Leica LTM Service history

[Dralowid]

Well, I wrote to Leica and they replied promptly with info about the cameras that I still have. There is very little detail apart from dates but interesting none the less. This one has a bit of a tale to tell:

No: 28304 (conversion, now a black IIIa)
Was shipped on December 20th, 1929 place of delivery or recipient is not noted.
Was in for repair 3 times
March 1st, 1933, Febuary 15th, 1940, July 10th, 1942 what was done is not noted.

The dates make one think this was a hard working camera. Going back for service or upgrade twice in wartime must have a story behind it but who knows what? Also how many interim upgrades did it take to get from I to IIIa?

When I bought the camera it came from Northern Ireland with a note to say that it had been the property of the Northern Ireland Police (RUC). The camera was a mess and had a big flash socket. When Peter G dismantled it he commented that the slow speed escapement was very worn as if it had been used for flash only for years and years.

I don't believe that inanimate things can store memories but sometimes I wonder...who (in the UK) remembers 'The Stone Tape'?

 

[ddutchison2]

Could you tell us what you asked Leica to get this reply?

 

[Dralowid]

I just asked them, very politely, if they could furnish me with any information regarding delivery, servicing or any modifications of a specific serial number. They responded quite quickly, giving me the information they have on the four cameras that I still have, for which I thanked them.

I emphasise the need to keep the correspondence civil and polite. Something in my memory reminds me of a time a while back when they stopped doing this research for owners when things got a bit 'heated'.

 

[ddutchison2]

Thanks, I had no idea Leitz might provide this information - if asked nicely.

I have a '31 pre-standard that still works well and has clearly had parts replaced from more recent Barnack Leicas along the way. I've always been impressed that someone kept this camera in good working condition for 70 years past the point when it would have been considered "obsolete", so I can appreciate the interest in learning a bit more about a camera's history.

 

[qqphotos]

I wrote to them once asking for information about a pair of IIIg bodies. I don't think I said much beyond the polite request, but I never received a response. Perhaps I should have been more obsequious?

 

[WoodallP]

Hi, I got a reply a couple of weeks ago about a red shutter IIIc and Summitar that a friend had been sitting on for some years. Apparently they were both shipped to Helsinki in 1941, a week apart.

Maybe after the war and once they had picked up production it was more of a modern sales model and maybe there is less data; but thats just a guess.

 

[Godfrey]

Hmm. I've never had any problems getting answers to questions from Leica (or other vendors). I often call first (using the contact number on their website), explain what I'm looking for, and ask whom to contact about it. Sometimes they give me the info I'm looking for right on the spot, other times they've asked me to send a note (email or post) to a specific office or person. They've always responded within a few days.

That's not to say that they always have very detailed information. That depends to some degree on the specific camera. They can almost always tell me when a particular serial number was made and where it was originally shipped to, but anything else depends on many other factors.

G

 

[ddutchison2]

...I often call first (using the contact number on their website, explain what I'm looking for, and ask whom to contact about it.

G

Excellent advice, learn who the right person is to ask.