Leica I Model C

Leica I Model C

The Leica I Model C, also known as the Leica C, is a 35mm screw-mount camera introduced by Ernst Leitz Wetzlar in 1930. It was the first Leica camera designed for interchangeable lenses and marked the transition from the fixed-lens Leica I Model A to the later Leica screw-mount system [1][2].

The camera uses a 39mm Leica screw-type mount, but early examples were non-standard. On these early cameras, the flange-to-film distance could vary slightly from body to body, so lenses were individually matched to a specific camera body. Matching lenses were often engraved with the last three digits, or sometimes all five digits, of the body serial number [1][2].

Later Model C cameras adopted the standardized 39mm mount specification. These standardized examples are usually identified by a “0” mark at the top of the lens mount flange, indicating the standardized flange distance. Standardized cameras can use normal Leica Thread Mount lenses more safely than early non-standard bodies [2].

The Model C has no coupled rangefinder. Focusing is done by scale focusing on the lens, by using an external accessory rangefinder or by estimation. It has a simple built-in optical viewfinder, suitable mainly for a normal lens, while wider and longer focal lengths require separate accessory finders [2][3].

The shutter is a horizontal-travel cloth focal-plane shutter with speeds from approximately 1/20 second to 1/500 second, plus Z or Bulb. It has no built-in exposure meter, no flash synchronization, no self-timer and no battery-dependent functions [3][4].

History

Development and Launch

The Leica I Model C was introduced in 1930 as the first interchangeable-lens Leica. It followed the Leica I Model A, which had a fixed lens, and extended the Leica system by allowing the photographer to change lenses for different focal lengths and purposes [1][2].

Initial lens options included the Elmar 5cm f/3.5, Hektor 5cm f/2.5, Elmar 3.5cm f/3.5 and Elmar 13.5cm f/4.5. This made the Model C a true system camera before the arrival of the Leica II with coupled rangefinder [2].

Non-Standard and Standard Versions

The early non-standard Model C cameras are among the most important and confusing Leica screw-mount cameras. These bodies were not yet built to a fully standardized flange distance, so lenses were matched to individual bodies. A non-standard body should not automatically be used with ordinary LTM lenses unless it has been checked or converted [1][2].

The standardized version appeared after Leitz adopted the 28.8mm flange-to-film standard. These cameras are usually marked with a “0” on the mount flange. The standardized Model C is much more practical for normal interchangeable-lens use because it works with standard Leica screw-mount lenses [2].

Production Evolution

Leica Wiki lists production from 1930 to 1933, with 10,226 cameras divided between 2,995 non-standard and 7,231 standard examples [1]. Pacific Rim Camera gives the same split and notes that the Standard C continued until it was replaced by the Leica Standard Model E [2].

The Model C was superseded by the Leica Standard Model E, which continued the interchangeable screw-mount concept in a later simplified body design [1][2].

Serial Number Notes

Serial-number information should be handled carefully. Leica Wiki lists Model C serial ranges from 34818 to 71199, with non-standard cameras generally below the early 60000 range and standardized examples after the transition point [1].

The safest catalogue wording is 34818 to 71199, including early non-standard and later standardized mount examples. Serial number alone is not always enough because many early Leica bodies were later converted, upgraded or modified.

Relationship to Leica I Model A

The Leica I Model C should be kept separate from the Leica I Model A. The Model A is a fixed-lens camera, usually with Anastigmat, Elmax, Elmar or Hektor lens variants. The Model C introduced interchangeable lenses and therefore belongs to the screw-mount Leica system, although early non-standard bodies need special caution [1][2].

Relationship to Leica Standard Model E

The Leica I Model C should also be distinguished from the Leica Standard Model E. Both are rangefinderless screw-mount Leica bodies, but the Model C is the earlier transitional camera and includes the important non-standard mount period. The Leica Standard Model E is the later standardized production model [1][2].

A practical identification point is the rewind knob. Pacific Rim Camera notes that the Standard E has a pull-up rewind knob, while the Model C belongs to the earlier body style [2].

Identification

The Leica I Model C is identified by its early Leica I body style, interchangeable screw mount, lack of coupled rangefinder, built-in optical viewfinder, black paint and nickel finish on many examples, and absence of the fixed-lens arrangement found on the Leica I Model A.

Standardized examples usually show a “0” mark at the top of the lens mount flange. Non-standard examples may have matched lenses engraved with body serial digits. Some examples also have a swing-away finder mask for longer lenses [2].

Collector Notes

The Leica I Model C is highly significant because it introduced interchangeable lenses to the Leica system. It is also one of the most difficult early Leica models to identify correctly, because non-standard bodies, standardized bodies, factory conversions and later upgrades can look similar in seller photographs.

Collectors should check the lens mount, the presence or absence of the “0” mount mark, matching lens engravings, serial number, body finish, shutter operation, viewfinder condition and whether the camera has been converted to a later Leica II or Leica III specification.

Common listing names include Leica I Model C, Leica 1C, Leica IC, Leica C, Leica I C Standard, Leica I C Non-Standard and Leica I Model C with Elmar. Lens names and standard/non-standard status should be treated as important variant or matching information.

The Leica I Model C should be treated as a separate LTM / screw-mount film camera because it is the first interchangeable-lens Leica and is historically distinct from both the fixed-lens Leica I Model A and the later Leica Standard Model E.

Sources

• [1] Leica Wiki. Leica I, model C. https://wiki.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Leica_I_%28model_C%29
• [2] Pacific Rim Camera. Leica C. https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/leicac.htm
• [3] Kamerastore. Leica I Model C. https://kamerastore.com/en-no/products/leica-i-model-c-ltm-m39
• [4] Early Photography. Leica I(c). https://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/entry_C540.html
• [5] CameraQuest. Leica Screw Mount Serial Numbers 1923–1965. https://www.cameraquest.com/ltmnum.htm