press International), where they make a laudable selection of pictures made by more than eighty photographers and journalists from ten different nationalities killed during the Wars in Vietnam between forties and seventies, and it turned since early 2000 into a travelling photographic exhibition all over the world under the custody of the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film.

In 1998, Horst Faas and Richard Pyle went to Laos along with a Hawaii based Pentagon unit specialized in searching American soldiers missing in action in Indochina, managed to find the place where photographers Larry Burrows (Life magazine), Henry Huet (Associated Press), (Ken Potter United Press International) and Keishaburo Shimamoto (Newsweek) were killed on February 10, 1971 when the South Vietnamese helicopter in which they were flying over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos, covering the Operation Lamson 719, was shot down by a North Vietnamese 37 mm antiaircraft gun and exploded in mid air.

And with the help of local workers, they could also recover camera parts, film and other items, together with traces of organic material of the four photographers.

Horst Faas and Larry Burrows in a street of Saigon in 1964. Both war photographers had a lot of conversations inside the AP main bureu in that city during the frequent visits made to it by the great British war photographer (who was always a master of the Vietnam reportage for Horst Faas), and both of them coincided during many assignments in other areas of the world (photographing the big temples of Borobodur in Indonesia in 1970, in Calcutta in January of 1971, etc).

But Horst Faas and Richard Pyle needed to pay homage to their lost friends,

Cover of the book " Lost Over Laos : A True Story of Tragedy, Mystery and Friendship ", written by Horst Faas and Richard Pyle, with foreword by David Halberstam.

and five years later, in 2003, both of them were the authors of the book " Lost Over Laos : A True Story of Tragedy, Mystery and Friendship ", published by Da Capo Press, whose presentation at the Overseas Press Club in 40 W. 45th Street in New York on January 4, 2003 was an unforgettable and very touching event, conducted by Larry Martz, former President, as well as having the attendance of Horst Faas and Richard Pyle.

One year later, on May 4, 2005, shortly after the celebration event of the 30th Anniversary of the end of Vietnam War with photojournalists who covered it, when they had just held a meeting on the rooftrop of Rex Hotel in Saigon, Horst Faas was stricken by a blood clot on his spinal column, being evacuated by plane to a hospital in Thailand, and after some days, he was taken in a flight of Thai International to Munich, where he was hospitalized again at the Klinik Murnau in the outskirts of the Bavarian capital.

From then to his death in 2012, Horst Faas lost all his sensitiveness under the waist, so he couldn´t walk and had to use a wheel chair at every moment, as was confirmed by his great friend Marianne Fulton (Chief Curator of the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film between 1975 and 2002, as well as worldwide lecturer and organizer of more than 80 exhibitions with pictures made by world-class photographers) who visited him in the Unfallklinik Murnau.

But he plucked up courage and kept on as active as possible, organizing a lot of worldwide meeting of photojournalists, reunions of the war time Saigon Press Corps, international photojournalism symposiums, exhibitions of his work in different countries, etc.

Something exceedingly praiseworthy, because Horst Faas spent the seven years of his life virtually disabled, on a wheel chair and above all suffering from continuous and very intense pains that the legendary old lion tried to conceal before everybody.

On April 3 and 4 of 2008, the scant remains of Larry Burrows, Henry Huet, Kent Potter and Keishaburo Shimamoto were honoured, with eulogies and speeches by Richard Pyle, Horst Faas, Russell Burrows (Larry Burrow´s son), Peter Pritchard (Newseum President) and Tom Curley (AP President) and buried at the Newseum in Washington, D.C, along with seven South Vietnamese soldiers who went also inside the helicopter when it was shot down.

That same year appeared a new book :" Horst Faas, 50 Years of Photojournalism ", published by Editions du Chêne, profusely illustrated and written by Horst Faas and Helene Gedouin, a remarkable work that was selected by Visa Por L´Image Perpignan.

Horst Faas looking at some pictures of his retrospective exhibition at the Couvent des Minimes in Perpignan, southern France, on September 5, 2008, during the Visa Pour L´Image 20th International Festival of Photojournalism.

In a last strenuous effort to promote photojournalism and encourage new young war photographers, Horst Faas made two arduous trips to United States in 2006 and 2008, giving some very interesting lectures, and also helped to the development of the Degree Program in Photojournalism of the University of Magdeburg-Stendal, founded in 2008.

In late 2008, his health deteriorated even more and he had to be hospitalized again because of skin problems, but he had to also undergo gastric surgery.

The paralysis had remained since 2005, when an Australian doctor at the Bumrungrad hospital in Bangkok (Thailand) discovered the blood clot in his spinal column and made the first surgery to drain it.

Increasingly ailing and weak, Horst barely made further public appearances from 2010, and died on May 10, 2012 in a hospital of Munich.

Horst Faas, a giant in the History of Photography. His pictures defined the Vietnam War, in the same way as the images made in that conflict by other great photographers of Associated Press taught by him and whose images he very wisely edited. In addition, he carved out new standards for covering wars, was the key photo editor of the Vietnam War and became a role model for today´s front line war photographers around the globe.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD

2026-10-08T12:02:23.861-05:00

By Heinz Richter

Today would have been my father’s 113th birthday. He hasn’t been with us for almost 47 years, but this date will always be a special day for me and my sister. We both owe him our profession and for that I will always be thankful. He is also responsible for my interest in Leica cameras. I have written on several occasions that I received my first Leica, a model II with 50mm f/2 Summar for my 5th birthday from my father. That was only the beginning. Over the following years we learned many of our photography skills from him. He was a Fotografenmeister (Master Photographer), and it was through his influence and teaching that both of us set out on a career as professional photographers. To this day I am still influenced by what I learned from him. Even this blog most likely would not have materialized without him.

Heinrich Richter

Photograph by my sister Marlies Amling

Thus I hope the readers of this blog will allow me this moment of personal reflections.

My father always encouraged me to take pictures, to experiment, to find my own way. For that reason he gave me that Leica. This used to be his personal camera and some of the photographs in this article were taken with that camera.

He attended the Hamburg School of Photography. After graduating he worked as an apprentice with several different photographers and finally earned his degree of Fotografenmeiser (master photographer).

St. Pauli Landungsbrücken Subway Station in Hamburg

Hamburg Harbor

Throughout his career, he never specialized, instead his work ranged from portraits and weddings, via architectural work to product photography. That is something I am quite thankful for because it allowed me to do the same in my own life.

Unfortunately, cancer took him from us much too early. I frequently reflect on the fact that I am now almost 15 years older than he was when he died, and on all the conversations we could have had, had he only lived longer.

Two photographs that my father took of me

My sister is now a very successful photographer in Germany. We often talk about what could have been. For instance, our dad was an incredibly skillful retouching artist. It still amazes me what he was able to do with a brush and some retouching colors. We will never know what he would have thought of Photoshop, but we are convinced he would have taken to it quite readily. As a matter of fact, I am sure he would have readily embraced digital photography as well, but I am also convinced that he would have missed the skills that used to be necessary to be a successful professional photographer before the digital age.

My mother

from a paper negative

I have several of his cameras in my own camera collection. I still marvel at his Plaubel Peco Universal view camera. The majority of photographers today probably have no clue how to operate such a piece of equipment. Digital photography, combined with computers and software programs like Photoshop have virtually eliminated the need for such camera equipment. Yet I am very thankful that I still learned to use cameras like it, as well as most of the other, “old” skills that were necessary to succeed in the field of professional photography. For that I am forever thankful, dad.

Suburban Hamburg

Rothenbaumchaussee, Hamburg

Boltergasse, Barntrup, Germany

I helped my father to take this photograph in my hometown

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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WORK FOR LEICA?

2026-10-06T11:25:58.093-05:00

Leica Headquarters at Leitz Park, Wetzlar

By Heinz Richter

The Wetzlar daily [m]ittelhessen offered a rare look at what criteria Leica uses to hire people to work at their facility in Wetzlar. They conducted an interview with Leica personnel officer Alexandra Takak.

Unlike most companies in the US, Leica trains many of their employees in house, including opticians, mechanics, electronics specialists and specialist in metal technology. But what does it actually take to be hired by Leica as an apprentice?

Lobby of Leica Camera AG

Grinding of aspherical lens element

Checking the accuracy of the lens surface
© H. Richter

Not unimportant are the grades achieved in prior education. The commercial and technical fields include grades in the natural sciences math and physics, while for merchants great emphasis is put on language skills. Another criterion is the hobbies of the candidates. Someone who in his spare time likes to take photographs, for instance, has already a closer connection to the company. Additional importance is put on social skills. An apprentice must be polite, punctual and reliable.

Cementing of individual lens elements
© H. Richter

More specifically, initially Leica teaches their apprentices basic skills. Later on they will work in areas pertaining to the particular jobs they are seeking. This has led to Leica being able to employ virtually one hundred percent of their trainees. In addition, the young people can continue their education with additional training and university studies. Of course top scientific positions, as in lens design, for instance, require university degrees before any individual can seek a position at Leica.

All lens elements are individually tested

Installing the sensor of a Leica M10

Adjusting the sensor of a Leica M10

Leica also considers it important for the trainees to go beyond the specific requirements of their future position in the company and to have a say in their education.

It should also be mentioned that this approach is free of charge. Not only are apprentices and trainees able to get an education in specific fields, they will earn an income during this time as well. In addition, these individuals have the assurance of a job once they have completed their education.

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PHOTOSHOP/LIGHTROOM - YES OR NO

2026-10-04T11:38:59.380-05:00

By Heinz Richter

Whenever possible, we should do what we can, prior to pressing the shutter release, to prevent the necessity to make corrections to our photographs afterwards. However, I do not at all prescribe to the idea that all photographs should be what comes out of the camera without any further alterations. That is a sure way to reduce many photographs to mediocracy at best.

As Ansel Adams once said, the negative (electronic file) is just the score, the enlargement is the performance. With other words, do whatever necessary to obtain the best possible final result.

That is the very reason why I rarely use any image directly out of the camera.

I was looking through some files a while ago, when I came across a photograph that I took a while back with my first electronic Leica, a Digilux 2. I had always rejected it because I considered it a bad image, not worth any further consideration.

I decided to work on it, just to see if any worthwhile improvements could be made.

The first step was to convert the original to black and white. I my opinion the stark interior of the blacksmith shop is better shown in black and white. Of course, that alone was hardly an improvement.

The first adjustment was to render it darker. Definitely better but hardly a good image.

I had the good fortune to get involved with Photoshop at its very beginning in the late 80s which is the very reason why I never used Lightroom. One feature is the 'Camera Raw Filter'. It offers the possibility to modify JPEG files as a RAW file. This is important when using images that are not saved as RAW or DNG files. However, the files do not convert to RAW files.

I further darkened the image with a slight increase in contrast. The result was a much better image, far superior to the original.

At this point, further improvements are essentially a judgment call. I decided to add a bit more density. That, however, caused some of the darker areas of the image to lose detail. RAW offers two easy adjustments by changing the density of just the shadow or the black areas. In most cases a shadow adjustment is preferable. This adjustment brought detail back into the shadow areas without influencing the light areas of the image.

A similar adjustment can be done to the white and the highlight areas. I used it to tone down the highlights to some degree.

At this point no general adjustments are of any use and selected areas have to be addressed individually.

This included lightening the left hand of the blacksmith as well as the piece of metal he was working on. The same thing was done to the hammer.

The photograph had to be taken with a relatively slow shutter speed of ¼ sec. That introduced a fair amount of motion blur of the arm. While RAW does allow sharpening of individual areas, the amount of blur in this case is impossible to correct that way. Instead, is used localized darkening along the bottom of the arm which made it appear to be a lot sharper.

Next, I used the lightening tool to lighten the legs of the pants as well as some areas of the floor and the barrel in the lower left of the image. These tools work very efficiently, allowing for an additional slight increase in contrast.

One of my favorite photographic enlargement papers during the film days was Agfa Portriga Rapid. It was a warm tone paper. For that reason, I often convert my black and white images to a slight warm tone when working digitally.

Looking at the original image, compared to the final one, there should be no doubt that post production with Photoshop, Lightroom or other, similar software programs definitely allow to improve our photographs, sometimes to the extent of converting a useless picture to a worthwhile photograph.

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ELECTRONIC LEICA M6 PROTOTYPE WITH PROTOTYPE 28mm f/2.8 ELMAR

2026-10-01T11:29:33.501-05:00

By Heinz Richter

It isn't very often that we have a chance to look at Leica prototype cameras, especially ones that are relatively recent. When electronic controls in cameras became an important part of camera design, Leica was not to be left out. After the Leica M4, the unfortunately not too successful Leica M5, and the resurrections of the M4, like the M4-2, it was time to come up with a new model, aptly labelled as the Leica M6.

The Leica M6 has come and gone, but it is interesting to see what Leica was considering prior to settling on the M6 as we know it. This was the Leica M6 electronic, which never made it past the prototype stage. It was a Leica rangefinder camera unlike any I have ever seen.

Leica M6 Electronic Prototype. The light meter on a swing arm clearly visible

It was designed by Peter Loseries and produced in 1981. The camera was based on the Leica R4 body. The pentaprism and the mirror box were removed and replaced by the Leica M rangefinder. It also included the angled rewind knob of the Leica M4. The camera maintained the shutter of the R4 as well as most of the electronics. This resulted in an M Leica with TTL metering and automatic exposure control. This was achieved by placing the sensor of the light meter on an arm which would swing out of the way prior to making any exposure, reminiscent of the Leica M5. The camera would also accept the data back and the motor drives of the R4. The so-called “M6 electronic” was finished in late 1981 and only four complete prototypes were ever produced.

None of these remained at Leica and only two of them are known to exist. The M6 which finally went to production in 1984 was completely different from this first concept.

Along with the camera, Leica also made a prototype Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 with a built-in square lens hood, designed by Rolf Crema. Only two of these lenses were ever assembled and it never went into production.

Overall, this hybrid LEICA camera has a mix of features of M6 and the R4 with an exterior that is more reminiscent of the M5. Would it have been a sales success? We will never know, but considering the resistance to the M5, we should not be surprised that Leica took a more conservative approach with the actual, marketed version of the M6.

LEICA M6 electronic with ELMARIT-M 1:2.8/28mm prototype lens and Leica R4 motor drive

The styling clearly shows a mix of the Leica M4 and Leica M5 design

The prototype Elmarit 28mm f/2.8 mounted on the M6 Electronic with the Leica R4 motor attached

Base plate, LEICA M6 prototype body showing the R4 type motor drive connections.

Special thanks to Peter Coeln of WestLicht for giving permission to use his photographs of the “M6 electronic” on these pages.

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SPORT AND ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY WITH LEICA M CAMERAS

2026-09-28T11:18:27.760-05:00

By Heinz Richter

The Leica M cameras are generally considered to be less than ideal for fast action and sports photography. As a matter of fact, if this were one of my main types of photography, I would have invested in the Leica SL system. However, as I have stated in the past, after owning and using several Leicaflex and Leica R cameras, I have always gravitated back to the Leica M.

The M cameras in general are limited to the rangefinder coupled M lenses. Not only that, but they also offer only very limited close-up photography.

To overcome those limitations required the Leica Visoflex II or III. They essentially converted the M camera to a single lens reflex camera. But they added considerable bulk and weight, and they were not exactly convenient to use.

Leica M5, Visoflex III, Leica Bellows2, Leitz Telyt 560mm f/6.8

It wasn’t until the introduction of the Leica M 240 that a substantially easier and more convenient solution became available, an electronic, add-on viewfinder. It attaches to the accessory shoe and offers unrestricted viewing and focusing with any lens attached to the camera.

No more restrictions of long lenses and close-up photography. It essentially converts any Leica M camera from the M 240 to the current models to a mirrorless camera. No autofocus though, which is the very reason why it still cannot compete completely with the Leica SL line of cameras.

But that hasn’t kept me from doing action and sports photographs.

On those occasions, I will use the rangefinder coupled lenses when they are able to do the work well. Beyond my 135mm f/2.8 Elmarit, I use a 200 and 400mm Novoflex lens. They have proven to be equal in performance to equivalent Leica lenses but are substantially easier to focus because of their pistol grip type focusing instead of a standard focusing ring or even the trombone type focusing of the 400 and 560 mm Telyt. I also added a Leica 2x extender. Especially with the 200mm Novoflex it makes for a very convenient 400mm lens. As a matter of fact, it is so easy to use that now I only use the 400mm Novoflex with the 2x extender when I need the 800mm focal lenght.

Leica M 240 with elctronic viewfinder and 200mm Novoflex

If I had to do action and sports photography more frequently in the future, I would probably add one of the Leica S cameras to my system. It is good to know that this would not necessarily mean the necessity of adding a whole new line of lenses. The Leica S cameras will accept Leica M lenses with an adapter. However, until then ...

Leica M 240, Novoflex 200mm f/3.8, Leica 2x extender

Leica M8, 90mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Leica M8, 135mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Leica M8, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Leica M8, 135mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Leica M5, 50mm f/1 Noctilux, Kodachrome 25

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BODYSCAPES

2026-09-26T10:03:59.088-05:00

By Heinz Richter

Throughout art history the human form has fascinated artists probably more than any other subject and as soon as photography became a viable art form, that interest transcended to photography as well.

Unfortunately, photography to this day is struggling to be accepted as a form of art when it comes to photography of the nude; to many it is automatically equated with pornography, a label totally undeserved.

In view of that it is understandable that many photographers shy away from this art form. Facebook is a very good example of how this is mindlessly stifled. As a general rule Facebook does not accept any nudity at all. They even found it necessary to block the famous photograph by Nick Ut, commonly referred to as Napalm Girl, and by doing so totally ignoring the historic importance of this photograph.

An accepted means to show the human form without any repercussions is to concentrate on the shape of the human body without being objectionable. Bodyscapes are such an approach, and it has been quite successful for me.

I have photographed the female nude for many years, and it has always been a disappointment to me that I cannot show this work in many venues. However, bodyscapes are an accepted “compromise”.

I have mentioned cropping on several occasions and the fact that the performance of Leica lenses is such that they allow cropping of an existing negative or digital file to quite an extend without any greatly noticeable loss of quality.

I have used that approach with many of my existing negatives and digital files which often has resulted in new photographs that are even better than the original.

Here are some examples that I hope speak for themselves.

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A VERY EXTENSIVE TEST OF THE LEICA NOCTILUX –M 50MM f/0.95

2026-09-24T11:09:50.811-05:00

The 50mm f/0,95 Noctilux was quite a sensation when it was introduced a few years ago. In spite of its high price, it has remained as a very popular lens in the lineup of Leica lenses. Here is another look at a very extensive test of that lens:

By Florian C.A. Czech

Not so long ago Alex Görlitz from Foto Görlitz wrote to me. "Your review of the M10 (https://flowflo.blogspot.co.at/p/der-leica-salesmanager-eastern-europ.html) is really great. I do not know when I last read such a good report. Say you really like to write reports about equipment? "

That depends, was my answer, if I'm interested and I'm convinced, yes!

Which lens would you like to test, Alex asked me, presenting me with a not so easy task. In the last years with Leica I already had almost all lenses on my M's and found the perfect equipment for me and my way of photographing. All together with top lenses from Leica, Zeiss and Voigtländer.

For me it is important that a lens has character! It does not matter to me which name is on it - the performance must fit! What is overestimated on lenses in my opinion is how sharp a lens is. I join Ken Rockwell who says, "The more you know about photography, the more you know that lens sharpness does not matter. Sharpness is the most overrated aspect of lens performance! "Https://kenrockwell.com/tech/lens-sharpness.htm

And he is right! Sharpness is just an easy to measure criterion, as well as contrast and resolution. Vignetting and distortion are also easy to measure, and so all the photo magazines set out to evaluate lenses based solely on these criteria. Funny thing is that the people who perform tests in laboratories, the test candidates themselves never had on their cameras ...

I'm not photographing test charts under laboratory conditions! It is important to me how a lens performs in the hard everyday life of a photographer - the character of the lens and last but not least the usability and quality of the production are really important to me. The only thing that matters is the finished photograph!

But how do you evaluate the character of a lens? That's not so easy. It depends a lot on the photographer's taste and the actual field of application. The most important thing, however, is that you have a comparison and experience. That's the only way to really judge how good a lens is!

I strongly recommend the leather protector from Leica for a good grip of this not very light combination!

f 0,95

So back to the beginning: I had the last 40 years, which I photograph now, almost everything in front of my eyes. 35mm, medium format, SLR, mirrorless system cameras, etc. and ended up again at a Leica M, which makes me happy about everything! (Why can you read here: https://flowflo.blogspot.co.at/p/der-leica-salesmanager-eastern-europ.html) And - I've found in recent years, the perfect lenses for me. My luck is that as a loyal customer, I was always able to test the lenses myself before making my decision and form my own opinion. Decisive for this assessment are on the one hand the quality of the lens and the character, on the other hand the price - performance ratio. If two lenses for my area of application offer almost identical performance, I opt for the cheaper, no matter which name it says - point!

So which lenses would really irritate me now? What did not I have on my M? Then the question of Alex Görliz was quite easy to answer:

There are two lenses that really interest me - these are the legendary Leica Noctilux-M 50 / 0.95 and the brand new Leica Apo Noctilux 75 / 1.25.

Since the 75 was on the way, Alex promptly sent me the 50th Nocti and we agreed that I will test the 75er Apo in connection and not at the same time with the 50th Noctilux.

The best made lens in the world

Streetshot with f 0,95

First Impressions - Production quality

A few days later I already had the communication in my mailbox that a package from Foto Görlitz at the UPS base at my pharmacy around the corner is ready to pick up. Honestly, I was pretty excited and already so excited when I set out to pick up the lens. The more disappointed I was when I took over the quite large package. It was surprisingly easy and for a moment I thought, there can not possibly be the Leica Noctilux inside and Foto Görlitz sent me something different as a consolation ...

On the way home, my steps became faster and my curiosity rose to the limit! What might be inside? Carefully I opened the large package and found a Leica typical leather quiver amidst the generously designed with bubble wrap cardboard. When I took the quiver in my hand to take out the lens, I was surprised again by the very high weight and especially when I held the lens in my hands, the Leica Noctilux-M 50mm 1: 0,95 / 50 ASPH!

I do not know how to put it in words ... The lens has suddenly estimated to be ten times as heavy when unpacked ... With its dimensions of 73 x 75 mm, it brings a proud 700 grams on the scales. And I mean that consistently positive. I was and am overwhelmed by the build quality. The lens looks as if it were made of glass and metal, without air bubbles. And indeed there is a lot of glass and metal installed.

With the Leica leather protector this combination is great in the hand and with the Rock & Roll Strap makes it comfortable to carry!

I grab greedy for the aperture ring to turn it. Wow - so supple, almost without friction and yet with clear but gentle clicks, the aperture ring, which is designed in half-fade stages, snaps in precisely. A pleasure! I know of no other lens, which makes so supple and full at the same time adjust the aperture.

Next is the removal ring. Again wow! So smooth, it can be turned, with just the right resistance to focus precisely. Not too easy, not too heavy. I have not seen or felt this precision with any other lens. So manual focus must go!

As some of you know, I'm a big fan of really old Leica glass. Leica still makes the highest quality lens frames for me today - but nevertheless I find the lenses of the "golden" Leica years from the period 1930 to the end of the 60s undefeated. This is also the reason why these old lenses still work flawlessly and are so often bought. This is also the reason for the value stability of Leica lenses!

With this Noctilux, launched in 2008, the third version, Leica once again joins this unsurpassed manufacturing quality. I do not know any other Leica lens apart from the Leica Apo-Summicron 50 and the Leica Noctilux-M 1: 1.25 / 75mm ASPH maybe, which can compete with today's Noctilux 0.95. This is probably also the reason why this lens is supplied in a classy presentation box with glossy black fabric and has a special position in the Leica lens program. For me it is currently the best-made Leica lens and at all the currently best-made lens in the world.

Now I can also understand that there are people who put this 10,400 - euro lens into a glass cabinet to take it from time to time in order to play with it, to enjoy the manufacturing quality and at the same time a value investment have.

Thinking for a minute ... No, I can not quite understand them! This lens belongs to a Leica M to excel in what it's made for - producing unique photographs under the guidance of the photographer!

Handling

First set to my Leica, doubles the weight of my M10. With attached Visoflex finder, original leather protector from Leica and the terrific custom-made, 140 cm long Rock & Roll Strap, this combination brings a proud 1750 grams on the scales.

Since I'm a "big boy", that does not bother me. Of course, this setup is the opposite of my Vintage Summaron 2,8 cm at the M10, but as I said that is fine for me. Two things make the combination much easier to carry with: Firstly, my original leather Leica protector. Through this you keep this combination safe and non-slip in the right hand. And second, the sensational Rock & Roll Strap from https://rocknrollstraps.com. In a special order of 140cm, I wear my M diagonally over the left shoulder. The length of the strap I have measured so that the camera hangs on ledge height and I have her with loosely hanging arm by hand always at hand, without having to move up or down. In addition, the weight of even this combination is distributed pleasantly on the shoulder, back and chest. The construction of the Rock & Roll Strap additionally absorbs the weight of the station wagon comfortably. All in all, this station wagon is very comfortable for me to wear for a whole day.

Facing the eye, this combination lies like a rock in my hands. The left hand under the lens to adjust the aperture and distance, the right hand encloses the camera on the right and is responsible for additional stability and triggering. It feels perfect to me. Due to the weight and the large contact surfaces in my hands, I hold a perfectly balanced unit which allows synonymous long shutter speeds from the hand or a blur impossible!

The focus distance is short enough to focus quickly and long enough to allow for precise focus. This is also helped by the large lens diameter, which makes focusing very comfortable. I think this combination was excellent. It is a great pleasure to focus even with open aperture and rangefinder.

With a little practice, you can also get fast-moving subjects! Aperture 0.95

Speaking of focusing ... Handling a rangefinder basically requires some time to get used to someone who is not used to working with it. But once you have learned to handle it, you do not want anything else. A tip from me: Always sets the distance between two shots to infinity. So you always turn into the same direction until the image in the rangefinder appears sharp. In most cases, it's as fast as autofocus, and usually even faster, and I always know where the focus is - there are no false focuses.

Depending on the recording distance, however, it becomes critical below aperture 2. At aperture 1.4 and even more at aperture 0.95, highest concentration is announced. Especially if the shooting distance is less than three meters. If there are 3 meters and aperture 0.95 still a focal plane of about 20cm, so it decreases at 2 meters to about 4.5cm and at a recording distance of 1 meter to not quite 1 cm.

Of course, that takes a lot of practice. Those of you who have worked with aperture 1.4 on an M with the range finder will get the hang of it quickly. Anyway, it is no longer fast and sloppy. This inevitably leads to blurred images.

It's a challenge and not recommended for beginners in the M system. But I already love it at the M, because I have to prepare even better for the picture! To be sloppy is not! You have to take your time and this forces you to get in contact with the scene and the people, especially in street photography, while you focus precisely. Of course you have to be able to stand that. But if you get involved, you will be rewarded with extraordinary recordings!

To catch such situations well, you should plan the recording.

Leica M10 / Nocti f 0.95

Leica M10, f/0,95

I love this lens after a short time for street shooting! Aperture 0.95

In any case, I fell in love with the Nocti after the first street scenes in this lens. Even moving subjects are possible with a little more practice!

And then there is still the great Visoflexsucher of Leica. I like to use it again and again - no matter which lens. This viewfinder makes the M a different camera and extends the range considerably! But especially with the Noctilux 0.95 it makes eg. Portrait shots a breeze. Of course you should also work here prudently. If you do that, you can quickly focus on the millimeter! - Great!

Also worth mentioning is the built-in lens hood! You take them off and with a left turn you fix them against accidental insertion. It effectively stops stray light from the side, but it does not protect much against front lens damage due to the design, because the diameter of this 60mm lens is very large and the lens hood is rather small in comparison. Also, it happened to me again and again that the lens hood has unintentionally retracted ...

I therefore strongly recommend the use of a protective filter for the front lens. Likewise, a corresponding gray filter is a must, in order to be able to photograph with open aperture even in bright daylight.

The solution of the Leica APO-Summicron-M 1: 2.0 / 50mm ASPH and the Leica Noctilux-M 1: 1.25 / 75mm ASPH, in which the lens hood is extended by turning, I like it much better because they are not unintentionally again can retract! It shows again that in the development of new lenses Leica listens to the photographers and installs innovations to meet our wishes. I am sure that the same solution will be installed in any new version of the 50's Noctis.

The gradation of out of focus, sharp, out of focus draws the Noctilux 0.95 quite soft and smooth!

Optical quality

The 50mm focal length you love or you don´t. It is unspectacular, but for that very reason very universally applicable. Anyway wants to be designed with this focal length. By itself, it produces very little tension compared to a wider-angle lens. For it scores with honest, distortion-free recordings.

As a self-confessed bokeh fan, of course, I was most curious about the rendering, the drawing of the blur area, both in the background and in the foreground. I was curious about the character and soul of the world's brightest ASPH 50mm lens!

Leica Noctilux Aperture 0,95

My previous bokehking, is the Zeiss Sonnar 50mm / f1: 1.5. Compared to the Leica Summilux 50mm / f1: 1.4 ASPH I like it better from the rendering. The Lux is from the two the slightly better processed and sharper lens, the Sonnar has for me the clearly nicer bokeh! This circumstance made me grab for the Zeiss, since the lens sharpness hardly plays a role nowadays. I mean, what's that nonsense at all, if you advertise with such lenses with the perfect edge definition at open aperture? Nonsense! I do not use a lens with an open aperture, so the edges are perfectly sharp, the opposite is true. The contrast and the resolution are already much more important. But most important to me is whether a lens has a character that can put me in ecstasy.

Even the first street scenes with the Noctilux at open aperture, put me in this ecstasy! Unbelievable how this lens draws. It is an absolutely harmonious, so creamy, smoother process between blurred in the foreground, sharpness on the main subject and blurring in the background. I'm excited. The resolution is top and the colors are very pleasant for me, natural and harmonious. The distortion is zero. Even the vignetting, which can not be prevented with such highly opened lenses, is absolutely limited and can be used creatively. If you do not want to have vignetting, just turn them out while working out ..! ;)

I love the range of focus f/0,95

I could not believe my eyes when I examined the first images on the monitor of my M10. The pictures looked so great here already. On the monitor of the M10 you can see immediately whether a shot looks good or not. This was later confirmed on the 27 "monitor of my iMac. When zooming in, I was amazed again, what this lens can do! What a resolution, what a sharpness and the aperture at 0,95! And then the colors! Yes, I admit - 90% of my recordings are black and white anyway. But also shots which I have converted via Capture One11 in black and white, deliver through this lens in conjunction with the sensational sensor of the M10 perfect shades of gray. I confess: This lens has led me to one or the other color image more ..., ok, it was rather more! ;)

Street Portrais are a dream with the Nocti! Aperture 0.95

The application of this exceptional lens is huge. The first few days I still thought why this lens has even more f-stops ...? I would use it anyway only with aperture 0.95. But even at Aperture 1,4, 2, 4, 5,6 the Nocti has a very own, very nice signature! Even slightly to moderately dimmed this lens has a nicer, softer and smootheres bokeh than my Zeiss Sonnar!

Blende 0.95 durch ein Fenster aufgenommen

The pop of 0,95

From aperture 5.6 upwards it holds in my opinion loose with the Leica Summicron 50, which was known for a long time as the 50s with the highest resolution and sharpness, until Leica brought the APO Summicron 50 on the market, which sets new standards ,

I'm really thrilled, the very special, beautiful character of this Noctilux 0,95. Even dimmed, it retains its appearance and its own character and is recognizable as noctilux for the skilled, experienced viewer. For my liking it beats my Zeiss Planar 50 / 1.5 easily and I have a new favorite 50s! The Noctilux 0,95 for me is the best 50mm lens!

For landscape shots with open aperture, it invites you to play with sharpness and blur and produces so fantastically beautiful shots. Dimmed, it delivers perfect images with a sensational definition, resolution and perfect edge definition.

Aperture 0,95

Backlit

This Nocti is very good natured in backlight. If anything, it shows beautiful circular flares, which can be very well incorporated as a design element in the picture. If you turn the camera a bit, you get it out of the picture.

Do you see the circular flares?

Even portraits recordings make me extremely fun with this Noctilux, although I'm not the portrait photographer. Due to the low depth of field, one achieves very extraordinary effects at low shooting distances between one and one and a half meters. With shooting distances between three and five meters, you have this beautiful pop effect, the three-dimensional effect that we already know from the Summilux 50. This effect is much more pronounced with the Nocti, the bokeh much creamier, softer and more harmonious. A dream!

f/0,95

All with aperture 0.95

To be honest, I did not expect this lens to convince me with so many ways. It's an exception lens in every way, and I'm overwhelmed with the almost inexhaustible uses and beautiful harmonic effect the Nocti creates.

I always catch myself photographing trivial things with it and am pleased about the implementation that this lens offers me. I think that's what you call still life or something ...! ;)

Gift Basket f/0.95

Just from the desk ... Aperture 0.95

I like the colors of the Nocti! Blend 0.95

I love the versatility of this lens! Aperture 0.95

Conclusion

The Leica Noctilux-M 1: 0.95 / 50mm ASPH convinces me in its full length!

€ 10,400 is a lot of money, but considering the value stability and the resale value even after 20 years, this investment quickly loses its horror. The previous version, Noctilux 50/1, cost $ 1,149 in 1986. Today you pay for a good used this year (32 years old) at least about 5.500, - Euro. The current model, built in 2010, the Leicashop currently sells for € 8,400.

In return, one gets, in the truest sense of the word, the most valuable lens in the world. A lens for more than one life, which always gives you pleasure and fun and can be sold even after decades without loss of value, if you ever want to give it.

A lens that currently or in the past has no opponent or had! It is the brightest lens in its class, which scores with an exceptionally high imaging performance. A lens with a wonderful character and grandiose bokeh!

A lens that you no longer want to give, you have photographed for a while with it.

I ask myself now only one question: Which passbook I will plunder, so I can buy this, lens ...?

Me. - Thanks for your interest!

Here are some more pictures:

The course of sharpness, f 0.95

0.95

0,95

Even moving Streetshots are possible at f 0,95 with the rangefinder with a little practice!

0,95

Heimweg / 0,95

0,95

Update 6-24-2018

Since exactly 2 months I take pictures with the Leica Noctilux-M 1: 0,95 / 50mm ASPH. In these 2 months I took the Nocti only once from my M10: It was the time when I exchanged the test lens against my own Noctilux.

After these two months in which I photographed exclusively with the Nocti, daily, - after a good thousand shots with this exceptional lens, I have to say one thing very clearly:

Anyone who, like me, prints 90% of their photographs up to size A2 on fine art paper will receive unconditional medium format quality in combination with a Leica M10. More resolution, richness of detail, colorrichness and sharpness are there, I currently do not find in this class.

f/0.95

This lens is able to perfectly resolve the sensational sensor of the M10 so that in my opinion there are currently only two lenses that can do just that. On the one hand, this is the Leica APO-Summicron-M 1: 2.0 / 50mm ASPH and the Leica Noctilux-M 1: 1.25 / 75mm ASPH. on the other hand!

Last week in Leitz Park opening in Wetzlar, I had the opportunity to test the 75th Apo Nocti and I believe that this still a touch fine and higher dissolves than the 50s 0.95 Nocti. A detailed test will show this!

Leica Noctilux-M 1: 1.25 / 75mm ASPH. f 1,25

It was at the beginning of this incomparably beautiful, smooth bokeh and the intensity of light through which the Nocti could set me in ecstasy, now it is the other f-stops of this lens too. This bokeh never loses its creamy character, even if it diminishes naturally by dimming down! For shorter shooting distances you can still cut up to 5.6 aperture depending on your taste.

f/2.0

f/2,8

If you fade further down to aperture 8 or 11, this lens literally explodes in the direction of resolution, detail and sharpness. - Unpackable! I mean, delivers the Nocti already from 0.95 to Aperture 5.6 References!

f/11

The photographs get a three-dimensionality at f8 and f11 like I've never seen before. The image is sharp from front to back, from left to right, right up to the edges of razor blades. From the image effect and the three-dimensionality it reminds me of the most modern 4K television sets.

f/5,6

f/8

Conclusion:

For me, the Leica Noctilux-M is 1: 0,95 / 50mm ASPH., is far more than a high-aperture lens with beautiful bokeh.

The Leica Noctilux-M 1: 0.95 / 50mm ASPH. for me is, because of its unsurpassed field of application, its flexibility, its unconditional build quality and last but not least because of the outstanding imaging performance the most versatile and best lens in the world - point.

f/1,4

f/4

f/0,95

f/0.95

f/1,4

f/0.95

f/2

f/0,95

f/0.95

Update 10-19-2018

So, now it is almost 6 months in which I use the Nocti, In these 6 months, I have only used this lens. Unbelievable how versatile the Noctilux is!

f/0,95

On bright days I use it with a B & W greyfiter, which takes me 3 f-stops. With this combination, I get through to 99%, without having to fade. If the light is not so bright I always use a B & W protection filter to protect my front lens.

In normal shooting distances, so from about 4-5 meters, I get along well with the rangefinder. For closer motives or in bad light, I prefer to rely on the Visoflex viewfinder. Either way, with the Nocti, precise focus is always required to generate full power.

f /0,95

However, those who are prepared to elaborate their photographs carefully will be rewarded with an incomparable quality and an unmistakable character. It is simply incomparable to any other lens!

Sensational sharpness at f/0.95

Every day I love the Nocti more. The manufacturing quality of this, exclusively made in Wetzlar optics, is amazing. I know no other lens which is smoother focus. The aperturestops are perfect! Not too easy - not too heavy.

However, what makes me so enthusiastic about this lens is its flexibility. At aperture 0.95 you get this sensational creamy bokeh with simultaneous top sharpness on the main subject. Dimmed it explodes in the direction of sharpness and resolution without becoming sterile and thus gets its 3d character.

f/0,95

Conclusion

The Leica Noctilux-M 1: 0.95 / 50mm ASPH with my Leica M10 is the best purchase I've made for the last 40 years. Never before has photography been so much fun!

f/0,95

For the original article in English and German go here

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AN UNUSUAL CLOSEUP WITH A LEICA RANGEFINDER

2026-09-22T10:58:24.800-05:00

By Heinz Richter

Sometimes unusual circumstances require the use of unusual equipment. Photography is no exception. We used to have a cabin on a lake in Central Wisconsin where we spent many weekends while our kids were growing up.

When arriving a few years ago I noticed a huge hornets nest in one of the trees. Not only that, but the hornets appeared to be unusually aggressive, so we stayed at a safe distance.

This seemed to be a worthwhile subject for some photographs, but how to do so without upsetting the animals, leave alone getting stung.

The resulting picture, I feel, is not so much of interest because of its pictorial excellence but rather because of the unusual Leica equipment combination it was taken with.

To be able to stay at a safe distance, I decided to use a 560mm f/5.6 Leitz Telyt. But how to focus it close enough? About 20 feet appeared to be a safe distance.

At that time, my main camera was a Leica M5. I used the 560mm Telyt with a Visoflex III. The Visoflex III also allowed to do closeups with the Leica Bellows 2. With the 560mm Telyt attached to the bellows, I was able to focus without any problems. Of course, a sturdy tripod is an absolute necessity in a situation like that.

Thinking back to that day, I am glad to have updated my Leica equipment since then. The Visoflex III is long gone, as is the Leica M5. They have been replaced a few times. My current equipment is a Leica M240 with its electronic Visoflex. Even though the Old Visoflex III would still work on the M240, my current setup is substantially easier to use.

If i did that kind of work more frequently, I would probably add a Leica SL. But my heart has always been with the Leica rangefinder cameras. In that regard, the electronic Visoflex allows me to virtually do anything that would have required an SLR, DSLR or mirrorless camera in the past.

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THE FIRST SUPER WIDE ANGLE LENS FOR LEICA - ZEISS HOLOGON

2026-09-21T11:17:49.675-05:00

Zeiss Hologon 15mm f/8 on Leica M4-P

By Heinz Richter

Modern lens design techniques have presented us with a relatively large number of super wide angle lenses of 15, 13 and even shorter focal length. All of them are very complicated, multi element designs in order to avoid visible distortion and lack of sharpness due to under corrected optical aberrations. These lenses have become actually quite common, and few photographers even remember the super wide lens which started it all.

For many years, 21 and 20mm lenses were the maximum 35mm photography had to offer. Anything with a wider angle of coverage had to be of a fish eye design with all the draw backs of pronounced barrel distortion. All of this was changed with the introduction of the Zeiss Hologon 15mm f/8 in the early 1970s. This was unusual in many respects. Not only was the Hologon the first lens to achieve the unheard of angle of coverage of 110° without the usual fish eye effect, it was also the first post-war marriage between Leica cameras and Zeiss lenses.

Cross section of the three lens elements and the lens position inside the Zeiss Hologon camera body

Note the extreme proximity of the rear lens element to the film plane

The Hologon was initially developed for the Zeiss Hologon camera, which was part of the Zeiss Contarex system. At the time it was thought impractical to offer the Hologon as an interchangeable lens, even with mirror lock up in the reflex Contarex. Instead, Zeiss opted for a separate camera body, based on the Contarex with the mirror box removed and with the lens permanently installed. It was their claim that extremely precise registration and centering was necessary for the lens to perform satisfactorily.

The Leica M cameras also met these criteria and the lens was made available in the Leica M mount also. It was sold with a special 15mm viewfinder included. The 15mm Hologon with its undistorted 110° diagonal angle of view is probably one of the most interesting lens designs ever. Conventional lens design theories would indicate that a lens with such specifications would have to be of a multi-element design. Computer aided research of wide angle lenses for aerial photography was conducted. The normal concept of using many thin elements in wide angle lenses was actually revealed as unnecessary. In fact, only three thick elements proved necessary to assure good performance of the lens. Subsequently, the Hologon is of a triplet design, although bizarrely shaped. Thus we have an example of an optical design which would not have been created by using conventional methods. Furthermore, it is safe to say that manual computations for this design would have literally taken years to complete.

Construction of the lens made the installation of a diaphragm virtually impossible without compromising overall performance. It was also impossible to offer a speed faster than f/8 for the same reasons, even though some of the modern optical glasses available today might offer the possibility to increase the speed of the Hologon.

It was felt that the restriction of a fixed aperture of f/8 would not pose any great disadvantage. Besides, a graduated neutral density filter, offering perfectly even illumination across the entire image area, would effectively render a speed equivalent of f/16. This could also be used in situations where the standard f/8 aperture would lead to overexposure.

Since the Hologon lens renders virtually distortion free images, the camera should be used perfectly level, to avoid excessively converging lines on verticals. For that reason the 15mm viewfinder had a built-in spirit level, which helped the photographer keep the camera level, especially when shooting hand held.

The ability of an extremely wide angle lens to render virtually distortion free images allow the photographer to shoot many photographs where it is impossible to tell that an extremely wide angle lens was used. But this is only one of the advantages of such a lens. The other is that it produces photographs with a rather different perspective. It is important to pay special attention to the foreground since the extreme angle of coverage will show a considerable amount of foreground when the camera is held level, even when used horizontally. It is also important to hold a camera with such a lens very carefully. It is quite easy for the lens to pick up ones knuckles.

The Hologon was designed to render optimum performance at f/8 across the entire image area. Due to the optical glasses available at the time of its design, the lens did not quite show the high contrast level typically associated with the high quality optics from Zeiss. In practical terms, this will result in perfectly sharp enlargement up to 8x10 inches. Bigger enlargements might show a certain lack of crispness when inspected very closely. Projection of transparencies, on the other hand, will show no adverse effects, because the projected images usually are not inspected very close up. The same is true with big enlargements when viewed from a more “normal” viewing distance.

The Hologon allowed focusing from 8 inches to infinity. Considering the great depth of field rendered by such a short focal length, one might initially think focusing to be superfluous. But it was proven that the overall performance of the Hologon could be improved if the lens was focused properly.

Minneapolis IDS Center

15mm Hologon

Newer, more sophisticated lens designs have improved the speed of super wide angle lenses and even allow for reflex viewing. Subsequently, the Hologon has long been discontinued. But it deserves credit for having been the first of the super wides, and its unusual design will always give it a special place in the history of lenses for 35mm cameras. Those who own a Hologon can consider themselves lucky indeed.

Minneapolis Lumber Exchange Building

15mm Hologon

50mm field of view

Please note: The 50mm field of view images in this article are not separately taken photographs, they were cropped form the original Hologon negatives to present the view of a 50mm lens in conjunction with a full frame camera

Minneapolis IDS Center Crystal Court

15mm Hologon

50mm field of view

Minneapolis Lumber Exchange Building

15mm Hologon

50mm field of view

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ELCAN (Ernst Leitz CANada) HIGH RESOLUTION 35mm CAMERA SYSTEM FOR THE US NAVY

2026-09-18T11:03:25.009-05:00

By Heinz Richter

In 1952 the Ernst Leitz company (the former name of Leica Camera) established an overseas factory in Midland, Ontario, Canada. The company was called Ernst Leitz Canada and produced a variery of items under the ELCAN (Ernst Leitz Canada) label. Leitz had always manufactured specialty items for the military and ELCAN was no exception. In the 1960s they were asked by the US Navy to develop a high resolution 35mm camera system. This was based on the Leicaflex SL.

Leicaflex SL with 75mm f/2 ELCAN Lens

Photo: James L. Lager (ed.), Leica Illustrated History, Vol. II, 1994, p. 307, 309 and Vol. III, 1998, p. 319

Resolution, the ability of a lens to project fine detail has always been a measure of great importance in the evaluation of photographic lenses. The following are excerpts from an article by Joseph A. Schantz, Assistant Head of Research and Development Department at the Navel Photographic Center in Washington, DC.

Research by optical glass manufacturers has resulted in optical glasses having improved properties with respect to secondary color aberration. Since this glass became available lenses having complete color correction over an extended spectral range have been developed for a Navy 35mm camera system.

Since 1963 the Navel Photographic Center and the Navel Air Systems Command as a matter of continuous policy have expanded efforts to upgrade 35mmphotography on a systematic basis. The aim of this work was not only to improve the quality of documentary and reported photography but also to improve intelligence collection capabilities of the Navy’s cameras.

While most of this type of photography by the Navy is classified, one application, according to a former Navy officer, was in the Mediterranean. For instance, US Navy ships often came into close contact with Russian Navy vessels. It was common practice to shoot a series of photographs of these ships during such encounters. The relative ease of operation of a 35mm camera, compared to medium format and even more so large format cameras, proved to render better photographs with 35mm equipment. It should be noted that the article by Mr. Schantz was written prior to the advent of digital photography. However, the principles of lens design are essentially the same in digital photography also. To get the necessary detail compared to medium and large format photography it was necessary to develop a special, high resolution 35mm camera system. Mr. Schantz further writes:

It was recognized that the resolution of a lens is limited in part due to a lack of correction of secondary colors. Based on the light refracting properties of available optical glasses, most lenses can only bring two wavelengths to a common focus. The optical designer must choose these wavelengths to best suit the intended use of the lens. All other wavelengths are then focused in planes predetermined by the properties of the glasses over which the designer has no control.

Until the advent of extra low dispersion glasses the only exceptions were apochromatic microscope lenses and some telephoto lenses for 35mm camera systems which incorporated lens elements made of calcium fluoride crystals or alum and some process lenses that used large opposite powers in their element configuration. But these were limited to apertures of f/9 or smaller.

Lenses utilizing elements made of calcium fluoride have proven to be of very good performance. But they are not without drawbacks. Calcium fluoride unfortunately is very soft and scratches easily. Therefore front elements made of calcium fluoride usually are protected by a clear front glass plate or a thin lens element made of conventional optical glass. Furthermore calcium fluoride has a rather high temperature coefficient which means that it expands and contracts very much during temperature changes. In some instances this had led to calcium fluoride lens elements literally shattering when objected to great temperature differences. It is also the case that these elements do change their optical properties during temperature changes which makes it necessary to allow lenses incorporating such elements to be focused past the infinity mark. With other words, while the performance of such lenses is quite high, this must be paid for with a number of drawbacks.

However, research has produced optical glasses that do display the same or similar properties as calcium fluoride, but without the above mentioned drawbacks. The first such glass was developed in the late 60s and early 70s by the glass research laboratory at Ernst Leitz Wetzlar, the maker of Leica cameras. Not until approximately ten years later were similar glasses made available by other glass manufacturers like Schott and Nikon. These glasses are commonly referred to as extra low dispersion or fluor crown glasses. They allow the easier design and manufacture of apochromatic lenses. Only true apochromats have the ability to focus all colors of the visible spectrum at one common point. Mr. Schantz further states:

A series of such apochromates has been designed and manufactured under contract by Ernst Leitz Canada Ltd (Elcan). The lenses were designed by Professor Dr. Walter Mandler. The lenses consist of: Elcan-R 75mm f/2, Elcan-R 180mm f/3.4, Elcan-R 450mm f/5.6.

ELCAN 75mm f/2

Photo: L Camera Forum

180mm f/3.4 Apo Telyt

Schematic of the 180mm f/3.4

Elcan-R 450mm f/5.6

These lenses were designed for the Leica R cameras and are color corrected from 400 to 900 nanometers. These lenses permit photography in black and white, color and infrared with the same focal setting. When subjected to a series of filtered responses,(measurements with colored light) of blue, yellow, red and infrared, the yellow, red and infrared responses were grouped over a focal plane spread of only 0.02mm. (These are data for the 180mm f/3.4 which was tested at maximum aperture. Initially a classified piece of equipment, the lens later became available on the civilian market as the 180mm f/3.4 Apo Telyt-R) The curve of the blue filter is shifted 0.07mm closer to the lens. The maximum focal plane shift from blue to infrared is 0.09mm or ±0.045mm. If this lens is used only for daylight operations (no infrared), the maximum focal plane shift is reduced to 0.08mm or ±0.04mm which is less than 1/2000 of an inch. Considering the accuracies to which photographic cameras (from Leica) are built, this tolerance falls within those specifications.

Most camera manufacturers apply less stringent tolerances. The industry average standard is 1/1000 of an inch, with a few manufacturers like Canon, Nikon and Contax going to 1/1250 or 1/1500 of an inch. Leica cameras on the other hand continue to be made to tolerances of 1/2500 of an inch or more precisely 1/100 of a millimeter. Tolerances applied for the manufacture of lenses often needs to be much smaller. Starting with the optical glass, Leica applies a standard of ±0.0002% for the accuracy of the refractive index. This compares to the international standard of ±0.001%. The accuracy of the Abbe number, the measure for dispersion is ±0.2% for Leica compared to ±0.8% internationally. For the manufacture of individual lens elements Leica allows production tolerance of no more than ¼ lambda or ¼ of the average wavelength of light which corresponds to approximately 500 nanometers or 0.0005mm for the accuracy of the lens surface. In comparison, the tolerances applied by other lens manufacturers are ½ lambda or 0.001mm. For the production of aspherical lens elements Leica applies even tighter tolerances which cannot exceed 0.03 micrometer or 0.00003mm.

For comparison purposes the same procedure was repeated with a representative sample of a high quality photographic achromatic objective (only corrected for the primary spectrum). The Leica Elmarit-R 180mm f/2.8 lens was stopped down to f/3.4 for the test. It is strikingly evident that the different colors focus at quite different locations on the lens axis. The maximum focal plane shift from blue to infrared is 0.5mm compared to 0.09mm for the 180mm f/3.4 lens. This amounts to an increase by a factor of 5.6. The maximum focal plane shift under daylight conditions is 0.2mm as compared to 0.08mm for the 180mm f/3.4 lens. This amounts to a factor of 2.5 over the 180mm f/3.4 lens.

The most obvious advantage of the 180mm and the 450mm lenses occur when high resolution films are used. The 180mm lens would outperform any other lens with any type of photographic emulsion (or digital sensor)

The performance of the 180mm Apo Telyt-R is well known and Mr. Schantz’s article only confirms the fact that the 180mm f.3.4 Apo Telyt-R is one of the best lenses ever made.

Mr. Schantz writes the following about films:

When the improved lenses were tested with regular fine grain films, little improvement could be noticed over the performance of regular good lenses.

Through the cooperation of film manufacturers a number of film samples were tested for performance with the new lenses. Two classes of film emulsions gave promising results. These classes were (a) high definition aerial films and (b) high resolution document copy films.

These aerial films are fine grained, slow, high contrast and have extended red sensitivity. However, when processed as normally recommended by the manufacturer for aerial use, they have too high contrast for general ground photography. The same holds true for the high contrast copy films since they were designed for high contrast microfilming.

Kodak High Contrast Copy Film when processed in the POTA developer of Marilyn Levy (Levy, M., “Wide Latitude Photography,” Science and Eng. Vol. II Number I, January, February 1967) yield excellent high resolution negatives with adequate film speed. The Agfa High Contrast Copy film gives a practical combination of good resolution and emulsion speed.

According to the research done by Mr. Schantz, the best resolution obtainable with conventional film is 250 – 300 l/mm compared to 550 l/mm with the Agfa High Contrast Copy Film and 600 l/mm with Kodak 5069 and 3414 film.

Those are very impressive figures. It was soon determined that in order to make enlargements that would show this amount of detail, a special enlarger was necessary. For that reason Leitz made a modified version of their Focomat II enlarger where the standard light source was replaced with a point light source. Only such illumination systems are capable to reproducing extremely small detail from a negative.

The 35mm high resolution camera system was classified material for several years.

Of the three lenses, the 180mm f.3.4 ELCAN lens proved to be the most practical one which resulted in a declassification, allowing Leitz to make the 180mm part of their lens line for the Leica reflex cameras. It entered the market in 1975 as the 180mm f/3.4 Apo Telyt R. Even today it ranks as one of the best lenses ever made for general photography.

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LEICA Barnack Berek Blog

THE LEITZ (LEICA) GLASS RESEARCH LABORATORY

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ONE OF THE GREATEST LEICA PHOTOGRAPHERS EVER – ERNST HAAS

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THE STORY OF SEAN FLYNN'S LEICA M2

HOW SEAN FLYNN'S LEICA M2 WAS FOUND

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NEW LEICA BOOK "DAS LICHT IM RÜCKEN"

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LEICA MONOCULAR FOR NASA’S APOLLO 11 LUNAR MISSION

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COMPOSITION

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THE NEW LEICA M EV1

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ERICH SALOMON – THE FIRST MODERN PHOTOJOURNALIST

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THE LEICA PLANT IN PORTUGAL

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LENS TESTS - DO THEY REALLY TELL US WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW?

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Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear www.tamarkin.comwww.tamarkinauctions.comBuy vintage Leica cameras from America's premier Leica specialist www.tamarkin.com http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

ARE RANGEFINDER CAMERAS STILL A VALID CHOICE?

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EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear www.tamarkin.comwww.tamarkinauctions.comBuy vintage Leica cameras from America's premier Leica specialist www.tamarkin.com http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

HORST FAAS : THE DEAN OF VIETNAM WAR PHOTOGRAPHERS

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EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear www.tamarkin.comwww.tamarkinauctions.comBuy vintage Leica cameras from America's premier Leica specialist www.tamarkin.com http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD

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EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear www.tamarkin.comwww.tamarkinauctions.comBuy vintage Leica cameras from America's premier Leica specialist www.tamarkin.com http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WORK FOR LEICA?

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To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.All ads present items of interest to Leica owners._______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear www.tamarkin.comwww.tamarkinauctions.comBuy vintage Leica cameras from America's premier Leica specialist www.tamarkin.com http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show

To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.

All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.

_______________________________________________________________________

EDDYCAM - the first and only ergonomic elk-skin camera strap
www.eddycam.com

Inventive Camera Bags for All of Your Gear

www.tamarkin.com

www.tamarkinauctions.com

Buy vintage Leica cameras from
America's premier Leica specialist
www.tamarkin.com

http://www.tamarkin.com/leicagallery/upcoming-show