The Leicas in my life, the Leicas I've missed

[DownUnder]

After posting in the Leica watches thread, being me I had a few more idle and wayward thoughts...

I tend to run hot and cold about Leicas - partly given their absurdly high prices at least down here in 'Down Under' (that's Australia to the rest of the world), but also given the ones I've owned over the years, and had to part with, the one I recently bought, and the one I missed earlier this year.

In the 1980s I had an 'M' kit - a Leica M2, an M3 single stroke, an Elmar 50/2.8, a Summary 50/1.5, an Elmar 90/4.0 and a Summary 35/2.8. All easily packed in a small cosmetics bag (the lenses, hoods, filters etcetera anyway, the two cameras went in their own Leitz cases) and took them in my travels all around Victoria and New South Wales states in Australia. (Someone I knew gave me an old 200 telephoto, but I don't recall I ever used it, and somewhere along the way it vanished from my backpack, ne'er to be seen again. Not really missed, tho' I still wonder where it went to - I suspect to a pawnbroker, as one of my stepsons had substance abuse 'difficulties' at the time, now all sorted out, but still no lens or any admission of having facilitated its 'kidnapping'.

A light, portable, wonderful minimalist kit. I did much good photography with these two babies, almost entirely with the 50s. Bush landscapes, people, places, old buildings. Oh, and cats. Even sold a few dozen architectural images (and more cat shots than I ever thought anybody would pay money for and actually publish) to a few newspaper and magazine and book publishers here and overseas - amazing, yes!! but those were the days before the DSLR 'madness' took over the world and everybody suddenly started doing tens and hundreds of thousands of images of every old farm home, barn and outhouse between Norfolk and Rottnest islands, posting the lot online and hoping (against all common sense) that someone, anyone would want to wade thru 1,482 to 27,988 shots of old things made with rotted wood or stone blocks carved by English convicts.

Going on 1990 I decided to set up my own practice in architectural interior design. The start-up cost me everything I had saved and the business grew slowly, a couple of economic recessions then kicked in and I ran short of money, so my best cameras, the Rolleiflex TLRs and of course the two Leica Ms, were sold off to pay the office rent and other basics. Necessary, but I've always regretted having to do this, and somehow I never did get around to buying replacement Ms, mostly due to the highly inflated costs of anything by Leitz by the mid-'90s. Rolleis I did buy, but that's another story.

Fast track 20-plus years - "where did the time go?" quote/unquote - to 2021. A friend equally keen on photography with older cameras sadly passed away, still greatly missed. I was asked by the family to value his gear and post on Bay to sell, which I did, and got rewarded by being offered at a discounted price, his Leica iiif with a 50/3.5 Elmar, both moody, with haze and some fungus, so badly in need of servicing after decades of inadequate storage. Almost all of which got cleaned, at a horrendous cost.

Not long after an elderly neighbor saw me out with my iiif, and told me he happened to have "an old Leica lens of a sort", did I want it?? Free. Of course, I said - and I "inherited" a Summicron 50/2.0, the early collapsible one, with a hood and a UV filter both firmly stuck to it. The lot also riddled with haze. More cleaning and another mind-boggling bill, but the 'cron is now f95% as new.

I then added a rough but usable and budget-cost 90/4.0 Elmar (I was hoping for the newer Elmarit, but they cost a kidney and four toes, so a no-go). I've sinceI passed on a 135 Elmar as the first asking price was too high, but its owner now wants to sell and a better offer could yet be made for it.

Yeh, the 'madness' had returned. Most enjoyable insanity it is.

Then two months ago a Melbourne camera shop got in a real prize - an early model Leica Q with the fixed 28, a one owner, sold originally by the shop, almost as new, at a super-low price. I drooled over it, lusted after it, wanted it even at the cost of yet more toes, but being me I dithered and delayed visiting the shop. And yes, it sold, for 45% of the price those prized Qs go for. Very little used. Pristine. The lens shining like highly polished black marble. Disgusting, really. Yes, that hurts.

I will kick myself for a long time to come over that Q. Not that I needed it, but as in most things in our later lives when we have done with work and have a little dosh to spare, who really needs anything?? Wanting something is entirely another universe, of course. I do have the consolation (sure!!) of my iiif, which works faultlessly (as it should, after what I paid for a CLA) and serves all my film needs for a fun 'walkabout' kit.

I'm now determined to buy nothing more made by Leitz - unless of course another good M (a '2 or '3, or even a '4 if it works and the asking price is right), but as my partner occasionally reminds me, I'm not a Sagittarius for nothing.

What's your What If? Leica story. Come on, let's hear it. We all have one.

 

[jsrockit]

Early 90s, moved from Pentax and Nikon to the Leica M4-2, M6 and CL... loved them and then sold them... and moved to a Contax G1 and the high end P&S cameras from that era. Slowly got out of photography in the late 90s until 2008. Bought a M-2 and M-4... decided I wasn't into film, sold them... so I bought a X1, a few M8 cameras (sold them & rebought them), got an M8.2 and ultimately the M9. That was my last full time Leica. Fuji came out with the X100 and X-Pro1 so I sold the M9 a year later while I could still get $5000 for it. I've been a Fuji user ever since but did try both a M8 and M9 again. Sold them both quickly. I have always wanted the M10 since it came out, but used prices are too high for me still. Even then I would still use my Fujis over the M10, so that makes me rethink my want constantly. I have a Voigtlander Bessa R2 as my only rangefinder in the meantime. Pixii is tempting too. Maybe used if they are ever available.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

G.A.S, no L.A.S. story...

I was lucky to be able to use bunch of film Leica cameras before film and paper become luxury hobby instead of been working media. Joy like no any other film cameras I have tried (basically all formats and types). Not practical by now also because here is just D.A.G. or even worse for waiting time, communications.
Got two digital M in possession once. Only one by now.

I really want to let go of my two remaining film Leica (not in use), some Canon digital gear and get used SL. To be able to use Leica as AF and weather sealed. But here is no Leica service in Canada and no SL service in NA...

So, Leica is not practical, but most attractive gear for me.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

In 2010, I was able to get an M6 with a 50mm tabbed Summicron and a 35mm version IV Summicron and in 2011 I bought another M6, this one with the .85 finder. I also had a 28mm Zeiss Biogon and a 35mm f2.8 Biogon. I loved the two M6 cameras I had, but in 2013 I had a stroke while teaching high school. Over the next few years, I had to sell off nearly every piece of photo equipment I had, including all of the Leica stuff. I was raising my son by myself and wasn't making enough at the time from selling prints and doing paid photography.

A few years ago, an RFF member gave me a Leica IIIF Black Dial and a couple of old Leica lenses. At that point I had actually stopped shooting film because I had no film cameras and lenses left. I loved the IIIF enough to buy another, and by then Mack was done with college and making good money himself. He has made it possible for me to stop worrying about making a living; my health has continued to get worse and am not able to work fulltime again. I was starting to make more from my tutorials and selling prints so I bought an M3 from an RFF member who sold it to me cheap, and I later found an M4-2 that looked nearly new at a good price. Unfortunately, Leica lenses had gotten beyond ridiculous in price. I'll never be able to afford another 50mm or 35mm summicron, ever. They're so far out of reach now that there is just no way. I found a 50mm f2.4 Summarit, a 35mm f2.4 Summarit, and a 90mm f2.5 Summarit that I could afford and they've been very nice lenses. I don't think I gave anything up optically with the 50 and the 35 Summarit is actually sharper than the 35mm version IV Summicron, though the Summicron's tonal rendering is a little nicer.

I still regret that I had to sell the Leica stuff I had before. All of it has basically tripled in price since I sold it, meaning that its gone forever.

 

[mconnealy]

I posted this on my blog about five years ago:

My best, most-used cameras are in a glass-front case. One morning recently as I walked near the cabinet I heard a faint murmuring sound coming from the inside. I could not see anything moving among the cameras, but the noise persisted. I put my ear up against the side of the cabinet and I could then distinctly hear a chorus of small voices. They were chanting "we need a Leica... we need a Leica...".
I was astounded and, of course, one cannot ignore such a singular phenomenon. I immediately went to my computer and began searching the big auction site.

I found a 1936 Leica IIIa body nearing the end of its listing with no bidders. The asking price was about half what the model often commands. The seller's description stated that the camera had been recently serviced and was working perfectly...

 

[raydm6]

Fortunately, I still have my early M6/35 'Cron purchased in 1985. Added several IIIf's and glass since then.

The only Leica that passed through my hands was an R4 SLR. I enjoyed it, but was enamored by the M system and sold it; and never looked back.

I wish I kept my Hasselblad system though... ...another thread? 🙂

 

[lxmike]

Regrets, well my first M2, should not have sold it, hence I bought another one, my IIIc stepper, big mistake, now I am happy with my Leitz cl, IIIf RD and my M2. Leica have a strange pull on you, the moment you sell one you regret it, I certainly do

 

[steveyork]

Tried a lot of different camera systems over the decades. Don't really miss many of them, because after getting some first hand experience, I only sold them off if they weren't used or didn't like them as much. Used just about every Leica film rangefinder out there, before settling on the M2. Now shoot several of them. Maybe should've kept the SS M3, just because it's so different, or the Nikon rangefinders -- those big viewfinders are intoxicating -- but I don't shoot 50's much anymore. About the only camera wish I didn't sell was a Nikon F black 64. Ha, ha, about the only original black paint cameras anyone can afford!

 

[Saganich]

I bought an M2 for $600 in the late 1990's. and a new Summicron 35 ASPH to go with it. Man that was some lens and boy do I regret selling that. It's 4x the price these days and I'm considering getting one, crazy right, but I have these prints made at the time that I see every day...I should just replace the prints. It's not all regrets, I sold my M6 TTL .85 for my current MP.

My friend Sam got an M6 as a graduation gift, but being young he traded it for a VW Bus. He regretted that because the bus only lasted that one summer, but it was a good summer.

 

[lxmike]

This reminds me must take my IIIf for a spin

 

[lxmike]

I bought an M2 for $600 in the late 1990's. and a new Summicron 35 ASPH to go with it. Man that was some lens and boy do I regret selling that. It's 4x the price these days and I'm considering getting one, crazy right, but I have these prints made at the time that I see every day...I should just replace the prints.

My friend Sam got an M6 as a graduation gift, but being young he traded it for a VW Bus. He regretted that because the bus only lasted that one summer, but it was a good summer.

Thats a great story, swapping for a vw and getting one good summer out of it, I like that, camera can be replaced but memories have to generated or experienced

 

[bluesun267]

Early 2000s I had both the Summicron v4 35mm bokeh king and Canon 35/1.5 LTM: I paid virtually nothing for both.
Loved the Summicron but was cash strapped and sold it for peanuts compared to today's prices. And I didn't fully appreciate the Canon (thought it was junk) and... same story. I made a tidy profit (at the time) but frankly now I'd rather just have one or both of these lenses. They are forevermore out of my league. But I guess it's better to have lost in love than never to have loved at all.

 

[JohnWolf]

Looking back to the 70s when I started photography, it seems odd that Leica never crossed my radar. Not until the Digilux 2. Maybe it did and I dismissed them as too expensive.

Since then multiple Ms, both digital and film, now with M6 and M246. No regrets and nothing missed, though; I enjoyed my Nikons and Minoltas. I'm considering letting the M246 go, but am waffling. Digital Ms have the depreciation factor that makes the keep/sell decision more complicated.

John

 

[JeffS7444]

Leica: Been there, done that, got the mouse mat to prove it (no, really):



For more than two decades, I got a good deal of enjoyment out of M cameras (3x M3, M4, M4-2, M6, M8, M9, CL), a little bit of R (R4SP) and even Trinovid binoculars. Was a part of the old Leica User's email group and met a number of swell people as a result. The two Leicas which excited me most were the battered M4-2, because it was my first-ever M-camera, and the M8, because it was my first digital M, and I was fortunate enough to score one very early.

The M-system taught me a lot: It got me thinking of photography as more of any everyday activity rather than merely a weekend / holiday / special occasion thing. And the system's limitations, plus the limitations of my own budget, meant that I got to appreciate how much could be done with just a 50/2 or 35/2 lens. But more than anything else, I suppose I learned a thing or two about gratitude: If you look at your battered old camera and think how incredibly fortunate you are to own it, your time with it will be magical.

Today, the big-ticket items are long gone, but no regrets there because I did very well in resale, and by then was becoming enamored with the new mirrorless systems which were just starting to appear, and I found that the lessons learned with Leica transferred very nicely to other brands.

I did make more Leica purchase though: The 3F depicted in my photo became available for $100? $150? I figured I could indulge myself that much for a lightly-used bauble. But as luck would have it, I feel like my film-camera interests have since shifted towards the older Barnack cameras: How considerate of my past self! Lately I've been infatuated with the FED-1 (Leica II copy) that I restored.

 

[farlymac]

I arrived somewhat late to the game when it comes to Leica. Back in the late 70's and early 80's when I might have gotten interested in them they seemed kind of expensive for what you got. So I concentrated on my Nikon SLR kits as they were more useful for what I was doing. I had a couple of Yashica Electro's for whenever I felt like shooting a rangefinder, but always wished they had interchangeable lenses. Started buying other fixed lens rangefinders later on in the 90's and appreciated the feel of the designs. Still didn't have the urge to buy a Leica though.

Forward to the late oughts, and I had to sell off most of my gear, keeping only one of my father's cameras, and two that I preferred to hold on to. At one point I started to get interested in all the camera brands I never got a chance of using when I put together a Minolta X700 kit at a Goodwill of a body, three lenses, and a flash unit for all of $10. A friend of mine who was cleaning out his basement started sending me a box of cameras every month and I found so many other types to enjoy. Still no Leica.

But I got interested in FSU cameras as a substitute for Leica, and had a nice run with those systems (FED and Zorki). Finally realized that while they may have been innovative in their improvements on the original Barnack designs, they just didn't stand up in reliability. Sooooo, the first Leica I purchased was an R3. Yes, I back slid to my SLR ways for a first foray into the system, but I was okay with that. Same high quality of lenses, at a much lower price point in the used market. The R3 had an inherent meter fault though, so I replaced that with an R7. Now I was fully invested in the brand, building up a multi lens kit including a motor drive. Great camera, though a bit bulky.

By now I was getting the urge to delve into the rangefinders again, but a model III something I had spied on the shelf in an antique store for many months was now gone, so I switched up and bought a nice used CL with both lenses. I loved it! Especially the quick change bayonet mount, something that the FED's and Zorki's never came up with. Next thing I knew I had purchased an M4-P after doing much research. Decided I wanted the multi frame lines to cover whatever I could mount on the camera without having to use an external finder, and built up a kit of lenses and accessories. Then it was time to revisit the Model III line. I eventually settled on a IIIf RD made the same year I was born. Lovely camera, but the shutter curtains were shot full of leaky crinkles, so I had them replaced. Then I built up that kit with a 35 Summaron, 50 Summitar, 90 Elmar E39, and a 135 Hektor.

Then the pandemic hit, I had a heart attack, and was treated for prostate cancer. I came to the realization I had an awful lot of camera gear around here that wasn't getting used, so now I'm in the process of reducing the herd. No plans on getting rid of the Leica's though, at least not yet. I did buy a Nikon Z5 so I could use the LTM and M lenses with adapters in order to reduce my film usage. If the stars line up just right, I wouldn't mind getting an M10 something. But my dream camera is an M2 done up in hammertone paint by Suiedo. That would be a kick!

PF

 

[raid]

In the late 80's I got the chance to buy a well used M4-MOT and a nice looking M5 with Summicron 90/2. I sold both cameras quickly so that I don't get addicted to Leica cameras.
A year later, a friend told me that locally there was a gentleman who had some Leica equipment that he may be willing to sell.. It was a like new M3 with receipt from Leica plus Summicron 35 and 50 and "stuff" that was metal and shiny (for Leica) in their boxes, such as the 35mm brightline finder in the box. Years later, I bought a Leica M6. I was by then attracted to Leica lenses and it was hopeless to buy anything else. I then bought the M8, M9, M10 when the digital cameras were made and sold.

 

[DownUnder]

G.A.S, no L.A.S. story...

I was lucky to be able to use bunch of film Leica cameras before film and paper become luxury hobby instead of been working media. Joy like no any other film cameras I have tried (basically all formats and types). Not practical by now also because here is just D.A.G. or even worse for waiting time, communications.
Got two digital M in possession once. Only one by now.

I really want to let go of my two remaining film Leica (not in use), some Canon digital gear and get used SL. To be able to use Leica as AF and weather sealed. But here is no Leica service in Canada and no SL service in NA...

So, Leica is not practical, but most attractive gear for me.

Good one. I know that feeling. After having to part with my two Leicas, I went with the Contax G1 system, which I still own and use, but we are not talking about Leicas here, so I'll say no more, except that often as not, opposites attract...

Also I have a nice old Leica iiif I bought last year from a deceased estate. We find our own ways in all this, but that's part of the fun of photography in our lives.

 

[571514m3]

What a nice thread!

once after a lot of saving I became the proud owner of a DS M3, with goggle summaron and 4/90 elmar. After a very long drive we arrive very very late in the night in Paris. It was very dark. We have not booked anything. There was a very faint light at a house in a very dark street. We woke up someone and got a room.Very tired we were indeed. Waking up I realised that the little bag with the M3 had been left in the car. I thought I’d get it coming from the bakery with fresh baguettes and Boursin cheese. There wasn’t really anything left inside the car, but they had not smashed any of the windows. Oh, how I mourned fir that M3. It turned out that every single building either side of where we stayed was a brothel, and asking around in the morning they were all very nice and understanding. Really nice people. They did say that some very unsavoury characters, times. I did buy a nice book of Brassai photographs. What a genius!
PS
My favourite lens is a 2.8 Summaron!
PPS
There is this amazing artisan baker in this little town in the Victorian goldfields and he makes the most Paris style baguette and I pretty much have cracked the secret of home-made Boursin. So it has all worked out well.