Holding onto an old III(f?) for a friend:

[awbphotog]

Hello! I've had this Leica in my hands for the better part of the last two years, and it is a friend's whom I went to college with. It was handed down to him rather recently by his late grandmother, who told him it was her husband's. Dave, my friend, is not a photographer and rather would like to know how much it is worth, and after shooting multiple rolls, I haven't got a clue what to tell him. The lens, cosmetically beautiful, has a large spot of fungus and all of the exposures come out half blank (not synched curtains?). Anyway, my main point of this post isn't for an appraisal, but rather to share what is briefly mine and is truly beautiful to my eyes. The lens is still a performer on my Bessa R, though I feel I prefer my Canon 50 1.8 (chrome).

Here's the rather inclusive kit I received from Dave to hold onto. The whole thing is in pretty nice shape, aside from some brassing above the viewfinder on the face side of the camera. Check it out!

Please, tell me exactly what I have here! Thanks Leica experts.

Best,

Andy

 

[Evanjoe610]

Andy,

I'm not a Leica expert, but the Red Dial do mean something. Possibly a IIIG?

I will look through one of my Leica books...

 

[awbphotog]

I think the small finder window means it is not a IIIG. I would have bought it from him if it were 😀

I'm colorblind as a bat, didn't even see the red dial. Sweet!

 

[xayraa33]

It is a Leica IIIf red dial camera.

 

[awbphotog]

Thanks xayraa. A pretty camera. Can anyone confirm the ailment? If the negatives come out half exposed, half blank/black, does this indicate a problem with the curtain sync or is it possible its more serious? It should be noted that maybe 1-3 photos on every roll came out normally exposed, full frame and all. Intermittent curtain failure? Yikes.

 

[xayraa33]

Thanks xayraa. A pretty camera. Can anyone confirm the ailment? If the negatives come out half exposed, half blank/black, does this indicate a problem with the curtain sync or is it possible its more serious? It should be noted that maybe 1-3 photos on every roll came out normally exposed, full frame and all. Intermittent curtain failure? Yikes.

Were all the photos taken with a flash?

 

[awbphotog]

No sir. I will try and scan some later tonight or possibly tomorrow to show you the effect. None were taken with flash, however.

 

[xayraa33]

No sir. I will try and scan some later tonight or possibly tomorrow to show you the effect. None were taken with flash, however.

One shutter curtain could be sticking.

Take the lens off the empty camera and slide a white business card in the film plane where the film normally goes and wind and fire the shutter a few times while observing in good light.

Sometimes old small film pieces in the curtain ribbon track can stop or delay a shutter curtain.

Or you can have one shutter curtain roller that is out of spring tension or even one broken shutter curtain ribbon.

 

[FrankS]

It needs a servicing to function properly again. In my estimation, its worth about $500 as is.

 

[HuubL]

The lens is a Summarit (50mm F/1.5). If it has a scratch free front lens the set could be worth even 600$ or more.

 

[ray*j*gun]

The lens might push it over $500 but you have to factor in the cost of a CLA and if the lens has fungus that needs work also. Check with Youxin Ye ..... one of my fav cameras.

 

[HuubL]

One shutter curtain could be sticking.

Take the lens off the empty camera and slide a white business card in the film plane where the film normally goes and wind and fire the shutter a few times while observing in good light.

Not easy to do with a Barnack, I presume...🙂

 

[FrankS]

Not easy to do with a Barnack, I presume...🙂

While looking into the camera's lens throat.

 

[xayraa33]

Not easy to do with a Barnack, I presume...🙂

That is why I mentioned taking off the lens and the white business card in the film plane trick and observing in good light.

As as an owner of over a dozen bottomloader Barnack type cameras including Leica, Canon, Nicca/Tower and Zorki 1 accumulated since the mid 1970s and personally have CLAed a few of them myself, I just might know what I am talking about.

 

[awbphotog]

I tried to check the curtains using the white card and at no speed was the card even visible when looking through the mouth of the camera. A little worrying, perhaps. Aside from the fungus spot in the summarit, the front lens looks very very good. Even under harsh light it isn't visibly scratched and really only has the fungus working against it. I've taken some photos with the fungus showing up, others without. I'll post some photos later taken with the summarit and my trusty Bessa R.

 

[HuubL]

That is why I mentioned taking off the lens and the white business card in the film plane trick and observing in good light.

As as an owner of over a dozen bottomloader Barnack type cameras including Leica, Canon, Nicca/Tower and Zorki 1 accumulated since the mid 1970s and personally have CLAed a few of them myself, I just might know what I am talking about.

I'm sorry for the misinterpretation apparently caused by my remark. I had no intention to doubt your knowledge of Barnacks. Just tried to figure out how easy that would be without the possiblity to open a backdoor like on the Ms and look at the light directly.

 

[xayraa33]

I'm sorry for the misinterpretation apparently caused by my remark. I had no intention to doubt your knowledge of Barnacks. Just tried to figure out how easy that would be without the possiblity to open a backdoor like on the Ms and look at the light directly.

If you own a Barnack type bottomloader camera the visual inspection with the white business card trick with the lens off is the only way to check if the shutter speeds are even remotely operational at the higher shutter speeds.

Too bad one can't check for shutter curtain pin holes in such a quick manner or to tell you if the higher shutter speeds are even near to spec.

My only Barnack clone that you can check the shutter curtain like an M Leica is my rare Nicca Type 5 .

I would include the Nicca/Yashica YF camera in this category too.

 

[xayraa33]

I tried to check the curtains using the white card and at no speed was the card even visible when looking through the mouth of the camera. A little worrying, perhaps. Aside from the fungus spot in the summarit, the front lens looks very very good. Even under harsh light it isn't visibly scratched and really only has the fungus working against it. I've taken some photos with the fungus showing up, others without. I'll post some photos later taken with the summarit and my trusty Bessa R.

A camera of such high quality and vintage as your Leica IIIf needs to have a proper CLA done on it by whoever wants to put it to good use making photographs.

This is very typical with these cameras of this age that have seen seldom use.

 

[johannielscom]

Could send it to Youxin and ask for his opinion on the shutter and the lens fungus. Don Goldberg and Sherry Krauter maybe are better but they are backed up in work so you might see it surface in 2014😀

Regarding fungus: it makes a difference on which lens element it has accumulated and how long it's been there. I shoot a version-1 Summilux 1.4/50 with coating damage, inside of the rear element, and it only drops contrast slightly more when shot wide open, at all other apertures the fungus barely has any influence on image quality.

So if you're planning to use camera and lens fungus damage might turn out to be not be too big a deal, but when selling it would probably take quite a chunk off the selling price. One advice, sell recently CLA'd camera and lens apart to boost revenue as much as possible, and make sure to state camera was recently CLA'd. Wouldn't want the lens's condition to take anything off the camera's value... Oh and sell the lens with example images posted to the advertisement!

All said, if it were me and I'd consider keeping it, I'd have it CLA'd and keep it a set, it's a nice kit and likely an original combo!

Good luck on making those choices, happy shooting.