early M3 / late M3

FrankS

FrankS

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It's just one more day to the local spring camera show/sale.

Up to now I've been focused on getting a high serial no. SS M3, but just in case a nice, clean, earlier double stroke offers itself to me tomorrow, what must I know to make an informed decision?

Double-stroking the film advance lever is not a problem because if I'm going to be in a situation where I need to be shooting fast, I'd take another kind of camera.

A SS is younger, but only by a few years, and since they are all quite old, the % difference is not significant.

Older cameras had glass film pressure plates. Aside from being slightly heavier, is that a problem? (I guess it may crack if the camera is dropped.)

An older camera may not have a frameline selector lever.

Aside from these considerations, is there anything else I need to know when considering SS vs. DS M3's?

Opportunity will be my guide tomorrow, but it makes sense to prepare oneself.
 
I´m not one to advise - as I have nothing to compare with - But I do know that my M3 DS has the "newer" film pressure plate (non glass), but also has the old "droplet" strap lugs and the frame preview lever. There is also the eternal discussion as to which model has the strongest film advance(some people rekon its´the DS others SS) - I think somewhere on the nemeg site, someone mentions asking factory workers at leitz, and them saying DS hands down. Also some people rekon the DS advance is smoother - I don´t know and don´t really care.

My advice: get the one that seems the most "healthy" - no matter if it is SS or DS.

Cheers,

Meakin
 
You obsess about these things as much as I do. I feel so much less alone right now. :)

I think I would not go for one with a glass pressure plate, but anything else would be game for the right price and condition.
 
The eyepiece of the M3SS is slightly larger than the M3DS. It offers slightly better eye-relief for eyeglass wearers. The early M3DS also had the old-style shutter speeds; 1/25; 1/50 etc. Ever wonder why the Sync speed is "in Between" the set speeds on most Leica's? Not on an early M3DS!

I have both an M3DS and M3SS.
 
Dear Frank, One thing to check is the clutch pad on the older DS M3s. If, when you get to the end of the 1st or 2nd stroke and then can push the advance lever further with a little more pressure, then the clutch pad is worn and should be replaced. Don't push too hard though...... An older fix for this problem was to convert the DS to SS, but I have heard that the parts to do this might be unobtainable or really scarce. Maurice
 
Frank... go with your gut feeling. Unlike most of us, you'll have the chance to play with the camera. See if it feels, sounds and looks fine. Don't try to listen to all the shutterspeeds, and, as for the slow ones, expect them to be slow.

If I were in your shoes, I'd check the shutter curtains, loading system and, as greeson said above, the viability of the DS. Needless to say, the viewfinders aren't going to be all clear either (we're talking 40-plus year old cameras), so pay attention to the patches and the rangefinders as well... and ask about returns! :)

Good luck and please, keep us posted! :D
 
:) Anyone want to put money on what Frank actually comes home with? I mean, how many times have you gone looking for one particular thing and ended up with something totally different? :D

I can see it now...Frank is just holding the DS M3 and weighing up the pro's and con's when the dealer says "But maybe you'd like a look at THIS..." and puts in his hands a Black mint Canon P / a Nikon S3 / a IIIg / whatever ; and Frank is lost....... :angel:

At least, that's the kind of thing that happens to me :(

Good luck Frank, with whatever you end up with! Hope you find a bargain. My chance is Sunday of next week for the Sydney Camera Market........
 
I'll let you guys know. Thank you for supporting me through this. I'm pretty sure that the only way I would come away with something unexpected is if it were a "steal" and I could resell it. Leica M3 (SS or DS) or M6, here I come.
 
Thanks Ralph. I've been looking forward to this event for a while. It's gotten me through a busy time at work, and comes at the beginning of a week's holiday. I do have a backup plan just in case I come up empty tomorrow: I have a line on an early DS M3 in very nice condition, CLA'd not recently but some years ago, from the second owner, the first being a collector, for $650.

OT: I'm wondering is RFF member Stephen G, Mr. Gandy?
 
i hope you find that great deal on the camera that just feels right.
i have a friend, older gent, that prefers the ds to the ss, it's a 'feel' thing.

and with any luck you'll have a good night's sleep and be rested for the show.

and frank, if you find a black p...

joe
 
He does list Leica stuff for sale at times...

Frank, I'm feeling the cruel sting of envy here... Mean, green, unclean envy... :mad:

Good luck and keep us posted!! :D
 
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