Leica LTM Leica III

[Geoff2011]

SOooo....I impulse purchased a black Leica III many months ago & sent it off to Sherry Krauter for a CLA along with the 3.5cm / 5.0cm /9.0cm Elmar lenses. I've run a roll through it and it all works very well but I'm not sure 😕 if I am going to keep it. The question is: Is it better to try and sell the whole kit or piece it out? Would you recommend Ebay or the classified's here on RFF? Sherry gave it a 9 out of 10 grade for what it's worth.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39087262@N02/5225883782/in/set-72157623928665844

Thanks!

 

[RanceEric]

That is a BEAUTIFUL setup.. are you SURE you want to sell it?? You might regret it.... 😱

edit: but if you really want to sell it, I would split it up.. The sum of the parts is greater than the whole

 

[David Murphy]

Wow, nice gear! I'd sell it here if it were mine. The fees are reasonable (they support the site), and you will be keeping this gear in the community that appreciates it. eBay has its perils too. It will be easier to sell parted out to some extent since everyone wants to customize their own kit.

 

[Vics]

If it were me, I'd sell everything but the body and the 50. I think it would be a great camera to use, but I wouldn't want all those lenses, finder etc.

 

[johannielscom]

This is a serviced kit with all boxes to the lenses? Those boxes in themselves are a rare find! Yours look near mint.

I'd sell it through Westlicht.com (also Leicashop.com) in Vienna. It might have collectors value. At least ask them, they can assess your kit from the photo's.

Any news on the origin of this kit? Seller did not dish out a good story on that?


EDIT: When selling here on RFF, I'd try sell it as a kit first, and if that doesn't fly break it up and put up new ads for the pieces. Those first three days on the sales here get a lot of page views and items might go fast.

 

[RanceEric]

If it were me, I'd sell everything but the body and the 50. I think it would be a great camera to use, but I wouldn't want all those lenses, finder etc.

I second this.. I recently sold my IIc (but kept my 5cm Summitar) and I'm really regretting/missing it

 

[Geoff2011]

Thanks for the feedback and tips guys I really appreciate it! I've gone back and forth on keeping this purely for the fact that it's in such great condition and a nice piece of photographic history. But I can't justify having such an expensive piece lying around if I won't use it. So that's my internal battle....

 

[charjohncarter]

You should to learn to use it, 6 months or 1 years is nothing. Give it a try. I've had mine for close to 50 years now and I really prefer 120 but it is still the camera I go for 35mm. You just can't get the photos I have received from any other camera: except maybe a Olympus 35RC. Here are two of my favorites from this camera; again one from 1964 and one recent:

recent:

1964 cropped slide:

 

[Sonnar Brian]

IF you decide to sell it,

Place all of the equipment in one for-sale ad. The cost is per advertisement, multiple items are allowed in one ad.

I would set a Kit price, the equipment matches in age and conditon. It looks to be in really good condition with the lens tubes, caps, and leather case.

If the kit does not sell, you can edit the ad to put in prices for the individual items AS LONG as the items were in the original posting of the ad.

The 3.5cm and 9cm Elmars are "decent shooters", but very common in good-user condition. Someone wanting to just use the lens is likely to do what I did, pick up a lens with good glass, not worried about cosmetics. Yours are in better condition.

 

[charjohncarter]

IF you decide to sell it,

Place all of the equipment in one for-sale ad. The cost is per advertisement, multiple items are allowed in one ad.

I would set a Kit price, the equipment matches in age and conditon. It looks to be in really good condition with the lens tubes, caps, and leather case.

If the kit does not sell, you can edit the ad to put in prices for the individual items AS LONG as the items were in the original posting of the ad.

The 3.5cm and 9cm Elmars are "decent shooters", but very common in good-user condition. Someone wanting to just use the lens is likely to do what I did, pick up a lens with good glass, not worried about cosmetics. Yours are in better condition.

AND someone will be very happy to take advantage of your work with Sherry. But be prepared to not recover your total output.

And I forgot the recent photo was a 90 Elmar.

 

[reagan]

Congrats on the find! That's like a dream kit for a scrounger like me. (1) No way I could sell even one piece. And if I did, (2) no way I could split it up. But I'm scrounger, pack rat and sooo sentimental. 😱

 

[cary]

If it was me I would keep it. They look to be in great condition and with boxes! You would be very hard pressed to find equipment in that condition. If you do keep it, try looking for one of the Leica compartment cases to hold your system. The cases are nothing short of fantastic.

 

[Simon Bruxelles]

I'm going to be contrary and say that in my opinion in this condition the set as a whole is worth considerably more than the sum of its parts, if you find the right buyer. The whole kit looks near to mint and to find a 78 year old that hasn't been played with or messed around is quite remarkable. Have a look at the Westlicht Auction results if you doubt what I am saying.
However, personally I would regard this as a gift and use it. The lenses are all perfectly usable and as long as they're haze-free will give great results. I saw your photos on Flickr and I am pretty sure you will be delighted with them. So I wouldn't sell until you know you aren't going to miss it. My main shooting kit is a brace of IIs and a brace of IIIs and I wouldn't swap them for any modern camera, film or digital. S

 

[LeicaTom]

That's about $1,600 worth of gear there...........(on the HIGH END of the collectors value) if you sell it I wouldn't break off the 50mm lens or take the original case away from the camera.

I have no way of telling if this is an export camera without taking the viewfinder off the camera? If it's an original USA delivered camera then that also adds to the value with some collectors.....

The 50 Elmar is more than likely the original lens and it's quite possible the rest was also bought at the same time, if the camera's really mint minus condition and the lenses are flawless, then I'd add another $400 to the price I quoted, but that's for truly near mint museum grade 1933 camera set.

Most of these era cameras have flaws, this set looks really really good, I would hold out to find the right kinda Leica collector with some $$$$$

Tom

 

[charjohncarter]

LeicaTom, you are so knowledgeable about these Barnack Leicas, you should write what the British call a monograph on the subject. Maybe the pluses and minuses of them by year or models. At a minimum I'd like to know what are the pluses and minuses of my IIIf. You don't have to respond but we all love these cameras and would love some first hand imput.

 

[LeicaTom]

LeicaTom, you are so knowledgeable about these Barnack Leicas, you should write what the British call a monograph on the subject. Maybe the pluses and minuses of them by year or models. At a minimum I'd like to know what are the pluses and minuses of my IIIf. You don't have to respond but we all love these cameras and would love some first hand imput.

Well, it's more a collectors grading of stuff and desires that makes the prices go with things. 🙂 - some stuff is krazy rare, but no one wants them at any price, and others the collectors are krazy for it at any price!

...........5 years ago you couldn't sell a Black Leica II or III, no one wanted them, now they are highly sought after and bring easy over $700 for pristine/near mint/minty examples.
(I regret the days I turned many MINT ones away at $250/$300 each) - but alas you can't buy everything you see unless your a millionaire! 😛

As for the IIIF's I can go with what I've learned over the years and have also asked some good repairmen about (I used to collect 1950's Leica LTM's).

The early 1951 to 1953 era cameras suffer often from burnt out mirrors/rangefinder patch contrast/beam splitter etc. (that can be fixed easy)

Also these era cameras seem to have had not super great quality shutter curtain material, many IIIFBD and IIFBD cameras have crispy/cracked/dried out curtains, once these are replaced they are super duper cameras to shoot with and or collect.

Post 1954 cameras are sought after b/c many of them have a self timer, (some Leica circles have unoffically voted the IIIFRDST the most beautiful Leica ever made) - the production quality control and products were back up to pre WW2 standards by 1954 and these cameras are also the most fun to shoot with 🙂 (I once owned like 3 of them, one mint in the box and two for shooting)

There is a urban legend that the #823xxx era series cameras have the BEST shutters (from a IIIG) and also are very quiet and smooth like a WW2 era IIIC K - but oddly enough the #823xxx series Self Timer IIIFRD's are pretty rare, I've seen maybe (2 or 3) in over 20 years, so maybe there's some truth to that legend?

Tom

 

[charjohncarter]

Hey, thanks for that run down. You mentioned my IIIf (thanks) and I have had to both of those fixes over the 47 years I've had my camera. I still love it, like I'm sure you love yours. I'm very careful of mine just because of that love. I admire you using all of yours so regularly.

 

[Geoff2011]

That's about $1,600 worth of gear there...........(on the HIGH END of the collectors value) if you sell it I wouldn't break off the 50mm lens or take the original case away from the camera.

I have no way of telling if this is an export camera without taking the viewfinder off the camera? If it's an original USA delivered camera then that also adds to the value with some collectors.....

The 50 Elmar is more than likely the original lens and it's quite possible the rest was also bought at the same time, if the camera's really mint minus condition and the lenses are flawless, then I'd add another $400 to the price I quoted, but that's for truly near mint museum grade 1933 camera set.

Most of these era cameras have flaws, this set looks really really good, I would hold out to find the right kinda Leica collector with some $$$$$

Tom

Thank you!!!

I suspected it may be at least a little "Special" when I took it to the local Leica dealer and he tried to buy it from me on the spot. I've since become somewhat educated but hardly an expert.

What would I be looking for under the viewfinder in the cold-shoe to determine if it's a US model?

The story behind how I acquired it is on my Flickr page. The story behind how the seller got it is that his grandfather died and he was clearing out the house before putting it up for sale. I asked what grandpa did for a living because, let's face it, most people that bought these things had to earn a few bucks. Apparently grandpa worked for PanAm airlines as a vice president back in the day. But that's all the history I was able to extract. As far as the seller knows, grandpa bought it new. The kit came with a variety of other items not shown in the Flickr photo like a black Leica lens hood that appears to be made for the 9cm but fits on all 3 lenses (not sure if it is a proper fit but I used it on every 9cm shot I made) - a filter with a few interchangeable colors but the glass is awful, a ball head that says "made in germany" but doesn't say Leica, a cable release & 6 4x5 film holders - yes I asked him to go back and find that camera. But no luck. He called back a week later and I bought an old Leica flash attachment (I think it's missing a part or two) and Polaroid SX-70. Everything else in the kit was odds and ends.

 

[HuubL]

That's about $1,600 worth of gear there...........(on the HIGH END of the collectors value) if you sell it I wouldn't break off the 50mm lens or take the original case away from the camera.

I have no way of telling if this is an export camera without taking the viewfinder off the camera? If it's an original USA delivered camera then that also adds to the value with some collectors.....

The 50 Elmar is more than likely the original lens and it's quite possible the rest was also bought at the same time, if the camera's really mint minus condition and the lenses are flawless, then I'd add another $400 to the price I quoted, but that's for truly near mint museum grade 1933 camera set.

Most of these era cameras have flaws, this set looks really really good, I would hold out to find the right kinda Leica collector with some $$$$$

Tom

I think Tom could even be a bit conservative here. The set looks very pretty indeed - like hardly used at all. The CLA'd camera + 50mm Elmar alone in this condition should easily bring over 1000 US$ for the collector, the 35 and 90mm Elmars with the original caps would each add at least $200, and the case in this condition another $100 (pity the strap is gone). And then there's the chrome VIDOM + box (I assume). The goodies (for collectors) are the original boxes. Collectors pay weird prices for these alone.

Westlicht would certainly be a viable intermediate to sell the stuff for you, but at a price.