Barnack to Barnack – my Thread Mount Leica Journey so far

On my journey trying out many different film cameras I went through a Leica M phase, spending time with an M4-P, M3, M2 and M7. When using the M3 which was only a year younger than me I got the urge to go try something even older. It had to be a Barnack, although 120 folding cameras are something that intrigues me. After scouring many online reviews I settled on a Leica iiig.

I sourced one from Red Dot Cameras in London and was more than pleased with the condition of the camera which had a nice contrasty rangefinder.

As a new Barnack user I encountered the usual test of learning how load the film, I tried both the leader trim and business card method, settling on the latter.

I already had a Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM lens and was ready to go. The onboard viewfinder is a little poky so I added a 50mm Leica SBOOI external viewfinder. 

Although the Canon lens was fine I wanted something a little more compact and authentic looking, probably one of the collapsable Leica lenses. I chose the 50mm f2.8 Elmar. 

Shortly after I added a Voigtlander 35mm Color-Skopar f2.8 lens and a Leica 36mm viewfinder which I believe was for the Leica X series cameras.

I was never 100% happy with the results from the Elmar, perhaps its rendering was a little too vintage to what I was used to so I began looking for a replacement. 

I found a Voigtlander 50mm f3.5 Heliar, the 101 anniversary edition to be precise. It came with lenshood, filter and caps.

I was pleased with the output from the Voigtlander which I also use on my Leica SL2-S. Even though the iiig was a super looking camera it did not give me the vintage vibe I was after.  The Leica standard interested me but was probably just a step too far back in time so I quickly passed on that one.

Then sadly my mother died. She left each of the children a small sum of money, being conscious not to squander the money I used it for something in memory of her and purchased a 1932 black Barnack ii. 1932 being mum’s year of birth so there was a loose tie in.

I immediately loved the ii it was a definite keeper. The old covering had a few pieces missing so I decided I would treat it to a new skin and service. The camera was sent to Alan Starkey at Cameraworks-uk. Alan is renowned for his work on Leicas and as such has long waiting list times, or as I found out very long times. After nine months I got my camera back. 

The camera received Cameraworks full service and calibration along with a new gold beamsplitter. The old rangefinder was quite good but this new setup was a noticeable improvement. Alan also upgraded the expected leatherette skin to real leather.

The camera has a few time related scars but looked great to me, there was however still one small niggle, as a black camera it needed the full black look. 

After checking out black lens options, not much at all in L39 mount, I came across the new Voigtlander 40mm f2.8 Heliar ASPH. For me that would be a fine match for the ii, so I took the plunge and got one. 

My problem now was I had my black camera and new black 40mm lens but no 40mm viewfinder. At first I tried using the 36mm one but it didn’t look good and was a loose fit, it kept catching on things and falling off. It had to go. I went on the search for a black 40mm viewfinder ideally a metal one. The only choices I came across in 40mm were expensive plastic finders from Voigtlander and Rollei. 

Easier to source was the Ricoh GV-3 40mm viewfinder, again these were pricey for what they are. I eventually struck lucky and found a used one in super condition for a good price on eBay.

I prefer to have a strap on my cameras and as the ii has no strap lugs I opted for a wrist strap attached to the the tripod socket via a 3/8 to 1/4 inch adaptor and Black Rapid camera sling fastener. 

The black leather strap from Hawksmill came with an impressive write up: 

“Made from Horween Chromexcel leather. Made in England, of course, in a factory that has a combined experience of more than 200 years making leather goods” 

I always wonder when I see that combined experience quote, do they employ 100 people who each have just two years experience?

When I’m out with the camera I regularly flex the strap and the leather is now starting to soften up nicely.

One final accessory I added is a Weston Master III lightmeter. This was gifted to me some years ago. It had a broken glass and giving inaccurate readings so I sent it to Ian Partridge who specialises in Weston meters for a full restoration and new selenium cell. It should now be good for the rest of my lifetime. The III model is ideal for use with the Barnack as it shows those old speed ratings that the Barnack uses. Although one has to convert modern ISO film ratings back into the old Weston rating. So 400 ISO Tri-X is 320 on the Weston scale.

Using the camera is a pleasure except for that film loading so I gave the film leader trim method another try. This time around it seemed the better option so I looked at buying a Leica Ablon film trimmer from yesteryear. However, they are quite rare and command silly prices. 

With the advent of 3D printing there are several plastic options now on the market so I opted to try one of these, an Ausgeknipst / 145. Cost £14 on eBay. It’s seems a little fragile but so far has done the job ok.

In the meantime the iiig, Voigtlander lenses and the viewfinders were rapidly becoming redundant so rather than tie money up in something not being used enough I sold most of the items keeping the 50mm Voigtlander for the SL2-S.  

The money going towards a Hasselblad 500C/M.

Looking at the ii setup I’m fairly happy with the paintwork match between the body and lens, obviously the lens is a lot newer and shinier with super white lettering but I can live with that. 

The plastic viewfinder though has a flat black finish which just spoils the overall effect. 

There’s an urge to give it a repaint. I have a spray can of black paint which I think will give the required look but I’ll sleep on it before I press the button. Another option is to use it as is and keep my eye out for a black metal 35mm viewfinder from Voigtlander. 

The difference in viewing angle can be overcome by some careful framing and I have previously used a 40mm lens with a 36mm viewfinder.

Comparing the iiig and ii side by side the iiig is possibly the better looking camera, but in the hand the ii is the one with more soul if you get what I mean.

I think i’m only going to use black and white film in the ii, Kodak Double X 5222 or Ilford FP4+ and Tri-X being the film of choice.

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