Leica LTM Leica III F

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
dave lackey

dave lackey

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Ah, going on a third roll with the III F now. I love this camera!🙂

Everything about it fits in with what I do for everything outside of work! I picked up a pair of nail scissors at the local drugstore and I have gotten pretty good with the film leader trimming. Just takes a minute or so. As soon as the weather opens up a bit with some foliage, I will shoot some slide film.

The I26 lens is working pretty well from the first roll and the Summarit is excellent as expected. Reckon I need a cheap/sharp 35 mm lens now. And that is saying a lot as I have never used a 35 before but with the external VF, I am itching to try one!

Dang, if I had a digi cam, I would post some pics of the rig.... guess that will have to wait.🙄
 
Dave, I use the 35mm f/2.5 CV on my IIIc models. It's very contrasty and plenty sharp! I also use the 28/3.5 and the 25mm. They are all good.

Uh, what's an I26 lens?
 
Rob-F said:
Dave, I use the 35mm f/2.5 CV on my IIIc models. It's very contrasty and plenty sharp! I also use the 28/3.5 and the 25mm. They are all good.

Uh, what's an I26 lens?
Click to expand...

Hi, Rob...

I used shorthand for the Industar 26 lens.

Wide angle will be different for me on a Leica. In the past, I have used the crazy zooms on DSLRs but I am a 50 and up photographer for the past umpteen years.:angel:
 
Dave, coincidentally I am also on roll #3 with mine. I am in full agreement with you, I too love using this little camera!

After ruining a roll of film trying to trim the leader with scissors (didn't think of the nail clipper!) I have been dong the "film gate approach", which also works fine.

Randy
 
A nice cheap 35 would be the jupiter12.
But I found, 35 and 50 is to close for me, to carry both.
So my WA with the Barnack is the Skopar 25/4. Also no worry about the distance between RF and auxVF because of the click-stop focussing.
 
Randy,

The trick I am doing is counting 13 sprockets on the short side and taking a red Sharpie to outline the curves and the straight portion out to the leader. Then, the curved scissors and it is don in a snap! Made a little flat pouch out of to pieces of leather to keep the scissors in so it won't be a problem in my bag or pocket. Perfect!

Whooops, gotta run some errands. Be back later!:angel:
 
Little tip: cut them when you're home... Prepare a couple of rolls, just enough so you don't have to fiddle with them outside. Filmloading this way doesn't take up more time than with a 'normal' camera.
 
After 35 years, I can load a Barnack pretty quickly now. Back in the day I didn't even know to trim the leader - or that you were supposed to. Never opened the curtains to load but I never killed a shutter - lucky I guess. In 1993, I took my IIIa into LE Camera near Trenton, NJ and the guy there showed me the proper way to load the camera. He also did a good CLA and he also sold me a nice Summitar for $300...

The CV 35/2.5 and 50/2.5 are amazing on the "schraubgewinde" Leicas. Sometimes it's fun to hang an SLR-sized lens (like a Nokton 50/1.5) on a little IIIc or IIIf, but the cameras are a joy to use with the smaller lenses.
 
Dave, Congrats on the IIIf! There's some good advice above on lenses to use; I agree w/ Chris's post above re: the Skopar 50 and 35. One other 35 mm lens option to consider that won't break the bank is the little chrome Canon 35/2.8, either in Serenar or non-Serenar versions (I think they're identical). It's small size fits perfectly w/ a Barnack Leica, and you may be able to get one w/ finder and leather case. It's sharp, high resolution, but moderate contrast (less than the excellent little CV Skopar 35). More like a Summaron, but not nearly so expensive.
 
+1 on the Canon 35/2.8 - had one - liked it - stupidly sold it with a Bessa R! (It had a little separation an wobble.) May have to get another one..... I want to say that it was just about as sharp as the CV 35/2.5 but with a little more flare and just slightly less contrast. A very fine lens indeed.
 
If you are really open to new experiences with the IIIf, why not going a bit wider than 35mm? I only shot my collapsible summicron on it for 5 years or so and finally got a 25/4 skopar with finder a few weeks ago. It's absolutely liberating and it's a very cheap and sharp lens without noticable distortion. Also frees you from using seperate finders for focusing and composing as scale focusing with the click stops works just great. not a lens for the bokeh crowd of xourse... 😉
 
NeeZee said:
If you are really open to new experiences with the IIIf, why not going a bit wider than 35mm? I only shot my collapsible summicron on it for 5 years or so and finally got a 25/4 skopar with finder a few weeks ago. It's absolutely liberating and it's a very cheap and sharp lens without noticable distortion. Also frees you from using seperate finders for focusing and composing as scale focusing with the click stops works just great. not a lens for the bokeh crowd of xourse... 😉
Click to expand...

NeeZee, this week I have been playing around with the 28mm zoom and visualizing what might happen with a 25 lens...it is very interesting!😉
 
You mention trimming the film Dave. I've been considering a IIIg or maybe an M3.. either way, are you speaking of rolling your own film or do you need to prep like that no matter what? Sorry for my ignorance on this. Just trying to learn 🙂
 
isoterica said:
You mention trimming the film Dave. I've been considering a IIIg or maybe an M3.. either way, are you speaking of rolling your own film or do you need to prep like that no matter what? Sorry for my ignorance on this. Just trying to learn 🙂
Click to expand...

Hey, how is it going?🙂

On the M3, it is pretty normal...just stick the film in the spool, insert and make sure it hits the sprockets right, replace the bottom piece and you are good to go. No trimming. I love the M3!

When I was trying out the III F, I watched Paul trim the leader to make it longer and it was simple enough. With curved nail scissors, it is a snap...not so good with straight ones. For me, I just use a sharpie pen to mark where I want to go and cut it with the scissors. The longer leader makes the film go over the sprockets, etc. without dragging and jamming or scratching the film.

Conventional wisdom and experience has shown this trimming is easy and works better than sticking fingers through the shutter 😱 or using a business card to pre-roll the film....:angel:

AFAIK, the III G will need the same trimming but I could be mistaken. It is no big deal at all if it does. Good luck on getting such a fine camera!🙂
 
Great thanks for explaining. I guess lenses will determine my choice [which isn't in the immediate future unfortunately] so we shall see. I like the 50mm DR for the M3 a lot.. it's that close up thing it has going on. Not sure what other lenses do that, at least not ones I can afford.
 
Only the DR does closeup in the 50mm range. There is a new 90mm Macro-Elmar lens that has closeup abilities, but it is quite expensive.


isoterica said:
Great thanks for explaining. I guess lenses will determine my choice [which isn't in the immediate future unfortunately] so we shall see. I like the 50mm DR for the M3 a lot.. it's that close up thing it has going on. Not sure what other lenses do that, at least not ones I can afford.
Click to expand...
 
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