About the Reid camera from Reid & Sigrist Ltd

 

Although a close copy of the Leica IIIb the Reid camera was designed in-house in imperial measurements and to much tighter specifications than Leica used. The camera was unquestionably the finest made British camera in terms of the quality of its engineering, reliability and body finish but its origins as a copy meant that the design was neither new nor original in any respect except for the front mounted dual flash sync sockets fitted as standard on many cameras. A lack of innovation and development by Reid & Sigrist ensured that the camera disappeared in to obscurity. It did find a market despite a price tag at £109 and up to 2500 examples of the five variants of the main camera, the Reid III, are believed to have been made.

However, the Reid camera in modern times, due to its precision engineeering and build quality, has progressively moved to a top ranking in the eyes of collectors and now regularly fetches into four figures with its Taylor Hobson 2"/f2 lens, more if a rarer Type I and even more for the Ia and II with the latter being the most sought after.

The firm of Reid & Sigrist was founded after the first world war as a small precision instrument making business in Leicester and also later at New Malden, Surrey. During the second world war the firm undertook the assembly and repair of aircraft and making of munitions. After the war the firm began to seek new markets to diversify into. It was approached by the former minister of aircraft production, Sir Stafford Cripps, with a view to making a 'British Leica' - a proposal instigated by a lack of available UK made 35mm cameras both during and after the war.

The Leitz factory in Wetzlar had fallen into British hands in 1945 and was investigated and its manufacturing facilities and techniques researched. A late 1946 British Intelligence Report summarises that that "The Team left England on the 15th November, 1946 and returned on the 28th November, 1946. Of this period only that from the 18th to 26th November was spent in Germany and the investigation at the Leitz Works was carried out on 19th, 21st and 22nd November. Subsequent visits to the Leitz works were made by the Leader and one member of the team on the 25th and 26th November to collect documents for the removal of which permission had to be obtained. 

 

Before the investigation at the Leitz Works was proceeded with the microfilms taken at the Leitz Works by a U.S. Army Micro-film Unit, and filed at F.I.A.T. Headquarters, were examined by one member of the team and it was soon established that these films were, from a practical angle, completely useless. Although all drawings and documents at the Leitz works had been filmed they had been so completely mixed up that it would have taken a very knowledgeable Leitz executive many months to sort out those relevant to the Leica Camera. At a meeting with B.I.O.S. and the U.S. Scientific Consultants Section it was agreed that the team should be authorised to remove copies of the drawings for the Leica III B and III C or, alternatively, that another microfilm unit should be sent to the Leitz Works to take a fresh set of films, under the direction of a member of the Team. The U.S. Scientific Consultants Section also indicated their interest in the investigation at the Leitz Works and decided to send a team to join forces with the British Team.

The Leitz patents were made available to the public under the 1946 London Agreement whereby all German patents were declared invalid.

A series of six Reid prototype cameras were made up, looking just like a 'real' Leica (right down to the 'Leica' script engraving, see later for details of one), but manufactured using imperial rather than metric measurements, for presentation at the 1947 British Industries Fair. The only remaining metric measurements were the 39mm lens screw thread and 28.8mm lens mount to film plane distance. After a series of production difficulties, government interference and problems with deliveries and quality from the many subcontractors, Reid & Sigrist took over the tooling and production themselves.

 

The Reid camera was announced in the British Journal of Photography in 1947 but it was not until 1951 that the Reid III eventually arrived for sale with an advert by Turners of Newcastle on 9th April 1951 announcing that:

"Production is now in hand but as supplies are very limited, interested customers should place their orders now for delivery in strict rotation. Price £118/12/6 or on terms" 

 

        A flash synchronised version followed in late 1953. Production continued until 1964 when Reid and Sigrist abandoned camera production, with all remaining parts old to A.W. Young Ltd. The latter is said to have assembled additional cameras from the existing stock of parts. More cameras may have been assembled by another company, Marston and Heard, who traded in ex-military cameras and parts and who had the Reid spares to do this.

        The Reid III was later joined by a number of simpler models - the Reid II with no slow speeds and the Reid I with no rangefinder, essentially a Leica Standard copy - the camera was said to have been bought by the military and police forces as well as the public although there is no proof that this is what happened. Reputedly, various spare parts and part-completed cameras were also disposed of in the early 1970s with around 100 cameras sold.

       

 

These later assemblies may be responsible for the existence of cameras which do not physically meet the correct model specifications - for instance missing the slow speeed or only having one flash sync socket - or for the Model I, examples with no flash sync sockets are known - and so on.

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Models

 

Production began in the early 1950s with the so called 'O' cameras. These are documented inLeica Copies as engraved 'R S' in an oval with 'Reid and Sigrist Ltd', with' London' below, in capital letters. with the Serial Numbers starting with an A i.e. A1001. One camera sold by Bonhams in May 2009 is engraved 'Reid' just like the production models but numbered A2

(see picture) - see our Database entry on this camera for more details and Bonhams' comments. It's also worth noting that Reid's own early 1950s brochure (see later below) has an illustration of a model III clearly numbered A1. Note that there is a documented 1947 example in existence (see earlier above) that would cast doubt on Bonhams' comments re it being a possible 1947 example.

            Serial Numbers change to a P prefix on all later models. Reid III Type 1 cameras were marketed first. These are engraved with the normal Reid logo with 'Leicester' replacing 'London' on the top cover and have no sync sockets (nor holes in the body casing to accept them). The cameras have a roller bearing focal plane shutter with speeds of 1/20th - 1/1000th second plus a 'bulb' position. The Reid III also has a slow speed dial offering exposure times down to 1 second when the high speed dial is set to 1/20th.

The production camera bodies carry the serial number engraved on the top plate in the form of the letter P followed by 4 digits. The Reid III type 1 starts at 1000 through to 1499. The Reid III Type 2 is in the range 1501 - 30nn although examples are known with serial numbers less than 1500. These are likely factory conversions as Reid & Sigrist did offer this service in the same way as Leica did. The Reid I range was 2001 - 35nn. Examples of the Reid II are known with numbers in the 28nn and 3nnn range.

The models are described below in order by first production date so they are listed in the order III > I > II. Note that there are no known records of serial numbers vs production dates (there are virtually no factory or production records at all in existence) so it is not possible to date a camera to a year except perhaps for the very early Reid III Type 1 and 2 and the Reid I and Reid II which were produced in limited numbers over a short period in 1959 (though just to confuse matters, it is possible that some examples of these were produced much earlier, and also later using stocks of spare bodies and parts sold off in 1964).

 

 

Reid III Type 1  1951 – 1964

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This was the first Reid model produced though it wasn't known as the Reid 'III' until 1959 when other models were announced. It is similar to the later Reid III Type 2, but has no flash synchronisation, and the high speed dial is engraved 'Z' (it reads 'B' on the Type 2 unless someone has replaced the dial). Diopter adjustment for the rangefinder is provided via a lever by the film rewind knob.

The top of the camera is engraved 'Reid' in script to the left of the accessory shoe along with the address below it and with the serial number to the right above the shoe.

 

With the bottom plate removed, the exposed base of a Reid III Type 1 has the shutter crate and its various adjustment screws in open view as does the Leica IIIb. With the Reid III Type 2 (with flash sync sockets) and all later production versions that we have seen so far, a protective plate was added secured by two screws that requires removal to make adjustments. The two holes that accept these screws are not present on the Type 1. Mike Hardy states that later Type IIIs sometimes have no covers but does not say whether the two extra securing holes are or are not still present on the crate itself.

 

Also the body of the Type 1 does not have the four holes to the left of the lens mount for the flash sync sockets and screws that are there for the Type 2 and later models.

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Reid III Type 2 (or IIIa)  November 1953 - 1964

 

            This model is also known as the Reid IIIa. It is similar to the Reid III Type l, but has flash synchronisation through two sockets on the front (labelled 'E' for electronic and 'B' for bulb). The synchronisation facility was awkward at best with the manual saying "Reid incorporates two separate electrical circuits for synchronisation of all types of flash equipment". 

So, the two sockets on the front panel are marked 'E' (the upper one) and 'B' (the lower one). The special flash unit designed for the camera used a connecting wire with a plug having two pins matching the size/spacing of the synch sockets on the camera. The outermost pin was marked on the back cover with a white dot. The pin could then be entered into the twin socket either way up since it was reversible. The flash then operates in the mode of the socket the white dot was aligned with.

               With the white dot on 'E' (electronic) the camera accepts any type of electronic flash, plus the 'Speed Midget' bulbs. The maximum speed for the shutter in this mode was defined as 1/20th. Reid's manual also says that when the shutter speed is set to 1/8th, the open period is long enough to cover the flash duration of any bulb.

               There is a 5ms delay to align maximum light intensity with the shutter mechanism using this setting. Taking the flash connection out, turning it upside down and plugging it in again then places the white dot over the lower 'B' connector. The system is then designed to cope with 'long duration' type focal plane bulbs.  

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There are also some Reid III cameras with a single synchronisation socket on the front. It is likely that they are an interim model bridging the gap between the III Type 1 with no synchronisation and the III Type 2 and that possibly only 100 were made. These were added after 1953.

 

Reid III Type 2 specification cameras are known with serial numbers less than 1500 and it's likely that these are factory conversions (Reid & Sigrist did offer this service).

The high speed dial is engraved 'B' ('Z' on the III Type 1) and this may also help to identify conversions of Reid III Type 1 models to Type 2. Diopter adjustment for the rangefinder is provided via a lever by the film rewind knob.

The top of the camera is engraved 'Reid' in script to the left of the accessory shoe along with the address below it and with the serial number to the right above the shoe.

 

The 1959 Reid Announcement

            

              Reid announced three new models in the British Journal Photographic Almanac for 1959 - here is their advert and the text of the detail in the Almanack:

 

REID 35-mm CAMERA, MODELS 1, 1A, and 2 (Reid & Sigrist Ltd., Braunstone Works, Braunstone, Leicester)

 

             The addition of these three new models gives the Reid user a full range from which to select his instrument. They are all based upon the well-tried design of the original Reid - reviewed in the 1954 Almanac - and which is now known as the Model 3. This model has the fullest specification, with short base coincidence-type coupled rangefinder giving a 1.5x image with individual eyesight adjustment, focal plane shutter speeded 1 second to 1/1000 and B - the slow speeds below 1/20 being set on a separate dial on the camera front, cupped release button on the top plate, large diameter fully interlocked film wind with automatic

 

exposure counter, paired viewfinder/rangefinder eyepieces, bottom lid with self-opening cassette locking device, spring- loaded accessory shoe, full flash synchronisation with special Reid plug, and interchangeable screw-in lens mount. The standard lens supplied with all models is the specially made 2-in. f/2 coated 6-component Taylor-Hobson anastigmat in retractable mount, but the flange will accept all Leica-screw lenses and the rangefinder will couple with any lens made to couple with the Leica. The Reid is manufactured up to the highest precision standards and the finish of black grained composition material and satin chrome is superb.

The Model 2 is identical to the Model 3 except for the absence of the slow speeds dial, the lowest instantaneous speed available being 1/20.

The Model 1 goes a stage further in the process of simplification by omitting the rangefinder, too. The rangefinder/viewfinder housing is replaced in this model by a separate small direct-vision optical view- finder and a separate accessory shoe screwed to the top plate.

The Model 1A is a variant in which the viewfinder is replaced by a second accessory shoe. These last two models will particularly recommend themselves to the specialist and laboratory photographer whose work would not normally embrace the use of a rangefinder, and also offer relatively inexpensive "second bodies" for carrying colour film or an alternative black-and-white ready loaded - the focusing can be carried out, of course, with the lens on the c.r. body.

Prices of the Reid cameras are: Model 1 complete, £66 15s 0d plus £13 7s 0d purchase tax (body only, £33 0s 0d plus £6 12s 0d); Model 1A, £63 15s 0d plus £12 15s 0d (body only, £30 0s 0d plus £6 0s 0d); Model 2, £78 15s 0d plus £15 15s 0d (body only, £45 0s 0d plus £9 0s 0d); Model 3, £86 5s 0d plus £17 5s 0d (body only £52 10s 0d plus £10 10s 0d). Leather ever-ready case for all models, £3 0s 0d plus 12s 0d tax; plug and flex lead 18s 0d. The T.T. & H. f/2 lens purchased separately is £33 15s 0d plus £6 15s 0d purchase tax.

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Reid I  1959 - 1962

 

             This model is similar in appearance to the Leica Standard - essentially a Reid III Type 2 without the rangefinder and slow speeds. Although advertised as available to the general public, it was aimed specifically at the military and police. Many examples have military markings, such asF.S./8810^ (^ represents the British military broad

arrow symbol) although the cameras were also made available to the public. Additionally, cameras are often found with numbers engraved on the front rim of the top plate.

            The Reid l usually has flash synchronisation through two sockets on the front labelled 'E' for Electronic and 'B' for Bulb but at least one example exists with no sockets fitted. The makers details are engraved around the circular raised plinth/turret beneath the shutter speed dial.

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Reid Ia  1959

 

           Announced in the British Journal Photographic Almanac for 1959, the Reid Ia was effectively a copy of the Leica If. It was a variant of the Reid I with the viewfinder being replaced by a second accessory shoe, both being fitted to a special mounting plate rather than being fixed directly to the camera body. The BJPA reported: 'The Model 1A is a variant [of the model 1] in which the viewfinder is replaced by a second accessory shoe. These last two models

[the 1 and 1a] will particularly recommend themselves to the specialist and laboratory photographer whose work would not normally embrace the use of a rangefinder, and also offer relatively inexpensive 'second bodies' for carrying colour film or an alternative black-and-white ready loaded - the focusing can be carried out, of course, with the lens on the c.r. body'.

In 1959 it cost £63 15 0d plus £12 15s 0d purchase tax with the Taylor-Hobson Anastigmat 2 inch f2 lens, with the body only available at £30 0 6d plus £6 0 0d purchase tax.

For many years there were suspicions that the Ia had never actually gone into production but since then several have came to the market that appear to be genuine. Christie's sold one back in 2006 and Peter Loy has sold three examples including the one shown above. He says: This is the extremely rare Reid with no viewfinder. We know of only 2 other examples, both of which we also sold. The serial numbers of the three cameras are all within 14 digits. This makes it the rarest of the Reid models, rarer even than the Model II. In March 2012 another example came up for sale, making four now known in total. One example from these four was the one sold at Christie's in 2006.

 

 

 

   The Reid II, like the Ia, was though to have never been produced after it was first publicized in 1959 but examples have now come to the market. It was announced as similar to the Reid III Type 2, but did not have a slow speed dial (so is like the Leica II). It is possible that those cameras that do exist were assembled much later than 1959 by A W Young using the stock of spare parts that they had acquired in 1964. 

The official Reid & Sigrist brochure (below) states that the the Model II has a top speed of 1/1000th sec (and the brochure illustration confirms this if you check the speed dial) like all other models and at least one example has this top speed. However, another exists with 1/500th as its top speed and some sources state that this is the official top speed for this model. Any further information is welcome! It seems odd to create a new lower cost model but then incur the expense of changing the speed dial and mechanism.

The top of the camera is engraved 'Reid' in script to the left of the accessory shoe along with the address below it and with the serial number to the right above the shoe.

This model has been faked based on Russian FEDs or Zorkis, these generally have no flash sync sockets, nor strap lugs at the side. 

 

Camera Serial Numbers

(Known Reid camera Serial Numbers)

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With no known records of serial numbers and dates extant, the table below is an updated version of that published originally as an article titled The Reid Camera in Photographica World of Summer 2000 (No 93) by Mike Hardy. This listed cameras that were known from auctions and other sources up to that date - here we have updated the camera serial numbers known with others that have since appeared on the market.

If anyone has definite additional serial numbers, then please let us know. The original article did not distinguish between Type 1 (no flash sync) or 2 (flash synced) of the Reid III so to avoid confusion where this is now known, that classification has been omitted. All numbers should be prefixed with 'P'. Some of these cameras are in our database and thus linked.

Serial numbers started at P1000 and the highest in the listings below is P3498 - this might imply that around 2500 cameras were built if all numbers were used which is unknown. Production estimates abound but the usual figures are ca 1600 Reid IIIs and 500 Reid Is with just a few IIs.

 

Early Reid III
A2

Reid III
1039 1043 1055 1057 1066 1070 1082 1083 1091 1112 1134 1138 1144 1146 1156 1159 1180 1186 12031215 1235 1245 1269 1271 1273 1281 1282 1320 1325 1336 1350 1353 1356 1366 1373 1382 1392 1410 1420 1443 1445 1452 1485 1498 1505 1512 1527 1544 1547 1560 1568 1571 1579 1580 1599 1615 1617 1631 1640 1645 1683 1694 1695 1759 1778 1788 1824 1846 1858 1860 1862 1879 1883 1891 1898 1899 1907 1908 1993 2259 2275 2316 2332 2335 2350 2357 2365 2399 2405 2413 2486 2488 2490 2500 25032517 2504 2569 2574 2583 2586 2587 2593 2597 2637 2661 2662 2672 2675 2682 2683 2692 2692 27032708 2718 2723 2730 2746 2751 2752 2796 2807 2822 2827 2831 2835 2854 2862 2866 2883 2902 2905 2911 2926 2943 2986 2989 3004 3010 3011 3014 3051 3056 3069 3080 3084 3089 3090 3099 3104 3108 3109 3110 3118 3128 3129 3147 3150 3155 3163 3180 3209 3226 3244 3246

Reid II
1754 2850 2935 2954 2958 3166 3193 3259 3310 Reid Ia
Due to their extreme rarity their serials are not listed here...



Reid I
1724 1733 1737 1746 2006 2011 2012 2021 2022 2023 2031 2033 2040 2050 2054 2061 2064 2070 2071 2079 2080 2082 2087 2101 2115 2127 2144 2157 2170 2174 2202 2205 2206 2215 2235 3401 3408 34093414 3420 3424 3439 3443 3448 3453 3454 3470 3478 3498

 

Lenses and filters

 

The standard lens officially sold with the Reid range was the 2 inch F/2 Taylor-Hobson Anastigmat in a collapsible barrel. It is generally thought to be superior to the Leica lenses of the time and currently commands a high price. Its construction includes two cemented pairs, and all eight glass/air surfaces are coated.

 

Also, engraved on the barrel and visible at the bottom in the collapsed state is a three-digit number, sometimes horizontal and sometimes vertical, this number being the same as the last three digits of the lens serial number (see photo above) - this would indicate that the front assembly of the lens is matched to the barrel - worth a check to see if your lens numbers match and it isn't a composite from two lenses!

The cameras are though sometimes seen with aluminium alloy bodied Cooke Amotal Rigid Anastigmat 2 inch F/2 lenses (right) - these have aluminium bodies which are prone to corrosion and so are difficult to find in mint or near-mint condition. These were made for the Bell & Howell Foton camera.

            They appear in Leica screw mount, apparently due to Peerless (US) arranging for an Italian firm to mount them in rather crude Leica screw mounts so that they could fit them to Leica camera imports and undercut the Leica camera prices fixed by Leitz, who were only able to fix the prices of Leica cameras when fitted with Leica lenses.

            Another lens that is sometimes seen is the 50mm (2") f/2 National Optical Co. Anastigmat (below left) - but this might also be the standard Taylor Hobson lens with a different name. Not surprising since the National Optical Co was created to deal with high product demand during the second World War, was based at Leicester, England and was a subsidiary

 

company of Taylor, Taylor & Hobson, also located in Leicester. The lens looks almost identical overall but there are differences such as the patent numbering engraving on the barrel being much higher up, there is a CP engraving (Cooke & Perkins) just right of the depth of focus scale, and the top of the lens engraving is different from the different manufacturer. The basic physical construction is pretty well identical though and the lenses carry the same three-digit number taken from the serial number.

 

 

Reid Dallmeyer Long Focus Lenses

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Two long-focus lenses by J. H Dallmeyer Ltd. were also available to order in special Leica screw mounts for the Reid I and Ia cameras, These were the 8.5cm f/2 Dallac and the 13.5cm f/4.5 Dalrac, both being coated lenses giving good definition on black-and-white and colour materials. They were selected in special batches for the Reid and carefully tested for accuracy of register and rangefinder coupling to ensure the highest degree of precision demanded for the Reid. The correct lenses have Reid & Sigrist engraved on them, possibly also with military markings engraved if they were destined for war department use. Both appear on the opposite side of the black part of the barrel to the depth of field engravings and CP (Cooke & Perkins) logo.

 

 

Reid noted that the dimensions and rangefinder movement of the camera were chosen so that many other existing lenses of standard register and rangefinder coupling could be used, offering the Reid enthusiast a very wide choice of alternative focal-length lenses. Lens hoods and filter holders of the slip-on type with locking screw were also available in a black anodised finish. Colours of filter glasses available included haze (ultra-violet), yellow, green, orange and red, with these glasses being interchangeable in the dedicated Reid filter holder.

 

Reid Body Caps and Lens Caps

 

The Reid came with its own high quality lens caps for the Taylor Hobson Anastigmat 2 inch lens - unusual in that it carried both the camera name AND the lens manufacturer's name. There are at least three varieties around, possiby more although some may well be manufacturing variations on the three shown here.

We have called them A, B and C for ease of reference. Type A has fairly light engraving density while Type B is more heavy. If you examine them carefully, you can see that they are two different stampings since the word 'lens' is positioned slightly differently between the two. Type C is like Type B (or does it have even stronger stamping density?) - but it is missing the dot above the 'i' of Reid! Looking closely, there is no evidence that it was ever there.

The cap is kept on the lens by pressure from the dark maroon fabric that is fixed to the inside of the rim (shown above). With a lot of use, this deteriorates and has been seen replaced with felt.

The Reid aluminium body cap shown is the only one we've ever seen but the opinion from several people that have examined it is that it is genuine.

There are fake lens caps out there but those we have seen can be easily identified from the poor formation of the word 'Reid', particularly failing to reproduce the way that the 'R' is formed on a genuine one. If anyone has decent photos, please let us know.

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Reid Boxes

 

The three boxes normally seen with Reid cameras are seen in the photo. The red box with a metallic looking RS logo plaque/emblem on the top that is the first and earliest, the more battered it is, the more likely it is original! Whether the other two actually came with the camera if you have a camera and box of this type is debatable since quite a few of both box types have come on the market in the past few years. Many of these appear to have been produced during the late 1990s by a collector so are not original - and as they are not marked as reproductions, then they are simply fakes intended to deceive the buyer. Old/ battered/ worn versions of these boxes do exist so it may be impossible to tell if one is original or a copy

Christie's also auctioned a Reid III camera [P3056] in what appears to be a similar box to the blue one but in black with no gold band around the top. The Reid box quality is very high for both original and reproduction boxes - below is a Reid I in its box. This is a military marked camera and it is in the WD^ marked grey/white version box - which may or may not be an original.

 

 

Reid Accessories

 

As well as the cameras, Reid also produced some accessories. For instance, The Reid Close Focusing Attachment (shown above) extended the range of the Reid camera down to a working distance of less than 2.25 inches, giving magnification ratios with the standard Taylor-Hobson 2 inch f/2 lens from 1:5.3 reduction to 4.25:1 magnification. It was designed for use on a tripod or with a bracket and arm for use on the Reid enlarger.

Even closer magnifications available using the dedicated Reid Extension Tubes, shown below.

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References:

Leica Copies - By HPR - Classic Collection Publications, 1994 (ISBN: 1-874485-05-4)

300 Leica Copies - Patrice-Herve Pont and Jean-Loup Princelle - FOTOSAGA, Neuilly, 1990

The Reid Camera - by Mike Hardy - Photographica World, Summer 2000 (No 93)

Christies Auction catalogues

Pacific Rim Camera Photographica pages

Various private collections

http://www.l39sm.co.uk/about_reid.php

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