Leitz
SUPERB! 1935 BLACK LEITZ LEICA II with Nickel Elmar and leather case, Freshly Serviced CLA'd!
Cleaned, Lubricated & Adjusted. Ready for immediate use!
There are times when camera collecting is incredibly difficult. It comes at moments when you’re asked simple questions like “What’s the best camera…?” or “Which is the most significant camera ever?” The brain starts working, the heart beats nicely and the mouth moves but if an answer appears at all… it’s a long and complicated one, full of design details, historical moments and personal rationalizations.
Fortunately answers come quicker when we are asked to feel more and think less…. Matters of the heart are easier to answer and to agree on. The eye and the heart have a directness and honesty that the brain lacks as it struggles to retain, comprehend and balance all the many details.
So here’s a simple question for the heart. What is the most enjoyable camera of the 20th century…? I don’t know about you, but I see the answer almost immediately. I can also feel it between my hands. And it’s a surprising answer because it runs counter to my technology oriented brain. What I see is not the most expensive, the rarest or even the most sophisticated. That evidently doesn’t impress my heart… which is why the heart and the mind are such a good match. They need each other for balance. The brain tells us what we think we need and the heart tells us what we want.
The most enjoyable camera ever….? I thought it would be a Pentax Spotmatic but it’s not. The winner is a black screw mount Leica. It’s honest, it’s significant and above all it’s great fun to be with. The Leica is like the perfect partner that some of us search our entire lives for. It has that unique mix of something for the heart, something for the eye and something for the head. It’s that perplexing mix that insures we never tire of being close. It’s the perfect mate to be marooned with on a deserted island. And when you cradle it in your hands, you’re not simply picking up a camera… it’s more like being reunited with an old friend. A friend with rich sparkling stories of adventure and history, life and death, valor and treachery, lives and passion… And like a faithful friend it will go on and on recording our adventures, our children’s adventures and possibly be still there for our grand children to enjoy and to remind them of our life, excursions and adventures.
This camera’s own life is long and colorful. I can’t tell you the stories of where it’s been but I can tell you this Leica started its long journey of many roads and many years in 1935. It was built in a time and a place when the world looked very different than it does today…
Nearly Eighty-seven years later this Leica still works well. To insure that it will continue to do so for many years to come, it’s been carefully cleaned, lubricated and adjusted. It still has its original black vulcanite body covering. The shutter curtains are smooth and light tight. The coupled rangefinder image is bright, easy to see and works smoothly & accurately. The view finder is also clean and bright. The camera feels very smooth and precise in all of its operations and definitely supports the idea that the more a Leica is used, the smoother it becomes. All shutter speeds (B & 1/30- 1/500th) are appropriate
Cosmetically, the top cover shows some wear and it appears to have been retouched over the years. However it's very presentable and the original nickel plated knobs and fittings are in exceptionally fine condition, which indicate that this camera has been well taken care of. (Nickel knobs and fittings were of course only available in very early Leicas and usually show considerable wear.) All in all, this is a very beautiful example and certainly better than most. It's very clean, functions beautifully and I'm certain you'll enjoy using it.
A 50mm Leitz nickel elmar lens is included, which matches the nickel knobs on the camera body perfectly. This lens is superb condition and one of the nicest examples I’ve seen in a long time. It was actually tempting to sell it separately because nickel lenses in this condition are in high demand. However I preferred not to since its serial number 255653 indicates that it was produced in 1935 and it’s quite possible that this lens is original to this camera. The glass is very clean and clear with just a few light cleaning wisps and it’s capable of producing lovely photos with modern color and B&W films.
It comes complete with a lens, Leitz film spool and an original brown leather case
All in all a very fine Leica. The perfect company on your own search for that perfect picture, that perfect moment, when you discover that perfection isn’t about being perfect… it’s about being comfortable about yourself, your choices and following your heart.
Please feel free to look at the results you can expect with this camera.
The link below is to a 1932 Black Leica II with a nickel Elmar lens in our example gallery:
