steven_laverty

I used pliers And was able to take out the spool. I also reread the directions and realized I wasn't depressing the shutter release button. Doing so really exposes the opening. It definitely has two pins. Still a bit of a tough angle to view let alone photograph. Couldn't get a shot showing both pins but they are definitely there. I'll post a half way decent (for me) shot of the sprocket.<div></div>

Richard, I'm not able to get the takeup spool out. All I can see, with great difficulty, are the sprockets. They do have grooves next to them. I can't get a good enough look to characterize the quality of the machining. With the spool there, I can't see the pin(s) at all. The words Auf/Zu are engraved on the bottom. Like the engraving on top it is very light. It also seems to have a rough appearance. Parts of some letters are more legible than others. I'll try to add a better photo of the bottom.<div></div>

I don't have the lens for this camera anymore. Several years back, when we began selling off the collection, I sold a small lens that, for whatever reason, I didn't associate with any of the cameras. Thinking back I'm certain it belonged to this camera. At the time, I was surprised by the amount (about $150) this small seemingly insignificant lens sold for. I'll check to see if I still have a picture of the lens. It seems the best hope for a definitive answer will be to physically bring the camera to an expert. I'm going to try Leica first since they are here in New Jersey. If not I'll try to find someone in the NY Metro area. Any suggestions?

At the suggestion of David W. Griffin, I emailed Leica. Impressively they got right back to me. Thought others might be interested. Here is their reply (I omitted the employees name): Steven It's hard for us to say if it is "real" or not. We do not have a historian here. It looks like it could be a model E or C. The E did come in silver chrome. If you read the attachments, one of the differences is the size and functioning of the rewind knob. That could help you determine which it is. As for having no serial #, there is the possibility that somehow a top cover "escaped" the factory. The policy has always been to have the old part before engraving the new part. The old part is then destroyed so as to ensure there is only one of that serial #. Possibly a Leica dealer who hands vintage equipment copuld help or maybe some with the Leica Historical Society. http://lhsa.org/ The attachments referred to are two (2) PDFs. Both are excerpts from Leica An Illustrated History. One is 2 pages dealing with the Model C. The other is three (3) pages on the Leica E. Anyone interested in the PDFs can email me.

No offense taken. This is one of the last pieces in my late father-in laws collection. Everything in the collection was straightforward, except this one. This is the reason I turned to the forum. The only other marking I see is what looks like a lower case "d" stamped on the inside of the bottom piece. I'll try adding another photo. Thanks<div></div>

<p>Good morning Mr. Elwing, nothing has been photoshopped I can assure you. It took me two hours to figure out how to resize and post the photos you see! My question, naive perhaps, is what would be the advantage/purpose of me photoshopping out the serial number?</p>

<p>Yes, the flared shutter release collar unscrews. <br> Also, of the four screws in the vulcanite, two are blackened and two appear just to be painted black on the upper portion, that is a few threads and the screw head. </p>

<p>I took your suggestion Mr. Griffin and sent an email to Leica.</p><div></div>

<p>Thanks everyone for your input. The camera does have engraving around the shutter speed dial. It says "Ernst Leitz D.R.P. Wetzlar". The engraving is very light. However, it does not have a serial number. I would love to post additional photos but seem to be running afoul of the administrator by adding them to my responses. Thanks again.</p>

<p><img src="/leica-rangefinders-forum/rsz_front_view" alt="" /></p><div></div>

<p>Here are a few more images, hopefully!<img src="/leica-rangefinders-forum/rsz_front_view" alt="" /></p><div></div>

<div></div>

<p>Sorry, new to board and having trouble putting images in question I posted.</p>

<p>Hi, I would appreciate any help in determining exactly what type of camera body I have here. <br /> Thanks in advance.<br /><img src="http://www.photo.net/photodb/member-photos?user_id=9060597" alt="" /></p>