So, how did I do? (IIIc with Elmar 50mm f3.5)

[Steevo]

Dear Fellow Lens Jockeys:

How did I do purchasing my Leica IIIc with lens listed above regarding price? Camera is cleaned and lubricated, new curtains, serious cosmetic brassing on top plate and bottom plate (pitting, etc), pristine vulcanite, accurate shutter speeds, no missing parts, etc. Lens is coated with no fungus or marks, aperature blades have some small oil marks, but all works well. Serial numbers indicate manufacture in 1950 for both camera and lens.

90 day warranty

I paid $300 for the set.

Did I do OK?

SW

 

[srtiwari]

I think you practically stole it !

 

[xayraa33]

you could have done much worse.
like spent the money on those FSU Nazi Leicas.

 

[Steevo]

Here is an image...

Here is an image...

Great news thus far....Here is an image...not pretty, but works well.

SW

 

[brachal]

Hey, they don't pay 'em for lookin' pretty. If everything works as it should, I'd say you did very well.

 

[Rhodes]

Great buying!

 

[Spider67]

Aw....come on! You sandedit to give it the classic "been around the world" look!
Seriously: A steal! Enjoy it use it. Should be easier with that look and at that price

 

[Rob-F]

Oh, it's not so ugly. One of my IIIcs has a brassed area on the winding knob. Looks like it scraped against something while being rotated. If it works well and doesn't need new curtains, you got a deal! You could even have CLA from John Maddox, or Youxin Ye, and even with the extra $100+ or so, it is still a good deal.

 

[LeicaTom]

That`s typical (1950) Leica chrome peel/pitting Leica cameras built between late 1948 to mid 1950 had very bad chrome plating contamation issues, (postwar Germany suffered from many shortages and chrome and chemicals was one of them) this camera should also have that rough sharkskin covering as well, that was an original 1949/50 issue.

To find any IIIC of this era mint is like finding gold teeth on a chicken, so to have a fresh CLA`d IIIC with a coated Elmar all for $300 and a 90 day warranty!!!!! ~ is a good deal, you didn`t lose here, once these cameras are CLA`d they work forever, they don`t look so good, in this era the IIIC was in the hands of many a pro photographer in the late 1940`s/early 50`s and I`m sure they didn`t care what it looked like either......

Happy Shooting!

Tom

 

[ZorkiKat]

That`s typical (1950) Leica chrome peel/pitting Leica cameras built between late 1948 to mid 1950 had very bad chrome plating contamation issues, (postwar Germany suffered from many shortages and chrome and chemicals was one of them) this camera should also have that rough sharkskin covering as well, that was an original 1949/50 issue.



Tom

Fantastic bargains are still found sometimes....IIIc are becoming expensive lately.

The $130 IIIc I got from eBay in April last year is in the same state. Peeling at the same places. I think those places are where the fingers went too, when the camera is held. Sharkskin covering still intact. The shutter is perfect. RF image is reasonably bright, and focus is on the dot. Came without a lens, so I put a late production FED I-10 collapsible on it. Looks like an Elmar anyway if seen from a distance.

 

[LeicaTom]

Fantastic bargains are still found sometimes....IIIc are becoming expensive lately.

Yes, the days of decent clean chrome IIIC`s at $200 or under are long gone.....and the camera`s I work with and collect
(1945/early 1946 ball bearing shutter/and crossover shutter "Stepper" *stepped/raised rewind platform cameras) are TOTALLY OUT OF THE MARKET!!!!

I haven`t seen a 45' dated Leica IIIC sold in the past 6 months!!!!!!!

Tom