Barnack Leica compatible LEOTAX F

A review and photo examples of the Leica Barnack copy Leica Leotax F made by Leotax Camera.

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Table of contents

Gallery

• The sample photographs were taken with a KONICA L39 HEXANON 60mm F1.2 lens, lomography Lady grey B&W400 film, and a MINOLTA DiMAGE Scan Multi PRO scanner.

Review

1．Overview

The LEOTAX F was a rangefinder camera released in 1954 equipped with a Barnack Leica-compatible L39 screw mount.

2．Usability

The LEOTAX F was my first Barnack Leica compatible camera, and I was often confused because it did not understand things that are common sense to people who have used a Barnack Leica.

There were three main points of confusion, as follows.

• Viewfinder
  • The rangefinder finder and the 50mm field finder are lined up separately, and until I got used to it, I sometimes had trouble instantly figuring out which one I was looking through.
  • Because the camera is old, the double image that indicates focus was faint, so it was difficult to focus.

• Film loading
  • Loading film into a Barnack Leica has been introduced in various media, but when I tried to clamp the film tongue onto the winding sprocket, I took the trouble to turn the film around the sprocket twice before pushing it into the camera, and the repulsive force of the winding caused the film to come off the sprocket. I failed twice and realized that it was okay to just hook the end without winding it.

• Exposure meter
  • Since it is not equipped with an exposure meter that requires batteries, the photographer must decide the shutter speed and lens F-stop. By attaching a lens with similar specifications to a digital camera and taking pictures using the F-stop and shutter speed as a reference, I had no problem determining the exposure.

The faster shutter speeds seemed to work reasonably well for an old camera, so it appeared to have been well-maintained. Although I ended up returning it within a few days due to an initial malfunction, it was a camera that made me want to try using a Barnack Leica if I had the chance.

3．Summary

In conclusion, to sum up the LEOTAX F, once you get used to loading the film, it’s a camera that can be used normally.
However, the method of loading the film is better as it allows you to open the back cover and properly load the film onto the spool, like the Leica M series, so there’s no risk of mistakes.

Specification

• 最大シャッタスピード 1/1000
• L39スクリューマウント
• 横走り布幕シャッター
• 電池不要の機械式カメラ
• ダイキャストボディーを採用

Reference links

• LEOTAX ・Wikipedia

Update history

• 2025.6.13

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