Just got a Barnack Leica!

Chriscrawfordphoto

Chriscrawfordphoto

Real Men Shoot Film.
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Last week, RFF member O.C. Garza (VictoriaPio) asked me if I was interested in some old Leica gear. He had a Leica IIIc that had been converted to a IIIf, a Leica 3.5cm f3.5 Elmar, a Leica 50mm f2 Summitar, and a 135mm f4 Canon lens for it. He had sent all of it to DAG, who CLA'd it all and installed new curtains and RF beamsplitter in the camera.


O.C. Told me that I could have it all, free, if I wanted it. Of course I did!! :D


It arrived yesterday and I've shot a couple rolls in it that I am going to develop tonight. Its taken some getting used to the idiosyncrasies of the Barnack, but I'm finally getting the hang of it.


I need to get a finder for the 35mm lens, so I haven't tried it yet. The 135 had the original Canon finder with it. I'm excited, I need to develop the film tonight and see what I've got, but I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with this!


Thanks again, O.C. I'll post pics here once I get them developed and scanned.
 
That is really cool Chris. I've got a iiic and love it. And those are sweet lenses.

Have fun with it.

Best,
-Tim
 
Very nice. I hope we will see something on film from you.
O.C. let me use his article about Winogrand.
He is generous!
 
You should had said you got the kit for a bunch of cash, otherwise I wouldn't feel to envious :p

Seriously, both Summitar and Elmar 3.5 give a very particular mood, so I'm sure you will have serious fun exploring their characters.

Of course, really hope you share some pictures using the kit.

Congratz and have fun.

Marcelo
 
The first pics I have probably won't be great art; the light has been really harsh, ugly bright sun. I couldn't wait to try the camera though, and better to learn how to use it on unimportant photos. I'll post some anyway once I get them developed and scanned. Going to develop tonight and will scan tomorrow.
 
Chris, I've had my IIIf since 1964 and it has been great. Someone once said, I don't know where I got this, that the Barnack was a great camera for holding the film flat against the pressure plate. I'm not into micro analysis but I feel my negatives are sharper with my Barnack than my Bessa R (using the same lenses). Let me know how you think your Leica stands up against other 35mm cameras.

I have the 100mm Serenar f4 lens and it is really a great lens, but I don't use short teles very much. Here is my Serenar at f4 but on a digital camera.

100mm Serenar at f4 by John Carter, on Flickr
 
You’ll really want a SBOOI 50 finder as well. That makes it really efficient to use and only when you load the next film does it seem in any way out of date design. You’ll have seen the thread about whether users prefer their LTM to their M: many do. What a marvellous gift you’ve received.
 
Very nice, I love my Leica II. Something special about shooting these, they feel more fluid/intimate than an M mount body. The tiny VF tends to make me cognizant more of the moment than the framing of it.
 
A CLA'd IIIf and three lenses - you're a lucky man. I'm sure that they will be put to good use. As mentioned, if you wear glasses, a SBOOI finder really will make composition with the 50 much easier.
 
The first 35mm camera I got to use, long ago, was my father's IIIf with a 50/3.5 Elmar and a 35/3.5 Summaron. I inherited it and still use it -- a fine compact outfit.
I never had trouble loading it with current film that has short leaders, but after reading warnings about this from Roger Hicks (probably on this forum) I've been cutting long leaders, figuring he knows a lot better than I!
I think you'll have fun with it.
 
Beautiful eye candy setup! In particular nice to see No ‘everready’ case. I’d suggest you get an uncoated Summar to compliment the kit. Your lenses will make great pictures. The Summar will make great Leica pictures ;-).
 
Oh that is so nice on so many levels! I changed Coelho's quote a bit ...'Often the universe conspires in helping you to achieve something you had not thought of until then.' I wonder what you'll show us. And please tell O.C. that there is a standing invite for al fresco dinner in Melbourne's Lygon Street!
 
Nice set, Chris!

Hours of fun guaranteed, unless you don't like the squinty optics ;)

I just spent a week touring through Belgium for the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation carrying my trusty Leica IIIc.
 
Just got done developing the negs. They're still drying down in the basement, but I looked at some of the pics with a magnifier and they look very sharp.

Preliminary verdict is the lenses are awesome, but I need to get used to the viewfinder. Many of them were framed more closely than what I saw in the finder. I don't mean framing error caused by parallax at close distances; even some shot at longer distances (10 feet or so) seem like there is less on the film than I saw, like all four sides were cropped a bit. I need to look at the film more closely after it dries so I can get an idea of how I should compensate. I'm spoiled by my long use of SLRs and digital mirrorless cameras that have precise finders. I had a couple of Leica M cameras years ago, but they seemed to give more on the film than the finder showed, which was ok because I could crop in printing. My IIIf seems the opposite.
 
Cris, that is awesome. Happy for you and the generosity RFF member O.C. Garza. Look forward to seeing your results. Hopefully, there's maybe some "Leica" cat pics of Sneaky in the bunch ;).

Agree on the SBOOI (although they are expensive). Makes the whole shooting experience more enjoyable. I have one on each IIIf.

Youxin showed me a Barnack film loading technique where you take the lens off, place the shutter on "T", and load/guide the film through the lens opening.

I haven't tried it yet preferring to torture myself with the leader cutting ritual! :p

Enjoy!
 
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