Classic 35Mm Cameras: In-House Glass Pioneers

The history of 35mm cameras is a rich and complex one, with many companies playing a part in their development and production over the years. The first patent for a 35mm camera was issued to Leo, Audobard and Baradat in England in 1908, but it was Oskar Barnack who is often credited as the Father of 35mm Photography. Barnack's prototype 35mm camera, the Ur-Leica, became the first commercially successful 35mm camera and inspired a new generation of photographers. Other companies soon followed Leica's lead and began producing their own 35mm cameras and lenses, with the Zeiss Contax and Argus A being notable early examples.

Oskar Barnack's Leica prototype

Oskar Barnack, born in Brandenburg, Germany, in 1879, was a photographer and inventor who built the first commercially successful 35mm still camera, the Leica. Barnack, an engineer at the Leitz company, suffered from asthma, so he proposed creating smaller and lighter cameras that would be easier to travel with.

In 1913, Barnack adapted 35mm cinematic film for still-camera use, resulting in a larger negative than other 35mm cameras. His design was revolutionary because he transported the film horizontally, allowing for an extended frame size of 24x36mm with a 2:3 aspect ratio. This format is still used by full-frame sensors in digital cameras today.

Barnack's prototype 35mm camera, known as the Ur-Leica, was completed around 1913-1914. "Ur" means "primitive" or "earliest" in German, and the name "Leica" is an acronym for "Leitz Camera". The Ur-Leica was the first practical 35mm camera, and its compact size and weight made photography more portable, fast, and reliable.

The Ur-Leica utilised cinema film, which was more affordable than the glass plates used in traditional cameras. By turning the film horizontally, Barnack created the now-standard 24x36mm frame size. This allowed photographers to capture multiple photos in a matter of seconds, a significant improvement over the cumbersome process of exposing individual glass plates.

In 1923, Barnack's employer, Ernst Leitz II, produced a limited series of 31 pre-production Leica cameras for testing. Despite mixed reviews, Leitz decided to move forward with production, and the Leica I (or Leica A) was released at the Leipzig Spring Fair in 1925. The camera impressed photographers with its robustness, discretion, reliability, and portability.

The Leica I had a fixed 50mm f/3.5 lens, and by 1933, Leitz had sold 100,000 units, making it the first commercially successful 35mm camera. The success of the Leica I inspired other companies to enter the 35mm camera market, and innovations like the single-lens reflex camera further evolved Barnack's original design.

The first 35mm cameras

The history of 35mm cameras is a long and fascinating one, with many innovations and developments over the years. The first patent for a 35mm camera was issued to Leo, Audobard and Baradat in England in 1908, but there were several other inventors and companies working on similar ideas around the same time.

The first commercially available 35mm camera was the 1913 Tourist Multiple, made by the New Ideas Mfg. Co. of New York. This was followed closely by the Simplex, released in 1914 by New York's Multi-Speed Shutter Co. However, the first commercially successful 35mm camera was produced by Oskar Barnack in 1913-14, and later patented and produced by his employer, Ernst Leitz. This camera, the Leica, was released in 1925 and became the first in a long line of commercially successful 35mm cameras.

Oskar Barnack is often credited as the father of 35mm photography, as his prototype 35mm camera, the Ur-Leica, was the first practical 35mm camera. It was incomparably smaller and lighter than contemporary glass plate cameras and used cinema film, which was more affordable and easier to work with than glass plates. Barnack's design also allowed the camera to move the film horizontally, increasing the frame size to 24x36mm, creating "double-sized" images.

The success of the Leica inspired other companies to develop their own 35mm cameras, and the 35mm film camera market was born. The Zeiss Contax was introduced in 1932, followed by the Argus A, which brought 35mm photography to a wider market. The format and design of Barnack's Ur-Leica continue to influence camera design to this day, with many modern cameras still following the same basic principles.

The rise of SLR cameras

The single-lens reflex camera (SLR) has a long history, with the first patent granted in 1861 and the first cameras produced in 1884. However, it was not until the 1960s that the SLR design became the preferred choice for many high-end camera formats. The SLR camera offered several advantages over other camera types, such as the ability to view and focus through the attached lens, providing photographers with precision and accuracy.

The development of 35mm film played a crucial role in the evolution of the SLR camera. The first 35mm SLR prototype was the "Filmanka", developed in 1931 in the Soviet Union. This was followed by the "GelVeta" (later renamed "Sport"), which had a smart design with a 24mm x 36mm frame size. However, the first mass-produced 35mm SLR was the Ihagee Kine Exakta, produced in Germany in 1936.

The SLR camera gained popularity due to its versatility and customizability. With interchangeable lenses and accessories, photographers could adapt the camera to various shooting situations. The SLR's ability to use different types of film, such as 35mm, medium format, and large format, also contributed to its success.

The SLR camera played a significant role in the history of photography, particularly in photojournalism and street photography. Its portability, speed, and reliability made it a favourite among photographers who wanted to capture the world around them. The SLR's influence can be seen in the design of modern digital cameras, which have incorporated many of its features.

However, the SLR camera also had its limitations. It was typically larger and heavier than other camera types, and the complex mechanics of the mirror system could be noisy and prone to vibration. These drawbacks led to the development of mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras, which began to replace DSLRs in the 2010s. Today, DSLRs are still used by professionals and enthusiasts, but their dominance has been challenged by the rise of mirrorless technology.

The 35mm film's origins

The origins of 35mm film can be traced back to the late 19th century and the pioneering work of Thomas Edison and his team of inventors, led by William Kennedy Laurie Dickson. In 1891, Edison filed a patent for a device that could photograph and view moving images on film loops 35mm wide, with the film supplied by George Eastman. This width was achieved by slitting 2.75" wide film rolls in half and adding perforations.

The 35mm format was first developed experimentally in Edison's laboratory more than 120 years ago. However, it was not until the early 20th century that 35mm film began to be used in still photography. The first 35mm still cameras used perforated movie film and the first patent for such a camera was issued to Leo, Audobard and Baradat in England in 1908. The first full-scale production camera was the Homeos, produced by Jules Richard in 1913.

The first commercially available 35mm camera was the 1913 Tourist Multiple, made by the New Ideas Mfg. Co. of New York. This was followed by the Simplex, from New York's Multi-Speed Shutter Co. However, it was the Leica that brought the 24 x 36mm image format into prominence. The prototype Ur-Leica was built by Oskar Barnack in 1913-14 and patented. The Leica was released in 1925 and quickly inspired an industry, with other companies soon copying its design and innovations.

The advent of the 35mm film camera revolutionized photography, making it portable, fast, and of reliably high quality. It gave rise to a new generation of photographers and transformed the way the world was captured and communicated through images.

The 35mm camera's influence

The 35mm camera, first introduced by Oskar Barnack in 1913, revolutionized photography. Barnack's prototype 35mm camera, the Ur-Leica, was the first practical 35mm camera and served as the blueprint for all subsequent 35mm cameras. The Ur-Leica was incomparably smaller and lighter than the contemporary glass plate camera, making photography more portable, fast, and reliable.

The success of the Ur-Leica sparked the creation of an entire industry, with companies like Canon, Zeiss, and Kodak following Leica's lead and developing their own 35mm cameras and film. The 35mm format became widely popular due to its affordability and ease of use, and it soon overtook large-format plate cameras as the preferred choice for photographers.

The compact size of 35mm cameras allowed photographers to venture into new territories, capturing street scenes, distant landscapes, and even warzones with ease. The images that define the 20th century, from photojournalism to fine art photography, would not have been possible without the portability and accessibility that 35mm cameras offered.

The influence of 35mm cameras extended beyond still photography and into the cinematic world. The use of 35mm film in motion picture cameras became the standard, with companies like Eastman Kodak and the Lumière Brothers adopting the format for their film cameras.

The legacy of 35mm cameras can still be seen today, even in the digital age. Full-frame digital sensors in modern cameras continue to use the same 24x36mm format that was established by Barnack's Ur-Leica over a century ago. Additionally, companies like Fuji and Leica still produce compact cameras that bear a direct lineage to the original Ur-Leica design.

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