Leica M3?

[Joeaksa]

I have one that you can buy! Like new Leica M4P in gold finish still in the factory wooden presentation case. 75th anniversary issue.

[vash]

i love this camera. i should sell it, because i dont even own film!

slak..i'll sell you a hasselblad cheap..pelican discount. with portrait lens, 150mm.
i could use the money to buy a pair of leica binoculars.

[ronster]

Originally Posted by slakjaw

I have been looking at getting an old rangefinder. Thought I would ask the OT’ers here about them. There is a Leica M3 and a IIIC local to me on craigslist. What is it like shooting these old rangefinders? What should I look out for if I go check them out?

The IIIC is a screw mount camera that you will have to screw the lenses onto, the M3 is a bayonet mount that is much faster and easier to deal with. Lenses for the IIIC will be less expensive to purchase but will lack the modern optical coatings and be prone to fogging and fungus. The screw mount lenses can be mounted on the M3 using an adapter SM-M. The IIIC is difficult to load film in as the leader needs to be cut to fit it into the take up spool correctly and Leica made a template for that. If you buy a IIIC check the shutter curtain by cocking the shutter and firing the camera with the lens off. Check to see if the shutter is cracked or torn. By cocking the shutter you will also see how slow it is to advance film compared to the M3 which uses a lever cocking mechanism. The IIIC's slow shutter speeds will probably be off and need to be adjusted. The M3 came in several versions a double throw cocking mechanism where you will need to cock the shutter lever twice to advance the film and a single throw version. Preview levers were added to show you what the image will look like with different focal lengths (50-90-135) before you decide on which lens to use. Some had self timers others didn't and some have been upgraded to single throw, preview and self timer by the owners. The M3 is arguably one of the best Leicas made if you like rangefinder photography, they are solid but you will also need to check the shutter curtain and the rangefinder window for accuracy. If you remove the lens and look at the top screw on the camera body lens mount the camera will not have been serviced if there is a wax plug covering the screw. If you see a screw head then the camera has been opened up and you should question what has been done to it. If you open the back, cock the shutter and fire it you should not be seeing the seam where the front and rear curtains are sewn together if you do the camera will need to be serviced. Remember too that, unless you buy a light meter, you will be determining exposure as neither camera has a built in meter. I've used both the M3 and M2 cameras and really loved them as photographic tools but my fav film M is the M6 as it is a beautifully refined M with a dead on meter built in and more frame windows in the rangefinder. Get ready to spend big bucks for the M lenses especially the wide angles and "fast" apertures.

[RPKESQ]

The black wax covered screw should have a script "L" embossed on it. If not it was worked on and then just filled in with some black crayon.

All range-finder cameras with cloth curtains can suffer from cracked, dried out shutter curtains. Also they have the ability to burn holes in their shutter curtains if left in the sun without a lens cap on.

Leica lenses are very high in contrast but not particularly high in resolution. Contrast fools the human eye into thinking that it is "seeing" better. Pentax followed this design route. Olympus followed the Ziess route of high resolution with low contrast. Nikon followed the compromise route and offered medium high levels of both.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by ronster

If you remove the lens and look at the top screw on the camera body lens mount the camera will not have been serviced if there is a wax plug covering the screw. If you see a screw head then the camera has been opened up and you should question what has been done to it.

This is correct but only if its not been serviced at a Leica service center or the factory itself.

I have a like new M4 that I had overhauled at the factory while I was living in Berlin. It has the wax plug restored after they opened it up.

Also have a IIIG and while its "old school" its still a lot of fun. That said after you use a M3 or newer you realize how much faster and easier to use the newer models are.

They are a work of art and they key is getting a good lens for it. The 21 mm super angelon is very nice as is the 50 mm noctilux.

I do have to add that most of my shooting these days is with the Digilux digital version... but there is nothing like film.

Those questioning the cost of a Leica and lenses. Buy it once and keep it for life. Its like the Rolex you lusted for as a kid, just a bit more versatile. Once I retire I will sell most of mine and get the last laugh as they keep going up in value!