Leica LTM New camera arrived...early IIIc

[uwe zankl]

Hello all

I was after an early IIIc for some time now but when ever I saw one it was quite expensive because the "selling" argument always seems to be "military camera of WWII years".
Now I finally found one for a good price and bought it...

...and after a night shift it now looks like that.

I am still missing some parts on the back and some screws are the wrong ones but will get all that fixed next week with the help of a collector here in Munich. I also have a 1940 Summitar spotted that I will most likely get for it.

cheers
Uwe

 

[John Shriver]

Congratulations! Don't be surprised if you need to have someone "collimate" the camera, determining how much shimming the lens mount needs to be the correct 28.80mm from the film. (Unless you have your own auto-collimator.)

The screwmount Leicas are fun to work on.

Of course, now is when you'll discover the pinholes in the shutter curtains...

 

[payasam]

The lock on the slow speed dial makes it sort of transitional.

 

[uwe zankl]

...transitional...sound good! Does it mean "rare"?

What I just spotted by going through some posts here is, that is has B instead of Z on the speed dial nob! Is this ok for that year? The bottom lid is engraved in German and English...close-zu, open-auf

thanks
Uwe

 

[xayraa33]

With that chrome pitting just only on the bottom lid, could it be that the lid is not original to the camera?
That chrome pitting is typical of 1947-50 Leicas.

 

[LeicaTom]

Yes, that bottom is for sure 1949/50 era and the B setting is WRONG for a 1942/43 era camera -
B setting came around camera #392500 or late 1945/early 1946 whichever came first

The post May 1945 Leitz records are a bit crazy, lot`s of old and new numbers being juggled around

One thing`s for sure your camera is a late 1942/43 model and one of the first with the locking button on the slow speed dial,
not a rare camera, but it is a wartime era Leica and was more than likely used in Civilian serivce during the war

Tom

 

[colyn]

Congratulations! Don't be surprised if you need to have someone "collimate" the camera, determining how much shimming the lens mount needs to be the correct 28.80mm from the film. (Unless you have your own auto-collimator.)

If the parts (crate, front cover, lens mount) are matched it won't need shimming since these parts have been properly fitted to have proper register between lens mount and film plane..

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Congratulations Uwe, leave some Leicas for us!

I've been thinking about gettting a IIIc as well, but I haven't got the financial means at the moment...damn this mortgage!

 

[uwe zankl]

Hi Rick

I was really lucky with this one, since it was in bits it was only 155 pounds and the shipping from the UK was cheap as well. Also the current $ weakness seams to affect the pound as wellso shopping in the UK is kind of cheap as well...

Hi Tom

Thanks a lot for your infos, the lists that I looked at said 1941 but I think you are right because the slow speeds dial is a later model. I am now looking for a correct speed dial button with Z and 1/30...and also for a correct bottom lid. Should the locking handle already have the nose as on the later gray ones?
I have meanwhile received the black eye piece in metal and a lovely Summitar 552491 which I think dates to 1940.

thanks a lot

Uwe

 

[LeicaTom]

Hi Rick

I was really lucky with this one, since it was in bits it was only 155 pounds and the shipping from the UK was cheap as well. Also the current $ weakness seams to affect the pound as wellso shopping in the UK is kind of cheap as well...

Hi Tom

Thanks a lot for your infos, the lists that I looked at said 1941 but I think you are right because the slow speeds dial is a later model. I am now looking for a correct speed dial button with Z and 1/30...and also for a correct bottom lid. Should the locking handle already have the nose as on the later gray ones?
I have meanwhile received the black eye piece in metal and a lovely Summitar 552491 which I think dates to 1940.

thanks a lot

Uwe

Uwe,

I haven`t ever seen a "auf/zu" nose lock IIIC plate on a grey paint camera, but as the whole plot thickens on the Leica research, it seems that Leitz did experment with a more modern styled lock ring on the bottoms of some 1941 and 42 cameras - this is a bottom that looks like a IIIF bottom with the so-called "dogs ear" or nose but the bottom of the lever is perfectly round - I would imagine that these are pretty rare, but that`s what would be correct for this camera, or a bottom plate that has the round lever and the "auf/zu" stampings - the English "open/close" stamping bottoms didn`t come out until well into the First leitz export to America (after ww2) which was like 1948/49

Your camera also still has the often discarded "Leitz Rings" as I call them, they were issued all thoughout the war until well after up to the IIIF
I love the "uncoated" Summitars they are a joy to work with - ohh here`s a favor, if you know anyone else with a black metal eyepiece for a wartime IIIC please let me know, I need one ASAP for my 1945 IIIC to IIIFBD conversion - Danke Vielmals

Tom