Any Franken-Leica Owners?

[Vince Lupo]

Kids, this is about as Franken-Leica as they come.....

And all tarted up:

A more detailed description of this camera can be found in this thread:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74268

 

[LeicaTom]

Yeah Vince that ones crazy!!!! 😀 More accessorized than Frankensteined out....yeah the chrome is nutz 😛

That Megoflex reflex box is unique and very early stuff, almost as crazy as that speed winder that looks like a lawnmover pull starter.....

Tom

 

[Marel]

Mine's a black M6 classic with a silver M4 rewind knob...

 

[sepiareverb]

That M3J would make a great companion to an MP3.

My former M5 has a hybrid VF, MP style with complete frameline set and the circular metering area frame when the 50/75 is mounted. Doesn't look any different, so a stealth Franken?

 

[Muggins]

Vince,

That hard chrome is more period than you think - take a look at the Purma Speed, which could pass for a Barnack a long way off on a dark night:


Purma Speed by gray1720, on Flickr

Adrian

 

[Particular]

Leica IIIc linescan with M4-2 winder

Leica IIIc linescan with M4-2 winder

I suppose this qualifies as a franken Leica. I've shown this at NYC meetups, but not yet on rff.
The camera is based around a IIIc crate that I bought from LeicaTom a while back. The M4-2 winder was given in the X-mas giveaway by member batterytypehah!, and was missing the bottom plate. The body shell and some miscellaneous parts are from ebay. The bottom plate is built from brass stock, as well as some other parts. The gearing in the winder is altered, as well as much of the internals of the Leica.
The camera is a continuation of an old project using linescan/photofinish photography. The camera is functional, but is going through rounds of minor improvements to become more reliable. It is slowly getting there.
To get an idea of the effect, the old project is online here:
Random Walk

 

[B-9]

Impressive IIIc, True to the name FrankenLeica!

 

[LeicaTom]

I suppose this qualifies as a franken Leica. I've shown this at NYC meetups, but not yet on rff.
The camera is based around a IIIc crate that I bought from LeicaTom a while back. The M4-2 winder was given in the X-mas giveaway by member batterytypehah!, and was missing the bottom plate. The body shell and some miscellaneous parts are from ebay. The bottom plate is built from brass stock, as well as some other parts. The gearing in the winder is altered, as well as much of the internals of the Leica.
The camera is a continuation of an old project using linescan/photofinish photography. The camera is functional, but is going through rounds of minor improvements to become more reliable. It is slowly getting there.
To get an idea of the effect, the old project is online here:
Random Walk

See now that's what I mean, hahahahahaha that's a FrankenLeica, very well done, while it does the job you want it to do! ~ Yeah, that camera was from quite a few years ago, I'm glad that you found such a unique way of customising it to work with a M4 winder, really great, poorman's MOOLY C, while that item is a museum piece, here's something you can really use. 🙂

I'm still debating what I'm going to do concerning my personal FrankenLeica project?
While the BLACK PAINT M6 TTL LHSA 0.85 is off the market for now, but if I get a serious offer then I will SELL IT.

I have to ask Don a few more questions about the mods I want, but if and when it happens, I can at least say that the camera will look like a VERY LATE Black Paint Leica M3 🙂
I've been planning this thing now for over 5 years, I think that it's time that I get it done, before the outlet locally for film developing is totally taken away....

I'll be sure to post here and also more than likely start a new thread.

But keep the crazy builds coming, the crazier the better!

I knew of a Nikon S (ca. 1955) that had titanium shutter curtains built into it. (it was a camera I'd sold like 5 years ago, while it was like museum grade condition) and the owner had the curtains from a Nikon F modified to work inside that vintage Nikon. 🙂

I think that it makes Photography even more fun when you can say you have a uniquely built camera to your personal tastes, something no matter how crazy, something that works just for what you want it to do.....take pictures!

Tom

 

[raydm6]

Anyone out there in RFF land have any Franken-Leicas? Leica cameras with parts from other bodies? I know a few of you have MP finder upgrades, and a few prefer the m3/m2 film advance levers but are there any "true" Franken leicas?

There was this monstrosity offered many years ago but I am pretty sure it was a joke 🙂.

 

[jsrockit]

There was this monstrosity offered many years ago but I am pretty sure it was a joke 🙂.

What's great about the aforementioned creation you just posted is that CNNY made that one too...just like the IIIc with M4-2 winder.

 

[Doug A]

I have a wartime "stepper" IIIc factory converted to IIIf BD shutter and flash.
​​​​​​​

 

[Vince Lupo]

This is a repost from a broken link:


Megoflex by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

Leica Standard in shiny chrome with a Hugo Meyer Megoflex. This whole contraption is long gone from my camera world, but its memory lives on. The camera was one of those KEH ‘as-is’ specials which was, as I recall, touted as a ‘copy’. I’d not heard of a Standard as a copy, so I took a chance on it sight-unseen. Turns out it was a real Standard, but who knows who got the bright idea (so to speak) to shiny-chrome it. I thought well I may as well go whole-hog and add the Megoflex, which were and remain quite rare.

Another one, but not quite as ‘Franken’-like:

m1 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

ELCAN M2 with an M6 winder. I had this rig for over 20 years and really enjoyed using it. Don’t know if any of you older Toronto folk remember either Gallery Cameras on Yonge St. just north of Lawrence or ‘Doctor Dave’ Eve, but this combo was a product of both of them. Keith Matson sold me both the M2 and the M6 winder, and the good doctor made them work together. Seamless in connection and operation, sometimes I do wonder why I chose to part with this outfit. Ah well, I’ve been known to do much stupider things - just ask my wife.

Now this is one that maybe I really shouldn't have sold:

Camcraft Z-Housing1 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

Leica M-D 262 with a Camcraft Z-housing and a garden-variety 65mm Elmar. The Camcraft Z-housing was made by Norman Goldberg (Don's father) and was intended to be for his motorized M2 creation. It's a Visoflex III that has a fixed pellicle mirror in it, so no moving mirror and no external arm to worry about. Don told me that he figures his Dad made less than 10 of these.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

Just a few of the many I've had built over the years. ...

 

[Vince Lupo]

Hey Bill, for those of us who are uninitiated in all the various Leica M nuances, mind giving us a rundown of what all has been done to each of those cameras?

 

[Bill Blackwell]

Hey Bill, for those of us who are uninitiated in all the various Leica M nuances, mind giving us a rundown of what all has been done to each of those cameras?

Every one of them was borne out of me acquiring a topcover. All except one (the M7) were constructed from a donor M6 classic.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I have a Leica IIIf Black Dial that Don Goldberg told me was a IIIc that was factory-converted to a IIIf. It has the Sharkskin vulcanite that some IIIc bodies had.

 

[Joao]

Leica fakes are often made from FSU rangefinders. Are there any inner parts of ZORKIs or other FSU cameras that can be fitted inside a Barnack Leica?
I have read that this can happen with Contax cameras (Kiev parts can be used inside them).
Just my curiosity...
Joao

 

[santino]

Leica fakes are often made from FSU rangefinders. Are there any inner parts of ZORKIs or other FSU cameras that can be fitted inside a Barnack Leica?
I have read that this can happen with Contax cameras (Kiev parts can be used inside them).
Just my curiosity...
Joao

Probably from the early FEDs…

 

[mconnealy]

I see there is a Foth Derby with an Elmar lens offered now on ebay. Seems a bit pricey considering the condition.

 

[Muggins]

As the link to PhotoF***et I posted in 2013 has long since died, this is my FrankenLeica - it has an even cheaper incarnation with a lens-cap pinhole!

Low-Budget Leica rig by gray1720, on Flickr

Total cost, including getting the slow speeds sorted, under £100.