SNAPSHOT LEICA (LYMOO)

The affordable Snapshot Leica, code-named LYMOO for camera and lens combination or LENOT, appeared in 1935. It featured a Leica Standard Model E body with a 35mm WEISU viewfinder instead of the usual 50mm finder. A special 35mm f/4.5 Elmar lens, code named ELROO, of a four-element, three-group design in a very compact mount was to be sold with this camera. The lens mount was not coupled to the rangefinder and had four click stops at 1.75m, 3m, 10m, and infinity for scale focusing 35mm f/4.5 Elmar lens cancelled almost immediately due to a lack of production capacity, and only two of these lenses are known to exist today¹⁷⁷.

The camera was previously believed to be extremely rare, with only four known units in existence. However, it has since been discovered that the Leica Standard Model E with the WEISU finder was a popular special order item. Research conducted by members of LEICA HISTORICA in the Leitz archives reveals that between 1936 and 1939, a total of 136 Leica Standard Model E cameras with WEISU viewfinders were shipped. The serial numbers for these cameras range between 180000 and 330000. Typically, one or two cameras were sold at a time; however, one batch of ten cameras was documented in the records. Both black lacquer and chrome versions were available, with the chrome variant being the more common option¹⁷⁷.