Chapter 2: Pre-Digital Photographic Technology

May 23, 2018

Chapter 2: Pre-Digital Photographic Technology

The Leica 35mm film Camera

Oskar Barnack

photo source: http://www.c41magazine.it/oskar-barnack-father-35mm-photography/

This was a camera created by Oskar Barnack who was the Director of Research of Leitz. He actually set out to make a 35mm film movie camera and made a smaller camera to test movie film. He had unintentionally created a still camera. Barnack redirected the placement of the film from vertical to horizontal which expanded the size of the frame. These cameras, now called Leica I, were shown off at the Leipzig fair for the first time. No one could anticipate the impact that this model of camera would make on the market.

Images like Robert Capa’s photos from D-day are examples of the camera in action. After a few little changes, the 50mm f/3.5 Elmar lens was made and it’s still seen today in early versions of Leicas. From here, newer versions were born that included new lenses that extended to different focal lengths. This camera allowed for action shots which opened a huge window for a host of different ways it could be applied to photojournalism. The camera came right at the brink of the first World War which couldn’t have been a more perfect time.

"Self-Portrait in mirrors" by Ilse Bing, 1931, image source: https://en.leica-camera.com/World-of-Leica/100-Years-of-Leica-Photography/Leica-100-years/Iconic-photos

Well, there are obvious differences between the Leica camera and my experience of taking a digital photograph today. The Leica didn’t allow for exchanging lenses and the viewfinder was a small window on top of the camera. My photo I took with my iPhone instead of my Canon 70d to challenge myself a little more. Obviously, it’s very easy to take photos with iPhones. The “viewfinder” is technically the screen itself. What I had to research was the actually focal length of the iPhone 7 camera, which was actually equivalent to 35mm! I just found that interesting that similarity to the original Leica still stands and how amazing it is that such a creation is still celebrated today in modern photography.

"Engie" photo by Jaylan Ramos (Image 1)

"New York" photo by Louis Stettner, 1954 (Image 2) image source: https://en.leica-camera.com/World-of-Leica/100-Years-of-Leica-Photography/Leica-100-years/Iconic-photos

In conclusion, this really makes me reflect on the huge advances we’ve made technology wise and how great this effect has been on photojournalism. From fixed cameras that had to be set up with subjects that had to be sitting for extended lengths of time -- as mentioned in professor Nordell's video-- to portable cameras that we can take out for any point in time. The reality of how cumbersome the equipment was to move around was evident in Roger Fenton’s case, who photographed the Crimean War. We take for granted how these little characteristics of the modern camera came to be, from shutter speed to autofocus, Leica cameras changed the game. Our accessibility to capturing images has made almost anyone a photographer or photojournalist since all our equipment is pretty compact into our tiny cellphones.