🔴 Guest Post: Peter Elgar
You might know the YouTube legend, Peter Elgar who still makes videos today. I was keen to invite Peter to share his thoughts on Leica. This is what he said –
Who is Peter?
I discovered the Magic of PHOTOGRAPHY in 1951 at East Ham Grammar School when on a trip to the Festival of Britain a School Mate showed off his Kodak Brownie Reflex camera – we all peered into the Viewfinder – it was all in Colour too! ” You can learn to do your own Processing at the School Photographic Society, Thursdays in the Chemmy Lab” he said, so I went and in a Semi-Dark Room the Chemistry Master ‘Gabby ‘Heyes was handing out small sheets of paper to boys who took it and put a negative onto it in something like a Picture Frame then held it under a Light on a Retort Stand, then across to the sink where they took out the blank Paper and put it into a dish of liquid and LO and BEHOLD !! A Miraculous Event happened — the paper darkened and a photo appeared ! Then into two other liquids then dry onto blotting paper – I was HOOKED !
I rushed home and got my Mum to find her Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Box Camera from the 1930’s and cycled 4 miles to a wonderful Emporium in Leigh Bridge Road Leytonstone called ‘Marston and Heards’ where the Ancient Proprietor sold all manner of ex- WWII Films, Chemicals and Papers — he would blow the Dust off a purchase – I bought some Ferrania ORTHO film 120 size as I was told ‘ORTHO FILM’ could be handled under a Red Light — so I wrapped some Red Paper around a 25 watt bulb in the bathroom and ‘blacked out’ window with an old blanket, then See-Sawed the Film though a dish of Home-Made developer as shown by the Chemistry Master then Fixer — the Greyish Negatives I got I thought were the Bees-Knees !
As School Boys no-one could afford a 35mm Leica or Contax or even a Paxette on our Pocket Money so all prints were done on Kodak ‘VELOX’ Chloride Contact Print Paper . It was a Big Day when the School bought a ‘Gnome’ enlarger so I could do Half Plate size prints! I joined the South Essex Camera Club in 1952 age 16 and entered the ‘Beginners Section’ — there were many Fellows of the Royal Photographic Society there and one, George Crosby FRPS showed me how to do enlargements using ‘Amidol’ home-made print developer and his wife Anne would keep me supplied with Marmalade Toast then I would cycle all the way home with a load of damp prints.
One evening a member showed 20×16″ enlargements done with a 35mm LEICA on Ilford Pan-F film processed in the Beutler Formula — magnificent ! By that time I had got a British ‘Ensign Selfix 16/20 Model II’ but his prints beat my efforts although I was not printing to 20×16 ” only up to 10×8″ — It set the Seeds of LEICA into my brain.
My journey to Leica?
So as I did not go to University the Armed Forces beckoned and I joined the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Pathological Technician — I kept up membership of the S E C CC as I was stationed in London at the RAMC College then to The Royal Herbert Military Hospital Shooters Hill . Then in 1957 was sent to GERMANY – WoW ! The Camera Shops in my first Posting Munster were full of Rolleis, Leicas, Contaxes which the British Public could not get due to Import Restrictions. I still had my Ensign Selfix though, Then sent to the BMH BERLIN in the British Sector where a Camera Dealer used to come round once a week — he had a LEICA III with 50mm f2 Summitar all scratched but a CONTAX III with 50mm f1.5 Sonnar so I bought THAT one after all for about £38 Sterling.
So I had a 35mm Camera at last – I used it for the early AgfaColor CT18 film and B&W Agfa Isopan, then when I got sent to BMH ISERLOHN in the safety of the British Occupied Zone discovered ADOX films !
In the Town was a Camera Dealers with NEW LEICA M3 and IIIg Cameras for 820 D-Marks when we got 11.50 D-Marks (Deutsche Marks) to £1 Sterling but I was paying off the £38 for the CONTAX still … then in the Canadian Maple Leaf Store I bought a Braun Hobby flash for £14 when they were over £39 in UK IF YOU COULD GET ONE — BUT they also sold NEW LEICA IIIf + 50mm f3.5 Elmar for £45 ! I could not afford on Army Pay to get one.
Many years passed – I joined Barking Photographic Society in 1959 after the S E CC folded and joined the Royal Photographic Society as well – must have been the youngest but KEENEST Member in my 20’s The Legend of LEICA was at the back of my mind but I exchanged the CONTAX for an Asahi Pentax S3 in 1961.
Fast forward to the 90’s — I heard of a Clergyman of St Lawrence Church , Village of Blackmore with LEICAS for sale — he sold me a 1934 Model II + 50mm f2 Leica Summar and a Model III + 50mm f3.5 Leica Elmar for £250 — (Don’t Tell The WIFE! )
The Model II was STOLEN at Thorpe Park in a drive-by theft. Then a Camera Club Mate was going Blind and sold me his 1965 LEICA M2 + 35mm f1.4 Leica Summilux and 1957 90mm f4 Leica Elmar collapsible for £450 – then another Camera Club Mate wanted to sell his 1986 Leica M6 + 35mm f1.4 Canadian Leica Summilux so I lashed out and got it for £1,000 ( DEFINITELY Don’t Tell THE WIFE!! )
Luckily all these Purchases were income Tax Deductible as by that time I was a working Professional with my ‘Letters’ ARPS and ABIPP gained in 1970 by submission of work .
Why Leica?
I wanted to experience the ‘Mystic’ attached to the Leica brand for myself. It has not meant I take any BETTER Snaps though and the 35mm f1.4 Summilux lenses both 1966 Canadian and 1988 German are just too soft at full aperture easily beaten by a Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 I tested from a mate.
You can find my LEICA snaps here on FLICKR: All LEICA photos
What Do You Photograph and Why?
I did Photography for a Studio in Barking where I got introduced to local PRESS Photography and got my Asahi Pentax S3, then after a stint with School Photography got job at University College London Geology Dept where I introduced Asahi Pentax for making slides for lectures, then set up as Freelance in 1970 doing the Dreaded Weddings, PR work, Theatrical Work, Local Press Photography.
I used LEICA for some jobs but the very SLOW FLASH Sync Speed of 1/50th was no good for fill-in outdoors when the opposition had NIKONS with 1/250th Flash Synch Speed – so I also used Rolleicord and later ‘flex and also a Mamiya Press Super 23 — all Tax Deductible.
When I was at UCL Geology Dept in 1969 NASA sent us a slide with Moon Dust that Neil Armstrong had put into his pocket and I had to do Photomicrography of it — I was on about £27 a week by then and all the well-paid Professors looked at the results and said there was a Globule of Glass formed by the action of Sun on the Moon Dust and it was Published half Page in the Sunday Times with my named Credit ( NO CASH ! ) but I was suspicious as I could press down on the slide cover slip and the Globule would change shape — I was RIGHT – it was a minute piece of PLASTIC from the Sieves that NASA used to sieve out all the Best Bits before sending us the remains — but I was only a Lowly £27 a week Snapper — NOT a Professor !
Now I am retired an 88 years old but Still Snapping with Old Cameras I get Given and Outdated Film! I still make up my own Film and Print developers as taught in 1952 at School ! The Magic of LEICA has FADED somewhat now– I find I need autofocus for my Street Candids as trying to follow-focus with the small Rangefinder Patch is so difficult.
Thoughts
I have done the famous 20×16″ size prints from LEICA but now it’s just too Expensive on my Pension. I am Past President of Brentwood & District Photographic Club and teach the Beginners (but they don’t get Marmalade Toast) !!
How Do You Know MrLeica?
I found Matt from his Flickr photos – See Matt’s Flickr
Favorite Leica Camera?
1986 Leica M6 as the Flash Synch Plug is BROKEN on my 1965 Leica M2 and I like the Metering in the Viewfinder.
Favorite Lens?
1957 90mm f4 collapsible Leica ELMAR as I find I use a longer Focal Length most of the time and it is very sharp from f5.6 down.
Favorite Film?
Ilford XP2 400 Super – C41 process and as the image is composed of Dye Clouds very Fine Grained for 400 ASA.
Where can you find Peter?
Follow me at:
- YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@theoldfilmbloke
- Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/25850987@N03/
- Instagram – N/A
MrLeica comments on this article
If you’ve ever searched for film camera reviews on YouTube you may have come across Peter’s channel. Straight talking, no fluff and often with fantastic darkroom prints. What a breath of fresh air Peter is in today’s world!
I do my best reviewing all the various Leica camera and lenses but I wanted to hear how Leica cameras were perceived by the previous generations. Thanks Peter for sharing your story!
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