Leica O-Series

When the Leica O-Series was announced, at a price of about $2750,

most people said "That's too much for a silly retro collectors' item"

and rightly refused to waste hard earned cash on such frippery.

 

They are now available, new, for a smidgeon less than $1000. Do you

think they are worth it at this price? Or does the present price

merely demonstrate that these were always a pointless indulgence that

is best avoided?

Great question. I, for one, have lusted after one of these since they came out. $2700+ was too

much. Now $1000 still sounds high. I'd go $750 though. There's a purity that comes from using

these "retro" cameras. I'd go $750 for a mint "O-series". Anyone got one on the shelf??

I hope Leica made some money off the "O" camera - so that they can invest it in designing a 75 APO-Summicron-M. 8^)

 

Seriously, if you want the purist experience: take your M or screw-mount body, mount a 50 f/3.5 Elmar (via screw-to-M adapter), tape over the rangefinder window, put a sticky label over the shutter dial and use a Sharpie to 'recalibrate' it to slit widths 'sted speeds - and "Presto"; you have an "O" camera - for about $200 (or $5 if you already own the Elmar).

<<Or does the present price merely demonstrate that these were always a pointless indulgence that is best avoided?>>

 

That would be the way I would look at it.

Leica's answer to the Franklin Mint.

Dear Paul,

 

 

 

I think one should get an O Series for the same reasons one would buy

 

a vintage car, a flintlock rifle, an antique fountain pen, fly in a

 

bi-plane or ride a horse. The vintage experience. I think there is

 

value in the vintage experience. One does time travel and this is a

 

good thing for one's perspectives on the present. Is this experience

 

worth $1000?

 

 

 

I can only speak for myself. I cannot imagine using an O-Series for

 

my serious photography. The operation is so primitive and such a pain.

 

A Barnack Leica, yes, especially with the soon to be commercially

 

available Abrahamsson Rapidwinder. An O-Series? Occationally for the

 

fun of it.

 

 

 

Best,

 

 

 

Alex

The impossible viewfinder and the "uncapped" shutter make the O-series a piece of jewelery. I admit to being intrigued until I picked one up and tried to look through it. If they had wanted to bring back the "vintage" experience, they should have revived the Leica A- a usable camera, and the one that revolutionized the world of photography; not a bug-filled prototype (which is also what the O-series is).

I've handled one several times, and it's a great looking camera with jewel-like controls.

 

But I just couldn't get used to the hold-at-12-inches viewfinder (which requires me to put my reading glasses on), or the cap-the-shutter-between-shots gyrations.

 

I can easily deal with the limited shutter speeds, scale focus, wacky loading, and knob wind, but if I want the other limitations, I'll just get a Ic or If and stick a CV lens or a 50/3.5 Elmar on it and pretend it's an O.

 

OTOH, the $8-1000 prices are getting tempting. . . . . . . . .

 

Skip

Dear Alex,

 

You write:

 

>> I think one should get an O Series for the same reasons one would buy

a vintage car, a flintlock rifle, an antique fountain pen, fly in a

bi-plane or ride a horse. <<

 

Well I sympathize with what you say here Alex, I like driving vintage cars, I own a flintlock (and some cap and ball) musket (copies), I�m not so found about fountain pens (but I prefer them to the present ball pens), I enjoy flying in a biplane and riding a horse� But I�m not sure I feel the same about the Leica Nul copy�

 

Perhaps it has something to do with the technology used and the price to pay for it�

 

I learned 35 mm photography with an old (and mostly unknown) Baby Lynx of 1950�s vintage. It has a collapsible 50 mm f/3.5 fixed lens and a rather crude Prontor leaf shutter giving the 1/300th of a second only, no meter, no rangefinder� In fact not so far from a Leica Nul. But then it was by no mean an expensive piece of machinery. In a sense I experienced small format photography at its crudest technological level.

 

Most of the oldies I had were given to a friend who is a collector, including these 1950�s low end technology representative. I just kept two old cameras: my aunt�s Zeiss Ikon 6x9 bellow equipped camera (mint condition, no flash sync. no rangefinder or meter, no color treatment of the 105mm lens and f/7.7 lens) which is enough to satisfy anyone wanting a taste of old time photography and the Meopta Flexaret IIIa of my late mother (one of the widespread Rollei TLR copies of the 50�s with an inferior mechanical arrangement but a splendid lens, equivalent to a Hassy one). So I have also a taste of what it was, back in the 50�s for the experienced amateurs. Finally I have my son�s Rolleiflex F with its f/2.8 Planar I bought him to learn photography the hard way. Just for the fun of having a perfectly operational cameras of the 60�s which can perform ideally� All these things cost me nothing or so few in regard to the price of this Leica Nul copy� And at least they are the real thing.

 

As for the technology used, I compare the Leica Nul to a pre-1914 vintage car: splendid to see and a jewel as far as the way it is built, but a real pain when it goes to use it unless in a special event� As you can enjoy using a Leica III LTM even today (within its built in limitations) I will enjoy better having a more �modern� vintage design for a frequent use and if you want to buy more or less a copy instead of the real thing you can look for the Bessa T which is much more realistically priced�

 

>> The vintage experience. I think there is

value in the vintage experience. One does time travel and this is a

good thing for one's perspectives on the present. Is this experience

worth $1000?

 

I can only speak for myself. I cannot imagine using an O-Series for

my serious photography. The operation is so primitive and such a pain. <<

 

I fully agree with this statement�

 

>> A Barnack Leica, yes, especially with the soon to be commercially

available Abrahamsson Rapidwinder. An O-Series? Occasionally for the

fun of it. <<

 

At this price, and for a copy (and considering what you can buy instead in M lens range) I will let it wither on the shelves�

 

I join my whish to the one of Andy� May Leica make money enough for a new lens (may be a 75 mm but a pocket size f/2 one) or an M8 (this one at least filling the technological gap between the M series and modern 35mm cameras without losing its own advantages)� Even if I doubt they�ll do so�

 

Friendly

 

François P. WEILL

Where are you seeing them for under $1000.00?

Many thanks for all your different responses.

 

It must be an age thing.

 

Alex - I don't have a flintlock rifle, but have recently done the biplane thing, and for this year's birthday my wife has arranged for me to drive an E Type Jaguar and an Aston Martin DB6 Vantage, among other things.

 

I guess I shall photograph them with my O Series, but take my M6 along just in case they turn out like a dog's breakfast....

I also love the vintage experience. I love to step back in time

when life was simple and more straightforward. It's an

experience I thrill in every time I use my M7. Who needs the O

series when one has the good old, new M7 to take you away

from Digital this and EOS that? I cherish retro cameras,

especially the latest one from Leica. My only disapointment with

the M7 is that they didn't lower the sync speed to 1/15th of a

second and max out the shutter speed at 1/500th to really get

behind the times. Ahh, one can only hope....

They may not be available for less than $1,000 any more, or at all. B&H has a note saying they are out; Adorama, which advertised them at $899.00, is out; Tamarkin, which advertised them at $1,199.00, is out; Camera Connection had one, for $1,400, but it may be gone now. They may have finally sold out. Does anyone know where a final stash may be located?