In 1869 Ernst Leitz (1843-1920), a mechanic native of Baden (Germany) who moved to Wetzlar, bought by the widow of Carl Kellner a factory of microscope lenses.
Ernst Leitz changed the name of the company and gave it his name. The factory produced especially microscopes, whose production grew exponentially: in 1887 was made microscope n. 10,000; in 1891 n. 20,000; in 1899 n. 50,000; in 1907 n. 100,000 which it was donated to the bacteriologist Robert Coch. Since then Leitz had adopted the advertising idea that will be continued thereafter for Leica cameras: donating their product marked with an important serial number, to a personality very illustrious. At the beginning of '900 the company had already famous in the world, also known for the treatment of his employees had introduced a time of 8 working hours. The First World War it caused extensive damage to the factory.
Meanwhile, in 1911, a precision mechanical engineer who had previously worked in Carl Zeiss Jena started working in Leitz factory: Oskar Barnack (1879-1936), who had in mind a very precise idea and was looking for a partner for achieve it. Barnack had two passions: photography and the mountain; but also serious health problems that prevented him from carrying heavy loads. In 1913, photography was certainly widespread, but the cameras were made of wood, very bulky and especially heavy. Barnack wanted to make a camera very small, very light, but also very high quality. Barnack’s slogan was "a small camera for great pictures."
Oskar Barnack
It is not true that, before the Barnack’s camera (1913), it does not exist format cameras smaller than heavy wood models. Since 1900 they were marketed the light metal cameras 6x9 format. Not only that: in 1905 there were also some smaller models that used the motion picture film 35 mm (link). It is not correct to say therefore that Barnack was the first to think of using this film for cameras. However the motion picture film cameras prior to Barnack model were of poor quality, a kind of curiosity for amateurs. Those cameras also, even if they used the motion picture film (which now call 35 mm) were not real 35 mm cameras. As we shall see Barnack was the inventor of the 35mm format (24x36 mm), using two frames paired cinema format (18x24 mm). The real merit of Barnack however was to believe that a 35mm camera could become a high quality camera, suitable for professional use. Barnack did not invent the 35mm camera, but invented the camera that has set the standard 35 mm in the photographic industry.
It is not true that, before 1913, Leitz industry had never dealt with photography; on the contrary it made numerous camera lens.
Leitz produced lenses, but not the camera bodies. To tell you the truth, Leitz marketed cameras wood 4,5x6 called Klapp-Kamera and Moment-Kamera; but they were made by local artisans: Leitz merely provide them with lenses and to affix their own brand. The only camera produced in-house by Leitz was the Hand-Kamera, which however remained at the prototype stage.
In 1913 Barnack thought of using the motion picture film for his camera. Barnack had found that this kind of film had now reached very high quality, however, the size of the film frame (18x24 mm) was too small to produce high-quality prints. As the width of the film to 24 mm had now established itself as standard (therefore was not imaginable to be able to change it) Barnack had an idea as simple as brilliant: he transformed the long side of the frame (24 mm) on the short side, while the new long side derived from the sum of two former short sides (18 + 18 = 36 mm). In this way 35 mm format was born. Who therefore argues that there were 35 mm cameras before to Barnack, says a not exact thing: existed motion picture film cameras, it's true, but they were not 35 mm cameras; because the inventor of 35 mm cameras was mr. Barnack. Barnack built his prototype: the UR-Leica. UR stands for "Urbild" which in German language it means "archetype", equipped it with an motion picture lens: a Carl Zeiss Kino Tessar (the factory where Barnack worked until a few years earlier).
the "mother" of the UR-Leica
Barnack did not choose a Leitz lens for an obvious reason: if he used a motion picture film, he needed a motion picture lens, and Leitz industry did not produce them. To tell you the truth, the Zeiss kino Tessar lens impressed film frames (18x24) for which the Barnack’s 35 mm intuition could not be applied until the engineer Max Berek had not designed the first 35 mm lens in the world: the Anastigmat / Elmax (5 lenses in 3 groups). The 35 mm format was initially named "Leica format", and then (when it was adopted by some other houses) "35 mm format"; name that later passed to indicate the film format.
The first UR-Leica (he was also made a second for private use of Barnack) is currently kept in the museum of Leitz in Wetzlar, and it has a value that can not be calculated. The Barnack’s one was inherited by his son shopkeeper who sold it at auction to a stranger, and since then they have gone missing. Barnack used his prototype for many years, and some of his photos have come down to us: the quality was very good and "Barnack's camera" was also appreciated by the owner Ernst Leitz I. However, the draft Barnack remained unrealized until the end of First World War when Ernst Leitz, in a context of deep economic crisis, was forced to gamble on a new and different to revitalize his industry.
UR-Leica (1913)
Before that, the Leitz industry had never produced a single camera in its 50 years of life. Or rather, it had produced only one: the UR-Leica, the prototype of Barnack. (To be fair the UR were three, the two already mentioned plus the mother of UR-Leica, and more the prototype of Hand-Kamera 6x4.5). The decision to enter, without any experience, in the cameras market, threatening the survival of Leitz, was therefore truly courageous. If the attempt had not succeeded Leitz would fail and would have gone the way of all the other factories of the German optics of the first post-war: it would have been absorbed within the Carl Zeiss Group. It’s important to put in mind that, the unique feature of Leica equipment (mechanical perfect, but at the same time extremely simple and therefore reliable and durable) is also the result of this dramatic choice: being forced to risk, Leitz wanted to containment risk at minimum. Nothing had to be unusual: Leitz ordered Barnack always choose the simplest solution. The Zeiss Ikon political will be quite the opposite.
Once the decision to produce 35 mm cameras were improved, the shutter and the frame counter of the UR-Leica were changed; shutter speeds were increased from 2 to 6, inclusive Z (ie the speed T). The camera was also equipped with a Galilean viewfinder and lens designed specifically for the new format.
Once the decision to produce 35 mm cameras were improved, the shutter and the frame counter of the UR-Leica were changed; shutter speeds were increased from 2 to 6, inclusive Z (ie the speed T). The camera was also equipped with a Galilean viewfinder and lens designed specifically for the new format.
Barnack invented the light-tight cassette (Leica cassette), what we today call "camera roll" and that did not exist before Leica; which, pre-loaded in the darkroom with the motion picture film, it allowed to rewind the exposed film making it fall within the roller (Leica cassette), and allowing to replace it on the light of day with another one to be exposed, thereby allowing the photographer to great autonomy without increasing the size of the machine. The first camera roll was put on the market only in 1932 by Perutz (4-ASA). This means that, between 1925 and 1932 the Leica user necessarily had to prepare himself the Leica cassettes, in the darkroom, using the motion picture film. The real innovation introduced by Barnack was not so much the 35mm camera, but rather the Leica cassette (which will become the camera roll) and the rewind action of the film within the Leica cassette.
Before Leica introduction, all cameras had to be loaded and emptied with film exclusively in the darkroom. Users of the camera 6x6 know that, even today, the film passes from take-out spool to the take-up spool. It does not rewind. When you load a new film, the old take-out spool now without film becomes the new take-up spool.
On the Leica instead, for the first time, the film passes from Leica cassettes (take-out cassettes) [c] to the take-up spool [m]; when the film ends, the film is rewound into Leica cassette.
On the Leica instead, for the first time, the film passes from Leica cassettes (take-out cassettes) [c] to the take-up spool [m]; when the film ends, the film is rewound into Leica cassette.
He is thought to examine further the Leica cassette to describe it and to emphasize that it (invented in 1925) is, even today, more efficient than a camera roll. A Leica cassette loaded and ready for use, it presents with the tail of film that protrudes from the cassette, as a modern camera roll.
A camera roll, however, are equipped with velvet to prevent light from penetrating inside through the slot from which comes out the film.
A camera roll, however, are equipped with velvet to prevent light from penetrating inside through the slot from which comes out the film.
Why this system would be better than the modern camera roll? Because in the camera roll, the film never escape freely from roll through a wide slit, but slips through the velvet pressing constantly on the film. In this way, however, the sensitive film must constantly rubbing against the velvet, which means that, in case of the presence of impurities (dust) on the velvet, these will scratch the film leaving a horizontal mark very visible. Not only: the film must pass twice through the velvet, the first output and the second input when the roller is rewound. Using the Leica cassettes instead the film never comes into contact with the cassette; nor outgoing, nor during rewinding. Imagine you to pass a white sheet of paper under the very narrow slit of a closed door, or through an open door. Obviously, the second way is better, because it ensures that the paper will not become dirty during the transition.
Other camera manufacturers adopted the film cassettes system, and so we have the Contax cassettes, Nikon cassettes (also for the Nikon F SLR!), Kiev, Canon etc .. Each of these cassettes had a specific form, in order to not to allow the use of them on the camera of another manufacturer. Obviously the incompatibility was not the fault of Leica (who was the first to invent the cassettes) rather it was of its competitors, who slavishly copied the idea, but prevented the use of the Leica cassettes in their cameras.
Other camera manufacturers adopted the film cassettes system, and so we have the Contax cassettes, Nikon cassettes (also for the Nikon F SLR!), Kiev, Canon etc .. Each of these cassettes had a specific form, in order to not to allow the use of them on the camera of another manufacturer. Obviously the incompatibility was not the fault of Leica (who was the first to invent the cassettes) rather it was of its competitors, who slavishly copied the idea, but prevented the use of the Leica cassettes in their cameras.
The choice to rewind the exposed film in the same roll of film that contained it, made necessary an unlock command and another to rewind the film. To understand the extent to which Barnack has affected our lives of photographers simply ask themselves: why a camera roll is long 36-exposure (and not 30 or 40 or 45)? I have never found an answer. A legend passed down in the factory Weltzar said that, the length of the film to be included in the film Leica cassettes, was established by Barnack: corresponded exactly to the length of his outstretched arms.
Probably it's not true, but it is true that Barnack decided the length alone.
Billions of photographers walked putting their feet in the footsteps traced by Barnack.
Billions of photographers walked putting their feet in the footsteps traced by Barnack.
These cameras were not for sale, were given to the photographers to test them
This specimen, at an auction in Vienna in 2012, was sold at € 2.16 million
Let's go back to the debut of the Leica. Leitz produced a pre-series of 31 (potential) pieces of Leica 0 (null series), slightly different from each other, which were tested by some photographers in 1923. They have serial numbers from 100 to 130. The pieces that were actually made were only 22, and today survive only 17 of them.
Let's go back to the debut of the Leica. Leitz produced a pre-series of 31 (potential) pieces of Leica 0 (null series), slightly different from each other, which were tested by some photographers in 1923. They have serial numbers from 100 to 130. The pieces that were actually made were only 22, and today survive only 17 of them.
The adventure begins
The Leica Anastigmat (1925)
The first Leica sold to the public had the number 131. This photo was reproduced in the n. 201
It 'was auctioned for € 50,000.00
In spring 1925 the Leica (Leitz Camera) was finally introduced to the market at the Fair Lipzia. The first Leica sold to the public had the serial number 131.
The Leica was a perfect machine: Leitz had center with the first shot.
The Leica was equipped with a fixed lens, the lens Anastigmat 50 / 3.5 (5 lenses in 3 groups) designed by another absolute genius who at the time was employed by Leitz Wetzlar: Max Berek (1886 to 1949).
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento