As a comparison, this is something like a Nikkor lens produced in Thailand or China wouldn't make it as a comfortable optic on your camera and often become a scapegoat if personal imageries fail. Personally, a camera is a camera, would the origin of produce affects premium over the product can be very subjective. Premium may vary from different combinations, condition and rarity element. Some of the M3 may also had marked with Made in Canada.
E leitz wetzlar w engraving serial number#
"M3" than the serial number that followed. Midland Leica M has a larger engraving for the camera model i.e. So, in the case of a Wetzlar M3 and an assembled M3 ELC, for an example, users may used some minor differences such as 1. Some have termed the classification for those Midland assembled models as "ELC" which probably stands for produced by Ernst Leitz Canada. Some seasoned collectors had provided some useful info for identification purposes primarily because, model to model, A Leica which was Made in Germany often fetches a higher premium than those made in Canada in the used equipment market. But generally, even a LEICA M3 may be were assembled in Canada wings but still engraved with Wetzlar.
E leitz wetzlar w engraving series#
Such series may called for extra premium at times. It is quite rare that products that carried with "Leitz Midland, Canada". Top plate of a typical early Leica M3 ELC, 1955Ĭamera and lenses made in Midland often were not specifically marked with the source/origin. Eventually, the plant at Midland, Ontario was sold to an American Company in 1990. Leitz investment in Midland lasted until 1990+ as Leica had decided to shift the M6 manufacturing back to Solms. Some other models such as Leica 72 was also part of Leitz Canada project. The camera manufacturing involvement first began with the assembling of Leica RF IIIf, but the first truly made in Canadian Leica camera was the late Leica M4-2 (and may be M4-P as well) which was during the end of product cycle for the M4 series models. Some of their optics covered for M, R and Leicaflex systems. Soon, some brilliant lenses such as Summicron 90mm f/2, Summicron 35mm f/2.0, Summilux 35mm f/1.4, ELCAN series optics, Elmarit teles and Telyts 200mm, 280mm etc. The first optic truly designed and assembled in Leitz Midland was the Visoflex Hecktor 2.5/125mm. During its early establishment, works were just confined to grinning, glass polishing (first lens under Midland production was the Summarit 5cm 1:1.5, using parts, mount imported from Wetzlar). It was Leitz first venture outside their traditional manufacturing boundary in Deutschland, Partly, after experiencing the war, the Leitz owner felt it was also safer to relocate part of their business away to a neutral location, with the incentive and support of the Canadian government, the factory was put up at Midland, Ontario, Canada. I'm guessing most Canadians didn't know this and few Americans knew this:Ĭiting more than 50% of their customer base were located in America continents Leitz had decided to open a factory in 1952. I will pop in excerpts from an article then you give the link for further reading.