Leica LTM New Barnack shooter looking for guidance in the III's

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Reading all the posts here make me realize that I need to shoot more with my own Leica IIIf RD ST camera, which I'll never sell.

And I totally agree with Stephen Gandy that it is the most beautiful camera ever made 🙂

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elshaneo/3757201770/

3757201770_2dcc183c66.jpg


Just go for it, whatever Barnack camera you get in the end, most probably I'm sure that you'll love it !!!
 
Shane, did you know the photo below your camera is a fake one? They were friends of the photographer and they were acting... There were several shots... It's interesting how some people got hurt about it a few years ago, and preferred to say "yet it means the same beautiful moment of love to me..." Personally I never found it or Doisneau interesting... The IIIf RDST is a marvel... Hope I can get one or two someday.

Cheers,

Juan
 
I appreciate David's thoughts above. That's very much how I function, thinking ahead to putting together a kit.

One thing that has kept drawing me back to the III's is that 1000/second shutter speed. For daylight, and with 400 speed Tri-X, it seems like it will really come in handy.

Attached is the new family-member, payment pending - I'm sure the seller is reading this (he's a forum member), so I hope it's not out-of-line. I'm just scrounging together the cash today. Not only does it come from a reputable source, but it's had a service within the last year by one of those well-regarded technicians I keep reading about.

Looking forward to thoughts,

N.
 

Attachments

  • FBIII1.jpg
    FBIII1.jpg
    26.3 KB · Views: 0
  • FBIII5.jpg
    FBIII5.jpg
    26.2 KB · Views: 0
Enjoy! I've shifted over to 90% of my shooting being done with my IIIf RD & a Summitar. It's a joy to use and it's easy to carry anywhere.

Look for a Jupiter 12. A good one is a very cheap way to add a wider view to your kit.

William
 
based on serial, its IIIc made 1946/47. at the time materials werent the best + Leica had many other difficulties keeping their quality. but fast forward all that period Barnacks today, doubt the difference is that significant, especially if its CLA'd.

would have tried the viewfinder first though, before buying any Barnack (and I own one myself).
 
I had done enough research to make a point of asking specifically about those issues. Between the knowledge and tone of the seller, and confirming that it had been recently serviced by Youxin, I feel pretty confident in it. Beyond the shutter, he did the beam-splitter, etc.

I'd rather have a '47 IIIC that has been to Youxin in the last year than a '51 F that hadn't for the same price.

The Vulcanite is in great condition, a little brassy on top and bottom and minor pitting on the back-bottom. All these are cosmetic, compared to the care and attention given to it by the seller and obviously, Youxin's reputation. The price couldn't be beat with a really nice 50/3.5 Russian Elmar-copy and as silly as it sounds, the vibes from the seller, a well-known guy around here, I think, make me feel pretty good about the purchase.


jarski said:
based on serial, its IIIc made 1946/47. at the time materials werent the best + Leica had many other difficulties keeping their quality. but fast forward all that period Barnacks today, doubt the difference is that significant, especially if its CLA'd.

would have tried the viewfinder first though, before buying any Barnack (and I own one myself).
Click to expand...
 
kidblue said:
I appreciate David's thoughts above. That's very much how I function, thinking ahead to putting together a kit.

One thing that has kept drawing me back to the III's is that 1000/second shutter speed. For daylight, and with 400 speed Tri-X, it seems like it will really come in handy.

Attached is the new family-member, payment pending - I'm sure the seller is reading this (he's a forum member), so I hope it's not out-of-line. I'm just scrounging together the cash today. Not only does it come from a reputable source, but it's had a service within the last year by one of those well-regarded technicians I keep reading about.

Looking forward to thoughts,

N.
Click to expand...
Congratulations. 1/1000 will come in handy. It looks like a great camera and the lens should be an excellent performer. Once you get used to the slimness of the III and collapsed lens when you're hauling around in tight spaces you'll always think of most other equivalent cameras as bulky and dare I say it ... inelegant. 😱
 
jarski said:
based on serial, its IIIc made 1946/47. at the time materials werent the best + Leica had many other difficulties keeping their quality. but fast forward all that period Barnacks today, doubt the difference is that significant, especially if its CLA'd.

would have tried the viewfinder first though, before buying any Barnack (and I own one myself).
Click to expand...

True enough I guess. But after 50 years I guess the quality has been proven to be in the camera. Didn't the Germans also put a bit of extra lead into their gold bullion during the war? It was still gold. 🙂
 
It's rocking Customs right now, as of yesterday, so hopefully that'll be a swift process.

The main draw for this particular camera, even being from that Post-War period and not a "F", was that it came from a forum-member and has been CLA'd less than a year ago. I think that makes up for any questions, right?

My only big concern now is learning to trim and load!
 
Main difference between the IIIc and the III, IIIa and IIIb, it is mainly the delay device. In the IIIc the device is better build and therefore will provide over time more accurate slow shutterspeeds (the speeds as from 1 sec untill 1/30 sec). Also in a late IIIc you will have a ball bearing shutter, which is more light weight and accurate than shutters build in the predecessors.
 
kidblue said:
My only big concern now is learning to trim and load!
Click to expand...

Not as difficult as some would make you think. Make the tongue 10 cm long (as long as your index finger, give or take), curve towards the edge in a nice radius, and make sure you come out in between two perforations.

Loading at home is easy but in the field I recommend you find a safe surface to put the camera and baseplate down.

The real no. 1 issue is keeping one's fingers away from the speed dial when releasing.
 
I thought I'd give y'all an update now that I have the thing in my mitts! It arrived yesterday and for all intents and purposes, looks brand-spanking new. Thanks to a Rangefinder Forum member for this.

The trip around the world had the rangefinder alignment out of whack, so I very carefully adjusted both the vertical and horizontal alignment. Very easy, took about 20 minutes for both. That magnified rangefinder view makes calibration really simple and obvious. The horizontal alignment screw does not. But it worked.

Setting the shutter speed is hilariously complicated. I've been reading the manual, but from what I can tell, if it's a fast speed, it only works if you set it after you wind, right? If I set it before I wind it reverts to Bulb.

I then promptly managed to ruin two rolls of "dummy" film and only one roll of perfectly good Tri-X. That counts as a rather shallow learning curve, right? I've been cutting the leader by hand, attaching it to the take-up and sort of giving the take-up a half turn to get it taut before winding. Then I do two or three exposures with the bottom-plate off just to see all the gears and spools (take-up and film roll) moving smoothly. Does this make sense?

Thanks again for all this help and support - Independence Day with my new Leica should be fun.

Best,
N.
 
I often use a Standard Leica with one of these wide angle lenses:
Canon FD 19mm/3.5, W-Rokkor 21mm/4, CV 25mm/4.
The sleekness of the camera when combined with such lenses make it a very compact but highly functional set.
 
Well, the shutter speed dial only lines up with the mark when the camera is wound on. But you can change the shutter speed with it not cocked, but you're rather working "blind". (Well, the correct speed points at the right rear corner of the accessory shoe.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom