Leica LTM Am I mad??

[dougdarter]

Hi,
The postman delivered a very welcome parcel this morning. It was my old Leica II and 5cm Summar which have been away for a CLA.

The camera, which I've owned since buying it in a fleamarket in Fallingbostel, Germany in 1970, as a callow youth, was in desparate need of a service - the shutter curtain was almost see through, and the speeds, particularly the low ones were inconsistent. The lens, which is in remarkably good condition, was a bit misty, as were the VF and RF windows on the camera.

The body is a very early non export model.

Well both are back, and working as good as new, remarkable when you consider the body is from 1932, and the lens from 1935.

Incidentally, has anyone seen a shutter release cup like this before?? I'm not at all sure that it's original.

I paid £350 for all the work😱 Am I mad?? I could have bought a near mint body for that amount!!

 

[jolefler]

My 1937 II export edition has a release cup not quite as bowl-like as yours, but still larger and deeper than any other I've seen. Leaves me wondering about how they were originally equipped as well!

 

[ltketch]

your not mad, your just looking after an old friend!

 

[Dralowid]

I'd say just a bit bonkers like the rest of us but not mad, far from it. The camera looks in great shape and ready for another 70 years, may I ask who you used for the work?

I'd guess that that release cup is Russian. I'd reckon the camera left the factory with a small knurled collar around the release. These are not so easy to find but being a bit mad myself I have made one or two from the knurled rings that go round bicycle tyre valves!

Michael
(whose insanity knows no bounds in his ongoing battle with a recalcitrant Leicaflex motor)

 

[shadowfox]

I'd probably pay $700 for a camera that I have owned for 30 years. So if you're mad, so am I 😀

Just make sure that your kids and grandkids treat the camera like a treasure that it is.

 

[Stu W]

I hope you guys enjoy another 37 years together. Stu

 

[vrgard]

Considering the history you have with the camera and its inherent quality, I don't think you're mad at all. Of course, you are asking this question in an asylum filled with similarly afflicted souls! 😉

-Randy

 

[Jerevan]

If you intend to use it (as any Leica really should be) and not sell it or put it on a shelf, I'd say it's worth all the money. Go ahead and enjoy it!😀

 

[dougdarter]

I'd say just a bit bonkers like the rest of us but not mad, far from it. The camera looks in great shape and ready for another 70 years, may I ask who you used for the work?

I'd guess that that release cup is Russian. I'd reckon the camera left the factory with a small knurled collar around the release. These are not so easy to find but being a bit mad myself I have made one or two from the knurled rings that go round bicycle tyre valves!

Michael
(whose insanity knows no bounds in his ongoing battle with a recalcitrant Leicaflex motor)

I have been told that these shutter release cups were available in Germany just after the war, but not from Leica.

The camera was serviced by a chap called Simon Coope, who is actually a watchmaker, but who repairs classic cameras as well.

Good idea about the bicycle tyre valve!! I may measure the pitch, and see if I can turn one on my lathe, just for fun😀

 

[sanmich]

I just showed the thread to my wife...

she would put me and you in the same cell 😀

 

[dougdarter]

I just showed the thread to my wife...

she would put me and you in the same cell 😀

Been there, done that, got the T shirt 😀

She thinks my new M8 costs the same as her Nikon compact 😎

 

[xayraa33]

go on, put some film in that beauty and shoot away.
in a bit less than a year you will have forgotten what you paid for the CLA.

 

[ltketch]

£350 / 37 is under £10 a year...wish the maintenance on my car only cost that much!

(obviously it's even less considering the real age of the camera)

 

[gb hill]

Looks like money well spent to me....😉

 

[dougdarter]

I'm expecting my IIIa to arrive back any day soon. Not sure what it's going to cost, as I've had the shutter out and new slow speed work done!!

I've only had this one around 20 years, so it's a relative youngster🙂

 

[JNewell]

Repairing something you own is seldom a bad idea, especially when a new used body might have many (and possibly expensive) hidden issues.


Moreover, repairing something that you've got that kind of track record with is NEVER a bad idea, as long as you're going to get some future use out of it. I still have the first Leica I ever bought,, 35 years ago, and recently had it CLA'd (though it was <$100).