NOT a Leitz code word.

Today we are 59 years after the introduction of Leitz Code Numbers for their multitude of products, rather than the code words which had been composed for the 1920's until 1960.  Despite the lapse of time it is common to hear the alphabetic word quoted rather than the number throughout the Leica World.  It would make a quite separate Blog to give all the odd quirks of the code word system, the New York additions and the (slightly) amusing rhyming poetry that resulted.

In my early days as a Leica user I bought a venerable Focomat 1 from Cheltenham Cameras which came with a strange spring loaded negative carrier that worked well and raised little attention until I noticed that it was made in France- which made me do some research.  Of course you will by now have noted that the name SUMMOR, although similar to a code word, is not from the Leitz stable. Frankly,  I wondered if I might have a 'Monte en Sarre' product and was disappointed to learn that this was one of several utility domestic products of France which immediately followed the Second World War. These were advertised widely in the UK Amateur press as were French cameras which seem to have been only available for a short time. Another product of similar name was a plastic cassette loader and small bulk magazine both of which have turned up in this country in recent years.  A later Blog may deal with them.

The negative holder I have illustrated came in a hammered gloss black finish which had almost entirely worn through. It has been resprayed in matt black( baked on my oil cooker) on the exterior but the interior and film channel is pristine, save for some poor chromium on the spring plates. The unit is about 8mm in thickness and will fit all the German Focomat enlargers that I have handled, both I and Ic but not the FILOY which has a narrow aperture for glass plates. It will fit the Focomat machines even with a anti-newton plate in place. In case anyone wonders the chrome plates are located well below the black aluminium surface of the exterior. Stange to say,

the SUMMOR can, at a pinch also fit the v35!