Leica I (Basketcase baby?)

[Jerevan]

I gave in to temptation today and bought a Leica I with case. I am aware I am taking a big risk here, especially as I am not interested in a non-working camera on a shelf. From the serial I can see it is a 1930 Leica I, nothing special with it, in the 22xxx range. The good things are that all speeds are working, the glass is reasonably clear, vulcanite is complete. Nothing essential is missing.

The bad parts are that it has been badly repainted. The viewfinder is not attached to the camera anymore. (Was it riveted?) The helical has been lubricated and smells like an oil pit. The lens barrel is a slightly crunched like somebody took a plier to it. The same goes for the lens rim. The barrel seems a bit askew and loose. Not sure if this kills the deal.

Would be pointless to pursue a repair? I think the body is fine, but what of the lens? Could I try to find something of similar age and have it retrofitted?

Thanks for any input, I'd love to have it working again.

 

[Jerevan]

A few more pictures. The spool is there, but I am not sure it is the correct one. The case is in very good condition but I am uncertain if that is original, either.

 

[xayraa33]

It depends on how much you want to spend to have it restored and how much time you are willing to wait.

you just might want to have under restored because it does not look too bad in the photos,even the lens.

 

[Keith]

This is a piece of Leica history that is worth having IMO and the fact that it's a little beaten up doesn't detract from the camera at all. Clean original examples go for up to $2000.00 so depending what it cost you it may be worth getting up to scratch mechanically at least. I have a 1930 1a in pretty original condition and it's a very sweet little camera to use and has an excellent lens. Mine broke one day when I was using it ... it sheared a pin of the bottom of the shutter speed selector ... I sent it to Youxin Ye and the total repair cost was $80.00 including a CLA!

You have the world's first 35mm mass produced camera here ... that thought always makes using mine very enjoyable and the capability of the 1a considering it's nearly eighty years old is amazing. The lens is a gem.

 

[John Shriver]

There's parts out there. Dan Goldberg should be able to get it an accurate picture taker again.

 

[john neal]

Jimi,

It looks a good place to start to me. I have a 1930 Ic in the 25xxx range - the only difference is a removable lens.

The spool looks like a Leica one to me, just lost some paint is all. Incidentally, why do people insist on removing the paint around the serial # on these old bodies? 3 out of 5 that I have seen recently have been like this.

The VF should fix on with small screws - DAG may have those, but the best way would probably be to send it out to Youxin Ye, DAG or Sherry K for a CLA - it won't cost that much, and you will have a shooter to enjoy for many years to come.

Mine has had replacement curtains at some time, and the 1st curtain is no longer square to the film aperture (an easy mistake to make), but it does not noticeably affect results, so I would say go for the repair.

 

[Dralowid]

It shouldn't be too expensive to get it working reliably and accurately however I would avoid spending any money on cosmetic restoration, it is rarely worth it.

If the lens retracts and extends then chances are it will be OK. It is normally possible to tighten it up br replacing the felt (?) seal and adjusting the bayonet fingers that lock it in position.


Personally I think it is worth it since these cameras (with a lens hood) are a delight to use. However I wouldn't go through the exercise in the hope of making a profit!

Michael

 

[Jerevan]

I am not in this for the money - there's no way I will be able to recoup the costs. I bought it for $120 and I guess $200 - 250 more on repairs and replacement parts might be justified to get it back to working order. I have been toying with the idea of a cosmetic touch-up. Paint is falling off all too easy on the baseplate. But probably it will stay as it is, with a few screws and the infinity lock replaced, together with a tightening and collimation of the lens.

 

[Dralowid]

Jimi,

One way of tidying it up a bit is to remove the paint that is acutally falling off and then chemically blacken the exposed brass. This then quickly wears away in 'tidier' and more natural way.

Problem is, I don't know what one uses to 'chemically blacken' brass.

Michael

 

[ZeissFan]

The difficulty will be in undoing some of the "work" that's been done, specifically the paint job. For sure, I would try to remove the repaint job, because touching up a poor paint job will just make it look worse.

I think it's worth spending a few hundred dollars to get the camera back into shape. Take care of the mechanicals but also think about how you want to redo the cosmetics.

I have a similar challenge in a Kodak/Nagel Ranca -- the lens barrel was painted with a glossy black paint -- by hand, I believe.

 

[Jerevan]

I was given an estimated repair cost of €240 today ($300) but I'll have to think about it. It means the total cost would be like $450 or thereabouts. I might be able to find something else for that price but then again, I am likely to get something needing a CLA anyway... On the whole, I prefer to CLA what I have rather than taking a chance again on something unknown. If I decide not to, I'll put it up for sale here.

 

[john neal]

Jimi,

Prices on black bodies have rocketed recently, regardless of how badly they need a CLA. Yours is already quite nice, and could easily have cost you $450 - in the UK they go for that in GBP!

On the other hand, you could just wait a while and hope that the credit crunch produces some bargains - it all depends on how badly you want one now 🙂

 

[reagan]

i'm sure both of my leicas have had serious neglect and abuse in the past. "rough" doesn't come close to a description. and the baseplate on one has almost assuredly been repainted sometime waaay back and it looks like the dickens. the only comsmetics i've actually done is replaced the failing cover on both. otherwise, getting them in [fair] shooting order has been my main desire and i have no intention of prettying them up at all. *i like 'em like they is* 😎

so i say, have you run a roll through it yet? "load it up and take 'er for a spin!" then decide what it's worth to you. i've got a feeling you're gonna love it ... warts, bumps, scars & all. 😉

good luck!

 

[wlewisiii]

so i say, have you run a roll through it yet? "load it up and take 'er for a spin!" then decide what it's worth to you. i've got a feeling you're gonna love it ... warts, bumps, scars & all. 😉

Gotta agree. My Contax II is a hard fought veteran & even though that causes it to end up at Eddie's for repair more often than I'd like, I couldn't imagine not using it. A camera exists to make images. <shrug>

I want my camera to show it's years and not be some mint NIB shelf queen. Life is too short for that kind of thing.

William

 

[P. Lynn Miller]

I would really like to find a 'basketcase' like this for a few hundred dollars...

Very nice.

 

[Jerevan]

I haven't had the time to do anything about the camera during the weekend, but I am going to take the advice and take it out for a spin before I decide what to do. I'll post some photos if I get any worthwhile results. Thanks for the encouragments. 🙂