5 frames with a 1933 Leica II

I have got infected by BLV. Here you ask, “what’s BLV?”. I tell you, Barnack Leica Virus is real. Once infected, the only cure is to get a Barnack Leica, wait a second, may be two.

After I have got my Rolleiflex, I was planning to focus on medium format for my analog work. Rolleiflex is relatively compact and can produce high-quality images. Barnack Leica cameras represent a history how 35mm had gotten into the photography. I read a lot about the pros and cons of owning one, after a long-lasting acquisition syndrome, I have bought a Leica II and a Leica IIIf (seems to be originally IIIc upgraded to IIIf that is another story). In this post, I am presenting Leica II from 1933 paired with a Summitar 5cm f2 from 1940.

I took the 90-year-old pair to the field. Leica II does not have strap lugs, and I did not have a proper half case. So, I kept it at hand during the entire walk. If you want to feel a bit more relaxed, a half case is a must. Uncoated lens is prone to flares I was generally careful about it though 2 frames were not presentable due to flare, thought me a lesson, even if the sun is behind an object, do remember the rays hitting the lens on top.

I had the chance to compare Leica II and Leica IIIf in the wild, the range finder is much better on 20 years younger IIIf with the diopter adjustment. Hopefully, I will post another article covering Leica IIIf experience.

I quite enjoyed the photo-walk and am pleased with the results of Leica II and Summitar 5cm f2, overall satisfaction is high.

The film was Ilford hp5 400, processed with Ilfosol 3 and scanned with Epson V700 all at home.

Together with the photography group of my local town Şile which is a town of the greater municipality of Istanbul, we frequently visit the villages and document the life, architecture and people. The above photos are from our latest expedition to one of the villages.

Thank you for reading.

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