View Full Version : The beauty of a Barnack?
Dave Wilkinson
03-03-2010, 13:56
I occasionally wonder how many others are of the same opinion, or am I in a very small minority? ( not really worth a poll ). The 'M' Leicas are superb instruments - ( I've had a couple over the years ), but there is just an indefinable 'extra something' about my 1939 - '111'. Viewfinder, winding etc. issues apart - I just prefer handling and using the old gal!, To me - such classic good looks puts everything else in the shade!. The problem is - it is such a 'camera geek' magnet at times - too many people want to look, touch, and talk!. So - be honest folks! is not that old 'screw job' the bigger joy to hand and eye? :)
Dave.
tennis-joe
03-03-2010, 14:25
I have a couple of Barnacks, IIIf Red and they are things of beauty. I got an Elmar 50f2.8 cleaned by Sherry as it came with on and was very cloudy. I am really astounded of the results. It is quiet but not as quiet as the M cameras but lighter and eye catching for sure.
Joe
Dave,
I had quite a serious screwmount collection a year or so ago the pinacle of which was an immaculate IIIG. Due to financial strife they all had to go but for one ... my black Leica II from 1933 which was CLA'd with a new covering by Youxin a couple of years ago.
I don't shoot with it often (I should) but just picking it up every now and then and having a good look at it puts me in touch with just how simple photography really can be! Going outside and standing in the dirt in bare feet and feeling that earth, reminds us of who we are and where we came from. This camera does that photographically for me! :)
coelacanth
03-03-2010, 14:41
I love my IIIf RD. I also owned IIIf BD and Russian copies in the past. M cameras are also beautiful and practical, but Barnack has got its own charm that you just can't find in newer M cameras. And for street snaps, Barnack is actually very practical and easy to use. That tiny size and light weight are also very very nice for everyday shooting and carry around.
Only a couple of problems I have for practical street use are louder (compared to M) shutter sound and rotating shutter dial that can be touched and slowed down by finger if you are holding camera awkwardly during quick hip shot.
All in all, size, product design, operation, everything about the Barnack Leica is so LOVELY.
Oh and they are quite a model, too.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/4386987990_549bf6bce9_o.jpg
Printed on Ilford MGIV FB
dogberryjr
03-03-2010, 14:50
I found a IIIf for a good price and thought I'd buy it, use it for a while then sell it, but I just can't do it. They have such a great feel in the hand. Now I tell myself that when I find a IIIg I will let this one go. We'll see.
Brian Sweeney
03-03-2010, 15:06
Knobs, Levers, and Buttons.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/2744039381_b6cd653cfc.jpg
Like the Dashboard of a '66 Mustang.
I use my barnack's more than my M-Leicas in part because I like the feel of these models.
Taken with a Leica IIIc. Don't recall which lens though. May have been the Summitar.
http://fotografs.zenfolio.com/img/v9/p442524903-4.jpg
Why Are certain Leica's refered to as Barnack[s] newbie question
Knobs, Levers, and Buttons.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/2744039381_b6cd653cfc.jpg
Like the Dashboard of a '66 Mustang.
Or a Lada Niva possibly? :p
coelacanth
03-03-2010, 15:13
In Japanese, the top plate (and the whole controls on it) is called "Gunkan" (meaning Battle Ship). I believe that nickname/terminology came from seeing the the top plate of Barnacks. ;)
Why Are certain Leica's refered to as Barnack[s] newbie question
Named after it's creator.
coelacanth
03-03-2010, 15:15
Why Are certain Leica's refered to as Barnack[s] newbie question
When you hear someone calling Barnack, that's the older fixed lens and screw mount Leicas designed by Oscar Barnack.
If you see someone calling a cat Barnack, that's Tom A's best pal Mr. B. ;)
mabelsound
03-03-2010, 15:20
I prefer the handling of M's, after fondling a Barnack or two. But the Barnacks are really beautiful. I've never actually owned one--I'm sure I'll get around to it though!
coelacanth
03-03-2010, 15:26
When I first handled IIIf for the first time (it's not even the older ones that are even smaller), I just couldn't believe how small it was.
BTW, it's been said that "Barnack of Japan" Mr. Maitani designed OM1 (originally named M1) to achieve Barnack Leica's size in SLR form. When you compare the two, the foot print of the OM's main body part excluding the mirror box is nearly identical to IIIf.
One more shot of the IIIf, this time with the Elmar.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2737/4404570925_8849f65d31_o.jpg
Printed on Ilford MGIV FB
It's funny ... I find the M body a little hard to hold wihout a grip or a half case but not so with the screwmount!
I think it's because the camera is so small it's held more towards your fingertips which probably makes the process of using it naked (the camera I mean) all the more sensual! :eek:
Can't believe I said that ... feel the 'Barnack love.' :o
It s easier to shoot with M system.
But on the other hand, to use a Barnack is another experience itself. I got a IIIF to slow down my shooting process. And I love the built. It s just so classic and beautiful. No regrets at all.
Yes, there is an 'extra something' : perhaps it is indefinable, but perhaps it is a combination of elegance, simplicity, and the joy of an object well crafted and fiitted to its function. And perhaps there is smidgin of nostalgia. To me, the Barnacks are representative of the last gasp of an era before the (Western) world turned towards a clinical 'modernity' with a relentless pursuit of 'efficiency'.
Nicca 5L - It's the one I enjoy best. I know I should like the new cameras more for their viewfinders, etc... But I am right there on the sensual thing. It has it. And the fact that so many shoot Ms and so few shoot barnacks is all the better for me.
Barnacks know how to dance.
I agree that Barnacks have a certain special quality. I like the fact that they're so compact -- they're easy to slip into a pocket and off you go! And the small size makes them quite discreet, unless, of course, you put a lampshade on them... :D
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3487/3997840579_7dfe3f2a16_o.jpg
I agree that Barnacks have a certain special quality. I like the fact that they're so compact -- they're easy to slip into a pocket and off you go! And the small size makes them quite discreet, unless, of course, you put a lampshade on them... :D
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3487/3997840579_7dfe3f2a16_o.jpg
Going out in public with that barn door shade on must be like shouting out "Hey, look at me ... my young son made this lens shade in metal shop and I promised him I'd use it!"
:D
Going out in public with that barn door shade on must be like shouting out "Hey, look at me ... my young son made this lens shade in metal shop and I promised him I'd use it!"
:D
You're so right! :) After I got the barn door shade and realized just how, er, barn-door-ish it was, I searched for alternatives and found one under my nose: the original clamp-on hood for the Canon 50/1.8, which clamps perfectly on to the Summitar, and makes the whole kit look a little less metal-shop-ish.
Taking a second look at it, it looks a bit like a Barnack mating with a Petri.
For the Summitar/Sumicron, the SOOPD/SOOFM are far and away the most efficient hoods. They can interfere with exposure, though. I sometimes used a SOOPD folded up on a IIIc.
Love, love, my IIIf...
Really, really, like my M6...
Don't need, but really want, an early Black II (Model D) w/5cm Elmar...
...and really, really, could use an M2 w/35 Summaron 2.8
...must resist...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4406144360_a1afb2350e_o.jpg
Juan Valdenebro
03-04-2010, 00:35
Those are the most beautiful cameras ever!
The first time I "decided" to buy a Leica IIIf, finally I bought a Bessa R4M... Then I decided I really "needed" that Barnack with a collapsible 50 3.5 Elmar, and finally I bought two Bessas T...
What the hell happened to me?
I want a Barnack!
coelacanth
03-04-2010, 00:43
Those are the most beautiful cameras ever!
The first time I "decided" to buy a Leica IIIf, finally I bought a Bessa R4M... Then I decided I really "needed" that Barnack with a collapsible 50 3.5 Elmar, and finally I bought two Bessas T...
What the hell happened to me?
I want a Barnack!
I've owned Bessa R3A and T myself, but IIIf with Elmar 50/3.5 is really really really something else. Go for it. You'll smack yourself for not getting it in the first place. :D It's a great conversation starter, chick magnet as well as older gentleman magnet, but above all, it's a super compact shooter you can carry everyday. :)
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4366680993_9f72e66885.jpg
SX-70 with Pola 600 film
Philip Whiteman
03-04-2010, 00:47
The beauty of the screw-mount Leicas is on the outside – all those lovely knurled knobs and all that (Stop tittering at the back!) – the beauty of the M is looking through that big, bright finder.
I keep going back to a light compact setup of IIIC + Summitar, Voigtlander 25/4 and 9cm Elmar. It all goes into one tiny bag and is a delight to carry around and use – until one has to change lens and finder (and find a spare, third hand for the now homeless clip-on meter).
Nevertheless, the love affair continues…
Dave Wilkinson
03-04-2010, 01:21
It seems my preference is shared by good company! :). Part of the attraction for me is an interest my wife and I have in furnishings, ornaments etc. - and the general lifestyle of the 'Art Deco' period of the late twenties and thirties. As mentioned earlier a Barnack just epitomises an era, and to me the 'lines', knurled knobs, and levers make it an 'engineers' -or instrument makers delight!. On the odd occasion that my wife accompanies me to a camera fair or store, the only things she picks up to examine, are old Leicas or Contax, she knows very little about photography, but has a good eye for old quality items! ( well - she did choose me! :p )
Dave.
I've worked in hi-tech for 30 years - with 20 of those years as a Configuration Manager (I basically manage hardware & software engineering and technical documentation and engineering/product baseline changes) - and can only wonder what it would have been like to work at the Leitz factory (http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/page26.html) with all those wonderful craftsman (men and ladies) amid all the engineering drawings and parts: sorting out all the design changes and working with the product line configurations and iterations... ...and all before computerization, CAD, and PLM/ERP.
Hopefully, there was no part pilfering going on for a take-home DIY build-a-Leica kit :)
But, I'm basically a hardware guy, and these diminutive Leicas hold their own against some of the products I've documented and released to production.
I love good engineering and industrial design. These little guys - and their accessories - are works of art. It's nice to pay homage to the folks that designed and crafted them as well...
Luddite Frank
03-04-2010, 03:47
I love my "Barnacks" !
They're not a "point & shoot", and that's just fine with me... ( That's what Brownies are for... ;) )
I saw my first screw-mount Leicas when I was in high-school, thirty years ago, ona visit to the US Senate's photo lab. The thing that really stuck with me was the odd-looking diaphragm in the lens (had to have been a Summar or Summitar).
Fast-forward to middle-age, when I finally had a little mad-money, I bought a III-f BD / Summicron (1950) and a black II (1932) with nickel Elmar (11 o'clock Inf lock.).
The III-f turned out to have bad shutter blinds ( crackly), but the II works fine.
I have added two black III's (1933), and a chrome III from 1934.
My chrome III ( flaking chrome) has turned-out to be my "go-camera" - my everday kit. Bag contains an Elmar 35, Canon 35 /f 1.8, Summicron 50, Elmar 90, Hektor 135, Fikus shade, barndoors, the camera body, and a Toshiba "Linear" CdS meter.
I have shot well over 100 rolls of film in the last year or so, and generally choose the Barnack over my Pentax Spotmatic, Minolta XG-1, Exakta, etc.
I like things with lots of dials and knobs, and the Leica is a darned-fine piece of machinery !
It scratches a "niche itch"...
I think I'm almost afraid to try an M.... for fear I'll like it better than
LTM ?:rolleyes:
Luddite Frank
dogberryjr
03-04-2010, 03:54
The "barn door" shades make me chuckle every time I see one. With the size of that thing, you'd think that the Summitar is so bad it would flare at a bright smile.
Dave Wilkinson
03-04-2010, 04:20
I love my "Barnacks" !
They're not a "point & shoot", and that's just fine with me... ( That's what Brownies are for... ;) )
I saw my first screw-mount Leicas when I was in high-school, thirty years ago, ona visit to the US Senate's photo lab. The thing that really stuck with me was the odd-looking diaphragm in the lens (had to have been a Summar or Summitar).
Fast-forward to middle-age, when I finally had a little mad-money, I bought a III-f BD / Summicron (1950) and a black II (1932) with nickel Elmar (11 o'clock Inf lock.).
The III-f turned out to have bad shutter blinds ( crackly), but the II works fine.
I have added two black III's (1933), and a chrome III from 1934.
My chrome III ( flaking chrome) has turned-out to be my "go-camera" - my everday kit. Bag contains an Elmar 35, Canon 35 /f 1.8, Summicron 50, Elmar 90, Hektor 135, Fikus shade, barndoors, the camera body, and a Toshiba "Linear" CdS meter.
I have shot well over 100 rolls of film in the last year or so, and generally choose the Barnack over my Pentax Spotmatic, Minolta XG-1, Exakta, etc.
I like things with lots of dials and knobs, and the Leica is a darned-fine piece of machinery !
It scratches a "niche itch"...
I think I'm almost afraid to try an M.... for fear I'll like it better than
LTM ?:rolleyes:
Luddite Frank One of the good things about retirement - is being able to try all kinds of old gear ( I don't spend much on it these days ) without watching the clock!. Now I just sometimes scratch my head about subject matter, but if one day - it's a Barnack....the next can be a Nikon F - no worries!....as long as there's film at reasonable price - and 'old father time' is kind!. My '39 111 usually sports a Summitar or 3.5Elmar, or even a J8! but now I keep wondering how much of a different look a Summicron would give - to the Summitar? - I've been thinking about one for a while!....never ends - does it? LOL! :D
Dave.
Erik van Straten
03-04-2010, 04:40
A very reliable tool. Leica II post-war conversion with SCNOO rapidwinder.
Erik.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3492/3765683580_8d6304f338_b.jpg
Dave Wilkinson
03-04-2010, 04:49
A very reliable tool. Leica II post-war conversion with SCNOO rapidwinder.
Erik.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3492/3765683580_8d6304f338_b.jpg Erik - that's one well handled, well loved machine!...glad it's still a user!.......how many of todays toys will see such service?
Dave.
shadowfox
03-04-2010, 06:49
BTW, it's been said that "Barnack of Japan" Mr. Maitani designed OM1 (originally named M1) to achieve Barnack Leica's size in SLR form. When you compare the two, the foot print of the OM's main body part excluding the mirror box is nearly identical to IIIf.
I think the most Barnack-like of Mr. Maitani's designs is the Pen F:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2275/2185573395_f91e340f5e.jpg
There is no mistaking where he got the inspiration from :)
Ronald M
03-04-2010, 07:35
Some Leica execs also believed it was special also because it remained in production with the M3 for some time before they gave it up.
I have not given up on my 111C and 111F even though I have full frame digi Nikons.Amazing cameras.
Luddite Frank
03-05-2010, 04:25
I would like to try-out / own a III-g....
I think the fact that there is still a wide range of NEW lenses available in LTM is testament to the quality of Barnack's / Leitz's original 35mm system.
Might not be the most streamlined outfit even by 1960 standards, but a fine performer, nearly 100 years after Oskar Barnack's original 35mm cine exposure tester of 1914...
Long live Barnacks !
Mr_Flibble
03-05-2010, 05:08
There's definitely an M-camera on the wanted-list, but for now I'm having too much fun with my two shooters; a IIIA and IIIC. The A was my first real proper Barnack. I tried cheaper (Leica-fied Zorkiis and FEDs) and was let down every time.
I've been playing with a lot of other classic cameras over the last two months (Argus A, C-44, Rolleiflex Standerd), but somehow I never feel quite so comfortable or relaxed with these.
There is something about using a LTM Leica; the noise of the shutter; the position of the release; focussing; that feels just right.
I would like to try-out / own a III-g....
Recently bought a IIIG and I am in love.
All the knurled knobs add a tactile sense to the controls, and I love how the slower shutter speeds below 1/30th of a second are a second seperate knob. There is a tactile sense present that I do not get from my M.
I also love how the film advance knob protects the shutter release from accidental blank shots, and the way I know the film is definitively advanced by the layout of the controls. I can't tell you the amount of times with my M-body I couldn't take a shot because the film was not advanced or the amount of wasted film just by putting the m-body in a bag.
Out in the street, the Barnack seems to be a friendlier camera. It almost seems like total strangers want you to take their pictures. This is weird, especially since I live in NYC.
Very recently I bought a Canon/Serenar 28/3.5 with a Canon VF to create my new "Street Machine." The IIIG with this lens is a sexy camera. Don't tell my girlfriend, but I was coming out of my house, when I saw this really hot girl. She was almost as tall as me (5' 10"). I feel that because of the Barnack she took notice of me, and then she gave me a huge inviting smile. I had seen her coming and had already zone focused the camera. The shot I took came out great. Almost as good as sex.
Calzone
coelacanth
03-05-2010, 08:56
Very recently I bought a Canon/Serenar 28/3.5 with a Canon VF to create my new "Street Machine." The IIIG with this lens is a sexy camera. Don't tell my girlfriend, but I was coming out of my house, when I saw this really hot girl. She was almost as tall as me (5' 10"). I feel that because of the Barnack she took notice of me, and then she gave me a huge inviting smile. I had seen her coming and had already zone focused the camera. The shot I took came out great. Almost as good as sex.
Yes, make sure your GF doesn't read this by accident. :D
Yes, make sure your GF doesn't read this by accident. :D
For more reading, laughs and Leica-sex read the thread about the February NYC Meet-Up.
What would be really funny is if the hot girl I photographed read this thread. LOL
Calzone
ray*j*gun
03-05-2010, 09:10
Dave, to my mind the Barnacks are the absolute prettiest 35's ever made......and there are some really beautiful cameras of other breeds for sure. I love there size as well....... and the slightly nosier shutters have never been a problem. Unless I am shooting a job that demands speed I always grab one of mine for sheer fun and a quality product!
coelacanth
03-05-2010, 09:10
Hot girl who loves barnack and read RFF? I'd jump on plane to NYC right now.
(I know there are many here already! ;))
Dave Wilkinson
03-05-2010, 10:21
I had seen her coming and had already zone focused the camera. The shot I took came out great. Almost as good as sex.
Calzone mmm....I'm a bit 'long in the tooth' - love my leica!....but think I'll pass on this one! :D
For more reading, laughs and Leica-sex read the thread about the February NYC Meet-Up.
What would be really funny is if the hot girl I photographed read this thread. LOL
Calzone
EDIT: the other thread is about the January NYC Meet-Up not February and involves a group of drunk girls that thought a bunch of guys with expensive cameras is "sexy."
Calzone
David 11084
03-05-2010, 14:05
The Barnacks are King!
I love mine; the feel and weight in such a small package is quite something. They produce very evocative images.
When I first had mine I forget to actually scale focus so many times! Am now much improved; but with a long way to go.
I love the smell too!
David
I've probably posted this shot before but post again.
Almost as good looking as the barnack is the Weston Ranger 9 meter.
http://fotografs.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p1066771399-2.jpg
My IIIf with a few other Senior citizens.
Argus AF, 1937
Super Baldina, 19??
Leica IIIf, 1951
All still working.
Downtown Fort Worth with the Leica IIIc and 50mm f/3.5 Elmar lens.
http://fotografs.zenfolio.com/img/v11/p454617308-4.jpg
-doomed-
03-05-2010, 19:12
I love my IIIf , I use it almost as often as my m4-p . I enjoy it with my cv 25/4 on it and with the 50mm collapsible cron.
elshaneo
03-05-2010, 19:39
Yeah my friends, the Barnacks are the most beautiful camera ever made !!!
Mine is priceless, I'll never sell it :p
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elshaneo/3757201770/sizes/o/
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2613/3757201770_d4e73f5f89_o.jpg
Vince Lupo
03-05-2010, 22:59
A very reliable tool. Leica II post-war conversion with SCNOO rapidwinder.
Erik.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3492/3765683580_8d6304f338_b.jpg
I just acquired a camera just like that(Leica I/IIc conversion?). Very pretty cameras! What's the story with that one???
Sandwick
03-06-2010, 01:31
A Leica IIIa was my gateway drug into Leica M but the Ms have gone now in favour of the LTM. I think it's because I have a sticky-out nose and, consequently, my spectacles sit forward off my face, that I could never find a way of holding an M to my eye with any sense of stability. With the M's eyepiece being so close to the edge of the body i felt as if the camera was braced between my hands and squashed rather viciously against my glasses - it never felt comfortable. That was why my lovely M4-P was sold. With the LTM cameras having the eye-piece closer to their centre-line I find that I can hold them to my face and brace them stably against my nose. Not only are they wonderfully made, beautiful machines but, in my case, I much prefer the handling.
Dave Wilkinson
03-06-2010, 11:38
On another thread - I've just been moaning about the price of rollfilm over here, so now I'm back to the Barnacks to cheer myself up! - but with a slight twist. Usually my 1939 111 has a Summitar or Jupiter 8 fitted, but for the last outing I've been trying a Industar 61LD that cost me the princely sum of £8! :).....that is some lens - for the money!, if you have not already tried one, I recommend you do!. I'll try to post some pics in the coming week.
Dave.
David 11084
03-08-2010, 14:02
Size, weight, sound and envious (or quizzical) looks from DSLR users. Mine is 80 years old and I love it.........definitely special.
David
David Hughes
03-09-2010, 03:58
Well, I love my old I, II, IIIa, FED and Zorki clones and like to get back in touch with real photography. And it's nice when people come over and chat but I have to say that logic and practice mean I use the Olympus XA2 and XA3 more. And then there's the Konica A4 and the Leica C3...
Regards, David
The beauty of a Barnack is greatly appreciated and is enhanced, when the built-in meter in your M6 goes south. Just happened. With no internal meter it can't break. For now, until repairs can be funded, I have to shoot my M6 like my IIIG.
Calzone
good for Barnack fans, CV has made modern lenses available for the camera.
wish my IIIG come back from CLA soon, have 15/4.5, 35/2.5 (tiny lenses!) and 75/2.5 waiting for some Tri-X to expose :)
ZorkiKat
03-09-2010, 19:01
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/zorkikat/fed%20repair/_IGP2490.jpg
All Beautiful, regardless of make.
Little gems which fit the hand. Elegant and simple.
Clockwise from top: FED-1, Zorki-1, Shanghai 58-II, Canon IIs.
good for Barnack fans, CV has made modern lenses available for the camera.
wish my IIIG come back from CLA soon, have 15/4.5, 35/2.5 (tiny lenses!) and 75/2.5 waiting for some Tri-X to expose :)
I know what you say. I recently bought a 50/2.0 Rigid Nickel Heliar and a 50/3.5 Collapsible Heliar. They look great on my IIIG. CV did a great job of mixing old and new on these lenses. Retro look and feel, but with low coma and flare. What surprised me is that the increase in contrast was only moderate.
I will soon develope some film that was shot with a Canon/Serenar 28/3.5. This lens on my IIIG is a beautiful package.
Where is your 50 for your IIIG?
Calzone
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4262457226_be1e87f255_o.jpg
It inspires me to take pictures....
Where is your 50 for your IIIG?
Calzone
sry missed your question. dont have 50 from CV, but plenty of old Leitz lenses in this category. some non-RFFer might say too many :rolleyes:
IIIG arrived, and also M8. think am set for the rest of year, or couple :)
...dont have 50 from CV,...
oh no, dangerous process (http://www.cameraquest.com/voigt_5035N.htm) started again.. must resist :bang:
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