Leica CL User manual

Congratulations!
and,welcome
to the
World
ofLeica
photography.
The
LHCA@
CL (CompactLEICA)is the first com-
pact
rangefinder
camerawithinterchan-
geable
lenses
and selectivethrough-
the-lens
exposuremetering.ltfeatures
a bayonetlens mount identical
with
thatof the LEICAM models.Thesmall
sizeandlightweight
of the LEICA
CL
makesit an idealtake-along
camera.
This camera is never in the way: it
will
slipintoa pocket
or handbag. The
LEICACL will thus be your constant
companion ready always to capture
anything
that takesyourfancy.
LEICA
CL photography
is fun. But to
fully enjoythe manyfeatures
of your
camerayou must also know how to
operateit.This
little
booklet
explainsit
all,with numerous
usefulhints.
Read
it carefully to get the most out of
photography
andyour newLEICA
CL.
;
,J
-'-2
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www.orphancameras.com

Contents page
Briefrun-downof camera
features 4
Lens changing 6
Fittingthecarryingstrap. 7
The
rightcamera
hold
. 7
The bright-line
view-andrange-
finder
The rapid-windinglever, release
buttonandshutter
speed
dial.
The
distanceand
aperturescales.
Focusing.
Thedepth-of-field
scale
.
The exposure
meter .
Testing
andchanging
thebattery
Using
filters.
Loading
the film .
The
film type indicator.
Unloading
thefilm .
Flashsynchronization
.
Care
ofyourLEICACLandits
lenses
.
Accessories
Interchangeablelenses
.
Cases .
Enlargers
and projectors
.
TheLEITZ
guarantee
and
after-salesservice.
"LEICA
FOTOGRAFIE"
magazine.
9
10
11
12
20
22
22
23
24
25
26
27
30
31
14
15
18
19

Brief run-downof calrera features
1.
Automatic
frame
counter
(p.211
Z Rapidwindinglever(p.10)
3.Shutter speedindex (p. 1O)
4.Filmspeedsetting (p.15)
5.Release hrtton (p. 1O)
6.Shutterspeeddial (p.1O)
7.Redlens locating mark (p.6)
4
8 Bayonetlock button (p.6)
9 Accessoryshoewith hot-shoe
contact (p.23)
1O
Depth
of fieldscale(p.14)
11
Afrture ring
andscale(p.11)
12Focusing mount
anddistancescale
(p.
11)
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13Rangpfinder
window
(p.121
14llluminatirlgwindowfor bright-line
frames
(p.12)
15Viewfinderwirdow (p.12)
16
Carrying
strapeyelets
(p.17)
17Finder
eyepiece
(p.
9)
18Rewind
crank
(p.221
19Base
date lockinglatch (p.20)
20Tdpodbush,114"
21Filmrewind
releasebutton(p.221
22Filmtypeindicator
(p.221

Fitting
thelens
First
removethe bodycap from the
camerabodybydepressing
thebayo-
net lock button
(8),
andturning
the
cap
tothe
left,
thenliftout.
Tofit
alens,first
line
upthered
locating
mark
(7)
onthelens
mount
opposite
the
bayonet
lockbutton
(8)
withits
red
mark.Insert
thelens
andturnto the
right
to engage
thebayonet
lock.
An
audible
click
is
produced
when
the
lens
is
securelyseated.Always
changelen-
ses
in
the
shade
(shelter
camerawith
your
bodyifnecessary).
6
Removing
the lens
Grip
thelensbythefixed
rearring
(10),
press
thebayonet
lockbutton
(8),
turn
thelenstothe
leftandlift
out.
Whenusing
lenses
from
the
LEICAM
system,note the information
leaflet
No.120-ffi.
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Fittingthe g strap
First
thread
the
strap
suppliedwiththe
camera
(Order
No. 14194)
into the
non-slip
pad.
Then
push
the
plain
end
of
the
strap
(or
of
thewrist
strap,
Order
No.14197)
through
the two eyelets
(16)
inthe
side
ofthe
cameraand
pull
through
thebuckle
at
the
otherend
of
the
strap.Adjust
the
straptoa
comfort-
ablelength.
lloldingyour
GL
For
a steady
three-point
support,
grip
thecamerawith
theright
hand
sothat
theindex
finger
isontherelease
but-
ton
orshutter
speeddial
andthe
thumb
againsttherapid
winding
lever.
Usethe
lefthand
either
to
supportthe
lensfrom
below
forrapid
focusing
andaperture
adjustment,
orto grip theleft
side
of
the camera.In addition,
pressthe
LEICAfirmly
against
your
forehead.
For
vertical
shots
simplyturn
theca-
mera
90".Keep
the
same
grip
onthe
camera
asforhorizontal
shots.
7)

28111'112
R
8
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The bright-lineview- and rangefinder
Thecombined
bright-line
findersystem
of the LEICA
CL is coupledwith the
lens.
lt incorporates
arangefinder,
and
serves as a high-quality
vieMinder.
The meter measuring
field is a circle
1/3the heightof the frameinuse.
For
the 90mmlens,the rangefinder
patch
canbeconsidered
themeasuring
field.
Yourecordonthefilm everything
you
see within the appropriate
brightline
frame.
Thebright-line
frames,
too,are
coupled
with the focusingmovement
for automatic parallaxcompensation,
to allow
for the difference
in location
between
the lensaxisandfinder
axis.
The rangefinder
field in the centerof
the viewfinderappearsbrighterthan
the surroundlng
imagearea.
Onfitting40mm,
S0mmor 9ommlen-
ses the corresponding bright-line
frameautomatically
appears
inthefin-
der.
The40mm
frame
isalways visible.
Wth a 40mmlenson the camera,
the
Somm
frame
also
remains
inview.
A scaleabovethe finder areashows
theselectedshutter
speed.
The exposure
meter needle
is visible
at the rightof the finderfield.To set
thecorrect
exposure,
thismeter
needle
mustbecentered
insidethe rectangu-
larcut-out
at
therighthandedgeofthe
finder.

The rafiid-windinglever (2) advances
the film by one frame with everyfull
levermovement.
At thesametimethe
lever tensionsthe shutter and auto-
matically
advances
theframe
counter.
The release button (5) hasathreadto
take
a
cable
release
(Order
No.
14
067).
Press
therelease
button
gently
- with-
out
jerking
- until
asoftclickindicates
that
theshutterhas
tripped.
The shutter speed dial (6) selectsthe
exposure
time.You
canadjustitbefore
or after tensioning
the shutter.
lt en-
gages
atallmarked
speedsfrom1/1000
to 112and B (time exposures
of any
length).Intermediate
speeds can be
set,
andarefully
operative,in
thewhole
range except between 1/30 and 1/60
second.The settingindex (3) for the
shutter
speed
is on the top of the ca-
merabody.
Whenusingflash
units
set
the dial to 1/60 second(engraved
in
yellow)or to a slower
speed(See also
flash
table
on page 23).
www.orphancameras.com

The distarrce scale
The distance scale (12')shows the
distance
to which the lens is set. ln
conjunction with the depth-of-field
scale(10) it alsoshowsthe depth of
thezone
of sharpness.
Thedistance
is
also importantwhen calculating
flash
exposures
from flashguidenumbers.
All distancesare measuredfrom the
fllmplane,
i.
€.,theback ofthecamera.
The aperture scale
Aperture values are internationally
stanQardized
andarrangedsothatthe
amou'ntof light reachi-ngthe film is
halvedevery
time youstopdownfrom
one aperture
valueto the next.Each
apertureintervalis equivalent
to the
interval between two speeds on the
shutterspeed
dial(6). Like
theshutter
speeddial,
the lensaperture
ring
(11)
clicks into positionat each marked
setting
- andalsoathalf
stop
intervals.
With a little practice you can thus
identify
aperturesettings
in the dark.
11

Focusing
The rangefinder
field appearsin the
center of the finder as a bright and
sharplyoutlined
area.
lf you blockthe
large
viewflnder
window
(1Owith
one
finger, only the central rangefinder
field (a) remains
visibletogether
with
thereflected
bright{ine
frames
(b),
the
shutterspeedscale (c) and the expo-
suremeterneedle
(d).
Youcanfocus
the image by double-imageor split-
imagematching.
For double-image(coincidence)fo-
cusing,
for instance on a highlight
in
the eyein a portrait,
observe
the sub-
12
ject
throughthefinderandturnthelens
focusingmount
(12)
until
thetwoima-
ges
fuseintoone.
Split
imagefocusing:
Sight
anedgeor
other
clear
outline
and
turnthefocus-
ingmount
('12)
until
thebroken
outline
appearscontinuous
inthe rangefinder
field. This is the more accurateand
hencethepreferable
method
offocus-
ing.
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\4
-+
b
-s
Double
image
: unsharp
Broken
and
double
line
: unsharp
Single
image
: sharp
Continuous
single
line
: sharP

The depth-of-field scale
The
LEICACLlenseshave afixedring
withadepth-of-field
scale
(10),
arotat-
ingfocusing
mountwith
distance
scale
(12)
andanaperturering
(1
1).
The lens reprofluces at maximum
sharpnessa subject
plane
(parallel
to
the film plane)on which the lens is
actuallyfocused.
Optimum
sharpness
gradually
falls
offinfront
ofand
behind
this
subject
plane,
butwithin
a certain
zone the image appears acceptably
sharp.Thisdepth-of-field
zonedepends
on the subject distance, the focal
length of the lens and the aperture
14
used. Stopping down increases the
depth-of-field,
opening the iris dia-
phragm
decreases
it.
The depth-of-field scale shows the
depth-of-fieldat any distance setting
of the lens.
It,for instance,
you focus the 4omm,
SUMMICRON-Ctl2 lenson 5 meters
or 161l2teet (between
the 10
and25
foot marks
on the distance
scale)the
depth
offieldattl4 extendsfrom
about
4 metersto 10 meters(13 112to 33
feet).lf,
withthe
samedistancesetting,
you stop downto t111,
the depthex-
tendsfrom
about2.5
meters
(81l2feet)
to infinity.
Exact depth-of-fieldvalues are listed
in the depth-of-field
tableNo. 110-57.
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The
exposure
meter
Foraccurate
exposure
measurement
you
mustset
the
correct
film
speed
on
the
film
speed
dial.
The
film
speed
dial
(4)
shows
equiva-
lentASAand
DINspeed
values
intwo
windows.
To
setthe
speed,
lightly
press
down
thebutton
(4)
and
turn
ittobring
theappropriatespeed
value
opposite
theindex
markinthe
window.Youcan
set
film
speeds
fromASA
25to1600 or
15to
33
DlN.
Formeter
readingsthe shutter
must
betensioned
(cocked)
andthe rapid
windinglever
(2)
pulled
sllghtlyoutof
its rest position. After releasing,
the
meterneedle
may movein the finder
butnoexposure
readingsare
possible.
Hofd the camera horizontallyfor ex-
posure
readings.TheLEICACL expo-
sure meter measures selectively
through
thelens,
i.
e.,
itreadsacentral
image portion. Use the rangefinder
area
asa guide
to the measuring
field.
This rangefinder
field, extended
to a
fuffcircle,showsthe measuring
area
with the 9omm lens on the camera.
Wth the 40mm lens the measuring
area
isabout
twiceas large
within
the
finderfield.We havedeliberately
not
15

included
additional
markings
to avoid
cluttering
upthefinder.
Themeter
needle
ofthebuilt-inexpos-
ure meterappears
to the rightof the
finder.The exposure
is correctlyset
whenthe
meterneedleislinedup
with
the central
rectangularcut-outat the
rightfinderedge.
Thisiscontrolled
by
thelensaperture
ring
(1
1)
and
the
shut-
ter speeddial (6).You can preselect
either
the exposure
timeor the apert-
ure.
lfaredsignalappears
attheright-
handsideof
thefinder
on
adjusting
the
shutterspeed
dial,switch
to asuitable
faster
speed
(shorter
time)tomakethe
redsignal disappear.Thenstop down
oropen
thelensaperture
tocenter the
meter needlein the rectangularcut-
out.
lf
you
cannotcenterthe
needle,
the
available
lightisinadequate
fora read-
ing.
Theselected shutterspeedis always
visibfeonascaleabove
the
finder
area.
Selective
measurementof a central
imageareawith the LEICACL makes
close-up
readings
- essential
for many
subjectconditions
- possible
atnormal
distances.As a general rule,measure
16
thespotonwhich
youfocus.
Selective
light
meteringalsocopes
with
problems of unbalanced brightness
distributior,
e.
g.,predominant
lightor
darkareas.
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Inthe illustrations
one landscape
has
a
largesky
area
while
theother
includes
only foreground.
Yet both need the
same
exposure;
so
measure
a
medium-
tonearea
in bothcases.
When shooting snowscenes
in sun-
light,
measurean areaof snowin the
shade,
or sight
the subject
sothatthe
measuring
fieldtakes
inapproximately
equalareasof snowandshadow.
Thecircles
marked
in the illustratlons
show examplesof preferred
areasfor
selective
readings.

Testing
the battery
Thebuilt-in
exposuremeteris
powered
by
a 1.35 voltmercury
oxidecell.
Use
a
Mallory
PX
625button
cell
orequival-
entcells
of othermakes
- e.g.Varta
Pertrix
7@2
or
Mallory
National
H-D.
To test the battery
holdthe camera
horizontally
ard view
throughthefin-
der.Turntheshutter
speeddial
(6)
to
makea pointer
appearin thecut-out
'in
thetopright-hand
cornerofthefind-
er.Pressthe batterytestbutton
(23).
lfthemeter
needlenow
movesintothe
central
rectangular
cut-outattheright
of
thefinder,
thebatteryis
serviceable.
18
Doyourbattery
testbefore
changing
film!
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Changing
thebattery
Open
thecamera
back
(seepage
22).
Thebuttoncell
isnowviSible
just
below
thefilm
take-upspool
foreasychang-
ing.
Using
filters
To fit Series5.5 filters,unscrew
the
lenshood,
place
the filterin position
and secure it by screwing
the hood
in again (Note: screw thread at the
frontofthelens
isnotthesame
as
the
LEICA
E39filterthread).
Through-the-lens
metering generally
allows
for the filterfactgr.Fllmshow-
everdiffer in their speclral
response;
hencethe readings
may not be fullY
reliable
withverydense
filters.
Forin-
stance
withan orange
filterthe expo-
sure must
be increased
by one stoP,
with a red filter by about two stops.
No precise
valuescan be quoted,
as
the red-sensitivity
of black-and-white
filmscan
varyappreciably.
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