Benser baseplate

[bert_keuken]

Have you seen this one before?

 

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<a href=:"http://www.fieldgrassandgale.com/views/ben1.htm">Benser baseplate</a>

[bert_keuken]

Oops! This should work:

 

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<a href="http://www.fieldgrassandgale.com/views/ben1.htm">Benser baseplate</a>

[john_collier5]

Yes. It is a real pain to reload. Go with Leica's carrier instead.

[luke_dunlap]

Never seen it before, but yuck! That's like putting red velvet

upholstery on an Eames lounge chair. And it looks like it would

make the elegant M a real pain in the ass to use.

[karl_georg_wolf]

Hallo Bert,

 

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this is the original BENSER baseplate invented in the sixties (last

century) by Walter Benser a well known Leica- Photographer. He also

toured the US with his slide shows several times promoting the LEICA.

W. B. is still alive and lives in the Netherlands as far as I know.

 

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A successor of this gadged is still available from LEICA today, but

the recent one is made for one lens only.

 

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I had one of the old style baseplates and sold it later. With the

lenses getting bigger in time you had quite a bit of weight to carry.

But with the older tiny lenses it did make a very compact outfit.

 

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Best wishes

[bert_keuken]

I have heard of Walter Benser before. I know he wrote the book 'My Life with the Leica'. I read somewhere he toured with a slide show, my grandfather once told me he even attended one of those.

W.B. is living in the Netherlands? Wasn't he German by birth?

[karl_georg_wolf]

Hallo Bert,

 

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try to get hold of Benser´s book My Life with the LEICA.

It´s worthwile!

 

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W. Benser is German and got to know the LEICA as an apprentice in the

Leitzfactory in Wetzlar in the early 30ies. Later he became a

renowned photographer and founder of a photoagency, the ZEFA in

Düsseldorf. ZEFA is still working successfully.

 

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W. B. is now about 85 yrs. old and decided to live in Holland some

time back. Seems to be a good place to get old.

 

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There are also other books available s/h, for example on

colourphotography. They have a lot of useful information even for the

photog of today.

 

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Best wishes

[lucien1]

The Benser baseplate is the fastest way to scratch the edge of a Leica

baseplate, because it cover it and don't replace it.

[Rob F.]

Benser also invented the "Benser Bag," a leather case that holds a

Leica body, with no lens, plus several lenses, filters, film, etc.

It had removable inserts that let you customize the bag depending on

which lenses and accessories you are carrying. I loved the modular

design, but a Leica dealer in Frankfort actually talked me out of it

because the Leica comes out of the case with no lens fitted, so that

you are not quickly ready to shoot when you see something. I always

sort of regretted not buying it even though I know it's probably not

practical.

[Rob F.]

Oh, and I would also recommend his book, "Color Magic." It's

probably out of print, but might turn up in a used book store.

[karl_georg_wolf]

In connection with the old BENSER- books, this one comes into my mind:

 

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On a very early one on colourphotography, a book with a blue linen

cover, there is a stamped picture of a seated photographer hugging a

huge (screwmount) LEICA.

 

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If anyone has this book and knows how to put a repro of this into

this forum, this would be great fun ...

 

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Best wishes