Hamish Gill of 35mmc.com has written an entertaining and very informative assessment of Leica’s screw-mount cameras and lenses which ruled the 35mm roost for 30 years until the bayonet-mount M system took over. The youngest screw-mount Leica is now 55 years old but is still capable of producing outstanding results and giving a great deal of pleasure. In fact, if you really want to learn the nitty gritty of photography, where better to start than with a screw-mount Leica? It’s a sensuous little beast, basic in concept, intricate and perfect in its mechanical excellence..
As Hamish says:
For me, the real joy of using a thread mount Leica comes about once you’ve accrued a certain amount of experience with one. As I’d expect any regular user of a thread mount Leica to tell you, the key to using them quickly is being prepared. With the lens preset to an appropriate focused distance and the aperture and shutter set to appropriate setting for the film and light, a screw mount Leica can be raised to the eye and shot as fast as any other camera made in the history of cameras. In fact due to the entirely mechanical nature of them, they are arguably faster than many cameras that have come since.
I am probably not the right person to respond to this with a collection of about 30 LTMs. I certainly would not suggest that anyone should give up their modern digital cameras in exchange for a camera from many years ago. I own and use the Leica M240, Fujifilm X-T1 and Panasonic LX100. I also have the M9,M8 ( now largely kept as ‘collector’ items) and various Nikons including the D800E and the D3. The Nikons don’t get used that often because of their monstrous size, particularly with a large zoom attached. Indeed, I would regard them as more awkward to use than any LTM. When the II Model D was introduced in 1932, the built in rangefinder was actually referred to as giving ‘automatic focussing’ . The LTM produced many wonderful images in the days when it was the ‘best game in town’. Indeed, many of today’s ‘Canikon’ owners would find it hard to produce images of the same quality. The Amateur Photographer magazine has a regular column which shows today’s ‘Canikon’ owners how to reproduce images of classic photos from the black and white era with their modern gear. I have yet to see an example where the modern photo was ‘better’, to my eyes, than the original.
If I can mention another hobby of mine, listening to jazz records, where I can listen to jazz produced anytime from the 1920s to today and still enjoy it; I hasten to say that I don’t like every jazz record ever produced. I get just as much enjoyment out of using LTM models as I do out of using any of the current digital models. This may not be for everyone but what I would suggest that all Leica fans should try it at least once with a view to it becoming an ‘agreeable adjunct’ to their current digital photography. Learning about the past teaches us all about the present more than some might think. Certainly using a Model 1 A or C or Standard without focussing mechanism or light meter is truly an ‘informing experience’.
William
I don’t want to be a party pooper at this screw thread "love in" but as a very longtime Leica 3A owner -I bought mine in 1968 and used it for many years with great results and still have it-I would urge caution as some readers maybe so enthused by Hamish ,Mike and William that they will buy a screw thread Leica thinking that it a cheap route into the top echelons of Leica ownership. Hamish’s blog has a subsequent story by a screw thread owner-5 reasons not to buy a screw thread Leica-it is very fair and it should be read by anyone thinking of buying one.
Screw thread Leicas are 80 year old cameras. In the same way that one would not contemplate using an 80 year old Model A Ford as regular transport the same applies to cameras.They are heavy. Yes they are pocket cameras -if you plan on replacing your pockets regularly. Loading the film is a bind- and you have to carefully trim the leader on the film -and this is best done with a template.The viewfinder and rangefinders are awful.The shutter speeds may well not be accurate.Using them is slow photography.Very slow photography.
Three years ago I dusted my 3A down and bought a cassette of film to use it again.
After 3 shots I decided that I had better things in life to do than take photos with an outdated antique however attached I was to it.
So by all means regard screw thread Leicas as very interesting collectors items but don’t be seduced into thinking that you are buying a bargain basement M6 because you are not.
Ha! Well put, John. Of course you are fundamentally right. I suspect both William and Hamish well understand this. As I said in the subsequent article on my black Leica III, I wouldn’t recommend anyone to give up on their modern digitals (nor, for that matter, on a good M3 or M4) and take the trip back to the 1930s. But there is a great sense of satisfaction in overcoming all the difficulties and shooting a camera that, in its day, was preeminent and in the hands of some of the greats such as Cartier-Bresson. If nothing else, we realise they didn’t have it as easy as we do with our speedy autofocus and 64GB SD cards. We don’t even have to trim the SD card, template or no. It’s really all a bit of fun and a connection with the past of photography. You can poop the party but I suspect not everyone will agree with you.
Be careful about buying a Leica Thread Mount (LTM) as they are addictive. Every Leica fan should try one at least once in their life. If you get addicted, the possible ‘side effects’ are dangerous. You will definitely get GAS but you might progress to terminal ‘Collector’s Disease’. If you just want one to use, a good condition IIIc with a matching 50 Elmar is probably the best and cheapest way to start. The pre-war models are more compact but can be more expensive, particularly the black enamel and nickel models. A particular favourite of mine is the II Model D introduced in 1932. If you want to see a really compact camera, try a 1 Model A but this lacks a built in rangefinder (you can use an add on model). You can, of course, give scale focus a try with an ‘instant’ taking possibility ahead of all AF cameras. Definitely, a camera for ‘real photographers’. The price of the early models goes up as the serial numbers come down and the most expensive Leica, indeed the most expensive camera, ever sold, was a prototype of all LTM models.
I would recommend all Leica lovers to give an LTM a try, particularly if your image of Leica is all tied up with red dots and boutiques.
William