LEIDOLF Cameras
Made in Wetzlar – but not by Leitz
The German town of Wetzlar is always recognised by camera collectors as the original home of the Ernst Leitz company and their famous 35mm camera the Leica. But another optical manufacturer was located in Wetzlar - the Rudolf Leidolf company. Established in 1921 they produced lenses for microscopes. Then, recognising a postwar demand for cameras, Leidolf commenced camera manufacture in 1949.
They started out by making two simple scale-focussing 127 rollfilm cameras that gave a 4x4cm negative.
Their first camera was the Leidox: and three years later they made the Lordox:
Leidolf did not manufacture their own camera lenses but probably did design them. The lenses were made by Enna Optik in Munich. The cameras were distributed by Wedena in Bad Nauheim.
With the increase in popularity of 35mm film at this time, Leidolf then redesigned their Lordox as a 35mm camera in 1952.
Still a fairly basic camera (no rangefinder, no double-exposure prevention) the top plate was marked 24x36, presumably to distinguish it from the roll film model. The following year a camera with a new body pattern was produced; this model was named the Lordomat.
It had more advanced features including a coupled rangefinder, behind-the-lens Prontor shutter and interchangeable lenses. The new body shape, with its distinctive cover above the lens mount for the rangefinder coupling mechanism, was the basis for several subsequent models.
Accessory viewfinders were needed for the 35, 90 and 135mm lenses:
I think their most interesting model is the Lordomat C35 introduced in 1956:
A well-made and solid camera, it weighed over 700g with lens. We often see some camera features referred to as “built-in” but when you look at this camera it seems more like a case of “built-on”. And it does have some unusual design features. Above the viewfinder for the 50mm lens,
which also shows the coupled rangefinder image, is an uncoupled selenium meter. Beside that is a second viewfinder for the 35mm lens; this shows also two bright frame-lines for the 90mm and 135mm lenses, making the accessory finders unnecessary.Just above this viewfinder is a rotating milled dial that you can set to compensate for parallax. Turn it to the right and red numbers display the settings in feet. Turn it to the left and black numbers show meters. Only the two frame-lines move, not the whole viewfinder image.
A small lever is fitted to the film wind knob (termed “rapid winder” in the instruction book). To wind on the film you have to rotate it back towards you twice, as it makes only a half turn each time.
As you do this, the counter dial also rotates a half turn. There is a dual-purpose knob by this dial that can be turned to set the counter and, when pressed in, disengages the film transport sprockets to enable film rewinding. A film speed reminder dial is fitted on top of the rewind knob. Under “Color” there are two positions: In and Out. This had me puzzled until I realised it meant Indoors and Outdoors, i.e. Tungsten and Daylight. The shutter is a Prontor-SVS with speeds of 1 to 1/300. The interchangeable lenses drop into the mount in front of the shutter and are locked in place by rotating a threaded ring around the lens barrel.
Lens mount and Lordon 50mm lens
Lenses:
The Lordomats came with a 50mm lens, either a four-element Lordonar f2.8 or a six-element Lordon f1.9, both made by Enna. Other Enna-made lenses offered were a Lordonar f3.5 35mm, a Telordon f5.6 90mm, and a Telordon f4.5 90mm. Also available were three lenses made by the Schacht company in Ulm. They were branded Schacht-Travenar and were the f3.5 35mm, the f4 90mm and the f4 135mm.
Travenar lenses
Viewfinders:
Leidolf made a neat tubular-shaped optical finder that showed the view for a 35mm lens and it came with a push-on mask for the 90mm lens. The rear eyepiece rotates for parallax correction. When I acquired the set of three Schacht lenses they came with a turret finder similar to a Zeiss finder. It does not have the Leidolf name on it but is just as well made, is branded “Wedena” and is obviously made primarily for the Lordomat. It has the same red and black numbering method for parallax correction as used on the cameras and shows the view for 35, 50, 90 and 135mm lenses. The rear eyepiece screws out for dioptre adjustment.
Wedena and Leidolf viewfinders
The Lordox was redesigned in 1957 with a body shaped like the Lordomat but it had only a fixed lens.
It was available with either a chrome or black faceplate.
Then in 1959 came the Lordomat with a neater more integrated top, the Lordomat SLE. The Lordomat SE was the same camera minus a meter. These and the later models were sold as Unimark in USA. In 1960 came the Lordox Super Automat with a coupled meter. Their final model was the Lordox Blitz in 1961, a similar camera but with a small flash bulb reflector on the front.
Camera production ended in 1962 when Wild Heerbrugg took over the Leidolf camera factory and it was then used for manufacturing surveying equipment. Wild Heerbrugg merged with Ernst Leitz in 1987, was renamed Wild Leitz AG in 1989, and became part of the Leica holding company in 1990.
Footnote:
If you find a Leidox or Lordox you may be puzzled as to how the back opens. There’s no obvious lock, button or key and the rewind knob does not lift.
You have to rotate the two strap lugs forward 90º and then the whole back can be removed.
Text and photographs ©2014 Geoff Harrisson