Leica CL Rangefinder
- Nov 17
- 2 min read
I love rangefinder cameras. I have a Minolta HI-Matic 7S (35mm with a fixed 45mm f1.8 lens), an Ikonta 6x9 and a Mamiya 6 with 3 lenses. I love the lack of vibration, the lack of weight, and the direct viewfinder. I didn’t have is a pocketable film camera, so when my local camera shop Canterbury Cameras had a Leica CL, I was interested. The camera was produced as a result of the collaboration between Leica and Minolta in the 1970s and was actually made in Japan by Minolta. It has bright lines in the viewfinder, one of these for the unusual focal length of 40mm to match the special lens made for the camera. Mine came without a lens and I wanted a “carry everywhere” camera so I bought a Voigtlander 40mm f2.8 Heliar lens. It’s an extremely compact classic design but with the benefit of modern coating. It has plenty of sharpness and contrast, but retains a hint of vintage rendering.
The camera has an exposure meter, although they were apparently never particularly good and mine isn’t accurate in low light. I tried fitting an adaptor to convert a modern battery to the same voltage as the mercury cell it was design for, and Canterbury Cameras had it calibrated with that, but it’s still not good once the light levels go down. I’ve added a tiny exposure meter to the accessory shoe, it’s a Hedeco “Lime II” and works well. Despite the small size of the meter, it does make the camera slightly less pocketable, so when shooting B&W film I often go without a meter and just use the Sunny 16 rule, or take a reading with a hand-held meter and work with that if the light isn’t changing too much.
I’m extremely happy withy the results, the camera focusses accurately, and I have the option to use a different lens in future, although the short rangefinder base means I really wouldn’t want to use too wide an aperture or go longer than 90mm at most! I suspect I might sell the Minolta, the Leica CL does everything the Minolta does, in a much smaller, lighter package, albeit with a lens a stop slower. They do say the best camera for any shot is the one you have with you, so a camera that fits in a coat pocket might often be "best", especially on holiday with my wife and the dogs, neither of whom are interested in photography! The images below were shot on Ilford Delta 400.
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