Leica III

[DFigueira]

Hi guy's,

Since I need to upgrade my material but on a low budget after I had to use part of it for another thing, I've decided to invest on something else than MF RF for now. Going to wait for a while until I go into it.
That said, I've decided going still to a 35mm RF for now.
I've decided to narrow my choices to 2 cameras. The Leica III and the Canon P. Since the Canon P can only be attained from Japan and in my country I can't import anything above 22€ or I'll pay taxes like a waterfall, I've moved on my idea to the Leica III.. but I have some questions about it.

What are the better versions of it, how to identify them, common problems, things to be aware of them and how are they for general photography? Portraits, general stuff, landscape and street views.

Thank you all.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Improvements from the III to IIIg:

• The Leica III has 1/500th as a top shutter speed.
• The Leica IIIa has 1/1000th as a top shutter speed.
• The Leica IIIb has the RF/VF closer together. So less shifting your eye between them.
• The Leica IIIc "stepper" has a stronger shutter in slightly larger body. Curtains travel faster (higher flash-synch speed: 1/30th). early models originally had red curtains, and have a little 'step' under the rewind switch.
• The Leica IIId, has a self timer. Was only produced in the early 1940s.
• The Leica IIIc "K" has ball-bearings for extreme weather use. K after serial number. Rare as hen's teeth.
• The Leica IIIc "post-war/half-race" has less ball-bearings than the IIIc "K" and a higher redesigned top cover. That got rid of the 'step' under the rewind switch.
• The Leica IIIf "Black/Red Dial" has slightly different shutter speed sequences between the models and comes with flash-sync as standard.
• The Leica IIIg, has larger VF optics.

They're all good if well-maintained. The Leica III, IIIa and the post-war IIIc can be found relatively cheap compared to the others. IIIc "K", IIId and IIIg are the most expensive. There are also a sea of factory and non-factory upgrades.

Common problems to look for: The shutter curtains and shutter straps wear out. The rangefinder half-mirror can have desilvered and loses contrast.

Some people find the optics to be squinty and don't like having to move your eye between the rangefinder and viewfinder windows.

As for photography, I find them to be compact and they feel very natural in hand; Ergonomically sound. Everything is where it's supposed to be. It can be hard to focus in low-light situations, but for general photography I've never had any problem using the camera.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

Hi guy's,

Since I need to upgrade my material but on a low budget after I had to use part of it for another thing, I've decided to invest on something else than MF RF for now. Going to wait for a while until I go into it.
That said, I've decided going still to a 35mm RF for now.
I've decided to narrow my choices to 2 cameras. The Leica III and the Canon P. Since the Canon P can only be attained from Japan and in my country I can't import anything above 22€ or I'll pay taxes like a waterfall, I've moved on my idea to the Leica III.. but I have some questions about it.

What are the better versions of it, how to identify them, common problems, things to be aware of them and how are they for general photography? Portraits, general stuff, landscape and street views.

Thank you all.

You're in Portugal, right?

AFAIK, you can find a plenty of Canon Ps in most Western European countries that weren't a dictatorship (dictadura, dictablanda, erm, Salazaranda, whatever) when the camera was available new.

Wait, in Germany it's very rare, too. … No political comment on the Adenauer-era intended 😉

You won't have to pay taxes when you buy a Canon P from London, Bruxelles, Stockholm, or elsewhere in the Union.

 

[Steve M.]

If you don't mind the step down in build quality and a louder shutter, a Bessa R is a better camera in every way, and has a super reliable meter. Love those little cameras. For styling or fondling, get the Leica. For a photographic tool, get the Bessa.

 

[DFigueira]

If you don't mind the step down in build quality and a louder shutter, a Bessa R is a better camera in every way, and has a super reliable meter. Love those little cameras. For styling or fondling, get the Leica. For a photographic tool, get the Bessa.

It's way more than my budget. It was one of the cameras I thought about it when I still had money.

And I can't find any Canon P's in Europe in guaranteed working condition.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

And I can't find any Canon P's in Europe in guaranteed working condition.

ATM, there are at least three on ebay.co.uk for less than EUR 220, one in Italy, two in UK, all sellers having 100% positive feedback.--

 

[DFigueira]

ATM, there are at least three on ebay.co.uk for less than EUR 220, one in Italy, two in UK, all sellers having 100% positive feedback.--

I thought that .com had the same items. Didn't noticed them. Going to check them. But keep the facts about the Leicas. I like the design. Even more than the P and the P is sexy.

 

[FrankS]

Everyone needs a screw mount Leica. 😉

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Might as well throw in my 2d worth.

The IIIc is easy to find, younger than the ones without the die-cast body and - in general terms - a good place to start. Prices are reasonable, imo. The best lens for it would be a Summitar or Elmar of the same age and coated.

The age, meaning 75 years give or take a bit, means it will probably need something done to it. They fade slowly in use and people/sellers don't notice. Usually the blinds go, clutches need adjustment and so on. Nothing serious but it's best to get the entire thing stripped right down and reassembled, lubricated and so on if something is wrong. Or perhaps, that is what they tell you.

BTW, if you looking for something the age of a model III I'll be suggesting that you look at the model II instead, far less to go wrong and a classic.

And wait until after Christmas, when people get the bills in and start thinking of selling...

Have fun.

Regards, David

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

BTW, if you looking for something the age of a model III I'll be suggesting that you look at the model II instead, far less to go wrong and a classic.

Or, when money is an issue, why not a Zorki, or a Fed? 🙂

edit:

I thought that .com had the same items. Didn't noticed them. Going to check them. But keep the facts about the Leicas. I like the design. Even more than the P and the P is sexy.

FSU can be sexy, too! 😛

 

[lxmike]

Everyone needs a screw mount Leica. 😉

well put Frank.......GAS attack coming on😀

 

[DFigueira]

Or, when money is an issue, why not a Zorki, or a Fed? 🙂

edit:



FSU can be sexy, too! 😛

Before this idea came, around the time I started photography, I had a Zorki 4K in mind but skipped this I always heard mixed comments about them.

In terms of quality, shouldn't I skip them?

 

[Livesteamer]

A good Zorki 4 can be a nice camera. The earlier ones are usually better. Later ones had painted numbers on the shutter speed dial that soon wore off. Also consider early Canon cameras. Look for the Canon bottom loaders that have the arrow to indicate shutter speed in the middle of the shutter speed dial. They have better finders and can be quite good. Canon or Russian lens can be a good option if money is a concern. Good Luck. Joe

 

[B-9]

Before this idea came, around the time I started photography, I had a Zorki 4K in mind but skipped this I always heard mixed comments about them.

In terms of quality, shouldn't I skip them?

Try Okvintagecamera.com,

Oleg is a member here, and many have stood behind him as THE FSU repairman, can't go wrong with a camera purchased from him!

 

[DFigueira]

A good Zorki 4 can be a nice camera. The earlier ones are usually better. Later ones had painted numbers on the shutter speed dial that soon wore off. Also consider early Canon cameras. Look for the Canon bottom loaders that have the arrow to indicate shutter speed in the middle of the shutter speed dial. They have better finders and can be quite good. Canon or Russian lens can be a good option if money is a concern. Good Luck. Joe

Any older that you can recommend that can go up to 1000th?
That's one of my concerns. I want to shoot HP5 and have the ability to have multiple options of aperture with it - using sunny 16.

 

[scigeek]

If you don't mind the step down in build quality and a louder shutter, a Bessa R is a better camera in every way, and has a super reliable meter. Love those little cameras. For styling or fondling, get the Leica. For a photographic tool, get the Bessa.

Well - that's a point of view……..

 

[mpaniagua]

If you don't mind the step down in build quality and a louder shutter, a Bessa R is a better camera in every way, and has a super reliable meter. Love those little cameras. For styling or fondling, get the Leica. For a photographic tool, get the Bessa.

Bessa R2 has better build and a pretty robust camera. My spare body to my M6. Not sure it will outlive my M6 or any of my LTM cameras though.

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

I don't know if 22 was a typo, I doubt you could get a Leica of any worth for that.

An early Zorki 4 is much larger than a IIIc, it can be very reliable at a lower cost. I bought mine from a repairman in FSU and it was fully serviced at $100 including lens & shipping.
I would compare it to a Leica M in size and at a much lower price.
If you want the pocketable size of a LeicaIII, and need 1/1000, there isn't an FSU camera that does that.

Hi guy's,

in my country I can't import anything above 22€ or I'll pay taxes like a waterfall, I've moved on my idea to the Leica III.. but I have some questions about it.

 

[DFigueira]

I don't know if 22 was a typo, I doubt you could get a Leica of any worth for that.

An early Zorki 4 is much larger than a IIIc, it can be very reliable at a lower cost. I bought mine from a repairman in FSU and it was fully serviced at $100 including lens & shipping.
I would compare it to a Leica M in size and at a much lower price.
If you want the pocketable size of a LeicaIII, and need 1/1000, there isn't an FSU camera that does that.

I can't import anything from outside of Europe that exceeds that value.

What about the earlier Canons. Are they worth it?

Btw, does anyone knows the up to what value can people import things to UK without paying anything?

 

[css9450]

What about the earlier Canons. Are they worth it?

I bought mine on a whim mainly because I wanted the 50mm lens it was attached to. I wound up keeping it (and growing quite attached to it) after shooting a couple rolls. Its a shade bigger than a Leica (longer, not wider) but it has what I feel is a much better viewfinder and a neat diopter/magnifier which approximates the 105 and 135mm field of views. Or maybe its 85 and 135.

I looked at a lot of screw-mount Leicas and all of them required work, had cosmetic issues, the slow speeds didn't work, curtains needed replacing or various combinations thereof, but even so they were still three times the price of the various Japanese Barnack clones available at the time which typically I see in perfect working order.