James Bond Uses Leica

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Just returned from visit to Pinewood Studios in England to report on the latest James Bond adventure for People Magazine. You'll be pleased to learn that Bond uses Leica in one of the scenes.

-- Victor S. (VSantiago8@aol.com), February 03, 2002

Answers

Which Leica ?

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), February 03, 2002.

And what does it shoot besides pictures?

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), February 03, 2002.

(Yawn) That's nice.

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), February 03, 2002.

Leica, BMW - James is turning very German!

-- Giles Poilu (giles@monpoilu.icom43.net), February 03, 2002.

Leica, BMW, . . . don't forget the Walter PPK pistol and the Walter 2000 sniper rifle.

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), February 03, 2002.


if you've read the actual books, he used an M4 I believe in Goldfinger. I think the books are better than the movie. Take Moonraker, for example, the book was SO much more plausible and interesting.

~ken

-- Ken Kwok (kk353@yahoo.com), February 03, 2002.


(Yawn) That's nice.

John, I find that comment from you amusing, considering some of the threads you have started (many I which I could have said "Yawn" but just hit my back button instead).

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), February 03, 2002.


Ken: Have you read the short stories? Some of the ones that were published in Playboy, Esquire, and other places in the 1960's? Some of the best work Fleming did. "Quantum of Solace", "The Living Daylights", and "Octopussy" are such great stories,and are so vastly different from the films...

-- Marke Gilbert (Bohdi137@aol.com), February 03, 2002.

What is the name of the new bond movie? (Would like to add the reference to the "Leica at the movies" entry in the FAQ.)

-- Andrew Nemeth (azn@nemeng.com), February 03, 2002.

John, I find that comment from you amusing, considering some of the threads you have started (many I which I could have said "Yawn" but just hit my back button instead).

Well it amuses me that your amused. Isn't it nice that we can so amuse each other?

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), February 03, 2002.



Tony Rowlett,you delete the 'how much do you earn' thread,but leave this pile of crap on?

Come on Tony!

-- Virgil (leicavirgin@hotmail.com), February 03, 2002.


Marke,

Yes I have. I think they're great. I have an anthology which contains like 6 or 7 of them in one volume.

Ken

p.s i thought the quantum of solace was really disturbing.

-- Ken Kwok (kk353@yahoo.com), February 03, 2002.


1. The first time I ever heard of a strange little camera called a "Leica" was reading "Dr. No" at age 11. A woman working for the villain uses one to snap pictures of 007 at the airport and a nightclub.

2. In the movie version (c. 1961) I'm not sure she uses the real thing - Mr. Nemeth might rent the video and check it out for his list.

3. Ian Fleming died a couple of years before the M4 was introduced, and the first 4 Bond movies were also made prior to the M4 (Goldfinger, Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Thunderball). So the M4 can't appear in any novel or in the first movies.

In fact Fleming had written many of the Bond novels even before the M3 came along - so most of HIS references to Leicas - if any - are to the screw-mount cameras - classic spy devices anyway.

(totally off topic - saw "High Society" today - the magazine photographer (Celeste Holme) uses a (sigh!) Contax and Rolleiflex.

Continuing off topic - the current movie "A Beautiful Mind" has one early scene set in the 1950's-era Pentagon: A military photographer is seen briefly in the background also using (sigh!) a Contax (I believe - the shot lasts about 2 seconds) to photograph a map. Probably true-to- life, since the Contax was considered the technically superior beast at the time and more worthy of government funds.)

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), February 04, 2002.


really? too involved in the story to pay much attention to camera model. sorry.

-- Ken Kwok (kk353@yahoo.com), February 04, 2002.

Victor

It's not surprising, after all Bond works for "M". But is this a special camera with "optional extras" added by "Q"?

Andy. You're wrong about Contax being more worthy of government funds! Leica has sold many cameras and lenses under contract to the US government. The following is just a partial list.

1. US Army (KE-7A with 50/2.0 Elcan) 2. US Navy (M4-MOT, 90/1.0 Elcan, 180/3.4 Apo-Elmarit-R) 3. USAF (KS-15 set: M2-S with 3 lenses: 50/2.0DR, 35/2.0, 135/2.8) 4. NASA (specially mified M4 w/ 50/1.2 Noctilux, 75mm/1.4 Summilux)

The 90/2.8 Elmarit was originally supplied to the US military, and later produced commercially. Leitz Canada also supplied ELCAN binoculars to the US military. These are just the ones I am aware of. There were others.

I don't know which or how many (if any) Contax products were bought by the US government, but I doubt it was anything close to Leica.

-- Eliot (ersoen@lij.edu), February 04, 2002.



Eliot: Your list is impressive, but everything on it is post-1960, no? The movie scene I am referring to is early cold-war - c.1950-55 - when the choice was Zeiss Sonnar vs. the Summar/Summarits.

Even Robert Capa and HCB were using screw-mount Sonnars at that point, I believe.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), February 04, 2002.


Andy. Yes these are all of 1960s and later vintage. I understand some of these items turn up in government surplus sales from time to time.

Eliot

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), February 04, 2002.


In the movie version of "Dr. No," the woman uses an SLR with a large bulb flash attached to it, I suppose so that it's completely obvious to the audience. It looked as much like a Nikon F as anything else, I think.

But while we're wasting time on this, I did notice that the heroine of the recent and very silly "George of the Jungle" movie did start out her jungle trek with an M around her neck.

-- John Morris (jtmorris@slb.com), February 04, 2002.


FWIW,James Bond will also be using a "Swatch" watch. Wow! I dunno if its same as Rolex! Just kidding. Movies a la 'The Bridges of Madison County'are not thre real world! Who cares what is used in a movie.I certainly do not. I use a Leica because it fits me. I want to be invited to join Magnum. i'm a wannabee! Good shooting!

-- jason gold (leeu72@hotmail.com), February 04, 2002.

Anyway, what's interesting about product placement in Bond movies is that he often uses products as part of their introduction to the public (viz. the BMW Z3 and the new bike in the following movie.)

So if the new movie comes out next summer - will he have the M7 or maybe even an R9?

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), February 04, 2002.


You are right Andy. I remember how I wanted my very own Ursula Andress after a Bond film introduced that particular model.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), February 04, 2002.



-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), February 10, 2002.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1969

James Bond



-- martin tai (martiin.tai@capcanada.com), February 11, 2002.

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