Reid & Sigrist III

Reid III

The Reid III is a British-made 35mm Leica screw-mount rangefinder camera produced by Reid & Sigrist Ltd. of Leicester. It is one of the most respected Leica-inspired cameras made outside Germany and is strongly associated with postwar British military and specialist use.

The camera uses the Leica Thread Mount, also known as LTM, M39 or Leica screw mount. It accepts Reid screw-mount lenses, Taylor-Hobson lenses, Leica screw-mount lenses and other compatible 39mm rangefinder lenses.

The Reid III was based on the Leica III-series concept, particularly the Leica IIIb layout, but it was not a simple low-grade copy. Reid & Sigrist were precision aircraft-instrument makers, and the camera was re-engineered using British manufacturing practice, including imperial measurements for much of the construction.

The camera has a coupled coincidence rangefinder and a separate direct-vision optical viewfinder. Like the Leica III family, focusing and framing are handled through two different windows. It also has a front slow-speed dial and a top fast-speed dial.

The shutter is a horizontal-travel fabric focal-plane shutter with speeds up to 1/1000 second, plus Time. Science Museum Group records the Reid III Type 2 shutter-speed set as 1, 1/2, 1/5, 1/8, 1/20, 1/30, 1/40, 1/60, 1/100, 1/200, 1/500, 1/1000 and T.

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History

Development and Launch

The Reid III was announced after the Second World War, with commercial availability generally associated with 1951. Reid & Sigrist had a background in aircraft instruments and precision engineering, which made the company suitable for producing a high-grade British Leica-type camera.

The design was based on Leica III-series patents and drawings that became available after the war. Rather than importing German Leica cameras, Britain pursued domestic production for military and specialist requirements.

Production and Rarity

Production numbers were low. Pacific Rim Camera states that total Reid III production was probably no more than 1,600 units. Other modern summaries place total Reid camera production, including Reid I and other variants, at roughly 2,800 to 2,900 cameras.

This makes the Reid III much rarer than most Leica screw-mount cameras and also rarer than many Japanese Leica-copy rangefinders.

Type 1 and Type 2

The Reid III is commonly separated into Type 1 and Type 2 versions.

The Type 1 is the earlier version, generally without flash synchronization. Vintage camera references describe Type 1 serial numbers as starting around P1000 and running to about P1499.

The Type 2 is the later version, generally with flash synchronization. The Science Museum Group records a Reid III Type 2 with two coaxial flash sockets for electronic flash and flash bulbs. Type 2 serial numbers are generally described as beginning around P1501 and extending into the P30xx range, although factory conversions and exceptions are known.

There are also transitional cameras with a single synchronization socket. These should be treated as transitional or variant examples rather than separate base camera models.

Military Use

A significant number of Reid cameras were supplied to the British military. Pacific Rim Camera notes that many Reids carry military registration marks embossed into the back leather and sometimes a broad-arrow mark, the traditional British military ownership symbol.

Military markings, brown covering, broad-arrow marks and service inventory numbers should be stored as variant or provenance metadata rather than part of the main model name.

Serial Number Notes

Serial-number handling should be cautious because surviving records are limited. Vintage camera references describe production camera numbers as carrying a P prefix followed by four digits.

A practical database wording is P1000 to P30xx, approximate Reid III production range, with Type 1 commonly P1000 to P1499 and Type 2 generally P1501 upward, factory conversions and exceptions known.

This avoids suggesting that every number in the broad range is a standard Reid III and leaves room for converted Type 1 bodies, transitional sync versions and unusual late-assembled examples.

Relationship to Reid I

The Reid III should be kept separate from the Reid I. The Reid I was the simplified model without rangefinder and without slow speeds, similar in concept to a rangefinderless Leica Standard-style body. Pacific Rim Camera describes the Reid I as introduced later and made in far smaller numbers, with military markings common.

The Reid III is the full rangefinder model with slow speeds and should remain the main collector-grade Reid rangefinder entry.

Relationship to Reid II

The Reid II was announced but probably never entered normal production. At least one example is known, but it appears to be an exceptional or assembled camera rather than a regular production model. It should not be merged into the Reid III entry unless the database intentionally tracks prototypes and non-production variants.

Lens Kits

The Reid III is often associated with Taylor-Hobson lenses, especially the Taylor-Hobson Anastigmat 2 inch f/2 collapsible lens. Science Museum Group records a Reid III Type 2 fitted with a coated Taylor-Hobson Anastigmat 2 inch f/2 lens.

Lens names should be treated as kit or listing metadata. The camera body itself should remain Reid III.

Identification

The Reid III is identified by its Reid & Sigrist top-plate engraving, Leica screw mount, separate rangefinder and viewfinder windows, front slow-speed dial, top shutter-speed dial to 1/1000 second, P-prefix serial number and British construction details.

Common listing names include Reid III, Reid Type III, Reid III Type 1, Reid III Type 2, Reid Leica copy, Reid & Sigrist III, Reid III military and British Leica III copy. Type, military marking and flash-sync status should be stored as variant metadata.

Collector Notes

The Reid III is highly collectible because it combines Leica compatibility, British postwar history, low production and strong military association. It is often considered one of the finest Leica III-style cameras made outside Germany.

Collectors should check the serial number, flash-sync sockets, military markings, rangefinder alignment, shutter operation, slow-speed function, shutter curtains, lens mount condition, body covering, broad-arrow marks, accessory shoe and whether the camera is Type 1, Type 2 or a transitional sync example.

The Reid III should be treated as a separate LTM film camera because its British production, Reid & Sigrist engineering, P-prefix serial system, Leica screw mount and military-linked history distinguish it from German Leica III models and from later Japanese LTM rangefinders.

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Sources

• [1] Pacific Rim Camera. Reid I and III Cameras. https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/reid1and3.htm
• [2] Science Museum Group. Reid III Rangefinder Camera. https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8206217/reid-iii-rangefinder-camera
• [3] Early Photography. Reid. https://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/entry_C576.html
• [4] Photohistory. Reid IIIb. https://vintagecameras.wixsite.com/photohistory/reid3b
• [5] 35mmc. A brief history of Reid & Sigrist. https://www.35mmc.com/01/10/2016/history-of-reid-sigrist/
• [6] CollectiBlend. Reid & Sigrist Reid III. https://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Reid-%26-Sigrist/Reid-III.html