Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/07/04

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Gear I wish I'd kept
From: marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small)
Date: Wed Jul 4 14:35:46 2007
References: <200707041221.l64CKjxT047539@server1.waverley.reid.org> <202D7191-D579-4AA8-9D68-91A1C7547A9D@optonline.net> <200707041706.l64H6cNF005851@server1.waverley.reid.org> <75EA91AA-FE99-4C04-8381-F5607B00F869@comcast.net>

At 04:44 PM 7/4/2007, Tom Schofield wrote:
 >I have a prewar III with a Summar.  Is that what he was thinking of?
 >

Leitz was trying to break out of the box in the 
later 1930's and developed the Leica IV, a 
thread-mount camera with features which would 
later be found on the M3 and M2.  The build-up to 
War caused this program to be put on hold (though 
the camera does make a fictional appearance in 
Sir Arthur Clarke's SANDS OF MARS), and a 
strengthened Leica III was produced as the IIIc, 
introduced in 1940.  The IIIc was slightly larger 
than the earlier bodies which explains its being 
called, "the long wheel-base model".

The minute the War ended, Ernst Leitz II set up 
two development teams to develop future camera 
designs.  One team produced the IIIg and the 
other the M3, and the rest is history.

Marc


msmall@aya.yale.edu
Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!



In reply to: Message from lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin) ([Leica] Re: Gear I wish I'd kept)
Message from marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small) ([Leica] Re: Gear I wish I'd kept)
Message from tomschofield at comcast.net (Tom Schofield) ([Leica] Re: Gear I wish I'd kept)