Author Topic: My first Leica (Read 5528 times)

damiand · « **on:** March 25, 2013, 04:10:28 PM »

Leica IIIa , Summar 5cm f2 .

I seen this one last week while they prepare auction for today. I wish I may won this one. Whole night I cannot sleep and at 10 o clock show up in action house. After 10 minutes I become scared , one guy with big , fat , gold HUBLOT watch was buying everything. Thankfully he wasn't interesting in cameras. I payed for this baby less then lens price. Camera is in great working order. Lens is coated. Both camera and lens are from 1936.

Andrea. · « **Reply #1 on:** March 25, 2013, 04:37:57 PM »

Drooll

Sandeha Lynch · « **Reply #2 on:** March 25, 2013, 04:39:08 PM »

Saved from a sterile life in a glass cage. Well done.

Yglotte · « **Reply #3 on:** March 25, 2013, 04:42:59 PM »

Nice ! I hope you'll enjoy your Leica. Since I have one, I mainly shoot with it

SLVR · « **Reply #4 on:** March 25, 2013, 05:05:26 PM »

I have this exact camera, Fun to shoot with. My only complaint is if you have glasses prepare for scratched lenses or a not so fun time using the camera as the viewfinder and rangefinder are TINY!

sapata · « **Reply #5 on:** March 25, 2013, 05:08:28 PM »

Quote from: Sandeha Lynch on March 25, 2013, 04:39:08 PM

Saved from a sterile life in a glass cage. Well done.

Quote from: TinTin on March 25, 2013, 05:05:26 PM

not so fun time using the camera as the viewfinder and rangefinder are TINY!

I have the IIIF model and man... I assume people would have better eysight back in the old days!

SLVR · « **Reply #6 on:** March 25, 2013, 05:20:53 PM »

Or were really good at scale focusing

sapata · « **Reply #7 on:** March 25, 2013, 05:41:17 PM »

... and had tiny tiny fingers!

Ezzie · « **Reply #8 on:** March 25, 2013, 07:15:21 PM »

Congratulations, and a coated pre-war Summar too, now that is a good find. I still only have one Leica, the M4-2. But still no Leica glass, which is more than half the point. Oh well, in another lifetime maybe.

Late Developer · « **Reply #9 on:** March 25, 2013, 07:59:39 PM »

Beautiful piece of kit. Well done!

Take it out and use it to the max. The lenses of that era, although probably single coated, will probably produce less contrasty negs than the modern versions - and be, arguably, the better for it.

I've enjoyed my time with Leica M series and will always have a soft spot for 35mm rangefinders. However, as TinTin says, as a lifelong spectacles wearer, they bugger up your lenses very quickly

ambaker · « **Reply #10 on:** March 26, 2013, 02:56:01 AM »

Nice score! I dream of Leica, but reality is closer to Kodak.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Sandeha Lynch · « **Reply #11 on:** March 26, 2013, 12:25:23 PM »

Quote from: Late Developer on March 25, 2013, 07:59:39 PM

However, as TinTin says, as a lifelong spectacles wearer, they bugger up your lenses very quickly

Finding the right size of rubber 'O' ring can provide a slight bumper.

Late Developer · « **Reply #12 on:** March 26, 2013, 12:53:27 PM »

Quote from: Sandeha Lynch on March 26, 2013, 12:25:23 PM

Quote from: Late Developer on March 25, 2013, 07:59:39 PM
However, as TinTin says, as a lifelong spectacles wearer, they bugger up your lenses very quickly

Finding the right size of rubber 'O' ring can provide a slight bumper.

You're right, I tried that, Sandeha. However, it must be something to do with my +7.25 prescription but my eye has almost got to be pressed hard up against the viewfinder to see anything other than the middle of the scene. For whatever reason, I don't have the same issue with the Mamiya 7....

Francois · « **Reply #13 on:** March 26, 2013, 02:26:13 PM »

If you don't care about a small mod, you can always use some sugru to make a permanent eyepiece protector...

Late Developer · « **Reply #14 on:** March 26, 2013, 10:19:00 PM »

Thanks Francois but my references to Leica are in the past tense. No Leicas in my cupboard any more. Aside from the viewfinder "issue" I also got a bit p'd off with the bottom right corner of the frame being missing due to the lens getting in the way.

Truly stunning though the Leica cameras and lenses clearly are, I've come to realise that I'm much more of an SLR person when it comes to 35mm.

Greg Bartley · « **Reply #15 on:** March 26, 2013, 10:43:00 PM »

Mr Late try a Leice R series the bodies are quite cheap and guess who makes the lenses !

Late Developer · « **Reply #16 on:** March 26, 2013, 10:59:09 PM »

Quote from: Greg Bartley on March 26, 2013, 10:43:00 PM

Mr Late try a Leice R series the bodies are quite cheap and guess who makes the lenses !

Hi Greg. I had an R3 with 28mm, 50mm and 90mm lenses. Very nice but, at the same time, I also had (have) a Nikon rig with some equally stunning lenses - and the Nikon bodies' ergonomics and metering (for my money) are better. The only Leica R I feel is worth its price is the R6.2 but even that is only just on a par with FM2n / FM3a and I'd still prefer my F2, F3HP and F6.

Leica make truly great optical kit and, for 35mm rangefnders, there are none better (IMO). However, for me, it's about how they sit in your hand, can you reach the buttons without having to take your eye away from the finder, can you get repairs / replacements at modest cost / anywhere in the world and will they take the knocks.

I love the Leicas I've owned and my 50mm Summicron-M and Summicron-R were two of the best lenses I've ever used - but I still revert to Nikon above all else.

damiand · « **Reply #17 on:** March 27, 2013, 09:49:38 PM »

Thank You all You guys . I have glasses and this what I was thinking they will be scratched. I just load my first film after trimming 11 cm in the front. Loading isn't very fast especially first time. Today I made first 2 shoots - portrait of my daughter. I have one question: How to use this infinity lever on rangefinder ?

sapata · « **Reply #18 on:** March 27, 2013, 11:51:21 PM »

If I got it right... leave the lever on the infinity when using the rangefinder to do landscapes like shots.

SLVR · « **Reply #19 on:** March 28, 2013, 12:46:36 PM »

I usually just leave it on infinity all the time. But if you are focussing on something closer with a fairly wide open aperture you can flip it up to help give accurate focus.

Francois · « **Reply #20 on:** March 28, 2013, 02:09:30 PM »

I got thinking (I know, it's usually a bad thing

)...
If you have an old pair of glasses with plastic that is still to your prescription, you could always cut one of the lenses using a small coping saw (or dremel tool) and fix it to the viewfinder with a bit of clear silicone around the edge (just protect the lens with painter's tape first). Permanent diopter adjustment. And when your eyesight changes, just remove the lens, scrape off the silicone and install a new one.

jojonas~ · « **Reply #21 on:** March 28, 2013, 03:14:57 PM »

Quote from: Francois on March 28, 2013, 02:09:30 PM

I got thinking (I know, it's usually a bad thing )...
If you have an old pair of glasses with plastic that is still to your prescription, you could always cut one of the lenses using a small coping saw (or dremel tool) and fix it to the viewfinder with a bit of clear silicone around the edge (just protect the lens with painter's tape first). Permanent diopter adjustment. And when your eyesight changes, just remove the lens, scrape off the silicone and install a new one.

hey, why not? my kiev has been a constant danger for my glasses so I could as well do it on that

Urban Hafner · « **Reply #22 on:** March 28, 2013, 03:38:38 PM »

Jonas. This would be a possibility, too: http://aki-asahi.com/store/html/kiev-4/eyepatch/index.php

Francois · « **Reply #23 on:** March 28, 2013, 08:30:33 PM »

Or use little felt pads like we put under stuff to protect furniture and simply punch a hole in the middle using a paper punch.

Greg Bartley · « **Reply #24 on:** March 28, 2013, 11:50:57 PM »

some people drive Fords and some people drive the other brand ! hell some people are even left handed !
My Leicas had always felt better in my hand and was one step less in the pain of image making ! Nikon , Canon or Leica and even others it doesn't matter !
Though an old Leica is just like an old Jag except probably more reliable !

SLVR · « **Reply #25 on:** March 29, 2013, 02:28:14 AM »

Quote from: Greg Bartley on March 28, 2013, 11:50:57 PM

Though an old Leica is just like an old Jag except probably more reliable !

Disagreed. My new M2 has been causing me so much grief. CLA or not the thing just doesn't want to co-operate. Whilst it being with the repairman i took my IIIa out for a spin only to have the same exposure issues. Something is wrong with me or the cameras are off.

Greg Bartley · « **Reply #26 on:** March 29, 2013, 09:54:14 AM »

well jags did leak oil when they left the factory !

Francois · « **Reply #27 on:** March 29, 2013, 02:11:28 PM »

And adjusting the carbs on them was a real pain...

damiand · « **Reply #28 on:** April 02, 2013, 11:20:30 PM »

Today I received l39 to m4/3 converter for my olympus pen mini camera. I want to checked how my new summar perform before ill finish first roll in leica. I need to say that I am totally amazed of picture quality from such a old lens. This lens is quite sharp in the middle and bokeh thing is great. As I shoot digital I am not gonna post pictures here but if somebody is interesting may find them here:

http://dzialoszynski.com/blog

Francois · « **Reply #29 on:** April 02, 2013, 11:28:43 PM »

Now you know why so many great photos were taken with Leicas...

Now for the geeks, the unique look of rangefinders is often due to the fact that they use a different optical formula for the normal to wide angle lenses than what we're used to with reflex cameras. Since the rangefinder bodies are so thin, a regular design can be used. But when you look at a thick reflex body, there is no way a regular lens could fit on the camera without getting in the way of the mirror. So designers had to come up with a trick that is called the reverse-telephoto design. They add lens elements to project the image further inside the camera in order to clear the mirror. You don't need to do that on a rangefinder.

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