[Leica] IMG: Was expensive now Leica half-frame SLR

[douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp)]

Frank,
no mention of where it came from, only that it was a one-off built  by 
Willi Franke and the lens was a specially constructed Summicron 2/35 
from Helmut M?ller.
Knowing German factories , it probably stood around on a shelf for years 
before someone asked the foreman and just took it home before it landed 
on the scrapheap.
Th information I have, from the excellent magazine "Photo Deal", is that 
Leitz initiated the project for an 18x24 SLR in April 1962 and scrapped 
the idea in October 1967.
(Pretty fast development period for Leica ;-) !)

Some other stuff has been changing hands for pretty big money recently 
too: A 250 GG with motor for over 108,000 , a prototype M3 from 1952 
(#000016) went for almost 74,000 (well you get a Summicron 2/50 with it, 
maybe that justifies the price :-) ) and a Kodak prototype 35mm camera 
from 1938 for almost 27,000 - all these were sold at Breker's in Cologne
Cheers
Douglas

Frank Filippone wrote:
> Yup.....  
>
> I have said this before... how does this really rare stuff get out of the 
> factory?  In the US, it would never be allowed out, unless
> the accountants had taken over and were selling the family jewels....   
> Look for Barnack's oen camera in the next few years.....
>
> Or was it highjacked and sold "without permission"?
>
> Frank Filippone
> red735i@earthlink.net 
>
>
>
> http://corsopolaris.net/supercameras/half/Leicaflex18x24a.jpg 
>
>
>
>
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