Thorsten von Overgaard reviews the 1964 film camera "Leicaflex SL" ... finally
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2020
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Thorsten von Overgaard is a Danish writer and photographer, specializing in portrait photography and documentary photography, known for writings about photography and as an educator. You are always welcome to send an e-mail to Thorsten for questions, suggestions and ideas.
Thorsten Overgaard is an independent writer and photographer who write, teach workshops and publish user reports about the equipment he uses. There is no affiliation with Leica Camera AG or any camera dealers, no free gifts, no sponsorship, no kickback and no paid content. All you see is real and based on the life of an eccentric and hard-working photographer who makes his own money, buys his own equipment and form his own independent opinions - and shares with you. Enjoy the ride.
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Produced by: Thorsten Overgaard (www.overgaard.dk)
Equipment:
This video was made with the Leica SL bhpho.to/3cIbPEg and Leica 35mm Summilux-L ASPH f/1.4 bhpho.to/2MEr0nn , using Sennheiser wireless microphones bhpho.to/2zafn4v .
#LeicaflexSL #review #filmcamera
Job no 2061-1020
It was supposed to be a camera review video but it turned into something more inspirational with some of your reflections
I believe the German Exacta preceded the Japanese SLR cameras by at least a couple of decades. However the Japanese greatly improve them
with such features as instant return mirrors. I enjoy your intelligent videos a lot.
Thorsten, thank you for the overview of the Leicaflex. I especially am happy with the segment about cam sizes. I own an original Leicaflex from 1964. Ironically, I purchased the R lenses to be used with my Fujifilm camera. Someone offered me a cheap camera and decided to try it out. Now it is my go-to film camera. The camera is heavy, but the quality of the photographs are well worth it.
Thank you for the video, Thorsten! Just one little disagreement with the title of this video: You are not reviewing the original Leicaflex 1 from 1964 (made until 1968) but the Leicaflex SL, that was made from 1968 to 1974. I use all three Leicaflex-generations - Leicaflex I, SL and SL2 (which is my favourite of the bunch :) )
I hope this is a start of a new series Thorsten.
What would you like to see in a "series"?
Magic Of Light your other cameras.
A review of an M7 would be nice.
I have a black one and a chrome body for parts. I use a 50mm Summicron. You can replace the mercury batteries with the Wein cell batteries. I have a few 35mm cameras but the SL is probably my favorite - although it IS a tank (heavy). My favorite combination right now is the LeicaflexSL with FerraniaP30.
Thorsten, Very well presented and one of the fineness film camera made', and I still have one that I use to this day. Thank you so much
Great video.
Just adding one thing, which was missed to say, slr brought one very important thing in photography, and that is large zoom lenses that could not be used with rangefinder cameras.
Great job tio, this was actually more than a review of the camera which is what is lacking nowadays. I'm shooting a 3F and I love it as well.
I have an Exakta Varex, or a few of them made by Jhagee Dresden, should be around WWII, just before or/and after, which has TTL or SLR, so I think it was figured out before.
I recently bought a Leicaflex SL2. Everything you say is correct and thoroughly enjoyed watching your video. Would be interested to hear a video on the R Lenses - I have read a few articles on your site and you seem to be very knowledgeable / passionate.
More R videos in the making :-)
The Germans invented the world's first SLR in 1936, namely the Kine Exakta from Ihagee in Dresden. The Exakta Varex was the best SLR system in the world in the 1940s and early 1950s, and all manufacturers in the world offered lenses for this, so the Exakta system still has the largest lens system in history.
Leica was back then late to a SLR party and they never catch up others. SLR design coming from late 19 century and first 35mm SLR cameras are made by Exacta , Zeiss (Contax / Practica). When it come to SLR Contax was way to go.These day's Fuji succesfully clones RTS and G Contax line via XT and Xpro.
I thought the Contax slr never had the commercial success to compete with nikon in the professional arena. Btw I have a yashica fr (C/Y mount) and I love it
Yes, Benzer was making notes to the Leitz family who ran Leica already in 1957 about the sales figures of other brands that did SLR.
pro tip: you can watch series at Flixzone. I've been using it for watching lots of of movies these days.
@Reed Benton yup, been using flixzone} for months myself :)
@Reed Benton Yea, I have been using flixzone} for since november myself :)
10:29 „This camera doesn’t do anything.“ That’s probably what most professionals thought back in the day, expecting more automation and refinement from a company like Leitz... but I really like the meaning you give to this sentence! Nice review and comment. Some paraphanelia: the zoom lenses were all designed by Minolta, probably also the viewing screen was developed with Minoltas assistance (=accumatte screen for Hasselblad). The very first Leicaflex without TTL metering was already designed in 1961, showing the state of art of that time like the Minolta SR-7 but was not updated by its final release in 1965. Leitz was so afraid to dig into their success with rangefinders and also didn’t have the capacities to built it at that time.
The Leicaflex is bomb proof. I have several of them because of their durability. The R lenses are ask good optically as the M. The last time I checked I have a chrome SL, a black SL MOT, and a black SL2 MOT9-an$ two motors. I routinely use the R lenses on the mirrorless Leica SL2.
Great review. I have a chrome SL. I normally use a 50mm Summicron, but also have a 35-70 Elmar 3.5. Great camera, maybe the best SLR.
Can still get the Wein Cell zinc-oxide batteries that work fine with the camera and the old M3/M4 meters. Also can get adapters that use the LR44 batteries and convert to 1.35v. Important to get the adapter that convert the LR44 to 1.35 and not just makes the shape appropriate. If voltage not converted then the lightmeter could lose accuracy.
Thank you for that info. Can you tell me more which adapter to use. I tried to google for it but only found 1.4v adapters from Panasonic. Eventually email me at thorsten@overgaard.dk
Great review and stylish camera. Thanks.
Cool review. I have an R3 and looking forward for getting a Leicaflex SL! Thanks!
Great video! 👍👍
hey! that was a great review with some very insightful thoughts about modern technology. It seems to me the more options and features a camera offers, the less one wants to pick it up and use it!
There’s an adaptor that allows use of modern batteries.
Thanks for this review.
Please make more videos like this.
Great. Leica SLR will be my next camera.
I have a R 21 f4 on my Leica SL2 Mot, it feels amazing.
The 250mm Telyt-R 4.0 are a great Lens, I have had it for many years.
Leica is the best!!!
Wonderful...!!! 🙏🏼✨
Loved the video, especially the philosophical stuff at the end.
Can anyone tell me, is there an adaptor for adapting non-R mount lenses to R mount cameras?
There's loads for adapting R lenses to other cameras, but seemingly none for the other way around.
Thanks!
What are your thoughts of these in 2023? What do you think of these compared to R6.2?
I recently came into the R-series Leicas and wondering where to end up
Hey Thorsten, what is the cinema lens hood that you have on your Leicaflex?
Hello Thorsten. I have a question I hope you can help me with. I have a Leicaflex SL and I would like to purchase a 35mm lens for it. I've been doing a lot of research and looks like the Elmarit-r 2.8 35mm is a good candidate. At the same time, I've heard that not all Elmarit-r 35mms are compatible with the Leicaflex SL , that some were made only for the original Leicaflex. Is there any way of telling the difference? The serial numbers maybe? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
The Leicaflex SL are from 1968 to 1974 ;)
Hello, do you know which years Leitz/Leica upgraded the multicoating of the Leica R Lenses !
What you are holding is not the first Leicaflex, but it was the first Leicaflex with TTL light measurement.
Moreover: It was Exacta who invnted the world's first SLR camera...in 1935!
... for 35mm, there were many large format slrs like Graphlex, Miroflex etc. decades before.
Correct, but the Exacta’s who were the first all metal SLRs. And became the first SLR system cameras with extensions for macro and tele. See the Exacta Varex used in Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock
Great. Another camera which’s price will go up now.
(edit: spelling)
Which lens is that with the big hood on? Thanks!
The wide hood is the 19mm f/2.8, the hood is attached with a bayonet. Without the hood it's fairly compact. The 35-70mm f/4.0 has a ventilated hood E60 that I make myself "Always Wear a Camera" (made for the 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux but also works for this and the 75/1.4 Summilux-M). The two other lenses have buil-in hoods: The 250mm f/4.0 and 80mm f/1.4.
Is this lens a Leica Super-Angulon-R 21mm f/4? The hood is also huge and that's what I'm looking for.
I have a Leicaflex SL2. IMO, there has never been nor will there ever be another camera built to that standard.
Very nice video but Leica doesn't say to load the film that way ... ;)
First SLR was in 1861 by Thomas Sutton, the first 35mm SLR was the Kine Ekakta in 1936, the Japanese did not invent the SLR. The Nikon shown is a copy of the Zeiss Ikon and not a Leica. The camera you feature is Leicaflex SL was not the first Leica SLR camera either. the first was the Leicaflex in 1964. You did not make that clear at all. The SL in the second camera referred to "Selective Light" being a reference to the light meter. The SL MOT is extremely rare and nice to see it. For completeness the Asahiflex II is generally cited as the first camera with an instant return mirror 1954. Asahiflex is of course a Japanese brand. Your photos are great but please do your research and script the review. It would improve the quality of the review so much.
I think I've lived in that building at 4:35 :-)
Copenhagen, yes.
@@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard Yes, Islands Brygge. Lovely place!
So yea I take a lot of Leica photos of Porsches 11:19 :)
The West German answer to Topcon ;)
I have the Liecaflex SL which was the second iteration of this line of cameras. These cameras are insanely over engineered which was/is typical of German manufacturing (I believe the retail price was below the actual manufacturing cost!). The big but of course was that these SLRs were the wrong cameras at the wrong time. Having to complete with the Japanese camera companies that were making highly competent SLRs like the Nikon F Leitz were too late to this market and never caught up as illustrated by their “forced” collaboration with Minolta and the R3 camera. Nevertheless the Leicaflex cameras were/are quite an experience to use even more so with the wonderful lenses made for them.
Years ago looking in a camera store window i seen a leicaflex sl for a ridiculous low price went in to check I it out turns out it was a display dummy,no inner working parts,made by leica for dealers
Love the video but the Japanese did not invent SLR they just ran with it. The first SLR is a toss up between Exakta and Russian Sport..Exakta was the first commercial SLR.