Leica I Model A Hektor

Leica I Model A Hektor

The Leica I Model A Hektor is a rare fixed-lens 35mm camera produced by Ernst Leitz Wetzlar around 1930 and 1931. It belongs to the Leica I Model A family, but instead of the common 5cm f/3.5 Elmar, it was fitted with the faster Leitz Hektor 5cm f/2.5 lens [1].

Like other Leica I Model A cameras, the Hektor version does not have an interchangeable lens mount. The lens is fixed to the camera body and was individually matched to the film plane. For LeicaLensList classification, the mount should therefore be listed as none, even though the camera is historically linked to the later Leica screw-mount system[2].

The Hektor version was produced in far smaller numbers than the Elmar version. Leica Wiki lists approximately 1,330 Leica I Model A cameras with Hektor lenses, compared with more than 56,000 Elmar examples. Pacific Rim Camera notes that Leitz offered the 50mm f/2.5 Hektor as a faster option from about camera number 38,000, continuing until the end of Model A production.

The body follows the same compact Barnack Leica layout as other Model A cameras. It uses 35mm 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. Leica Wiki lists the body size as 133 × 39 × 65 mm.

History

Development and Launch

The Leica I Model A was introduced in 1925 as the first commercially successful Leica camera. Early production used Anastigmat and Elmax lenses before the Elmar became the dominant standard lens. The Hektor version appeared later, when Leitz offered a faster 5cm f/2.5 alternative for customers who wanted more speed than the Elmar could provide.

Production Evolution

The Hektor version was made only in small numbers. Summichronica states that the 50mm f/2.5 Hektor was used on Model A cameras around the same period as the Elmar, often in small batches or by special order. Most known Hektor Model A examples are dated 1930 and 1931 [3]. Leica Camera Classic also documents a 1931 Leica I Mod. A Hektor delivered to Prague, confirming the late Model A position of this variant [4].

Serial Number Complexity

Serial-number identification should be treated carefully. Summichronica gives the known Hektor Model A range as approximately 38622 to 71230, but this does not represent a continuous production block. Known examples appear across scattered serial numbers, and the broader Leica I Model A serial range also includes Elmar and other lens versions. A serial number alone is therefore not enough to confirm a true Hektor body.

Special Variants

Summichronica describes two main Hektor Model A variants. The first has a Hektor lens with a depth-of-field ring and large embossed front-ring lettering reading Leitz Hektor 1:2,5 F=50 mm. A second variant is broadly similar but may include details such as strap eyelets or a raised viewfinder shoe. As with other early Leica bodies, small construction details can matter significantly for collector classification.

Collector Notes

For collectors, originality is the central issue. A correct Leica I Model A Hektor should have a fixed 5cm f/2.5 Hektor lens, not an interchangeable LTM lens fitted later. Because many early Leicas were repaired, converted or upgraded during their service lives, the camera should be inspected for fixed-lens construction, top-plate engraving, lens engraving, body finish, finder shoe type, shutter release style, baseplate locking key, and serial-number consistency[5].

The Hektor version is significantly rarer than the Elmar Model A and is therefore more vulnerable to misidentification. Auction and dealer descriptions often emphasize originality, delivery records and lens/body matching because these factors strongly affect collector value.

The Leica I Model A Hektor is important because it represents Leitz’s early attempt to offer a faster standard lens before the full maturity of the interchangeable Leica screw-mount system. Its appeal comes from the combination of early Barnack Leica design, fixed-lens construction, small production numbers, and the distinctive 5cm f/2.5 Hektor lens.