Check Out This Ultra-Rare Leica Three-Lens ‘Turret’
Here’s a neat piece of camera gear you probably have never heard of. Back in the 1940s and 50s, a company called Haber & Fink used to modify Leica cameras by adding special lens ‘turrets.’ Only 200 were ever made, and a camera store in Ohio just got their hands on the 11th one.
YM Camera in Youngstown, Ohio is a family owned and operated store that opened its doors in 1951… just two years after the lens turret they just got on trade was made.
“[It’s a] very awesome piece to add to our collection,” Sale Manager Robby Yankush told PetaPixel over email. “The body of the camera is the black Leica III, that was converted at the New York H & F store around 1949, and the lens line up on the camera is great for any walk around photographer.”
The three lenses attached to this old Leica III are a wide angle 28mm f/6.3, a standard 50mm f/2, and a telephoto 9cm f/4. It also comes with three different viewfinders, one for each of the focal lengths.
This particular turret is no spring chicken, but it still works. “The turret turns flawlessly, but you really need some elbow grease to pull it and rotate it,” says Yankhush. “Overall the piece is in great shape, and is super valuable collection item.”
And that’s exactly what they hope it will become: a collector’s item. Previous models from this first and ONLY production run have sold for upwards of $7,000, and YM Camera is hoping to say the same of theirs.
But in the meantime, they were kind enough to send us some pictures so we can “oooh” and “aaah” over this beautiful piece of vintage equipment:
You can find out more about these special three-lens turrets in this great article on the Leica blog. And if you want to check out YM Camera or potentially get in touch about this collector’s item for yourself, head over to their website by clicking here.
Image credits: All photos by YM Camera and used with permission.
