Leitz Leica Ic Silver Film Camera body OEGIO Serial No. To give you a better idea of additional ‘stealth’ factory and independent Leica upgrades out there we scoured the internet, checked out the offerings posted by Leica specialty dealers and on online auction sites, and came up with the following fascinating items: Today I am confident that such service is nonexistent. Keep in mind that all of this was a special request, and primarily done in the 1950s and 1960s. Install M3 range/viewfinder into M2 to configure a “home-made” MP. Modify M1, M2, MD, and MP to accept Leitz NY electric Leica Motor. Install self-timer on Leica M2s lacking this feature.Īdd 3rd neck strap lug to Leica M5 to allow horizontal carry.Ĭonvert chrome finish Leica M2 and M3 to factory black finish. I cannot locate a specific document listing all the services, but here is what I can offer from memory:Ĭonvert Leica IIIc to IIIf, IIIf to IIIf with self-timer, and Ig to IIIgĬonvert Visoflex II to IIa, and Visoflex II or III to accept interchangeable focusing screens.Īdd focusing cam to very early non-rangefinder-coupled lenses.Īdd preview lever, install depth of focus rangefinder masks, and convert double-stroke to single stroke on early Leica M3. “The repair department at Leitz, Wetzlar and those at many Leitz Agencies worldwide offered a multitude of possibilities. Here is his verbatim response under the heading Leitz Service Department:
Since all these amazing services are unlisted, we asked famed Leica historian James Lager if he could provide any additional information on what upgrades the factory would or would not perform. Many of these don’t rise to the level of “conversions” but all entail custom work by highly trained technicians. Up until the mid-1960s you could also request and usually receive a host of other factory upgrades, none of which were officially listed. They would, at quite a reasonable cost, convert your fixed-lens Leica I into a model II or even a model III complete with screw mount and coupled rangefinder, and they offered similar conversion upgrade services on later Barnack Leicas. In modern terms, one could say they provided exceptional customer service, but it was a lot more than that. Indeed, the company treated Leica owners as de facto members of an elite club and considered Leica cameras as long-term investments rather than mere hardware.
Leitz Wetzlar can hardly be described as a cottage industry, it retained some aspects of the precision workshop mentality well into the postwar era.
Never officially listed, they were sometimes available on request.
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