The Post Camera Thing
Of course, we speak of long abandoned systems – digitalization has changed everything – but they are still of interest for Leica collectors, since they “explain” the use of the “Post” MD’s and MDa’s found in so many collections. As well as the “error” of calling “MD Post” the first “modified M3 for Post”.
Of course I had all three models when an active collector (we speak of the last quarter of the last century…), and I long asked myself how they were practically used. Until I discovered by pure chance an ALOS “funnel” (without the camera!) at a Swiss flea market.
I recently published some retrieved photos on the Leica Forum, and Bill Rosauer immediately asked me to provide Viewfinder readers with the information. I do so with great pleasure as I am a faithful reader since the first (mimeo-graphed) issue of Viewfinder in 1968.
First, let us explain to the young “digital” generation readers-collectors that in the “past”, the calculating of telephone bills required the “reading” of individual counters-registers by the telecom authority, generally depending of the “Post” office or administration. Among others (most probably…), the Swiss ALOS firm from Zürich had developed a system that allowed the taking of a picture of several counters simultaneously. The enlarged prints were then transmitted to the administrative services for reading and manual reconciliation of the invoice. This system offered a significant time savings and provided a useful file for proof when required.
The system had to be very simple to be operated by the average Postal worker, reliable, and provide quality documents. The Swiss company had to choose the best available camera with the best lens. Certainly without surprise for us Leicapals, they went to Wetzlar, which from the early 1960’s could design special versions of the then available body, the M3, and provide it with the right lens: a fixed-focus Summaron 2.8/35 lenses. It is highly probable that this modified M3 served as model for the simplified MD that appeared a year later, in 1964.
The MD “Post” and MDa “Post” were born. Two versions are known, for either classical 24x36 size negatives, or 24x27 ones (to fit with different sizes of counters), and were available for ten years.
The least known “Post” serials are in the 1067871-1068000 range (1963), and refer to modified M3’s, not MD’s (see frame counter). I personally had nº 1067888, 920, 928, 976 and 987 passing through my collection.
Post cameras listed by Leitz between 1963 and 1972 total 846, 598 being marked 24x36, and 248 marked 24x27. Following Dennis Laney (Collector’s Guide 2nd edition), they are serialled 1067871-1068000 (M3), 1164866-1164940, 1206892-1206941 and 1276936-1274000 for the 24x36 version; and 1141969-1142000, 1185291-1185300, 1206942-1206961, 1273922-1273925, 1286701-1286760 and 1293878-1294000 (1972, last “Post”) for the 24x27.
The accompanying photos of the ALOS “funnel” I had in my “Fontenelle Collection” clearly explain how it works. They were mounted upside down at the “end” of the “funnel”, one cable was connected to the release knob’s thread, another one to the flash connector. The first was actioned by the trigger provided on the “funnel”, the second one contacted a circular flash in the “funnel” whose power came from an external battery (the thick cable).
All the Post or Telephone officers had to do was to apply the open end of the “thing” on the selected counters’ area and to trigger. And to wind up for the next shot…Pierre Jeandrain is the former owner of the Leitz-Leica Fontenelle Collection.
