Anyone seen this shutter speed dial on a IIIC?

rgeorge911

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Looks quite different from the normal one, I think. Any idea what's going on here?

Reed
 
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That's a flash sync adapter. You should be able to remove it. If I recall it is held in place by a set screw..
 
I believe it's called the Geiss-Kontakt-Leica flash synchronizer..

Once removed the original dial will be under it..
 
The cup, or funnel, around the release button is strange.

There was an additional part which mounted in the accy shoe that the flash pc cable would plug into. The cam on the part mounted to the shutter ring would engage the lever and (??) fire the flash...when it worked right...
 
I used to have a Geiss Kontakt on my III-C back in the 1960's. Another piece fit in the shoe and had a standard PC contact. It was adjustable for zero delay X synch or 20 millisecond M synch for flash bulbs. It came in a little round brick red bakelite case with an instruction leaflet. I understand that the complete set is worth a fortune today. I probably both bought and sold it for a buck or so.
 
The Main Part

The Main Part

This is the main part that goes on the shoe. "A" is a spring loaded switch which the notch on the shutter dial adapter hits to close the circuit and fire the flash. "B" is a PC terminal.

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Al Kaplan: It came in a little round brick red bakelite case with an instruction leaflet. I understand that the complete set is worth a fortune today. I probably both bought and sold it for a buck or so.

The Geiß-Kontakt above was a $5.00 eBay item. I did not know about the part which went on the shutter dial until later. I asked the seller, after getting this GK part, if he had that thingie that went on the dial. He said that he had it, but did not know that it went with the shoe part, and had given it away....
 

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That was all back in the day when ten or fifteen bucks could convince your local camera tech to to open up the camera and put in a PC terminal with X-synch.
 
Hakosyn was another "clip-on" synchronizer for the pre-f Barnacks.

I have one that came with a big box of assorted flashgoodies; got the sync dial, shoe, instruction sheet, and little aluminum box.

I carry it in my LTM user kit, but haven't tried it out yet.
 
The cup, or funnel, around the release button is strange.

I think those are aftermarket accessory parts. You see them on the FSU Leica copies as well. I don't think Leica ever made them as original equipment. I don't see them anywhere in my books by Jim Lager, or Rogliatti. I guess some people must have found them comfortable. I never felt the need.
 
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