Nazi leica

[anorphirith]

this thing must be kinna rare

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/pho/1427742018.html

"WWII issue. 35mm leica rangefinder camera
with 50mm Leitz Elmar lens
This rare camera was issued to Luftwafte air corps officers for the purpose of ariel survailance
during the reign of the Third Reich
Camera body lens and all workings are in excelllent condition. No signs of wear.
Chrome body with leather over metal.
Includes leather case and lens cap "

 

[Pickett Wilson]

And not even a very nice fake.

 

[LeicaFoReVer]

so ugly fake I can even recognize!

 

[jarski]

correct forum for this thread would be "Russian FSU RF" 🙂

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Original poster was right. Such an ugly fake is a rare one!

 

[rxmd]

This looks like a Zorki 1e, probably made between 1954 and 1956. They go for $30 to $40 on eBay.

 

[Graham Line]

Ariel was not pleased at being surveilled by such declasse photo equipment, either.

 

[maddoc]

I like the "50mm Leitz Elmar lens" best ... 🙄

 

[GoneSavage]

I do not envy the photographer who is forced to shoot aerial surveillance photos with a 50mm lens!

 

[anorphirith]

wow good to know, if I had the money I'd have probably contacted the guy by now, looks like a new type of scam to look for

 

[wlewisiii]

I wrote the seller offering $100... He probably wasn't amused... 😉

William

 

[GoneSavage]

I wouldn't be too hard on the guy just yet, as there's always a chance he actually thinks it's real. What if the poor man payed $3000 for it himself?

 

[JohnTF]

Nice coating on the lens as well. ;-)

 

[rxmd]

looks like a new type of scam to look for

A fairly old scam, this type of thing was quite populsr in the 1990s.

 

[johannielscom]

I wouldn't be too hard on the guy just yet, as there's always a chance he actually thinks it's real. What if the poor man payed $3000 for it himself?

IF he spent USD 3000 like that, he almost deserves these responses, three grand is an awful lot to blow on an old camera and you should not simply trust the story that comes with it, but check it as well!

I bet nobody would spend three grand on a painting just because the seller says its a Rembrandt, right?

I had a camera like this one (well, a 'Kriegsberichter' engraved one) that was all brass😱, took it apart and painted it the correct colour grey, bought another one in parts to substitute the knobs and levers with chrome ones, and put it back together. Then it looked nice.

But it still was a Zorki, and not a Leica!😛

 

[rxmd]

Want to buy: Leica III nr. 170471

Give me $3000 and a Zorki and you can have your birthday Leica allright 😛

 

[Jamie123]

wow good to know, if I had the money I'd have probably contacted the guy by now, looks like a new type of scam to look for

Why would you want a Nazi camera?

 

[pakeha]

quote
Why would you want a Nazi camera?

Can cameras be political?😎

 

[Jamie123]

quote
Why would you want a Nazi camera?

Can cameras be political?😎

Symbols can.

Anyways I just don't get how someone would even consider *if they had the money* spending $3000 for a camera with a swastika on it unless they have a serious fascination with the Third Reich.

 

[rxmd]

Anyways I just don't get how someone would even consider *if they had the money* spending $3000 for a camera with a swastika on it unless they have a serious fascination with the Third Reich.

This moral discussion keeps popping up often when someone points at a fake Nazi Leica somewhere.

There's certainly a fair number of people who have a morbid fascination with all things Nazi. Over here I guess they're rarer than in the States or the UK.

There weren't really all that many Leicas produced which had Swastikas on them. Hence I guess one might imagine a collector with apolitical collecting habits, from whose point of view the swastika is just another symbol that makes the camera rare, and valuable on grounds of scarcity, like the Swedish crowns.