How much to pay for IIIf and lenses

[capitalK]

I have an opportunity to purchase a IIIf locally through a third party. He says that the original owner is selling it and purchased it in the 1940's.

I saw it briefly and it looked great, kept in a bag for quite a while. Apparently this person says it works well but I'd expect to have to send in a camera of this age for a CLA regardless.

It also came with a collapsable 50mm f/2 and a 90mm f/4.

I have no idea what to ofer and this guy has no idea what to ask, but he does know it's worth money. He was thinking $1000-1500 but coudn't give me a good answer.

It seems high or the body, but maybe with the addition of the two lenses it's a good deal?

Any info is helpful, thanks in advance.

 

[aad]

Seems high compared to a recent thread on this topic.

 

[ferider]

It strongly depends on condition and type of camera and lens.

Normal, vanilla black dial IIIf + Summitar + Elmar (both clean) are worth
around US 600, I would say.

It cann't really be a IIIf, though, if he bought it 1940.

Roland.

 

[capitalK]

It cann't really be a IIIf, though, if he bought it 1940.

Roland.

You're right, of course. It's a III series so I assumed it was the f, I am very new to the whole Leica market but it seems like this may be a good start to my collection.

I own a Yashica rangefinder which is obviously no comparison, but has given me a new-found appreciation for rangefinders (read: gateway drug to Leica) 😀

I will have to look at it again to determine the exact model, though I am certain it's a III-series.

 

[LeicaTom]

$1,000 to $1,500?

Well, first of all the IIIF was made in the 1950`s, you need serial numbers to know what you are buying

And even if it has two lenses, tops value is maybe $450/$500 and only if it`s really clean/mint

Vintage Leica`s over $1,000 are the rare Military models from WW2 that`s where their prices start

No IIIF is worth $1,000, even with those lenses

Tom

 

[ferider]

Best is to take note of the serial nr. And check the contrast of the VF/RF and that the shutter has no holes and more or less works. Everything else
can be fixed easily.

Lenses: if it's a Summitar, count the nr. of aperture blades. Some are worth
more than others.

Good luck,

Roland.

 

[capitalK]

Lots of great info, thanks so much everybody.

 

[Stu W]

It may be a IIId! They resemble the IIIf, and I think it is worth quite a lot. Pics and a serial # will help. Stu

 

[Stu W]

http://www.camerawest.com/images/IIID web.JPG

 

[ferider]

One more addition to what Stu said: look for small accessories, too.
They can be worth quite a lot. Like what finder did he use for the 90,
maybe there is an AUFSU or a bullet finder, etc.

Good luck,

Roland.

 

[cmedin]

Best is to take note of the serial nr. And check the contrast of the VF/RF and that the shutter has no holes and more or less works. Everything else
can be fixed easily.

Lenses: if it's a Summitar, count the nr. of aperture blades. Some are worth
more than others.

Good luck,

Roland.

Can you tell us a little more about the Summitar and aperture blades? I just bought one so now I am curious. 🙂

 

[ferider]

Not sure about the details but I remember that there is a rarer 6-blade version.

Check Justin's website, for instance:

http://justinlow.com/articles/repair-leica-summitar

 

[LeicaTom]

The only Summitar I know that`s rare are the one`s with the thicker Summicron styled heads with Radioactive glass and hexy shaped blades, I think they lay in the #985000+ range I think?
(and were pre- Summicron Prototype lenses)

I`ve only seen this type once or twice, they are quite rare I think 1952/53 era

......and pre 1942 "uncoated" one`s are also uncommon.....

Tom

PS: IIID That`s funny......let`s see some pictures, there`s darn few of them left, though a handful may have made it stateside while some were issued to the US Army in 1945

 

[capitalK]

Found out it is a IIIc with 50mm Summitar /2, 35mm Summaron f/2.8 and 90mm Elmar f/4. They still haven't given me a solid asking price but they agree that $1500 is way too much.

I'll let you know what happens, thanks to all for the advice.

 

[FrankS]

value depends on condition, here's a guess for average gear:
IIIc - $200 (depends if it's pre-war, war-time, or post-war)
Summitar - $175
Elmar - $100
Summaron f2.8 - $500

also look here: http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/

 

[capitalK]

Thanks for the link, Frank. I have the serial for the camera which may clear the question up, it's a 435xxx. Is that enough info?

 

[cmedin]

According to the serial number list, it's a 1946/47 IIIc.

FrankS: from what I've seen lately, $175 might be a bit high for a Summitar in average condition. Probably closer to $125. I'd like a $100 Elmar though!

 

[LeicaTom]

For all that gear if it`s really clean......any price under $700 is a good deal

I say offer them $500 cash and dump the Summaron for $500+
(BECAUSE IT`S A COLECTORS ITEM)
and you`ll have a kit for nothing

I`ve been surprised later by some lens prices......people are crazy when they have their pockets full of $

Tom

PS: I`d buy Elmar`s all day at $100 each especially if they were wartime era ones...
Summitar`s are bringing GOOD $$$ now, CLEAN early examples are bringing near $300
*I`ll pay $175/$200 each for clean wartime ones*

 

[Nando]

CapitalK and I live in the same city. I'll try to go down to the camera shop to take a look. I don't have any intention of buying as I already have a IIIf, Summitar, and 90 Elmar... the $1500 is ridiculous. I just want to see the kit. Rarely do I see Leicas here in the Soo.

CapitalK,
I'd take LeicaTom's advice. Summitars are beautiful lenses. I absolutely love mine.

 

[Nando]

Ok, I saw the kit today. One thing that I must say is that the owner of this shop is an honest Joe that will not try to rip anybody off and he does know the real value of this gear. My family has been going to this shop since the 1950's when his father used to run it. He had a very nice Hasselblad 500C with a great-looking 80/f2.8 a little while back and he sold it for just $800, which seems very fair in today's market. The problem is that store owner agreed to sell the kit on consignment and the owner of the camera was "told" that it is worth $1000-1500 by another party and that's what he wants for it. The shop owner knows that this is unreasonable but will take any offers and present them to the owner of the camera. We talked about this for some length. He has many clients that have spent thousands of dollars on equipment, especially with medium format, and are completely unaware of the current prices. Now when they're trying to unload their equipment, they get shocked because they expected to get much more than the going-prices in today's market.

This is what the kit has:
IIIc - good user but needs a CLA. Many marks on the bottom plate - some marks here and there. I didn't notice any dings. A chunk of vulcanite is missing to the top-right side of the slow-speed dial. It winds very smoothly but the shutter is a bit loud in comparison to my IIIf and to my M's - almost sounded like my Zorki 1c. I couldn't tell if the shutter-speeds were off. Rangefinder was contrasty but dimmer than my IIIf. The viewfinder was also dimmer.

Summitar - This lens looked pretty bad. The chrome is shiny but there are several big gouges down the barrel. It is very difficult to collapse and extend the lens. Aperture operated fine. Focusing ring was stiff. It had a bit of dust. I found very few marks on the glass though I didn't have a flash light with me to look through it more thoroughly. Front cap. No rear cap.

90 Elmar - This one looked pretty decent. Typical dust. Glass looked nice. Probably the lens that was in the best shape of the three. Comes with the bubble display case. Front cap. No rear cap.

35 Summaron - This one looked pretty decent too. Did see a noticeable scratch in the edge of the glass. I didn't have this lens in my hands long enough to figure out which element the scratch was on. Again, typical dust. Comes with the bubble display case. Front cap. No rear caps.

It does come with some accessories.

A Kodak-brand filter for the Summitar. It looks like a very pale yellow filter - perhaps a UV filter.

Leitz VIOOH viewfinder - looked a bit dim but not bad. There is heavy corrosion on the back. Masking and parallax correction mechanisms seem to work ok. Comes with the original leather case which was in good shape.

Leitz IROOA hood - descent shape. A bit of the black paint has worn/peeled off on the very edge of the hood.

Leitz IUFOO hood - great shape. Some scratches but very nice over all.

Leitz 12585 or 12585H hood -can't remember which version. Also in great shape. Some scratches but still very nice. The white text is yellowing a bit.

Plus a smelly old camera-bag. Looks like a typical beige camera bag from the 1980's. Well used.

The camera owner does not want to break up the kit.