35MM LEICA CAMERAS FOR MICROPHOTOGRAPHY 


A vintage black camera with a large lens attached and textured body

LEICA MIFILMCA 35MM MICROPHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA

The Leica Mifilmca was Leitz's first 35mm microphotographic camera360 for photography on the microscope364. This device was introduced in 1928364. The advantage of using 35mm, instead of 18x24 cm format was that it allowed for significantly shorter exposure times364. Camera shakes, thus, were reduced to a minimum364.

The design of Mifilmca resembled that of a Leica I Model B but lacked a viewfinder and accessory shoe360. Instead, it featured a conical tube with a 1/3 magnification ratio, an Ibsor shutter, and a beam-splitter360. Early models had low (6mm) film advance knobs, while later versions were equipped with a higher (8mm) knob360. The original version of the Mifilmca, which included a fixed tube, likely emerged in the late 1920s or early 1930s360.

Eventually, Leica Mifilmca was replaced in 1930s by the Mikas microscope attachment364. The Mikas attachment could be mounted on Leica Standard Model E364.


Some Known Examples

Some known examples included: 

  • without serial number of rare late type dated circa 1930 was sold for 3360 Euros including buyer's premium at the 27th WestLicht Camera Auction on June 13, 2015396. 
  • without serial number dated circa 1931 was sold for 1200 Euros including buyer's premium at the 40th Leitz Photographica Auction on June 11, 2022383.
  • without serial number dated 1932 was sold for 1800 Euros including buyer's premium at the 1st Wetzlar Camera Auction on October 5, 2019428. The lot was described as "Leitz Microscope attachment camera for 35 mm film, based on the Compur-Leica. Second version of Mifilmca, with removable MIKAS. Without serial number. 
Very nice condition."428.
  • without serial number dated 1932 was auctioned off on March 21, 2009 at the Auction Team Breker.
  • 3670 was auctioned off on June 12, 2001 at the Christie's.
  • 3696, dated circa 1930, was sold for 6000 Euros including buyer's premium at the 19th WestLicht Camera Auction on May 28, 2011405. The lot was described as "very rare camera with non-removable 1/3x conical adapter, dial set Compur shutter, in almost new original condition"405.
  • 3706, dated circa 1927, was sold for 2200 Euros including buyer's premium at the 2nd Wetzlar Camera Auction on October 10, 2020427. The lot was described as "Leitz Microscope attachment camera for 35 mm film, based on the Leica Compur. Second version of Mifilmca, with non-removable MIKAS. Extremely nice condition."427.
  • 3925, dated 1930, was sold for 2160 Euros including buyer's premium at the 35th Leitz Photographica Auction on November 23, 2019388.
  • 3961, dated 1927, was offered but remained unsold at the 4th Wetzlar Camera Auction on October 8, 2022425. The lot was described as "Leitz Microscope attachment camera for 35 mm film, based on the Leica Compur. First version of the Mifilmca, with non-removable MIKAS. Extremely nice condition. In original storage box. Provenance: Allen Collection."425.
  • 3979 was auctioned off on April 23, 2021 at the Auction Team Breker.
  • 3983, dated 1930, was offered but remained unsold at the 1st WestLicht Camera Auction on November 15, 2002422.
  • 4623, dated circa 1929, was auctioned off at Kimball's Auction in Hatfield, MA, US on November 14, 2020 and then later was auctioned off at the 38th Leitz Photographica Auction on June 12, 2021385.
  • 4626 was auctioned off on November 14, 2020 at an American auction house.
  • 4631 was illustrated in Mr. Lars Netopil's "Rare Leica" book in 2014594.
  • 4642 was auctioned off on November 19, 2022 at an American auction house and later on was auctioned off on June 01, 2023 at the OstLicht Auctions.
  • 4643, dated circa 1930, was sold for 1800 Euros including buyer's premium at the 13th WestLicht Camera Auction on June 7, 2008411. 
  • 4673, dated circa 1927, is part of Charles M. Messer collection, located in The Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio496.
  • 5076 was illustrated in Viewfinder Volume 29, Number 1, Q1 of 1996. It was auctioned off on June 8, 2000 at the Christie's.
  • 5082 was auctioned off on February 25, 2023 at the Henry's Auktionshaus, Mutterstadt, Germany.
  • 5091 was auctioned off on March 19, 2016 at the Auction Team Breker.
  • 5327, dated 1927, was offered but remained unsold at the 3rd Wetzlar Camera Auction on October 9, 2021426. The lot was described as "Leitz Microscope attachment camera for 35 mm film, based on the Leica Compur. First version of the Mifilmca, with non-removable MIKAS. Extremely nice condition. Inventory marking on bottomplate defaced. In original storage box."426.
  • 5339 was illustrated on the page 91of Gianni Rogliatti's "Leica, the First Fifty Years" book. 
  • 5368 was sold for 840 Euros including buyer's premium at the 42nd Leitz Photographica Auction on June 9 and 10, 2023381.
A vintage black camera with a large eyepiece mounted on top, featuring silver dials and knobs on the front and side.

LEICA KAFILMCA 35MM MICROPHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA

In 1932, a new model of the Leica Mifilmca 35mm microphotographic camera was introduced, featuring a standardized flange, a removable tube, and a Mikas unit360. This updated version, known as the "Kafilmca", also included a pull-up rewind knob similar to those on Leica Standard Model E cameras360. In the same year, a new model of the Mikas with a 1/3 magnification cone was released360. The conical tube of the Mikas had a 39×1mm male thread360. The Mikas remained virtually unchanged until the late 1950s360. It was sold as a unit, but the shutter and beam-splitter were also available separately to allow for the use of various conical tubes that became available starting in 1939360. These tubes included: (1) with 1/3× initial magnification (code: GIIEF), (2) with 1/2× initial magnification (code: GIIMW), and (3) with 1× initial magnification (code: GIINK)360.


Some known Leica Kafilmca cameras included:

  • prototype, without serial number and dated circa 1930, was offered but remained unsold at the 38th Leitz Photographica Auction on June 12, 2021385. This unique prototype had Leitz logo and "R" engraved the other way around, baseplate of early type, low-profile knobs, and chrome lens mount engraved "0+0.65"385.
  • prototype engraved "1/9×" and without serial number was illustrated in Mr. Lars Netopil's "Rare Leica" book594. 
  • unnumbered Kafilmca camera was described and illustrated on pages 6-7 of Viewfinder, Volume 10, No 3, 1977. This camera, owned by Roger Bingham in 1977, had "dimpled mushroom shutter release, "pointer" film counter, etc". According to Mr. Bingham, the "KAFILMCA was produced around 1926- 27 and carried no serial number - only the "E. Leitz Wetzlar" trademark...According to the 1929 Leitz General Catalogue, it was intended for use with Microscope "SC" (Small Skin). It was furnished with a short connecting mount and a lens fitted between the earner a and the Micro Ibso (Ibsor) shutter. the shutter with my KAFILMCA, incidentally, has speeds of T, B, 1, 2, 5, 10 and 25...The lens in the connecting mount of the KAFILMCA produces an image that is round and fills about two-thirds of the standard 24 x 36mm frame; thus, the magnification is only about 1/6X....The connecting tube, Micro Ibso, etc., are removable from the KAFILMCA. The camera mount, with a wide flange, is threaded for approximately 30mm diameter".
  • 3741, converted for plane film cassette, was illustrated in Mr. Lars Netopil's "Museum Leica" book in 2018596.
  • 3781, which was auctioned off on March 20, 2010 at the Auction Team Breker