Back in March 2015, the charitable organization Kinderlachen e. V. received a check of over 5000 euros, the result of a fundraiser where Leica had agreed to double any donations received. Now, on June 13, two one-of-a-kind cameras – a Leica M and an M-E based on designs created by school children from Dortmund – will be auctioned at WestLicht. We spoke with Alexander Bietz who works in the camera construction department and was responsible for building the two cameras at Leica in Wetzlar.

Q: Mr. Bietz, how did you come up with the idea of supporting Kinderlachen e. V. through the auctioning of two one-of-a-kind cameras?
A: As so often is the case with good ideas, it’s hard to say precisely. The connection to Kinderlachen (laughing children) came about through Gerhard Baier, the managing director of our sister company CW Sonderoptic GmbH. Then there were the cardboard templates that the STI Group, Leica’s long-time packaging partner, originally produced for the family days during the opening of Leitz Park last year. The cardboard templates could be folded into a model of the Leica M. The idea was to put on an exhibition here at Leitz Park of cardboard cameras designed and painted by children. Kinderlachen then took the idea to three primary schools in Dortmund. From the 140 cameras that resulted from this initiative, a jury made up of Kinderlachen and Leica employees chose two designs – by third grader Nesrin and fourth grader René – which are the basis for the two real cameras that will now be auctioned at WestLicht to benefit Kinderlachen.

Q: How does such a special edition model actually get made?
A: Nesrin and René’s designs were transferred to the components of our camera by Munich designer Helmut Lutter. In the case of both these cameras, that means the top plate, the bottom cover and the leather. Certain parts of the camera are black and must remain black, and the connections for the camera strap and the thread for the tripod in the base can be easily painted on cardboard, but because they are made out of steel on the real cameras, that doesn’t work. So, we had to improvise a little – the same with the transfer of the cardboard model of an M onto an M-E.
Q: But everything else could be copied one to one?
A: Yes, on the bottom cover, for example, each child wrote their name on it, and those now appear on the real cameras. Another example is the decorative stones that are stuck onto the M model. Helmut Lutter must have gone to at least ten shops before he found the right little stones. [laughter] Of course, the lens of the M-E is not painted, just the lens cover. In this case we used a metal one, which is easier to paint than plastic. On the M model there was no motif on the lens, but there was a Smurf on the display. We photographed that motif and recorded it on the SD card, so that when you turn on the camera you actually see a Smurf on the display.

Q: What techniques were used to paint the cameras?
A: Helmut Lutter used felt pens for the M and colour crayons for the M-E. The drawings are protected by a transparent lacquer.

Q: Was the manufacturing process of the cameras totally normal?
A: In this case, even more care than usual had to be taken. We only had one top plate, one bottom cover and one leather piece for each camera. Nothing could go wrong. The strength of the lacquer was a great challenge. It’s somewhat thicker than normal. We had to have an undercoat, as the artist needed something like a white canvas to work on. Then it was painted and on top of that came the layer of transparent lacquer. Then I needed to remove a tiny bit so that the buttons on the back and the controls on the top could work normally. After all, in addition to looking pretty, the cameras should work 100 percent. That was the requirement.
Thank you for your time, Alexander!
– Leica Internet Team
Read the interview in German here. Connect with Kinderlachen e. V. on their website.