Can the Mooly on a iiib be ditched?

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Gben

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I recently picked up a iiib at a junk-shop which has a Mooly on it I am guessing has been on it since it was new. It is heavy and from what I hear it is not reliable, so can it simply be removed and a standard bottom put on the camera with no trouble or modification? The camera has a serial number starting with 284 and the Mooly is numbered 814. The lens on the camera is a Zeiss sonnar f1.5 with a serial number starting with 285. Camera seems to be fully functional including the auto-winder.


Thank-you for your input.

239470946_4251935284897319_3400623997588733926_n.jpg
 
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I believe it should be replaceable with a standard baseplate. I will try to remember to check in my Leica books tomorrow (they are in the basement). Other motor drives and winders are interchangeable with the baseplate, I don't see why the MOOLY would not be.

That is quite a find!
 
yes, just remove the MOOLY and replace with a regular III, IIIa or IIIb baseplate, they should all fit. But not a IIIc or later - different size.

Your MOOLY is a collectible and is saleable alone. Ebay or the RFF classifieds will provide buyers.
 
I recommend putting the mooly on RFF classifieds. The sale will easily cover the cost of a pre IIIc baseplate. I would be tempted by a mooly....or a scnoo.
 
I took the bottom off and snapped a few photos that may help see if there are any differences from standard.

220011204_4186465231444325_7555031705628139310_n.jpg


221568007_4186465321444316_196602007583975686_n.jpg
 
Where is this junk shop that has Leicas and MOOLYs hanging around? What else do they have in stock? Is it permitted to ask what you paid for it? As johannielscom points out, you'll regret selling it- it is very much the find of a lifetime.
 
Malcolm M said:
Where is this junk shop that has Leicas and MOOLYs hanging around? What else do they have in stock? Is it permitted to ask what you paid for it? As johannielscom points out, you'll regret selling it- it is very much the find of a lifetime.
Click to expand...

I have nothing against Leica cameras as a product, but they are too expensive for me to collect at market prices. The Leica history is important and fascinating, but I like cameras that if they break, are lost or stolen it does not matter. It just does not make sense to me to own one lens, camera body or accessory that is worth as much as one to ten complete working camera outfits of any other common brand there is. I think this IIIb body works well enough to shoot photos and it is not worth much minus the MOOLY, and the lens is probably not worth much because it is not Leica, it may even be a fake made from Russian parts, so it makes sense to me to ditch the MOOLY and maybe have a Leica that will shoot photos for a while and is worth almost nothing at all. I paid $20 for it as it sits. If I could have any Leica it would be a plain standard model with the collapsible Elmar, but if I don't find one I am not going to worry about it.
 
There were some CZ lenses made to fit Leica bodies but that's not an area where I know anything much. Perhaps someone can take it up?


Regards, David
 
That lens sure looks legit but there's only one way to be certain, that's when I could examine it myself. The 285xxxx serial signals a late 1945 or 1946 production under Russian rule in Jena.

Anyway, your camera needs to have the vulcanite glued down. I'd recommend using a syringe with needle, and that 10-sec instant glue. I've used this to glue down vulcanite on cameras of similar age and it works fine, just make sure glue won't creep out the seams or screw holes or you'll glue your fingers onto the camera!
 
Dear Gben,

Find the user "Sonnar_Brian" in the members list here at RFF and send him a PM about your lens. He is super, super nice and knows more about the sonnar lens on your camera than most any other person alive. He will tell you all about the lens....History, performance, its position in the long lineage of sonnars, whether it has full Zeiss heritage or a mixture of KMZ and Zeiss, and anything else you might want to know. Brian often has plenty of extra "trivia" bits to share about those lenses. BTW, it is a really nice lens and one that many of us Leica types enjoy and seek out as a lens to both use and collect. Mine is a hybrid of Zeiss and KMZ parts and I really like it. It has a unique set of characteristics that I like to employ in certain situations. Did I mention that Brian (Sonnar_Brian) is a really nice person?

I have for a long time wanted to put a MOOLY or SCNOO on my favorite IIIa that went for a spa at DAG's shop.🙂

For some reason, I don't really want to put a Leicavit on my Barnacks. Not that I would turn one down, but I really like SCNOO and MOOLY looks. My DAG-treated IIIa is so much nicer to use now. I may be tempted to shoot more film now... at least for a while.
 
I agree with Johan about the Zeiss lens with 285 serial number, probably made by Zeiss under Russian occupation. I have a couple of 285 serial number lenses, and both have the last 6 digits of a Zeiss serial number on the rear lens element. If you are feeling brave, you can try to take the lens apart by grasping firmly around the front of the lens near the aperture ring and twisting counter-clockwise. Most of the time they will unscrew with moderate pressure, but they are occasionally stubborn.
 
dexdog said:
I agree with Johan about the Zeiss lens with 285 serial number, probably made by Zeiss under Russian occupation. I have a couple of 285 serial number lenses, and both have the last 6 digits of a Zeiss serial number on the rear lens element. If you are feeling brave, you can try to take the lens apart by grasping firmly around the front of the lens near the aperture ring and twisting counter-clockwise. Most of the time they will unscrew with moderate pressure, but they are occasionally stubborn.
Click to expand...

The first time I tried to unscrew the lens cap instead the lens started to screw out of it's body, it does have the last six digits of the serial number on it. I guess that lets you know that it has not had those two parts swapped in from another lens?

I will probably put the MOOLY on Ebay, I can not put it on any classifieds because I don't know what it is worth, so the free market can sort it out. Or maybe I can find someone who wants to trade the whole camera for one of the standard or Leica I models.

I think the cover is shrunk and it is as hard as rock and breaks easily, so the way to go would be to just make a new cover for it out of something.

I can give the lens a try for sure, it is probably not worth enough to bother selling, and nobody would probably want to trade such a poorly made lens for a real Leica lens

Thanks for all who had helpful input !!!
 
I'm curious where you're located Gben. In the Chicago area of US?

I'd wait to see what Brian (Sonnar_Brian) has to say about your lens before dismissing it as low worth.


MOOLYs sometimes sell for silly prices but I like to consider the recipient of some of my items....
 
And I should direct folks to Rick's (Mr Flibble) work! A little spoiler: using historic period correct equipment to document living history events/or should we call it re-living or re-enactment?

http://flibble.nl

Ya, that's it. Go visit and enjoy
 
Please be discreet, guys! There should be no buy/sell/trade offers in the discussion forums. PMs of course are suitably private. And there's the Classifieds section...
 
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