Tom A
RFF Sponsor
Leica used to make HUGE copystands for document photography. These Reprovits came in various sizes and used either LTM or M-mount cameras. They used to make a series of bodies with no rangefinder (1F/1G/ Md/Mda) that would be mounted on a sliding focussing plate. You focussed with a loupe like device - slide the camera in place and shot. Often these were used for slide presentations, documenting on to fine grain "Doku" type film and also providing high quality negs for publications. (Pre scanners and digital projectors with computer generated "shows").
As the Md/Mda's were wearing out or just not within the budget, M2's and M3's were substituted. These camera were used heavily - 100 000's of exposures, usually at slow speed (1 sec to 1/15). They often look fine, but the heavy indent on the shutter speed dial at 1s/1/2s/1/4sec etc and a usually rattly film advance, as well as a almost "grooved" pressure plate can attest to the amount of film having been pushed through.
IF a camera looks pretty nice on the outside, but the shutter only seems to work in the extreme slow speeds, pressure plate is polished and grooved and the geartrain is worn down to small "knubbies" on the advance shaft - suspect that it has been used heavily!
In itself it is not fatal, but a CLA can be very costly as a lot of parts can be worn out. Another problem was that these M2/M3 were usually sourced from trade ins and often they were sold cheap as they had faulty finders. Delaminated prism's etc. This did not affect the use as a copy camera (focus was through an independent system).
Occasionally you come across these cameras with big dents and bent advance levers. Not all operators of these Reprovits treated them with the true deference that a Leica is supposed to generate. They were dropped, thrown into boxes and drawers etc.
I have a couple of the MDa's and a MD-2 (based on the M4-2) as well as a M2 that served many years in a medical facility - making slides of pathology samples.
Some years ago I saw a Leicaflex SL that had served the same purpose and as it was attached to an academic institution with a deep love of book keeping - they knew that this camera had exposed 1,7 million images. At 1 million, Leica had looked at it and decided that there was at least another million images left in it to shoot! The metal below the advance lever was so worn down that it felt like 0.1mm shim stock!
As the Md/Mda's were wearing out or just not within the budget, M2's and M3's were substituted. These camera were used heavily - 100 000's of exposures, usually at slow speed (1 sec to 1/15). They often look fine, but the heavy indent on the shutter speed dial at 1s/1/2s/1/4sec etc and a usually rattly film advance, as well as a almost "grooved" pressure plate can attest to the amount of film having been pushed through.
IF a camera looks pretty nice on the outside, but the shutter only seems to work in the extreme slow speeds, pressure plate is polished and grooved and the geartrain is worn down to small "knubbies" on the advance shaft - suspect that it has been used heavily!
In itself it is not fatal, but a CLA can be very costly as a lot of parts can be worn out. Another problem was that these M2/M3 were usually sourced from trade ins and often they were sold cheap as they had faulty finders. Delaminated prism's etc. This did not affect the use as a copy camera (focus was through an independent system).
Occasionally you come across these cameras with big dents and bent advance levers. Not all operators of these Reprovits treated them with the true deference that a Leica is supposed to generate. They were dropped, thrown into boxes and drawers etc.
I have a couple of the MDa's and a MD-2 (based on the M4-2) as well as a M2 that served many years in a medical facility - making slides of pathology samples.
Some years ago I saw a Leicaflex SL that had served the same purpose and as it was attached to an academic institution with a deep love of book keeping - they knew that this camera had exposed 1,7 million images. At 1 million, Leica had looked at it and decided that there was at least another million images left in it to shoot! The metal below the advance lever was so worn down that it felt like 0.1mm shim stock!
