cinemakyle
Member
Okay, so I've been searching and scrounging for a well-priced Leica M3 for a few months, and won this eBay auction last week. I am kind of tired of waiting around for the deal of the century to come my way. As you can tell from the ebay photos, it's not in the greatest cosmetic shape, but I just want an M3 that will allow me to take great photos. I got the camera today, and I need some help deciding whether it's worth what I paid. I don't want to be stuck with a dud. :bang:
A bit of info:
It's a Single Stroke. The viewfinder has the later version with the two notches. It also has the later round strap lugs, not the buddha type. This leads me to believe that it's been updated in the past? Does this sound right for that SN?
The shutter is in working order. All the speeds seem correct. But there are some white spots on the curtain. Should that be a concern?
My biggest concern is that when I inspected the rangefinder with a flashlight, I see two or three dark spots in the middle, and some darkness on the bottom too. I can't see those through the actual viewfinder, only when I'm looking through the rangefinder lens side and with a flashlight shining through it. Is this serviceable? How big of an impact will it have in every-day application? I haven't seen a pristine M3 to know what it *should* look like, I can only compare it to my Bessa R. Compared to the Bessa R, i'd say it's about equal. the M3's viewfinder patch may be slightly brighter, but much less finicky than the Bessa.
I'm going to try to swing by Steve's Camera tomorrow and see what they say, but what is your opinion?
Is it worth what I paid, or should I send it back? I do have a 7-day return window with the seller...but will I be able to find something better in that price range? For a 50 year old camera, I know I can't expect everything to be perfect, but should I be able to find one with a better VF patch?
Thanks!
A bit of info:
It's a Single Stroke. The viewfinder has the later version with the two notches. It also has the later round strap lugs, not the buddha type. This leads me to believe that it's been updated in the past? Does this sound right for that SN?
The shutter is in working order. All the speeds seem correct. But there are some white spots on the curtain. Should that be a concern?
My biggest concern is that when I inspected the rangefinder with a flashlight, I see two or three dark spots in the middle, and some darkness on the bottom too. I can't see those through the actual viewfinder, only when I'm looking through the rangefinder lens side and with a flashlight shining through it. Is this serviceable? How big of an impact will it have in every-day application? I haven't seen a pristine M3 to know what it *should* look like, I can only compare it to my Bessa R. Compared to the Bessa R, i'd say it's about equal. the M3's viewfinder patch may be slightly brighter, but much less finicky than the Bessa.
I'm going to try to swing by Steve's Camera tomorrow and see what they say, but what is your opinion?
Is it worth what I paid, or should I send it back? I do have a 7-day return window with the seller...but will I be able to find something better in that price range? For a 50 year old camera, I know I can't expect everything to be perfect, but should I be able to find one with a better VF patch?
Thanks!
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