IIIa - 1/1000 & 1/500 not working - easy fix or money grave?

[slidesandthecity]

Dear RFF members,

one of the camera dealers I trust has a IIIa, which does not fire the 1/1000 and 1/500, for sale and I was wondering wether it was a good idea to buy it and repair it on my own [I do not have any experience repairing cameras] or if I would most likely end up being totally frustrated and having a significantly lighter purse?

Best regards,
Philipp

 

[Robert Lai]

I had a IIF which had a tapering problem at 1/1000. It took a while for Don Goldberg to clean the shutter mechanism and adjust it to travel evenly across. These Leicas are intricate items - like a Swiss mechanical watch. If you know how to take apart and service your Rolex, then go ahead and fix your Leica. Otherwise, leave it to experts.

 

[Simon Bruxelles]

If you're buying any 70 year old camera it is a good idea to factor in a service if you don't know when it was last done. Getting the fast speeds working properly is not necessarily going to cost any more than the service would otherwise as it should be part of the CLA. Check with the repairer first and don't let it put you off the camera if the price is right.

 

[sevo]

These Leicas are intricate items - like a Swiss mechanical watch. If you know how to take apart and service your Rolex, then go ahead and fix your Leica.

As a matter of fact, the shutter of II/III generation Leicas is much closer to a mechanical egg timer than to a Rolex. So no, it is not anywhere THAT hard. But fixing egg timers is no skill you are born with either. You might want to hone your skills on some more affordable camera - Zorkis and FEDs have quite similar shutter mechanics and you can pick up five of these in need of shutter repair for less than the cost you might have to sink into resurrecting a Leica you have damaged...

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

If you have to ask then the answer is get it fixed by a technician who's used to them and can do the job properly.

The dealer should have fixed (or got it fixed) it imo...

Regards, David

 

[slidesandthecity]

"Thank you" to everyone, who replied. I think, it's better if I do not buy it.