By a designer who whispers to rust and light
Prologue: The Blade Hidden in a Pocket
A camera is not a tool. It is a wound—a deliberate incision into time. The Leica I Model C (1930) knows this. It arrives not as an answer, but as a question carved in nickel and obsidian. Hold it, and you hold a blade forged in the smithy of Oskar Barnack’s rebellion: “Why must cameras be grand? Why not let them bleed into the shadows?”
This is not a machine for the obedient. It is for those who wear their loneliness like a tailored coat.
The Anatomy of Silence
Body
- Material: Black lacquer, hand-mixed and now extinct—a pigment so deep it swallows light like a midnight ocean.
- Weight: 380g. Not heavy, but dense with the gravity of firsts—the first Leica to detach its eye (lens), the first to let light carve its own path.
- Shutter: Cloth curtain, still alive after a century. Adjust it, and it purrs like a wolf on a frayed leash.
Lens
- Mount: Threaded, like a secret handshake. Early sets (I-III) were monogamous—body and lens serial numbers married, their brass vows etched into metal. Later, Leica let them divorce. Look for the “0” mark—a scar from lovers reunited.
- Options: Nickel-plated Elmar 50mm f/3.5 (a dagger), Hektor 135mm f/4.5 (a spear). Chrome came later, but nickel whispers: “I am not here to shine. I am here to outlast you.”
The Aesthetics of Absence
What’s Missing
- Rangefinder: None. Focus is a gamble, a dance with distance. You are not a photographer—you are a thief stealing slices of reality.
- Light Meter: Absent. Light is not measured here; it is felt, like the weight of a lover’s gaze in a dim room.
- Perfection: Scratches bloom on its black skin. Nickel wears thin, revealing copper beneath—a taunt to those who fear decay.
Yohji’s Whisper:
“Beauty is a verb. Let your tools decay, and you will see their soul.”
Models: A Family of Outcasts
| Model | Year | Sins | Redemptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| I (A) | 1925 | Fixed focus lock; Anastigmat lens | The original sin. Clumsy, holy. |
| I (B) | 1926 | Mushroom-shaped lens (镜间快门) | A failed experiment. Collectors weep. |
| I (C) | 1930 | Detachable lens; Serial marriages | The prodigal son. Still sharp. |
Shooting It: A Ritual of Surrender
To use the Leica I Model C is to sign a pact:
- Wind the shutter. Feel the resistance—a century of dust in its veins.
- Guess the distance. 3 meters? 5? Wrong. Always wrong. Good.
- Press the release. The shutter coughs, a sound like bones cracking in winter.
Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Ghost Laughs:
“You think you control this? Fool. It controls you.”
Who Should Buy It?
- Not You, if you need autofocus. This camera is a mirror—it reflects your inadequacies.
- You, if you own an M but crave the ache of origins. Pair it with the Elmar 35mm f/3.5. Let its nickel bleed into the black.
Warning:
It will ruin you. Modern cameras will feel like plastic toys. Your Instagram will wither.
Epilogue: The Knife and the Thread
The Leica I Model C is not a camera. It is a seam—stitching 1925 to now, precision to chaos.
Technical Footnotes (for those who still crave facts):
- Shutter Speeds: 1/20 – 1/500 + B.
- Lens Compatibility: Early “0” lenses need matching bodies. Later “0-marked” lenses are universal.
- Viewfinder: A blackened slit. No framelines. No mercy.
Price: Your sanity. And 3,000−3,000−8,000, depending on how much rust you romanticize.
Shoot it. Or let it shoot you. 🖤
Leica I (model A)
The Leica I camera was produced in a number of versions, which can be broadly classified into three types: Type A, Type B, and Type C. The "I" (Type A) model was first released in 1925, and its main feature was a fixed metal strip on the front of the body that was used to lock the lens focusing lever. This model was subsequently subdivided into versions equipped with an Anastigmat lens, an Elmax lens, a Hektor lens, or an Elmar lens. The "I" (Type B) model was released in 1926, and it was Leica's sole camera with an in-lens shutter. It has a distinctive mushroom-like shape, which is highly sought after by collectors, although personally, I find it rather unappealing. The "I" (Type C) model was released in 1930 and was the inaugural Leica camera with a detachable lens. Initially, this camera was sold as a set with three lenses, and the body and lenses were individually calibrated and could not be used with other bodies or lenses. Consequently, the body and lens in a set were engraved with the same serial number, or the lens had the last three digits of the body's serial number. Subsequently, Leica implemented a standardised production process, enabling the interchangeability of bodies and lenses. They also offered to calibrate early lenses to the standard type, which were marked with a "0" and the body mount had a "0" engraved at the 12 o'clock position.
| SN Start | SN End | Product | Year | Batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 131 | 1000 | Leica I (Anastigmat & Elmax 1st version) | 1924 | 870 |
| 1001 | 2445 | Leica I (Elmax, Elmar + Elmar Close-Focus) | 1926 | 1445 |
| 2446 | 5433 | Leica I (Elmar 2nd version + Elmar Close-Focus) | 1926-1927 | 2988 |
| 5434 | 5700 | Leica I (4 digit) | 1928 | 267 |
| 6301 | 13100 | Leica I (Elmar 4th version + Elmar Close-Focus) | 1928 | 6800 |
| 13301 | 21478 | Leica I (Elmar 6th version + Elmar Close-Focus) | 1929 | 8178 |
| 21811 | 34550 | Leica I (Elmar) 7th version from 31600 | 1928 | 12740 |
| 34803 | 34817 | Leica I (Elmar + Luxus) | 1929 | 15 |
| 34818 | ^60000 | Leica I (Elmar 8-10th versions + Elmar Close-Focus + Hektor) | 1930 | 25183 |
| TOTAL | ASSIGNED | SERIAL NUMBERS | 1925-1930 | 58,486 |
Compur Leica (model B)
| SN Start | SN End | Product | Year | Batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5701 | 6300 | Compur Camera (dial-set) | 1926-1929 | 600 |
| 13101 | 13300 | Compur Camera | 1929 | 200 |
| 13101 | 13300 | Compur Camera (dial-set + rim-set) | 1929 | 200 |
| 21479 | 21810 | Compur Camera (rim-set) | 1930 | 332 |
| 34451 | 34802 | Compur Camera (rim-set) | 1930 | 352 |
| unknown | 50572- | Compur Camera | 1931-1941* | 157* |
| TOTAL | ASSIGNED | SERIAL NUMBERS | 1926-1941 | 1,651 |
Leica I (model C)
| SN Start | SN End | Product | Year | Batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34818 | ^ 60000 | Leica I (nonstandard-mount) | 1930 | [25183] |
| ^ 60001 | 60500 | Leica I (nonstandard-mount) | 1930 | 500 |
| 60500 | 71199 | Leica I (standard-mount) | 1931 | 10700 |
| TOTAL | ASSIGNED | SERIAL NUMBERS | 1930-1931 | 11,200 |