We love the history, theory and practice of photojournalism... So it pretty much goes without saying that we love the cameras and kit from the great period of photo-reportage. But the problem is that some of this gear is now very expensive and rare.
That photojournalist's favourite, the Leicavit rapid winder has achieved an almost mythical status not only because it was used by so many legendary photographers but also because of its now very high price; chrome examples can go for up to £10,000 and black paint, £30,000 plus! Which is a real shame if you are a photographer and not a speculator.
From its beginning as a modified baseplate with a rapid trigger winder attached to drive the ponderous knob-wind Leicas of the pre-war and immediate post-war years, the Leicavit was a wonderful addition for anybody who wanted to shoot fast. When the Leica M3 came along, a new, slightly larger Leicavit - the Leicavit MP - was developed and it was at this point that things got tough for all of us Leica M users... Because the M3's frame counter set-up could not be adapted to work with the Leicavit.
Leica M folk would have to wait until the Leica M2 with its external-setting frame counter came along before they would be able to fit the Leicavit to an M camera - or just use it with the M1 which had no rangefinder and was hardly ideal as a street camera.
The only other way to get a Leicavit on an M was to buy a Leica MP (which was the first production Leica to have that external-setting frame counter) - but it was a camera made in tiny numbers for a very brief moment in the 50s - and which now changes hands for sometimes well over a million $!!
In more recent years, the Leicavit was re-introduced by Leica for various M4 and later cameras but the Leicavit made for these cameras will not retrofit onto an M2 - let alone an M3.
So... Until now, all of us Leica M2 and M3 users have been stuck with no real means of getting hold of a Leicavit for our cameras. Sure, you can fit an original one on an M2, if you can afford the crazy price, or you can buy something like the hard to find Abrahamsson rapid winder which is functional but not very authentic to look at.
...At last we can bring some real happiness to all you Leica M2 and M3 users - because we have been part of the development of an homage to the Leicavit which works on both cameras.
Enter the Kinovit MP!
There are some incredibly dedicated and talented camera engineers out there and we would point to Donald Poon, founder of KEKS, as being a master of his craft and, in our opinion, a bit of mechanical genius. For years, the received wisdom has been that it is very hard and very expensive to get an M3 to work with a Leicavit; requiring all kinds of fiddling and parts scavenging to achieve anything workable - both to drive the wind-on mechanism but also, crucially, to work with the M3's sophisticated frame counter and trigger the counter back to zero when changing film.
Donald has fixed this by creating for us not only a forensically exact homage to the Leicavit MP (the Kinovit MP is almost part-for-part exactly the same as the original) but also a quite brilliant two-part take-up spool that transforms the M3 into a rapid-winder friendly camera. The spool is available to order separately for attaching The Kinovit MP to an M3. You won't need this spool for the M2.
...So that's the great news on The Kinovit MP!
The winder is only available as a special order - in chrome or black paint - since it is entirely hand assembled in very small batches. When you place your order, I'm afraid you will have to be a little patient. It will take a couple of weeks before your winder will be ready for delivery.
The standard winder - as supplied to us by Donald and his team at Keks comes in a simple and elegant model. Available in black paint or chrome, the engraving on the winder is limited to the simple German/English auf-open zu-close note on the baseplate and Donald's line REIMAGINED BY KEKS CAMERA
Take a look at the pictures of Donald's personal Leica M2 to see how this standard Keks winder looks.
For us types caught up in the romance of photojournalism, we have asked Donald to add the engraved Kinovit MP on the front of the winder to echo the look of the original Leicavit MP winders. The engraving on the baseplate is the same as the Keks winder. If you like the addition of the 'Kinovit MP' engraving, please make sure you order this version - which is exclusive to The Strapateer and not available anywhere else. The Kinovit MP engraving is a custom order - so you may have to wait a bit longer for delivery than the standard winder.
The Kinovit and the standard Keks winder can also be ordered with a wonderfully well made rewind crank made by another very clever engineering friend of ours in Holland. Maarten Moerman at Camera Obscura Elberg.
If you would like to order the winder (Keks or Kinovit MP) and rewind crank together, we can offer a 10% discount
In the photos, on the green Strapateer Photovest, you will see our M3 equipped with the Kinovit MP. Note how the chrome finish is a perfect match for the satin chrome of the M3 (this finish took several prototypes to get exactly right!) and the whole 'vibe' is very much vintage Leica. The black paint finish version of the Kinovit MP also echoes as accurately as possible, the deep black of original Leitz paint. The picture of our M3 on the Nagra IVs recorder shows detail of the rewind crank - available in black paint or chrome
The unique take-up spool comes in two parts and is simply fitted to the camera by means of the threaded rod supplied with the M3 adapter kit. You will note also that this special spool has prongs that are very similar to the rapid film loader spool found on later Leica Ms... The Kinovit MP is built for speed - and will eat film as fast you can use it; so you may want to order one of our 'Reporter' film can straps which can be seen in some of the photos featured here.
Also featured in the pictures is Philip Jones-Griffiths, the legendary Magnum Photos photographer and author of the extraordinary 'Vietnam Inc.' Both his Leicas have Leicavit MPs attached. We also see LIFE magazine's great Alfred Eisentsaedt, with his beloved M3-E fitted with a Leicavit. Thanks to Jim Lager for the pics of Alfred and his camera, M3-E (E for Eisenstaedt)
Donald, on behalf of all of us Leica M folk, The Strapateer salutes you for making the Kinovit MP a reality! And Maarten, that crank makes rewinding an exposed roll of film a real breeze!
You can buy the winder and crank together here - and if you do so we will give you a 10% discount. Just email us for the discount code before purchase.
