Leica Screwmount Fun - 3 lens, 1 body kit for under $1000

[Mudman]

Just finished editing my next video for my youtube channel. Prices for Leica camera gear has absolutely skyrocketed the past couple of years, so I wanted to see what kind of kit you could put together for under $1,000, while sticking to Leica made products. Let me know what you think! What would folks sub in or out of this kit, if anything?

 

[newst]

Nice job! I have recently been able to put together a similar kit. A Leica 3f, red dial, a post-war, uncoated 50mm Elmar, a post-war 90mm Elmar, and a pre-war Summar. I will use the Canon 3.5/35 lens that I already own, and Canon viewfinders I own to complete the kit, as it is not only pointless to buy items that I already have just to get the Leica name, but expensive enough to push my investment past the $1,000 mark.

 

[Mudman]

Nice job! I have recently been able to put together a similar kit. A Leica 3f, red dial, a post-war, uncoated 50mm Elmar, a post-war 90mm Elmar, and a pre-war Summar. I will use the Canon 3.5/35 lens that I already own, and Canon viewfinders I own to complete the kit, as it is not only pointless to buy items that I already have just to get the Leica name, but expensive enough to push my investment past the $1,000 mark.

I have a pre-war summar that has been coated as well. This isn’t a list of all my kit, but I thought it was useful for putting into frame of thinking that Leicas can still be affordable, if you’re willing to consider some different models.

 

[Nitroplait]

Barnack Leica can be affordable, but you have to be willing to live with its many idiosyncrasies and peculiarities.
Not arguing against it's ability to produce excellent results with the right mindset behind it, but if cost is the primary consideration, it is so much easier to drop the idea of a Leica, and just get a newer more user-friendly camera - most people will get better pictures out of that approach.
IMO Barnack Leica's are for people who have already had their "Lust for Leica" satisfied with an M camera and are curious about the more historical aspects of photography (or the brand).

 

[Mudman]

Barnack Leica can be affordable, but you have to be willing to live with its many idiosyncrasies and peculiarities.
Not arguing against it's ability to produce excellent results with the right mindset behind it, but if cost is the primary consideration, it is so much easier to drop the idea of a Leica, and just get a newer more user-friendly camera - most people will get better pictures out of that approach.
IMO Barnack Leica's are for people who have already had their "Lust for Leica" satisfied with an M camera and are curious about the more historical aspects of photography (or the brand).

Oh they’re definitely quirky - I mention that in the video. A Leica III from 1938 was actually my gateway into rangefinder photography. It was about 2 years later that I got an M. The nice thing is the lenses mentioned are all adaptable to an M, this just gives a body that you can use and enjoy until someone decides to buy an M.

 

[neal3k]

I love the idiosyncrasies and peculiarities of Barnacks.

After shooting probably 50 different cameras in the last two years and many others since I bought my first 35mm in 1960, I discovered Barnacks early last year. After a Zorki and two Canons, I bought a Leica IIIf. It was my first Leica although my son has a M4P. Now I have a Barnack collection and more importantly, shoot 80% of my photos on Barnacks. I average about 130 rolls of film a year since I've basically stopped shooting digital.

My favorite - for coolness - is the Leica I.
My all around favorites are the Leica II and Zorki 1.
I do shoot them all regularly except my Shanghai which is quite quirky. All but the Shanghai and Kardon had CLA's when I bought them or shortly after. My total Barnack count is now 11.

These cameras are perfect for my style of shooting - old buildings, vehicles, some nature, and landscapes. I usually go out with 3 Barnacks in my small Domke bag with one loaded with color, one B&W and one with IR sensitive film.

I would not consider swapping any of my Barnacks for M film or digital Leicas. They are just not my style.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I actually really like the Barnack Leicas better than the M Leicas. I own both types. I have a IIIf Black Dial and a IIIf Red Dial; and I have an M3 and an M4-2.

The M series cameras are certainly more convenient with their viewfinders that have parallax-corrected framelines that automatically select when you mount a lens, and having the rangefinder and viewfinder together is nice. So is the opening back and (on all of them but the M3 and M2) the loading system that doesn't require pulling out the take up spool.

So why do I like the screwmount cameras so much? Because they're what 35mm cameras should be: tiny and light and pocketable. I have small hands and the M-system cameras have never 'fit' my hands well. They're also heavier, and the lenses are bigger and heavier. Of course, the M cameras aren't bad in size and weight compared to some SLRs, like the Nikon F4 and the Canon EOS-1 series. Those are the size of medium format cameras!

I've done some really nice work with the two screwmount Leicas I have.



50mm f2.8 Elmar



35mm f3.5 Summaron



90mm f4 Elmar

 

[Coldkennels]

Another one for the Barnack camp here. I've tried Contaxes, Canons and Ms, and nothing gels with me as well as a Barnack does. Small, smooth, and just pleasant to use. I even prefer the separate rangefinder as it's far easier to focus for me. Weirdly, I find myself shooting a lot more with a Barnack - whether it's a IIIg, If, a Leotax, or even a lowly Zorki, it doesn't really matter - than with the larger combined RF/VF cameras.

I'm pretty sure my first three lens kit (90mm Elmar, 35mm f/3.5 Summaron, 50mm Summicron and a black dial IIIf) came in at just under £1000 - but that is a little over a decade ago now, and I was using an old Soviet turret finder for quite a while. With prices going up, I think I'd struggle to make a three lens kit in the UK now without going for a Soviet lens and dealing with the focus incompatibility; even the Summar is climbing in price.

The 90mm Elmar in LTM is still an absolute bargain, though - that should be a staple in every Barnack user's collection. I don't use mine often these days, but I'm always impressed with it when I do.







I should really rescan these; the old Canoscan I was stuck with back then really doesn't do it justice.

 

[raydm6]

Love my M's, but love my IIIf's a bit more. Different tactile experience.

 

[splitimageview]

I’m with Chris and others, love Ms, but prefer the idiosyncratic Barnacks.

A tiny body with a 50/3.5 Elmar and I’m done. Just add film and a yellow filter.

 

[BWF]

It’s like Barnacks shoot themselves whenever I take one out. Not sure why exactly but I always take more photos with a Barnack than anything else. Except maybe half frame.

 

[mothertrucker]

Folks that have only tried M's are really missing out. Claims of screwmount Leica's difficulty to use are pretty overblown.

I have a IIIC for 50mm and 90mm and a IF for 35mm and 21mm. Both cameras with a lens together take up hardly any space in a camera bag.

Plus I have built a stash of 10+ FILCAs film cartridges over the past year or two. 10 FILCAs is actually quite a lot of weight!

 

[Ambro51]

[No message]

 

[Coldkennels]

Ambro51, that's one absolutely beautiful kit, but 135mm on a Standard with a VIDOM? Someone is obviously a glutton for punishment!