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 39mm screw-mount rangefinder lenses [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, microscope adapter or Visoflex accessory [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 of B, 1/30, 1/40, 1/60, 1/100, 1/200 and 1/500 second. It has no built-in exposure meter, no built-in flash synchronization and no battery-dependent functions [2][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].

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 it could also be used with external finders 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 12,013 cameras. Summichronica gives total deliveries of approximately 12,010 cameras, based on annual delivery blocks from 1949 through 1952 [1][4].

Serial Number Notes

Serial-number information should be handled carefully. CameraQuest lists the main assigned Ic blocks as 455001–460000, 520001–524000 and 560001–562800 [5].

Summichronica lists delivery blocks of 455001–460000 in 1949, 520001–524000 in 1950, 560001–562292 in 1951 and 562295–563100 in 1952 [4]. Because of the small difference between assigned serial blocks and delivery records, the safest wording is 455001 to 562800, non-contiguous assigned blocks, with delivery records extending to 563100.

Catalog Codes

The Leica Ic body-only code was 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 [4]. These codes are kit or catalog references, not separate camera models.

Relationship to Leica IIIc

The Leica Ic is closely related to the Leica IIIc, but it should not be confused with it. The IIIc has a built-in rangefinder, built-in viewfinder and slow-speed dial. The Ic has none of these features and was intended for technical or accessory-based use [1][2].

Relationship to Leica If

The Leica Ic was later followed by the Leica If. Both are finderless screw-mount technical bodies, but the If belongs to the later IIf and IIIf generation and includes flash synchronization features. The Ic is the earlier IIIc-based technical body without built-in flash synchronization [1][2].

Identification

The Leica Ic is identified by its plain front, absence of viewfinder and rangefinder windows, two top accessory shoes, LTM lens mount, lack of front slow-speed dial and postwar IIIc-style body shell. It should not be confused with the earlier Leica I Model C, despite the similar name.

Some examples were used heavily in microscopes, copying setups, laboratories or Visoflex arrangements. Others were fitted with external viewfinders and used as compact scale-focus cameras, especially with wide-angle lenses.

Collector Notes

The Leica Ic is a specialized and relatively uncommon postwar screw-mount Leica. Collectors should check the top-plate serial number, absence of finder windows, two accessory shoes, LTM mount, body covering, shutter-speed dial and any evidence of scientific or industrial modification.

The main model name should be Leica Ic. Finish or covering details such as vulcanite, sharkskin or chrome hardware should be treated as variant or condition metadata rather than separate base models.

The Leica Ic should be treated as a separate LTM camera model because its finderless technical construction, IIIc-derived body and dedicated serial blocks make it distinct from the Leica IIIc, IIc and later If.

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