LEICA "NULL-SERIE" REPLICA OSKAR BARNACK 1879-2004 EDITION
Sample
A sample model of this camera, numbered 0000002 and dated 2003, was expected to be auctioned off at the 8th Wetzlar Camera Auctions on October 10, 2026597.
Serial Production
At the 2004289 Photokina, Leica unveiled the first of 1000 reproductions of the Oskar Barnack "Null-Serie" prototype camera289. This camera set, which includes an Ever-Ready Case, a DVD, and a book about Oskar Barnack, was created to celebrate the inventor’s 125th birthday289. It was a meticulously crafted, exact replica of the 1923 prototype289. This new camera was listed under catalog number 10555348.
The 50mm collapsible lens was designed to focus in meters, but the on-camera rangefinder had not yet been invented289. The owner's manual suggested "estimating the distance."289 The f-stops marked on the lens differed from those we were familiar with; they included f/12, f/9, f/6.3, f/4.5, and f/3.5289. Although the stops were one stop apart, they were not the standard markings we typically used289. This system was known as the "Continental System" and was established long before the Leica emerged in the market289.
There was a lever on the top of the camera with three markings: M, Z, and R289.
- M stood for Momentaufnahmen (short exposure)289
- Z stood for Zeitaufnahmen (long exposure or “bulb”)289
- R stood for rewind289
Note that the Z setting only worked if the shutter was set to the 50mm slit width289.