What Camera is this? Help

[scott.corchero]

Hello,

I recently acquired a large format camera.

It has the name plate of "Leitz Wetzlar" , but other than that no markings. Its in remarkable shape.

I'm guessing it's pre Leica, but can find no reference anywhere for it.

Any thoughts or information??

[Bob Salomon]

Pre Leica would be a microscope or telescope but not a camera.

[DrTang]

maybe some kind of cool, overbuilt, leitz copy camera?

[jnantz]

leitz made monorail cameras
http://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Leitz/Monorail.html
if you "google" leitz monorail you might find a model more similar to yours
if you googlfu'd "leitz microscope camera" you find this
http://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Lei...pe-Camera.html

maybe your camera was ... that, has the long bellows for doing macro-tastic "stuffs"
good luck !

[Jim Jones]

The E. Leitz company made a variety of optical equipment, including larger than 35mm cameras, for decades before marketing the Leica camera. They sometimes attached the Leitz logo or name on equipment manufactured by other organizations, such as some excellent Tiltall tripods. I've also seen the Leitz logo on a few such items that obviously lacked the fine workmanship of those good people in Wetzlar. I can't find anything out about this particular camera.

[John Kasaian]

Nontheless that's a pretty cool old camera!
For some Leica fanatic with bottomless pockets, that would be a prize!

[Jac@stafford.net]

The three hefty post attachments suggest it might be a vertical copy camera.
There being no key-way sort of rules out single-rail horizontal.

[Bob Salomon]

The E. Leitz company made a variety of optical equipment, including larger than 35mm cameras, for decades before marketing the Leica camera. They sometimes attached the Leitz logo or name on equipment manufactured by other organizations, such as some excellent Tiltall tripods. I've also seen the Leitz logo on a few such items that obviously lacked the fine workmanship of those good people in Wetzlar. I can't find anything out about this particular camera.

Prior to the purchase of Sinar by Leica a few years ago Leitz did not make or sell stand alone monorail cameras. Prior to the release of the original Barnack Leica they did not make cameras.
It is quite common to find Linhof 45 camera backs with a Leica logo on them as Leica used them to make some of their microscope cameras.
As for Leitz Tiltall tripods, Leitz USA bought the Tiltall factory from the original owners in Rutherford, NJ. They later sold it to a camera distributor and store owner named Fred Albu, also in NJ. He was the original importer of Hoya filters into the USA and owned Camera Barn in Manhattan. He was also the owner of Star D and that is how Tiltall copies ended up with the Star D logo.

[scott.corchero]

thanks for the input.

Is there a place to take it to get serviced , or evaluated?

the shutter still works, and the bellows are in great shape. would be cool to get it displayed and possible try it out.

[scott.corchero]

I heard back from Leica. Here is what they say the camera is. Again thanks for all the input:

Good afternoon,

this is a „plate“ or large-format camera used in Micro- and Macrophotography over 100 years ago. The production-date might be around the turn of the century 1900 – 1905. The format most of the plates have been 13x18cm. It was long before Oskar Barnack invented the LEICA camera, I suppose that was the reason why. The body of the camera was produced by Ernst Leitz GmbH, the lens(es) came from different optical institutes, here an US company as shown on your picture. These cameras have been used in the science laboratories, only. Unfortunately we don’t have closer details from these models. Hoping this short information will be helpful. Enjoy your day