Leica IC

Leica Ic

The Leica Ic is a 35mm Leica screw-mount film camera introduced by Ernst Leitz Wetzlar in 1949. It was derived from the Leica IIIc body, but omitted the built-in rangefinder, built-in viewfinder and slow-speed mechanism. The result was one of the simplest and most specialized postwar Barnack Leica bodies [1][2].

The camera uses the Leica Thread Mount, also known as LTM, M39 or Leica screw mount. It accepts Leica screw-mount lenses and other compatible L39 lenses, making it directly relevant to LeicaLensList’s camera scope [1].

Unlike the Leica IIc and IIIc, the Leica Ic has no optical finder windows on the front. Instead, it has two accessory shoes on the top plate. One shoe could hold an external viewfinder, while the other could hold an external rangefinder, scientific accessory or other technical attachment. This made the Ic useful for microscopy, Visoflex work, copying, laboratory photography and specialist setups where a normal built-in rangefinder was unnecessary [1][2].

The shutter is a horizontal-travel cloth focal-plane shutter. The Ic lacks slow speeds below 1/30 second and uses the standard fast-speed Barnack sequence, with Bulb and speeds up to 1/500 second. It has no built-in exposure meter, no built-in flash synchronization and no battery-dependent functions [3].

The body dimensions are listed as 136 × 39 × 65 mm. Leica Wiki describes the body as aluminum with chrome-plated brass top plate, base plate and knobs. The model appeared with standard vulcanite covering, and some selected examples were fitted with the rougher postwar covering often called sharkskin [1][4].

History

Development and Launch

The Leica Ic was introduced in 1949 as a stripped-down technical version of the Leica IIIc. Pacific Rim Camera describes it as a further simplified IIIc after the Leica IIc, lacking both rangefinder and viewfinder as well as slow speeds. The camera was intended mainly for technical use, although photographers could also use it normally with an external viewfinder and scale focusing [2].

Production Evolution

Production ran from 1949 to 1952. Leica Wiki lists the production era as 1949–1952 and gives a total of 11,800 assigned serial numbers. Pacific Rim Camera gives total production as 12,013 units, while Summichronica gives 12,010 cameras delivered. These small differences reflect the difficulty of reconciling assigned serial blocks, deliveries and production totals for postwar Leica screw-mount cameras [1][2][4].

Serial Number Notes

The main assigned serial-number blocks are 455001 to 460000, 520001 to 524000 and 560001 to 562800. Summichronica’s delivery table extends the final delivery group to 563100, so serial identification should be handled carefully. For LeicaLensList, the safest database field is 455001 to 562800, non-contiguous assigned blocks, with a note in the description that some delivery records extend slightly higher [1][4][5].

Catalog Codes

Summichronica lists the Leica Ic body-only code as OEFGO. A Leica Ic body supplied with the SBOOI 50mm external viewfinder was coded OEGIO, while a kit with a 5cm f/3.5 Elmar and SBOOI finder was coded OEINO. These codes should be stored as model or variant metadata, not as separate camera models [4].

Relationship to the Leica IIIc and If

The Leica Ic is closely related to the Leica IIIc, but should not be merged with it. The IIIc has a built-in rangefinder, built-in viewfinder and slow-speed dial, while the Ic has none of these features. The Ic was later replaced by the Leica If, which performed a similar finderless technical role but was based on the later IIf and IIIf generation [1][2].

Collector Notes

The Leica Ic should be distinguished from the earlier Leica I Model C, which is a prewar interchangeable-lens Leica I from 1930–1931. The similar-looking names can easily cause listing errors. For database use, Leica Ic should refer only to the postwar 1949 finderless technical body.

Collectors should check for the absence of front viewfinder and rangefinder windows, the two top accessory shoes, LTM lens mount, lack of front slow-speed dial, serial range and body covering. Some examples were used heavily in scientific or industrial setups, so condition varies widely. Others were sold with external viewfinders and used as compact scale-focus cameras for wide-angle or 50mm lenses.

For LeicaLensList, the Leica Ic should be stored as a separate LTM camera entry. It belongs in the database because it is a Leica screw-mount body and an important technical branch of the Barnack Leica system.

Sources

• [1] Leica Wiki. Leica Ic. https://wiki.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Leica_Ic
• [2] Pacific Rim Camera. Leica IIIc, Leica IIc, and Leica Ic. https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/leica3c.htm
• [3] Mike Eckman. Leica Ic (1950). https://mikeeckman.com/2018/06/leica-ic-1950/
• [4] Summichronica. Leica Ic. https://www.summichronica.com/leica-ic
• [5] CameraQuest. Leica Screw Mount Serial Numbers 1923–1965. https://www.cameraquest.com/ltmnum.htm