Leica I Model A Elmar

Leica I Model A Elmar

The Leica I Model A Elmar is a fixed-lens 35mm camera produced by Ernst Leitz Wetzlar during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It belongs to the first production Leica family and represents the best-known version of the Leica I Model A, fitted with the collapsible Leitz Elmar 5cm f/3.5 lens [1].

Unlike later Leica screw-mount cameras, the Model A Elmar does not have an interchangeable lens mount. Its Elmar lens is fixed to the camera body and was factory-matched to the film plane. For LeicaLensList classification, this means the mount should be listed as none, even though the camera is historically central to the later LTM system [1].

The Elmar 5cm f/3.5 became the defining lens of the early Leica system. Earlier Model A cameras used Anastigmat and Elmax lenses, but the Elmar simplified the optical design to a four-element construction and became the dominant Model A version. Leica Wiki lists 56,548 Model A cameras with Elmar lenses, far more than the Anastigmat, Elmax or Hektor versions [1].

The body follows Oskar Barnack’s compact 35mm concept. It uses 35mm cine film in the 24 × 36 mm format, bottom loading, manual film advance and rewind, a fixed optical finder, and a horizontal cloth focal-plane shutter with speeds from 1/25s to 1/500s plus Z for time exposure. The body is black lacquer with nickel controls and vulcanite covering, with dimensions listed as 133 × 39 × 65 mm [1].

History

Development and Launch

The Leica I Model A was introduced publicly at the Leipzig Spring Fair in 1925 and became the first commercially produced Leica camera. Early cameras were fitted with Anastigmat and then Elmax lenses. The Elmar version appeared during the transition from the Elmax design, commonly associated with the second production batch around 1926, although some evidence suggests small numbers of Elmar lenses may have appeared earlier [2][5].

Production Evolution

The Elmar version became the standard and most common Model A configuration. Pacific Rim Camera describes the Elmar as a simplified four-element development that replaced the earlier Elmax and continued through the end of Model A production [2]. Leica Wiki lists the Model A family from 1925 to 1936, although the classic fixed-lens Model A period is concentrated before the arrival of later interchangeable-lens Leica I variants [1].

Serial Number Complexity

Serial-number identification for the Model A Elmar must be handled carefully. Leica Wiki lists early Model A serial blocks from 131 upward, with Elmar appearing in blocks beginning around 1001 and continuing through later assigned Leica I ranges [1]. Summichronica states that the Elmar was used on Model A cameras from approximately serial number 1300 to approximately 71249, while also noting that early Elmar and Elmax batches may overlap [4]. Because some serial lists group cameras broadly as “Leica I,” physical inspection is essential.

Special Variants

The Model A Elmar exists in many small variations. Collector literature distinguishes differences in shutter release shape, rewind knob, baseplate locking key, arrow engraving, vulcanite texture, lens scale, close-focus versions, feet or meter markings, and body covering. The gold Leica Luxus is the most famous special version, usually based on the Model A Elmar and finished in gold with lizard skin covering [1][2].

Collector Notes

For collectors, the most important point is originality. A correct Model A Elmar should have a fixed collapsible Elmar 5cm f/3.5 lens, not an interchangeable LTM mount. Many early Leica cameras were later factory-upgraded or converted, often retaining their original serial numbers, so a serial number alone is not enough to confirm the original configuration [3].

The camera should be checked for fixed-lens construction, top-plate engraving, nickel controls, finder layout, baseplate style, lens markings, focusing scale and serial-number range. Early bodies are especially sensitive to misidentification because Anastigmat, Elmax, Elmar and Hektor Model A cameras overlap historically, and some surviving cameras may have been modified or restored.

The Leica I Model A Elmar is one of the most important cameras in Leica history. It helped establish the 24 × 36 mm still-camera format, made the compact 35mm camera practical, and became the foundation from which the later Leica screw-mount and M-mount systems developed. Its collector appeal comes from this historical importance, the fixed Elmar lens, and the many small production variations that define early Leica collecting.

Sources

• [1] Leica Wiki. Leica I, model A. https://wiki.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Leica_I_%28model_A%29
• [2] Pacific Rim Camera. Leica Anastigmat, Elmax, Elmar and Hektor. https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/leicaa.htm
• [3] CameraQuest. Leica Screw Mount Serial Numbers 1923-1965. https://www.cameraquest.com/ltmnum.htm
• [4] Summichronica. Leica I Model A. https://www.summichronica.com/leica-i-model-a
• [5] National Museum of American History. Leica Model A. https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1005050