When the Ernst Leitz Company of Wetzlar, Germany introduced its revolutionary Leica 35mm compact camera in 1925, the concept of a compact, high image quality camera using roll film was revolutionary. The seed was planted for competition, and the crop was bountiful!  A vast market was born, and it continues today. 


A huge change occurred when an electronic sensor replaced film as the recording medium. The change was so rapid and pervasive that most folks today have no experience with non-digital imaging. A camera's heart, however is its lens. However the image is captured, its quality is bounded by the rays of light coming through the lens. 


Some of Leica's high-end competitors in the "35mm Era" built outstanding instruments, and fortunately, many of these wonderful devices survive and still produce outstanding images on the film that some of us grew up with.  We can still enjoy  the science and workmanship  they embody.


This portfolio pf images begins with some examples of photographs from so-called box cameras that were more mass-market "point and shoot" affairs. Following are images of some cameras of the era that I enjoyed using.

Somewhere in the Pacific 1943

Excitement 1946

Leica IIIg  Introduced late 1950s

Leica IIIg photos 1990s

Leica IIIg

Leica IIIg

Leica IIIg

Leica IIIg

Leica IIIg

Leica IIIg

Rollei 35 Introduced 1966

Rollei 35 photo 1995

Kodak Retina IIa Intro. 1950

Kodak Retina IIa photos 2007

Kodak Retina IIa

Kodak Retina IIa

Nikon S2 Introduced 1954

Nikon S2 photo 2002

Leica IIIf Introduced early 1950s

Leica IIIf  photos 2021

Leica IIIf 2021

Leica IIIf 2021

Leica IIIf 2021

Leica IIIf 2021

Leica IIIf 2021

Leica IIIf 2021

Leica IIIf 2021

Leica IIIf 2021

Leica IIIf photo 1996

Contax IIa Introduced early 1950s

Contax IIa photos 2012


Contax IIa

Canon IIf Introduced 1953

Canon IIf photos 2004

Canon IIf

Leica M8 digital 2006

The following photographs were taken with this camera, but with a (then) 60 year-old Leica lens (see Leica IIIf above). An incongruous combination that works just fine. In fact, many photographers prefer the old lenses for portraits, where a softer look is desirable.

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