2 Leica SS Luftwaffe cameras!
mil...@cmc.cz
I just came upon two Leica rangefinder cameras of WWII vintage with
2-inch SS Luftwaffe insignia enscribed on the top and in good-excellent
condition. One has a wood(?) finish, one a leather finish. I didn't get
a real close look, but I'm going back to the shop tomorrow. Can anyone
tell me what models they might be? How much should I pay to buy them?
Are they in demand as collectibles? Would you like to buy one?
Thanks for your comments. Please send them to my email address directly.
-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
Colyn Goodson
All Leica rangefinder cameras are metal bodied there is no such thing
as a wood Leica rangefinder camera..
The only war time Leicas are the standard, III, IIIa, IIIB, IIIc, and
a few of the modifications of the above named cameras..
A.K. Kaufmann
mil...@cmc.cz wrote:
>
> I just came upon two Leica rangefinder cameras of WWII vintage with
> 2-inch SS Luftwaffe insignia enscribed on the top and in good-excellent
> condition. One has a wood(?) finish, one a leather finish. I didn't get
> a real close look, but I'm going back to the shop tomorrow. Can anyone
> tell me what models they might be? How much should I pay to buy them?
> Are they in demand as collectibles? Would you like to buy one?
>
> Thanks for your comments. Please send them to my email address directly.
>
> -------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
> http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
Be careful,
Lot of counterfits coming out of the former East-Bloc countries.
Tony K.
omegaman
Open them up and check closely - same may be forgeries using Russian
bodies.
John G. Walter
Are they gray?????
I don't know much about Leica collectability, but I'd guess these COULD be
VERY valuable.
mil...@cmc.cz wrote in article <885588671...@dejanews.com>...
al...@jps.net
Buy them both!!!! Worth more than a Toyota truck.
Colyn Goodson
There is no such thing as a wood Leica rangefinder, what you have is a
fake.. All Leica cameras are metal bodied..
Frank Filippone
If you found them in Southern California, They may be the 2 I have
seen..... they have been kicking around for about 2 years..... both are FED
copies of rare Leicas....Be Careful, you can get burned!
--
Please do not auto-respond. Please respond to address below.
Frank Filippone
red...@worldnet.att.net
mil...@cmc.cz wrote in article <885588671...@dejanews.com>...
MDDESKEY
Saw a Leica with Nazi swastica insignia in photo fair in NYC a few months
ago. Insignia was in gold color. I believe the dealer was asking $800 for it.
Colyn Goodson
On 24 Jan 1998 05:50:20 GMT, mdde...@aol.com (MDDESKEY) wrote:
> Saw a Leica with Nazi swastica insignia in photo fair in NYC a few months
>ago. Insignia was in gold color. I believe the dealer was asking $800 for it.
Did it have a swastica by its self or was there any other markings??
The reason I ask is I have seen a number of fakes recently..
Garry Lee
Even though Nazi logos etc. are attractive, if these things are genuine,
don't forget they could have been used to record massacres etc.
The Nazis, like Communists and other tyrants were the scum of the earth.
zinyf...@sprintmail.com
In article
<ADC684AB3C456298.ED6268EB...@library-proxy.airnews
..net>, colyn....@airmail.net (Colyn Goodson) wrote:
>
> On Fri, 23 Jan 1998 15:03:01 -0600, mil...@cmc.cz wrote:
>
> >I just came upon two Leica rangefinder cameras of WWII vintage with
> >2-inch SS Luftwaffe insignia enscribed on the top and in good-excellent
> >condition. One has a wood(?) finish, one a leather finish. I didn't get
> >a real close look, but I'm going back to the shop tomorrow. Can anyone
> >tell me what models they might be? How much should I pay to buy them?
> >Are they in demand as collectibles? Would you like to buy one?
> >
> >Thanks for your comments. Please send them to my email address directly.
> >
> >-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
> > http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
> There is no such thing as a wood Leica rangefinder, what you have is a
> fake.. All Leica cameras are metal bodied..
To the best of my knowledge German Navy and Luftwaffe did not have SS
units.
EdRegnier
>
>I just came upon two Leica rangefinder cameras of WWII vintage with
>2-inch SS Luftwaffe insignia enscribed on the top and in good-excellent
>condition. One has a wood(?) finish, one a leather finish. I didn't get
>a real close look, but I'm going back to the shop tomorrow. Can anyone
>tell me what models they might be? How much should I pay to buy them?
>Are they in demand as collectibles? Would you like to buy one?
It sounds too good to be true. Nobody just stumbles across Leicas now-a-days.
They're too collectable by camera people. Leicas with Nazi markings would be
even more collectable by "WW II stuff" lovers. Chances are these are fakes of
Russian origin. There are Leica clubs and books that can tell you the whole
history of the camera from its number. Put them on layaway and check it out.
If it's too good to be true...it probably isn't.
Jerry Houston
I'm trying to figure out where, on top of a WWII-vintage Leica, there would
be room for a 2-inch SS Luftwaffe insignia.
--
May contrast, saturation and resolution be with you always!
mil...@cmc.cz wrote in message <885588671...@dejanews.com>...
>I just came upon two Leica rangefinder cameras of WWII vintage with
>2-inch SS Luftwaffe insignia enscribed on the top and in good-excellent
>condition...
Stanley Chang
Not that I matters one whit, but wood finish has a different meaning than solid
wood, to me anyway. Wood finish on a station wagon= vinyl. Wood finish in
furnature = veneer, usually over cheap particle board.
Stan
Colyn Goodson wrote:
>
> On Fri, 23 Jan 1998 15:03:01 -0600, mil...@cmc.cz wrote:
>
> >I just came upon two Leica rangefinder cameras of WWII vintage with
> >2-inch SS Luftwaffe insignia enscribed on the top and in good-excellent
> >condition. One has a wood(?) finish, one a leather finish. I didn't get
> >a real close look, but I'm going back to the shop tomorrow. Can anyone
> >tell me what models they might be? How much should I pay to buy them?
> >Are they in demand as collectibles? Would you like to buy one?
> >
John G. Walter
As I recall, the Luftwaffe models of early Leicas were gray in finish and
had rubberized shutter curtains which supposedly operated better in the
cold environment of high altitude aircraft.
But I am certainly no Leica expert. I suggest searching one out, or at the
least looking at some of the Leica history references that are available.
A call to a large collectable camera broker such as KEH in NYC might be of
some help as well.
There are probably a lot of variations of these WWII era cameras, all of
which have considerable collectability and value. One the other hand, as
you have read here, there a lot of fakes and knock-offs as well.
I own two older M2's (1950's vintage) and three Summicron lenses. These
not-so-collectable Leicas have increased 10 times in value from when I
purchased them in the late 60's. I still use them today.
mil...@cmc.cz wrote in article <885588671...@dejanews.com>...
Willem-Jan Markerink
In article <6aca2e$aa7$6...@nuacht.iol.ie>,
One wonders what kind of camera Saddam uses....;-((
--
Bye,
Willem-Jan Markerink
The desire to understand
is sometimes far less intelligent than
the inability to understand
<w.j.ma...@a1.nl>
[note: 'a-one' & 'en-el'!]
Colyn Goodson
>Not that I matters one whit, but wood finish has a different meaning than solid
>wood, to me anyway. Wood finish on a station wagon= vinyl. Wood finish in
>furnature = veneer, usually over cheap particle board.
>Stan
>
>Colyn Goodson wrote:
>>
True, but still there is no such thing as a wood finish Leica weather
it be real wood or wood veneer or any other wood substitute..
Colyn Goodson
On 24 Jan 1998 17:55:27 GMT, "John G. Walter" <jgwa...@erols.com>
wrote:
>As I recall, the Luftwaffe models of early Leicas were gray in finish and
>had rubberized shutter curtains which supposedly operated better in the
>cold environment of high altitude aircraft.
>
Not all military Leicas were finished in grey, some early ones such as
a IIIa (authentic one in my collection) were covered in a greenish
vulcanite, and were not engraved with any military markings..
All cloth shutters are rubberized.. You are thinking about ball
bearing shutters..
Colyn Goodson
On 24 Jan 1998 08:51:26 GMT, Garry Lee <NOSPA...@iol.ie> wrote:
>Even though Nazi logos etc. are attractive, if these things are genuine,
>don't forget they could have been used to record massacres etc.
>The Nazis, like Communists and other tyrants were the scum of the earth.
The Reichsadler was engraved only at certain parts of the Leica to
indicate that it was a Navy or Marines version.. There are no known
examples with what you indicate..
This one's for the history books: Most of the German soldiers, airmen,
and marines were not "scum" as you indicate, they simply did not have
a choice.. The only butchers were the higher ranking personell..
Nazis were a small group of individuals who forced the German people
into servitude or death...
Bear
Garry Lee wrote in message <6aca2e$aa7$6...@nuacht.iol.ie>...
>Even though Nazi logos etc. are attractive, if these things are genuine,
>don't forget they could have been used to record massacres etc.
>The Nazis, like Communists and other tyrants were the scum of the earth.
>
And just what do think the origin of the leather covering might be? Anyone
who would want to own a camera with the origin that these cameras may have,
is, well, not someone I would care to associate with or trust.
Bear
Colyn Goodson wrote in message ...
>On 24 Jan 1998 08:51:26 GMT, Garry Lee <NOSPA...@iol.ie> wrote:
>
>>Even though Nazi logos etc. are attractive, if these things are genuine,
>>don't forget they could have been used to record massacres etc.
>>The Nazis, like Communists and other tyrants were the scum of the earth.
>The Reichsadler was engraved only at certain parts of the Leica to
>indicate that it was a Navy or Marines version.. There are no known
>examples with what you indicate..
>This one's for the history books: Most of the German soldiers, airmen,
>and marines were not "scum" as you indicate, they simply did not have
>a choice.. The only butchers were the higher ranking personell..
>Nazis were a small group of individuals who forced the German people
>into servitude or death...
Better to die with Dignity than sell your soul to Satan.
Lasse Svendsen
> Buy them both!!!! Worth more than a Toyota truck.
>
And much cooler than a dorky Toyota..:)
> mil...@cmc.cz wrote:
>
> > I just came upon two Leica rangefinder cameras of WWII vintage with
> > 2-inch SS Luftwaffe insignia enscribed on the top and in good-excellent
> > condition. One has a wood(?) finish, one a leather finish. I didn't get
> > a real close look, but I'm going back to the shop tomorrow. Can anyone
> > tell me what models they might be? How much should I pay to buy them?
> > Are they in demand as collectibles? Would you like to buy one?
> >
> > Thanks for your comments. Please send them to my email address directly.
> >
> > -------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
> > http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
--
Lasse Svendsen
- Freelance writer/Digitalimaging/Photo/Audio/Video -
Bill Erfurth
mil...@cmc.cz wrote:
>
> I just came upon two Leica rangefinder cameras of WWII vintage with
> 2-inch SS Luftwaffe insignia enscribed on the top and in good-excellent
> condition. One has a wood(?) finish, one a leather finish. I didn't get
> a real close look, but I'm going back to the shop tomorrow. Can anyone
> tell me what models they might be? How much should I pay to buy them?
> Are they in demand as collectibles? Would you like to buy one?
>
> Thanks for your comments. Please send them to my email address directly.
>
Be aware that there are lots...and I mean lot of COUNTERFIT Luftwaffe
cameras out there. You must assume that they are FAKES. And if they
turn out to be genuine that much the better.
As for price, the COUNTERFIT ones (which are made in Russia) sell in the
European flea markets for about $50 to $100 depending on how they were
made. Some of the FAKES are made from scratch and some are modified
older model Leica cameras.
Lots of luck.
--Bill
John G. Walter
Just took a close look at the shutter in one of my M2's......kinda hard to
tell without touching it, but I think I can see texture of cloth weave,
especially in the trailing curtain. leading curtain does look smooth and
rubbery.
I was under the impression that their were specialized cameras made for the
Luftwaffe (sp?) that were distinctly different from other military issue,
thus making them more valuable today.
I was never aware of any sort of special military markings.
Thanks.
Colyn Goodson <colyn....@airmail.net> wrote in article
<E9CED35230C63A44.60B4EEE0...@library-proxy.airnews.ne
t>...
Colyn Goodson
On 25 Jan 1998 01:14:38 GMT, "John G. Walter" <jgwa...@erols.com>
wrote:
>Just took a close look at the shutter in one of my M2's......kinda hard to
>tell without touching it, but I think I can see texture of cloth weave,
>especially in the trailing curtain. leading curtain does look smooth and
>rubbery.
If you could remove the crate from the shell, the backside of the
curtain with the weave pattern would resemble the smooth sided one..
Most cloth curtains are made of silk and then rubberized to make then
lightight..
>I was under the impression that their were specialized cameras made for the
>Luftwaffe (sp?) that were distinctly different from other military issue,
>thus making them more valuable today.
Most of the military versions were made with ball bearing raced
shutters (identified by the K in front of the serial number) whereas
the civilian versions were not.. The more valuable versions are the
ones with one red curtain..
>I was never aware of any sort of special military markings.
The airforce model was marked Luftwaffen - Eigentum meaning property
of the air force. and some were engraved with a FI number.. The Army
version was marked either Heer or W.H. and the navy and marine
versions were engraved with the Reichsadler (flying eagle with
swastica).. There are slight versions of the above but some could be
fakes.. Most of the military versions were finished either in
blue-grey paint or chrome with blue-grey vulcanite.. Some of the early
ones had a greenish colored vulcanite of which I own one IIIa....
Colyn Goodson
>>This one's for the history books: Most of the German soldiers, airmen,
>>and marines were not "scum" as you indicate, they simply did not have
>>a choice.. The only butchers were the higher ranking personell..
>>Nazis were a small group of individuals who forced the German people
>>into servitude or death...
>
>Better to die with Dignity than sell your soul to Satan.
>
researching the German people while tracing family roots.. I have
found that many of the German soldiers were of the Christian faith..
They were going through the same persecution that the Jews went
through during the time of Christ.. Sorry for the off topic post.. If
anyone wants to continue the discussion, do so by e-mail...
Colyn Goodson
On Sat, 24 Jan 1998 23:47:16 -0700, "Bear" <el...@azstarnet.com>
wrote:
>
>Garry Lee wrote in message <6aca2e$aa7$6...@nuacht.iol.ie>...
>>Even though Nazi logos etc. are attractive, if these things are genuine,
>>don't forget they could have been used to record massacres etc.
>>The Nazis, like Communists and other tyrants were the scum of the earth.
>>
>
>And just what do think the origin of the leather covering might be? Anyone
>who would want to own a camera with the origin that these cameras may have,
>is, well, not someone I would care to associate with or trust.
>
The covering of these early Leicas was vulcanite, in other words
rubber.. The ones that were customized were covered with sharkskin,or
elephant skin.. No Leicas were covered with human skin as you have
hinted...
Anthony
Do you watch a lot of television?
--
Anthony
Bear wrote in message <6aen0a$k...@reader1.news>...
MATVEY55
All the guy wanted was info on a camera that he has or saw, how the hell does
that make him a anti semite, People are a damn trip!
Lets just talk about PHOTOGRAPHY !
Jacques Grilli
Bravo - I agree - maybe what we need is a system that would recognize
messages that goes off photography topics and re-route them into a new group
(which i will not subscribe). BTW maybe we should include the Nikon-Canon
war debate in the automatic re-routing.
MATVEY55 a écrit dans le message
<19980125143...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
Stanley Chang
We'll just have to manually flag the message as "read" and move on. Photography
is suppose to be fun, lets keep it that way.
SOC
Colyn Goodson
On 25 Jan 1998 14:32:35 GMT, matv...@aol.com (MATVEY55) wrote:
>All the guy wanted was info on a camera that he has or saw, how the hell does
>that make him a anti semite, People are a damn trip!
>Lets just talk about PHOTOGRAPHY !
You didn't read the post, I responded to another person.. The original
poster has made no comments about weather or not he dislikes Germans
or Jews.. Yyou need to start at the top and read ALL the posts..
Peter Jonkman
EdRegnier <edre...@aol.com> schreef in artikel
<19980124162...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
> >
> >I just came upon two Leica rangefinder cameras of WWII vintage with
> >2-inch SS Luftwaffe insignia enscribed on the top and in good-excellent
> >condition. One has a wood(?) finish, one a leather finish. I didn't get
> >a real close look, but I'm going back to the shop tomorrow. Can anyone
> >tell me what models they might be? How much should I pay to buy them?
> >Are they in demand as collectibles? Would you like to buy one?
Hi,
I can tell you at least one of them is fake (the one with the wood
covering). Leica NEVER made cameras with a wood finish. During the last
couple of years, I saw perhaps 15 of these cameras on Dutch camera trade
shows (sold by dealers from Poland and Germany). These usually go for $150
(sometimes even for a lot less when the show is closing).
There are several points on which you can identify a fake. First, the
serial number does never match the Leica serial ##s list. Second, often the
letters "A" and "R" just have their cyrillic counterparts, but if they have
the "A" and "R" the "R" is often seen partially UNDER the rangefinder
housing. Third, the Russian "leather" is often shiny, whereas the real
Leica vulcanite was rather dull. There are many other points which
distinguish the "Real" from the "Fake".
If these cameras are "gold" colored too then I'm 100% sure they are fakes.
I'm sorry for you, but that is how it is. Hope you don't have paid too much
for them. On the other hand, these fakes *are* unusual and people are
looking for them. But don't make the mistake to sell them as the real
thing.
Peter Jonkman
cg
> BTW maybe we should include the Nikon-Canon
>war debate in the automatic re-routing.
"maybe"? How about definitely?
cg
Old enough to know better
MATVEY55 wrote:
>
> All the guy wanted was info on a camera that he has or saw, how the hell does
> that make him a anti semite, People are a damn trip!
> Lets just talk about PHOTOGRAPHY !
And it might be a "fake" too! That, he should watch out for. Gun
collectors have already seen that a good portion of the "war relics" on
the market are faked.
47 Group
In article <19980125143...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, MATVEY55
<matv...@aol.com> writes
>All the guy wanted was info on a camera that he has or saw, how the hell does
>that make him a anti semite, People are a damn trip!
>Lets just talk about PHOTOGRAPHY !
Exactly. FWIW my family came to the UK from Malaysia, which as most of
you know was occupied by the Japanese during WW II. My parents were born
during Japanese occupation, and both their families helped the Allies
fight the invaders.
This did not stop my father buying a Canon camera, using Fuji film and
becoming a good photographer, nor does it make me want to boycott
Japanese products or beat up on Japanese students.
Leica cameras, Volkswagen beetles and tape recorders were all pieces of
engineering which flourished during Nazi times - it doesn't mean anyone
who owns/wants one of these is automatically a Nazi. Many of these items
found their way into Aliied countries after being confiscated from
German POWs ... My father has a 10 dollar note from Japanese occupation
- that doesn't make -him- a supporter of the invasion!
Anyway, as other have said - these cameras appear to be East European
fakes [re-badged Soviet Kiev rangefinders], more aimed at trapping the
-real- Neo-Nazi-fetishists [who are too short-sighted anyway to know a
decent photo if they saw one] than proper photographers. The Soviet
Union gained huge amounts of engineering expertise in the fields of
photography and optics as reparations from WW II.
If so, leave well alone - leave some extreme right nutters to get
suckered by the bogus insignia, and ironically they will be passing
their money on to the East European countries who suffered most from
Nazi occupation - so perhaps these fakes are in the end a good thing!
Back on the subject of photography - I saw a Kiev in a local shop for
GBP50 - are these any good? This is about $100, I thought it was a bit
pricey for an ancient Soviet camera. Where on earth would you get
lenses for one these days?
Alex
Posted from the all-new Regional Seat of Misrule 6 [RSM6]
READINGSTOKE, UNTIED KINGDOM, EC.
http://www.rsm6.demon.co.uk
NB: If replying by e-mail replace "ratcotel.net" with "demon.co.uk"
John G. Walter
>The SS were the secret police - the Luftwaffe were the air force - the 2
were not connected.
>
> I can't believe all you guys fell for this one !
>
> Joseph.
>
I think you are referring to the Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo) as
police........ and not the SchutzStaffel (SS) - which were originally elite
corps of the NationaliSozialistische Deutsche ArbeiterPartei (NSDAP)
translated National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party), and later
an all-inclusive designation for the components of the complex organization
headed by Himmler.
Colyn Goodson
>
>Back on the subject of photography - I saw a Kiev in a local shop for
>GBP50 - are these any good? This is about $100, I thought it was a bit
>pricey for an ancient Soviet camera. Where on earth would you get
>lenses for one these days?
>
>Alex
> Posted from the all-new Regional Seat of Misrule 6 [RSM6]
> READINGSTOKE, UNTIED KINGDOM, EC.
> http://www.rsm6.demon.co.uk
> NB: If replying by e-mail replace "ratcotel.net" with "demon.co.uk"
screwmount (39mm) lens such as Leica, Canon, or Nikkor will work.. The
optics listed are better quality than the camera...
Colyn Goodson
>
>
>I've been reading this one since it started a few days ago and have only 1
>thing to say:
>
>You guys must all be a bunch a "rubes" !
>
>Can't you all smell a "troll" when you see one ?
>
>1) The posting originated in CZ - a prime conterfeit Leica maker. 2) The
>posting is written in such a way as to "hook a sucker" & 3) The SS were the
>secret police - the Luftwaffe were the air force - the 2 were not connected.
>
>I can't believe all you guys fell for this one !
>
>Joseph.
information has been exchanged by way of the ng and e-mail as a result
of the post.. That's the good that has come out of the original post..
not that someone is trying to hook a sucker..
TELLERKE
...and, as we all know, one can identify Leica's made for the German Army by
the bayonet mount on the lens...for a real bayonet.
Ken
Darrell A. Larose
The Kiev camera is a pretty fair camera, as it was based on the pre-war
Zeiss Contax, the Soviets "patriated" the Zeiss factory in East Germany
and moved the entire factory, tools and dies to Kiev. The Jupiter lenses
aren't great compared to Zeiss, Leitz, Canon or Nikon glass also available
in the M39 screw-mount. Not bad price for an interchangable lens rangefinder
camera. Screwmount M39 lenses can be found in most used photo shops...
Darrell Larose | http://www.newforce.ca/darrell | darrell@.newforce.ca
"Living at risk is jumping off the cliff
and building your wings on the way down" (Ray Bradbury)
Kevin Morris
In article <F366AB8F34612FAA.F084F909...@library-proxy.airnews.net> "A.K. Kaufmann" <har...@airmail.net> writes:
>From: "A.K. Kaufmann" <har...@airmail.net>
>Subject: Re: 2 Leica SS Luftwaffe cameras!
>Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 18:20:31 -0800
>mil...@cmc.cz wrote:
>>
>> I just came upon two Leica rangefinder cameras of WWII vintage with
>> 2-inch SS Luftwaffe insignia enscribed on the top and in good-excellent
>> condition. One has a wood(?) finish, one a leather finish. I didn't get
>> a real close look, but I'm going back to the shop tomorrow. Can anyone
>> tell me what models they might be? How much should I pay to buy them?
>> Are they in demand as collectibles? Would you like to buy one?
>>
>> Thanks for your comments. Please send them to my email address directly.
>>
>> -------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
>> http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
>Be careful,
>Lot of counterfits coming out of the former East-Bloc countries.
>Tony K.
Yes. Be very careful. I know nothing about old Leicas, but I do know that the
SS and the Luftwaffe were two very different organisations. Herman Goering
maintained a very jealous control over all aspects of avaition in the Third
Reich. From my knowledge of the period and the politics involved, I would be
extremely surprised that there would be such a thing as an SS Luftwaffe
camera, or anything else for that matter.
Beware!
Kevin
Joe McCary - Photo Response
Colyn Goodson wrote:
>
> On Sat, 24 Jan 1998 12:30:46 -0500, Stanley Chang
> <cha...@eurekanet.com> wrote:
>
> >Not that I matters one whit, but wood finish has a different meaning than solid
> >wood, to me anyway. Wood finish on a station wagon= vinyl. Wood finish in
> >furnature = veneer, usually over cheap particle board.
> >Stan
> >
> >Colyn Goodson wrote:
> >>
> True, but still there is no such thing as a wood finish Leica weather
> it be real wood or wood veneer or any other wood substitute..
Perhaps it "wood-like-to-be-a-leica!"
Joe