Leica LTM Opinions on this IIF

[SigmaDM4]

I have an opportunity to purchase a IIF from someone I know. I have checked prices on all the usual sights on line and the asking amount seems reasonable, not a great buy but wouldn’t be out of line either. I would like the opinion of people who know these cameras better than me before I pull the trigger though. They are asking $300 US for everything. Leicas don’t show up for sale in my area to often so I’m pretty interested.
I do own a M3 SS which I love and would like to dip my feet into the Barnack world too.

 

[dab]

I am not an expert, but i was following Barnacks prices for some time and would say it is cheaper then i bought mine. You will need to do a CLA for it most likely. So the total price will be higher. Looks like a nice set, never seen such a case before.

 

[SigmaDM4]

I too was interested in the case. Then figured out when I opened it that it allows you to leave the aux viewfinder attached.

 

[mdarnton]

I'd jump on it.

 

[Muggins]

The only two F2 Tanar, lenses sold on ebay.co.uk recently made around £100 obviously I've no idea how the condition compares, but with that in mind I'd say go for it.

 

[JeffS7444]

TBH, it doesn't look super-impressive to me, and CLA of the camera body alone will easily top $300, as it likely needs new shutter curtains due to it's age. Has the accessory shoe been altered?

Dunno about that specific version of the 135 mm Hektor, but my last (chrome) example cost me $20, and IMO, that was about the right price to pay. Nicely made, kinda heavy, unexceptional performance by today's standards.

Not familiar with the 50/2 Tanaka Tanar, but it looks sorta intriguing.

 

[WoodallP]

Condition is important and the chrome doesn't look great on the picture. Like everyone else says, factor in a service if you can’t do it yourself. I’d have probably gone for it just because it is an interesting bundle, and it is certainly not overpriced. I have more Barnacks than fingers (I have all my fingers and I count thumbs too); though only half actually work at the moment.

 

[SigmaDM4]

I’m hoping a good cleaning would help the chrome. The shutter speeds all work and sound correct.

 

[xayraa33]

I like that Tanar 5cm lens the most.

 

[WoodallP]

I like that Tanar 5cm lens the most.

Agreed, I’d just grab it for the unknown element! (Unknown to me anyway)

 

[SigmaDM4]

I believe I’m going to buy it. He did offer to make me a trade. He collects and sell’s military items and knows I’ve got a Kodak Signet 35 Army KE-7 version. I told him no.

 

[DownUnder]

I'm no Leitz anything expert, but I own and use a iig.

From your photos, i would rate this baby as Good 5.5-6/10. It's I believe it's an early postwar iic, and it looks as if it has seen some use in its time. The leather seems okay and I don't see any rust or tarnish on the metal, also good signs.

The '50 Japan lens I know nothing about. But that '135 Hektor, sighhhhhhh - it's an old one, maybe early 1930s, and if it's in fairly decent condition with clean glass, on the collectors' market it may be worth about what you would be paying for the entire kit. Prices for those lens are what a buyer will pay for it, so do guide yourself accordingly here.

The Leitz turret viewfinder (the VIOOH) is a godsend, it will make the camera usable for you as the small viewfinders can give you a permanent squint. I had an as-new one in the '80s and stupidly sold it. Looking for one now for my iig. Prices (in Australia) are way over the top, and nowadays importing one from North America or Europe isn't an option thanks to our third world ($0.64 US cents at last check) Aussie dollar. A friend kindly gifted me a Wray viewfinder from the 1940s, okay to use but permanently stuck on 50. Oh well.

Put the camera thru its paces before you buy it. Do the shutter curtains move easily. Are all the speeds fairly accurate? As others have said you will almost surely be in for a full CLA anyway, but with the happy thought that LTM Leicas are more easily repaired/restored than the more complex Ms.

So should you or shouldn't you spring for it?? The decision is yours to make in the end but my take on this is, if you get it for $300 and it doesn't pan out for you, then you may be able to flip it on and get most or even all your money back. So no loss, and a pleasant experience.

Those old Leicas take you back to an earlier time when photography was only film, far more basic, and a lot of fun. It can also be super addictive. I bought mine from a deceased estate, and in less than a year, boom!! more Leitz gear all over the place in my kit. That happens.

 

[Coldkennels]

My first thoughts, purely about the gear on paper:

• The case is rare. I wouldn't use it, but it's rare.
• The IIf is a nice body to use. I'd prefer a IIIf - I use 1/15 and 1/8 a lot more than I thought I would - but you can't go wrong with a II. It looks in decent shape.
• The Tanar is uncommon enough to be interesting. I have no idea what it's like to shoot, but I'd definitely give it a go.
• The 135mm Hektor is a lovely lens. It gets a lot of flak. I think it's great. That looks like an early one, probably uncoated. That is a plus for me. It wouldn't be for everyone. I like uncoated lenses - it's a look that's hard to replicate.
• The VIOOH viewfinder is a lot more useable than you might think. They're easy to dismantle and clean, and that usually makes them a lot better to use. I wouldn't bother using one for the 50mm - it's not really an improvement over the built-in finder - but they're handy things to have around.

But everything is about condition. Haze can be cleaned out of the lenses, fungus is a roll of the dice. Tapering shutters can be dealt with without too much cost. But if the shutter blinds are visibly "cracked", or have holes (which aren't always easy to see), things can get expensive fast. Similarly, a faint rangefinder can be an expensive fix if you can't sort it yourself. But if it passes those last two checks, I'd bite the seller's hand off for $300 USD. In the UK, I'd expect to pay ~£200 for the body, £100-£150 for the Tanar, £80 for the Hektor, and £50 for the viewfinder. No idea on the case, but that's already ~$550 at a conservative estimate, which makes $300 a good deal.

 

[DownUnder]

Coldkennels, I agree with all you wrote, well said. Tho I still believe it's a iic and not a iif. It's most definitely a ii and not a iii as it lacks the slow speeds. Also from the serial number.

I reckon it's early postwar period. I will even risk a date as 1947, maybe 1946. So two dates then, ha!!

They were great cameras in their day and they are good cameras now. Well worth restoring but if that was mine, I would query a few repair places and go with the best quote. Not difficult to repair but as we all know those repair shops don't give away their services.

 

[dab]

The Camera with seial Number 571383 is a IIf build in the year 1951-52

from reddotcamera.net/leica/serial-number-tool/

 

[Coldkennels]

Tho I still believe it's a iic and not a iif.

Even without getting into the serial number, the synchronisation adjusting ring around the shutter dial makes it a IIf, but the serial number puts it into a block of Leica IIf cameras made in 1951/1952 according to Rogliatti's Leica - The First 60 Years.

Brief aside, looking at that serial number list made me think of the Leica If I owned for a brief period. I wish Leica had put the PC socket in the same spot on the IIf (i.e. where the slow speed dial is on the III). I think it's a much nicer setup.

 

[Dralowid]

Early IIf (without 1/1000) is one of the least expensive ltm versions. If that is the dirt of years on the chrome and not wear is should clean up nicely. As to mechanical condition, who knows? The case is quite uncommon but cases do not fetch much, nor do Hektors.

Having said that it would make a camera.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

That Kodak is beautiful- Keep It and get the Leica IIf outfit.

The Tanar 5cm F2- is a close copy of the Nikkor 5cm F2. Easily worth 1/2 the asking price. The Hektar- Black, easily worth $75~$100.
You are getting the camera for $100 or so- easily worth it. Send to Youxin Ye for a CLA, have a beautiful and usable working outfit.

 

[DownUnder]

Agree entirely re the Signet. Again, I'm no expert on most cameras, and even the ones I know well I'm super-ultra careful with my claims and opinions, but to me that Signet must be worth far more than the $300 cash price you'll pay for the Leica kit. It's a bargain at that price, if I was there and had the offer to buy, well, watch this space...

Put the Signet away to sell on a rainy day in future and cough up the cash for the iif. Yep, an f. Thanks to all who corrected me on this.

 

[SigmaDM4]

Did I say Leicas don’t show up often where I live? Found the IIIF this weekend at an estate sale. It was about the same price as the IIF, yes I bought it. Only problem I already told my coworker I’d buy the IIF. Wasn’t really planning on spending this much so close to the holidays. Cleaned the IIf up some, looks much better.