Leica LTM What Would You Pay For a IIIc?

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Vince Lupo

Vince Lupo

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I've been dithering about buying a post-war Leica IIIc for my black MOOLY-C. I found one that's very clean and with very little pitting, and it's from 1950 (508xxx). It has the 1950's vulcanite (no sharkskin), and I'm going under the premise that it's original. Fortunately, this IIIc hasn't had a flash synch or anything added to it. Everything works properly on it.

I haven't been focusing too much on post-war Leicas very much until recently (maybe it's my new Summarex that's causing this???), so I don't really know what a good price is for a late IIIc.

What would you guys be willing to pay for something like that?
 
I personally wouldn't ever pay over $300 for a working IIIc body. Heck, if you check over at KEH they have a IIIc listed in "EXC" condition for $299. If I were to buy a good, functional IIIc in nice cosmetic condition, I'd stick around $250.
 
Hmm I could find you the correct 1949 Sharkskin Camera body for about $400 mint
(1949 IS A VERY HARD YEAR TO FIND CLEAN/MINT)
due to the chrome contamination probs. at Leitz after the war.

You might as well get the correct numbers matching year body for the Black MOOLY C, nice Sharkskin camera, then add a Sharkskin Elmar 90 with it and correct 90 BL finder, makes a nice time era set 😀

Tom
 
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Well I got the IIIc today, and unfortunately it's going back. Cosmetically it's very nice, and the shutter speeds seem good, but the 1st curtain has many cracks in it (don't know if it means possible light leaks), and the rangefinder is very dim. Too bad, as it was 'rated' at 9.5 out of 10. Ah well.....
 
I think every IIIc needs a Youxin Ye CLA, lol. I had one that was fine but after he put a new beamsplitter in it and cleaned the rangefinder/viewfinder it was almost as good as an M to focus. Not very expensive either. So I would buy a $175-$225 user and budget $100 to get it set up right instead.
 
Yes, that's entirely possible. I was just a bit disappointed that a camera rated by the seller as '9.5' out of 10 had these two issues. Everything else about this vendor's service was great (shipping, etc), but I don't feel like putting another $250+ for a new shutter curtain and beamsplitter in a camera I already have $280.00 in, and the camera is only worth $300 on a good day. Maybe the camera gods are trying to tell me that I have enough Leicas!
 
Based on my experiences with my 1952 IIIf, "Crackled curtains" ARE a problem.... lots of little bright-spots all over the frame... at first I was blaming my collapsible Summicron for "lens flare"...

I would echo the opinions not to pay too much... nice ones are out there.

Apparently both chrome-plating and shutter curtains were two quality-control issues that plague post-war Leicas...

Luddite Frank
 
Yeah, maybe I'll just stick with the Luftwaffe IIIc upon which it's currently mounted. Wrong year for the camera, but works just fine.

FL.jpg
 
IIIc is a great camera. I bought one in 1955, I think, for $109.50 at Peerless Camera in New York with a 50mm Summitar. It was one of the earliest postwar models, No. 401,842. The Summitar was No. 626,381. It performed beautifully, especially after I added the 50mm Leitz brightline finder. In 1965 it was stolen in Milan, and I've been pining for it ever since.
 
Yes I sure do use the MOOLY. I actually have another one (the arm-type) mounted on a IIIb Luftwaffen-Eigentum. Not too much around here gathers dust.

The MOOLY works great -- you trip the shutter with that lever on the front of the motor, and it advances the film as well. If you held the arm down, it could wind through 12 exposures in under 10 seconds. The only time you'd need to use the regular shutter release is when you're 1/20th of a second or slower.
 
Well thanks to Tom, I found a super-clean IIIc right in my own backyard, and snagged a black/nickel Leica Standard E in the process too. The body has been sent to Youxin for a CLA (slower speeds stick), and this will be one nice camera. Only thing is that the MOOLY didn't seem to want to cooperate with it....it only likes working with the Luftwaffe IIIc body shown above, which leads me to question when this motor was made. The motor works better with cameras that have two notches at the end of the winding shaft, as opposed to the later IIIc's which have that single curved notch (as on IIIf's as well). I was advised that the motor was made in 1949, but now I'm wondering about that. I don't think I've ever seen advertising for the motor as an accessory for the IIIc, and I'm thinking the IIIc motors were more of a wartime thing, but I could be wrong.
 
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