Leica LTM i think i may want an ltm leica ...

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
To get a good Leica screw camera I would be tempted to go to a trusted dealer like Stan Tamarkin and ask for a good user with a warranty. They might have one they could offer. My friends who restore old cars say it is cheaper to buy the car already restored rather than buy a rough one and restore it yourself. I think this may be true with cameras also. Whichever way you go I wish you good luck. Consider also getting a 50mm f3.5 Elmar. I love how my IIIc with Elmar fits in my pocket and yet delivers high quality. Joe
 
OK, if you cann't be convinced otherwise, :), I suggest to buy directly from Youxin on ebay. He sells every few weeks, cameras that are already CLA'ed by him. In fact, he has a iiic ending tomorrow: http://shop.ebay.com/wye7/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25. From 1949 though ...


That's cool...never thought about Youxin having an ebay store, but I never used ebay before, so I bid a couple of times on another item to see what would happen but each time I bid, I got a screen saying I was outbid by $2.50 more than my bid. This happened three times. What in the world is happening?:confused:
 
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thanks for all the encouragement. what dfo you reckon i could a nice shooter for? i'd figure in the cost of a CLE, maybe new curtains. and i already have the lens i'd use: cv 50/2.8 cs ...

Paul, I would look at Youxin's ebay store first, as Roland recommended. Otherwise, I'd look here in classifieds or at KEH. A IIIc or black dial IIIf in good user condition should run you around $250 or so; I wouldn't pay more than $300 for one (body only). I paid a little over $300 for my IIIc AND a Summitar from a member here. A CLA plus new shutter curtains and beamsplitter from Youxin will run you around $160. Worth every penny. :)
 
Youxin is a great guy. If you get a camera completely overhauled with a bunch of new parts, it will run about $200 including shipping.
What you could also do is just send him an email and tell him you're looking for a Barnack made in 1951. He might spot one immediately and you'd be set.
Anyways, I'm heading out on a bike ride with my IIIf and Elmar 2.8. Fantastic combination!
Again, good luck and post some photos of the new camera (and taken with it, of course) when you get it.

Phil Forrest
 
I was lucky enough , on e-bay , to find a 1947 Leica IIIc body [ Birth Year ] which the seller had advised had been serviced by R.G.Lewis , the London company who helped me with my awkward fearful ASD search for Leica and had initially been sold by Wallace Heaton in Bond St [ home town and familiar shop ] as evinced by the remains of a label on the back . So it was a UK import way back whan .
It's priceless to me by association and it works delightfully .
 
...I never used ebay before, so I bid a couple of times on another item to see what would happen but each time I bid, I got a screen saying I was outbid by $2.50 more than my bid. This happened three times. What in the world is happening?:confused:

eBay allows you to place a maximum bid, and then it autobids for you up to that maximum. For example, if I place a $100 bid on a camera currently going for $25, eBay will autobid $26 for me. If you come along and bid $27, eBay will instantly autobid $28 for me, and tell you that you've been outbid.

If no one else bids, I'll get the camera for $28. If you continue bidding, however, and eventually go higher than my $100 maximum, eBay will notify me that I've been outbid.

Most successful ebay bidders "snipe" the auction in the last few seconds. For example, if the auction is at $26, I'll bid my maximum $100 five or six seconds before the auction closes. If you bid $35, eBay's will autobid $36.00 for me, and I'll win the auction, because you won't have time to make another bid.

Watch a few eBay auctions for desirable camera equipment (or anything else) and you'll see the bids escalate dramatically in the last few seconds.

BTW, the minimum bid increment can vary from auction to auction. I think (but I'm not certain) that it's a combination of seller preference and price bracket. In your example, it appears to be $2.50 minimum increment, but I've seen increments from $.50 to $5.00.

It's important to decide your maximum bid in advance, so you don't get caught up in a bidding "fever".
 
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I think everyone has to experience owning a threadmount at some stage and after what you've been through recently Paul I think you owe it to yourself to give one a go.

Some of us may have to buy my avatar, so no thread mount, though I have a II that I think is an upgrade from that era. ;-)

BTW, the Avatar shoots just fine, bit of flare. ;-)

Regards, John
 
Paul, While your mulling it over consider this that only a Leica can scratch a Leica itch. When I had mine it seemed overwhelming. .I'd go to a little shop, pick it up ---almost fondle that thing! It was a Leica IIIg ,boy was that a dirty camera. Lens had lots of crud on it ,a couple of dents(I knew I could fix everything EASY!) and the whole thing came in a dirty little cloth bag(CROWN ROYAL)And get this ALL for only $300. I asked around and one guy asked what other bodies I had and I responded :A Canon III, IIs2, VI-T,3-P's and a 7. The fellow then stated that except for the name what I already owned were as good as, and probably, better than what I craved! Harsh words to hear I must say. My own fault, must have paid too much attention to it at the store, because when I went back to the shop the old lady said "We don't want to sell it now" I left never to return! I did reread the advice and when that itch starts again I just pickup a Canon III or the Canon IIs2. They are built like a tank, feel just right in my hand, load from the bottom, and all my LTM lenses fit. Yup- - just like on my Bessa-R. Just be happy 'cause they are all good!
 
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Paul, Youxin sells LTM cameras that have just been CLAd and repaired on ebay Here is the link.
http://shop.ebay.com/wye7/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25

You can get a nice camera body for $300 or a little more and a couple hundred for a lens. That way you don't have to worry about getting it repaired. His descriptions are very reliable. I have gotten 3 cameras from him and they were all just great and worked perfectly. Jim
 
keith, i am just plain glad that my hand tremors largely have gone away, so i can use lighter weight cams. could be the main reason for improvement is that surgery after surgery and now chemo have driven me totally away from coffee. and i used to LOOOOOOOOVE coffee ... ;)
 
Theres always decaf.:) Enjoy the IIIf Paul. I guess I'll load up the Zorki 2s which is the closes thing I got that even slightly resembles a Barnack, screw on a I-50 & play in the FSU contest. Post a pic when it arrives!:D
 
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