35mm RF Camera

Custom made conversion of a Leica I Mod. A to a compact and elegant „Leica“ with combined viewfinder/rangefinder (viewfinder 0,5x, rangefinder base 38mm). The new rangefinder housing was milled from solid aluminium and is anodized in champagne colour, the original rewinding knob was exchanged by a slimmer, extendable one, while most other parts were preserved, including the shutter mechanism and the base plate. The black enamel was removed and exchanged for a matte chrome plating. The accessory shoe probably comes from an early post-war Contax and was cut to size. It is hard to suggest, who might have made this elegant conversion. While some details (4 screws hold the top, low winding knob, traces of the original „hockey stick“ on the Vulcanite of the camera front) clearly indicate the provenance from a Leica body, the viewfinder/rangefinder optics and the elegant rangefinder housing are unknown to us. The outstanding quality of the conversion reminds of Japanese fine mechanics, but from the style of the s/n engraving we suspect that it might be of British origin.