Black 1932 Leica II, worth sending for repair?

[Renzsu]

Hi guys, just visited a friends place and she showed me this black Leica that used to belong to her husband's father. I looked up the serial number and I think it's a 1932 Leica II (serial number 93028). Now, this was kept in its leather case, so I already started to worry when she showed it to me, and yup, the lens was a bit foggy on the front and the body had lots of green spots on it.
I was wondering if it would be worth it to have it restored? It seemed to work alright and the interior was clean, but it could do with a good cleaning and new grease at least.
How much can she expect to pay if she wants to make this camera a user again?

The lens was a 5cm Elmar f/3.5, I'm not sure if there are any different versions of this lens? Sorry for the crappy pictures, I was at a dinner party and didn't want to get too camera nerdy 😉

 

[OlliL]

Contact Youxin Xe, he made me a good offer for a CLA on my black II.

 

[Keith]

Nice camera ... I couldn't see it costing much more than $150.00 for the CLA of camera and lens with Youxin.

Well worth the money IMO.

 

[Roger Hicks]

The green spots may well polish off with a dry cloth, and if all the speeds work, it doesn't really need a CLA. If your friend wants one anyway, send it to a reputable repairer inside the EU -- NOT to the USA (shipping, taxes, no personal contact).

Lens cleaning shouldn't cost a fortune.

Cheers,

R.

 

[lxmike]

very nice leica, well worth kept running

 

[johannielscom]

Call Will van Manen Kamera Service in Zoetermeer, NL. Ask for a quote. Estimate (totally mine, not his): EUR 150 to 200 for camera and lens. Youxin is cheaper but Roger is right, by the time shipping and customs are done with it, he would equal that EUR 150-200.

Should she consider it too much of a hassle, I'd suggest you offer a fair price and have it cleaned yourself, Barnacks are cool and deserve to be shot!

EDIT: It's been serviced at least once before, it has a flash sync at the edge between the RF window and the rewind button. Now that's a first, never seen it there before!! 😱 Does look quite professionally done though 😱

 

[helen.HH]

just do the CLA...
the LTM/.Barnack Experience is a Pure Pleasure
to Use & Carry about

I have No regrets w/ my 1938 III conversion
just pre cut enough film and carry about an extra roll or two ...😉

Cheers for the Holidays !!!

 

[Rob-F]

All old Leicas are worth repairing unless they have been run over by a tank. Yours looks very good. I can recommend John Maddox, L&J Camera Repair, in South Carolina. John has rebuilt three of my old screw-mount Leicas. Contact info upon request. Youxin Ye also comes well recommended.

 

[ellisson]

Black barnacks are beautiful, and this one looks fairly intact. Its definitely worth the CLA. Go for it!

 

[NLewis]

I'd do the CLA on the body and lens. I have a 1938 LIII that was pretty foggy/gummy, it came back smooth and clear, like factory new except for some cosmetic scratches. These are really gorgeous cameras. The LII is even more classic in some ways because: a) it's older, which is cool, and b) it doesn't have the low-speed-shutter dial in the front, which you don't really need unless you're using a tripod anyway, and that's not what a Barnack Leica is about.

The Elmar 50/3.5 is a fine lens, although uncoated. It's easier to design a lens when the maximum aperture is small, so, although it's an older design, it's still sharp as you like. Plus, the LII-collapsible Elmar combo is so compact, the M/Summicron combos just seem bloated in comparison.

 

[Nikon Bob]

Call Will van Manen Kamera Service in Zoetermeer, NL. Ask for a quote. Estimate (totally mine, not his): EUR 150 to 200 for camera and lens. Youxin is cheaper but Roger is right, by the time shipping and customs are done with it, he would equal that EUR 150-200.

Should she consider it too much of a hassle, I'd suggest you offer a fair price and have it cleaned yourself, Barnacks are cool and deserve to be shot!

EDIT: It's been serviced at least once before, it has a flash sync at the edge between the RF window and the rewind button. Now that's a first, never seen it there before!! 😱 Does look quite professionally done though 😱

I would totally agree with this for keeping the repair in the EU if you are going to get it done or making a fair offer. There are what seems to be a dozen or so variations of the Elmar 3.5. I had my pre war Elmar cleaned by DAG years ago and was impressed by how sharp it really was after cleaning.

Bob

 

[David Hughes]

Of course a Leica II is worth getting back into working order!

I'll go along with the others who are saying that the repair should be done in your own country. That way you can phone the people concerned, and vice versa, and they'll be fewer problems paying for it, understanding the estimate and posting the camera. And you'll both be in the same time zone, which will make life a lot easier.

Talking to a technician a while ago about a bit of haze etc on my standard Leica's Elmar and he was saying that the uncoated Elmars are easy to deal with and usually turn out as good as new. As he had the camera in front of him it added just £20 to the bill and made a lot of difference to the pictures. So highly recommended, imo.

As for the green marks/spots on the body, they can sometimes be removed using nothing more complicated than a pencil/ink eraser; just by rubbing gently.

Regards, David

 

[John Lawrence]

If it needs it, have it serviced.

John

 

[Renzsu]

Thanks guys, I've been thinking about giving Wil van Maanen a phonecall, I also have my Hassy 500c/m here that I suspect could do with a service. I will pass along the information, hopefully she'll have it serviced. It did feel like a nice camera to use. 🙂

 

[robklurfield]

get it serviced before the hoards of jealous RFF members descend on you with offers for it.😉 you'll have great fun with it.