Leica CL

Infobox camera
camera_name = Leica CL

---

caption = Leica CL with Zeiss Biogon 28mm
type = 35 mm rangefinder camera
lens_mount = Leica M mount
focus = manual
exposure = manual
flash = hot shoe
frame-rate =
dimensions = 121 × 76 × 32 mm, 365gThe Leica CL is a 35 mm compact rangefinder camera made by Leitz with interchangeable lenses in the Leica M mount. It was developed in collaboration with Minolta and appeared in April 1973. It was released in the Japanese market in November 1973 as the Leitz Minolta CL. April 1973 and November 1973 dates: Lewis, p. 141.
[http://www.cameraquest.com/leicacl.htm This page] at [http://www.cameraquest.com/ Cameraquest] mentions a third version called "Minolta CL", sold in Japan and in the US after the Leica CL ceased to be sold. However no picture has yet been observed, and its existence seems dubious. It is also mentioned in [http://www.leicapages.com/CL.html this page] at [http://www.leicapages.com/ Pascal's Leica Pages] , but the source is probably Cameraquest. Both the Leica CL and Leitz Minolta CL were manufactured in Japan.

Description

The Leica CL has a vertical-running focal plane shutter, with cloth curtains, giving 1/2 to 1/1000 speeds. There is a through-the-lens CdS exposure meter mounted on a pivoting arm just in front of the shutter, like the Leica M5. The exposure is manual and the shutter is mechanical. The shutter speeds are visible in the finder. The finder's framelines are for a 40mm, 50mm or 90mm lens. The 40mm frameline is always present and the 50mm or 90mm frame line is automatically selected upon mounting of the appropriate lens.

Today the CL is a superbly compact and quite cheap camera on which to mount M lenses, but it does not have a rangefinder as precise as that of any Leica M body. The rangefinder base of the CL is 31.5 mm and the viewfinder magnification is 0.60, leading to a small effective rangefinder base of 18.9 mm. This is too short for accurate focusing with lenses longer than 90mm and fast lenses used at full aperture. Some users report the camera is rather fragile, especially the rangefinder alignment and meter mechanism.

Lenses

The CL was sold with two lenses specially designed for it: the "Leitz Summicron-C 40mm f:2" sold as the normal lens, and the "Leitz Elmar-C 90mm f:4" tele lens. Both take the uncommon Series 5.5 filters. A "Leitz Elmarit-C 40mm f:2.8" was also briefly produced but it is said that only 400 were made. 400 made: see [http://www.sky.sannet.ne.jp/seven-ss/camera/leica-cl.htm this page] at [http://www.sky.sannet.ne.jp/seven-ss/camera/index-cam.htm Hektor's Chokkura Pinbokeh site] .

The lenses specially designed for the Leica CL can physically mount on a Leica M body, but Leica recommended not doing so because it would not give the best focusing precision, allegedly because the coupling cam of the C and M lenses is not the same. However, some people say that it is unimportant and that they can be used perfectly on an M.

When sold with a Leitz Minolta CL, the lenses were called "Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm f:2" and "90mm f:4". It is said that the 40mm was made in Japan by Minolta while the 90mm was made by Leitz and is rare. See [http://members.aol.com/manualminolta/fixlens.htm this page about Minolta rangefinder lenses] at the [http://members.aol.com/manualminolta/ Manual Minolta website] , and [http://www.sky.sannet.ne.jp/seven-ss/camera/leica-cl.htm this page] at [http://www.sky.sannet.ne.jp/seven-ss/camera/index-cam.htm Hektor's Chokkura Pinbokeh site] . With the later Minolta CLE, Minolta would produce lenses of the same name but with a different coupling system, the same as the Leica M lenses. A new "Minolta M-Rokkor 28mm f:2.8" lens was introduced. All these lenses can be mounted on the CL too. Rokkor-branded lenses for the CL and CLE take the more easily found 40.5mm filter size.

The CL can take nearly all the Leica M lenses. Exception are some lenses that protrude deep into the body and could hurt the meter arm, these include: 15mm/8 Hologon, 21mm/4 Super Angulon, 28mm/2.8 Elmarits before serial number 2314921. The eyed lenses, including the M3 wide-angle lenses, the 135mm/2.8 Elmarit, and the 50mm/2 Dual Range Summicron, cannot be mounted either because they are incompatible with the body shape. The 90mm/2 Summicron and 135mm/4 Tele-Elmar are incompatible too. The collapsible lenses can be mounted but they must not be fully collapsed, and Leitz advised to stick to the barrel an adhesive strip of adequate width, to limit the collapsing movement. Another limitation is that the rangefinder is only coupled until 0.8m. This paragraph: Leitz brochure ref. 120-50.

Production

Sixty-five thousand serial numbers were allotted to the Leica CL, and this number does not include the Leitz Minolta CL. 65,000 serial numbers: see [http://www.cameraquest.com/leicacl.htm this page] at [http://www.cameraquest.com/ Cameraquest] . The same page mentions 20,000 examples of the Leitz Minolta CL, but it is apparently only a guess. 3,500 examples of the CL received a special "50 Jahre" marking in 1975, for Leica's 50th anniversary. 3,500 examples: see [http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/leica/m/cl.htm this page] in [http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/rindex.htm Pacific Rim's Photographica pages] . It is also said that 50 demonstration examples were made. They are completely operational, with the top plate cut away to show the internal mechanism. Demonstration examples: "Classic Camera", issue no. 1.

Notes

Further reading

* "Classic Camera", no. 1, January 1997. Milano: Editrice Progresso.
* Francesch, Dominique and Jean-Paul. "Histoire de l'appareil photographique Minolta de 1929 à 1985". Paris: Dessain et Tolra, 1985. ISBN 2-249-27685-4
* Kisselbach, Theo. "Leica CL." Heering-Verlag, 1976. ISBN 3-7763-3360-X. In German; published one year later in English by Hove. ISBN 0-85242-570-8.
*Lewis, Gordon, ed. "The History of the Japanese Camera". Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), ISBN 0-935398-16-3 (hard) P. 141.

Links

General links

In English:
* [http://www.cameraquest.com/leicacl.htm Leica CL] at [http://www.cameraquest.com/ Cameraquest]
* [http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?LeicaCL.html~mainFrame Leica CL] at [http://www.photoethnography.com/ Photoethnography by Karen Nakamura]
* [http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/leica/m/cl.htm Leica CL] in [http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/rindex.htm Pacific Rim's Photographica pages]
* [http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/page21.html Leica CL pages] at [http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/ CRR] (Camera Repairs and Restoration, Luton)
* [http://www.ozdoba.net/leica/schraub_cl_e.html Leica CL] in the [http://www.ozdoba.net/leica/leica_schraub_home_e.html Screwmount Leica site] by Chris Ozdoba
* [http://www.ne.jp/asahi/japan/manual-camera/cl1.htm Leica CL] at [http://www.ne.jp/asahi/japan/manual-camera/index_e.htm Manual Cameras] by N. Maekawa
* [http://members.aol.com/manualminolta/leica.htm Minolta and Leica cooperation] and [http://members.aol.com/manualminolta/fixlens.htm Minolta rangefinder lenses] in the [http://members.aol.com/manualminolta/ Manual Minolta website]
* [http://www.cosmonet.org/camera/leiccl_e.htm Leica CL in English] and [http://www.cosmonet.org/camera/leicacl.htm in Japanese] at [http://www.cosmonet.org/camera/index_e.html The Classic Camera]
* [http://www.leicapages.com/CL.html Leica CL] at [http://www.leicapages.com/ Pascal's Leica Pages] In French:
* [http://www.summilux.net/c_system/ Leica CL] at [http://www.summilux.net/ summilux.net]
* [http://cesarigd.club.fr/photo2cleo.htm Compatibility of the Leica M lenses with the Leica CL and Minolta CLE] at [http://cesarigd.club.fr/photo1.htm D. Césari's photo site]
* [http://www.summilux.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6953 Post] in [http://www.summilux.net/forums/index.php the summilux.net forum] with interesting comments about the optics of the CL and CLE
* [http://www.collection-appareils.com/minolta/html/Minolta_CL.php Minolta-Leitz CL] at [http://www.collection-appareils.com www.collection-appareils.com] by Sylvain HalgandIn German:
* [http://www.lausch.com/leicacl.htm Leica CL] in [http://www.lausch.com/ Peter Lausch's website] , see also the [http://www.lausch.com/leica5m.htm Leica M5 and CL] in [http://www.lausch.com/leicaeinleitung.htm Peter Lausch's Leica story] In Spanish:
* [http://www.hugorodriguez.com/articulos/leicacl.htm Leica CL] in the [http://www.hugorodriguez.com/ website of Hugo Rodriguez] In Japanese:
* [http://www.sky.sannet.ne.jp/seven-ss/camera/leica-cl.htm Leitz Minolta CL] at [http://www.sky.sannet.ne.jp/seven-ss/camera/index-cam.htm Hektor's Chokkura Pinbokeh site]
* [http://rlfc.world.coocan.jp/PlaywBody/Minolta/LeitzMinoltaCL.html Leitz Minolta CL] at [http://rlfc.world.coocan.jp/ rlfc.world.coocan.jp]

Manuals and documents

* [http://www3.telus.net/~telyt/CL_pdf.htm Leica CL instruction manual] (.pdf format) at [http://www3.telus.net/~telyt David Young's website]
* Downloadable documents in the [http://www.summilux.net/c_system/ Leica CL page] at [http://www.summilux.net/ summilux.net] : user manual, brochure and leaflet about the M and CL lens compatibility
* [http://yandr.50megs.com/leica/cl/cl.htm Leica CL brochure (ref. 112-92) in English] and [http://yandr.50megs.com/minolta/mcl/mcl.htm Leitz Minolta CL brochure in Japanese] at [http://yandr.50megs.com/ Camera Instruction Manuals Online]