Vintage 35mm Leica M3 Camera and Lens

[whatcom hiker]

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Hi everyone,

 

First post.  Hoping to gain some insight and see if I could get some advice on an old M3 system I uncovered from my basement after many years of storage and basically forgotten about. I stopped using the camera in the early 90's.  I first purchased this camera along with all the accessories in 1971 and enjoyed using it for over 20 years. 

 

I was planning on having the camera body serviced, but I am not sure about the lens. Any suggestions and advice would be welcomed. 

 

Thanks for reading!

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[TomB_tx]

Very nice early M3 set! At least basement storage usually isn't as hard on them as attics, except for fungus, but they look clean. I would have the body serviced, as shutter lubes dry out and need to be cleaned off and re-applied. You can judge if the RF and viewfinder are still clear and in good shape. (The cemented prisms sometimes separate.) Check the lenses to see how stiff the controls are from dry grease, and use a flashlight to see if the internal surfaces are fogged. The 50 and 35 are less common than the later versions, and are a nice find. 

In the US there are very good independent techs that I think are better at old Leicas than factory service. I use DAG Camera (Don Goldberg) for my best stuff, and Sherry Krauter is also recommended highly. Youxin Ye did a great job on a 1955 dual-stroke M3 that I was given with a torn shutter curtain. All three can also return the lenses to near new condition.

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[jc_braconi]

Amazing the dented half crown added on the Summicron

[Pecole]

Extremely nice set, and surprizingly good apparent condition. What are the serials of the M3, the Elmar 135, the Elmarit 90, the Summicron 50 and the RF Summaron 35?

And finally, like Braconi, I was amazed by the "facilitating" dented crown around the Summicron's aperture ring : was it a personal addition? And what the hell is "topping" the 35 mm, and what about the curious "reflect" of the googles on the case's cover?

[jc_braconi]

And what the hell is "topping" the 35 mm, and what about the curious "reflect" of the googles on the case's cover?

 

Pierre looks like a filter adapter, the "reflect "looks to be the googles for the Summicron DR

[luigi bertolotti]

Pierre looks like a filter adapter, the "reflect "looks to be the googles for the Summicron DR

Yes... the Summicron with the odd "crown" is a DR by sure... I suppose that the case for goggled lenses does not close with BOTH the above items into...  ..but who knows ? it has a rather tall version.... I'll check at home... 

 

Anyway, whatcom hiker... welcome to the Forum and compliments for your set ! It's a fine , complete, very classic equipment. 

Edited November 3, 2015 by luigi bertolotti

[Jon Pop]

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Nice set! Very awesome, basically complete as they intended for the M3 photographer back then. Very cool.

[Pecole]

Yes... the Summicron with the odd "crown" is a DR by sure... I suppose that the case for goggled lenses does not close with BOTH the above items into...  ..but who knows ? it has a rather tall version.... I'll check at home... 

 

Anyway, whatcom hiker... welcome to the Forum and compliments for your set ! It's a fine , complete, very classic equipment. 

Sure, Luigi, but the "crown" looks strange, especially with the low side protuberance. And about the googles, it cannot be a mere reflect . it should be horizontal! the mystery remains...

[semi-ambivalent]

Sure, Luigi, but the "crown" looks strange, especially with the low side protuberance. And about the googles, it cannot be a mere reflect . it should be horizontal! the mystery remains...

Goggles for the 50DR? You can see the (finger pinch tabs?) for attaching to the lens in the 'reflection'. They're just pushed back into the case.

 

Not a collector,

s-a

[jc_braconi]

Pierre back to #

 

Sure, Luigi, but the "crown" looks strange, especially with the low side protuberance. And about the googles, it cannot be a mere reflect . it should be horizontal! the mystery remains...

 

Pierre please be back to #5 post it is obvious that it is the googles for the Summicron DR, you can see the piece of leather that tied it

There are 2 model of clamshell bag : one is taller than th other may be in the largest one you can close the bag whithout hurting one with the other

 

 

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[luigi bertolotti]

Pierre back to #

 

 

Pierre please be back to #5 post it is obvious that it is the googles for the Summicron DR, you can see the piece of leather that tied it

There are 2 model of clamshell bag : one is taller than th other may be in the largest one you can close the bag whithout hurting one with the other

I have just tried with my one... and it can be closed finely... 

 

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[skucera]

That is a very nice set you've got there.  I especially like the leather cases for each lens.  I wish I had those.  My wife's grandfather kept his lenses in the original plastic bubble cases, even in his camera bag.  Those bubble cases look really fragile, but they've held up to decades of vacation travel in Joe's camera bag, so I guess they're tougher than they look, but I would still prefer to have leather cases like yours.  I'll have to keep my eyes open on eBay or something.

 

Also, thank you for showing more detail shots of the case for the Summaron 3.5cm lens.  Mine only has one set of goggles; why do these have two sets?  Are they dual-range lenses?  Oh, the quote answers that question.  I learn something new every day.  I'll go check mine to see if it is a dual range lens but missing a set of goggles....

 

Scott

[Pecole]

Thank you, Jean-Claude and Luigi, and shame on me : I should have looked more carefully, but the original image was quite "fuzzy". And I must confess I did not know (or remember ? you know, at my age..) about the "deep" half-moon case nor his second attachment securing fixture.

Never too late to learn!

[willeica]

The discussion here on different spectacles for different lenses has led me to ask about something that has confused me for some time. I have two different sets of spectacles for the 50mm Summicron DR. One of these works on my DR which has a serial number from 1957 and the other one does not. There are slight differences in the style and construction of the two sets of spectacles as shown in the photos below. The  spectacles on the left work and the spectacles on the right do not.

 

Front View:

 

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Bottom View:

 

 

 When I say that the spectacles on the right do not work, I mean that they will not mount properly and allow the ball bearing on the top of the lens to be pressed down fully in order to make the close range function work. The other set work perfectly. I would greatly appreciate an expert opinion on this.

 

William

 

 

 

 

[luigi bertolotti]

Yes, the DR had two slightly different versions, even with a small difference in minimum focus distance... you can find info about on the Net , for example here : https://www.cameraquest.com/m50dr.htm ("the ball bearing mount on the earlier lenses is larger than on the later lenses. This results in the earlier close up attachment with the Leitz condenser logo fitting on later lenses, but not vice versa. ")

Edited November 5, 2015 by luigi bertolotti

[willeica]

Thanks Luigi for your helpful reply. There is something strange, however, in that mine has a lower serial number than the example shown by Stephen Gandy on his CameraQuest site wearing the E. Leitz 'condensor logo'. Mine is also in feet only and will focus to 19 inches. That would seem to indicate an 'early version', but it will not work with the E. Leitz 'condensor logo' spectacles. Perhaps the ball bearing was changed at some stage to take the later spectacles. The mount and lens head serial numbers are the same. 

 

That is one of the great wonders about Leica collecting; you can always find an exception that may have been modified during its lifetime. The lens glass is very clean and the lens produces superb images.

 

William

[luigi bertolotti]

Thanks Luigi for your helpful reply. There is something strange, however, in that mine has a lower serial number than the example shown by Stephen Gandy on his CameraQuest site wearing the E. Leitz 'condensor logo'. Mine is also in feet only and will focus to 19 inches. That would seem to indicate an 'early version', but it will not work with the E. Leitz 'condensor logo' spectacles. Perhaps the ball bearing was changed at some stage to take the later spectacles. The mount and lens head serial numbers are the same. 

 

That is one of the great wonders about Leica collecting; you can always find an exception that may have been modified during its lifetime. The lens glass is very clean and the lens produces superb images.

 

William

What about, JC ? 

 

(indeed, William, from the details on your lens, I had presumed an exactly opposite situation for the goggles...  )

Edited November 5, 2015 by luigi bertolotti

[jc_braconi]

What about, JC ? 

 

(indeed, William, from the details on your lens, I had presumed an exactly opposite situation for the goggles...  )

Luigi,  i have 3 DR in boxes one in meter, 1 513xxx,1957  one in feet, 1 531xxx 1957 and one in double range, 1 787xxx, 1960

 I am not close to them in this moment what I know is that : at least one have the condenser logo if I remember well it is the one in feet and has the small ball connecting the googles and make free the closest distance.

The large one ball ( the DR meter & feet ) does not connect on the small one ball lens 

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[willeica]

Thanks JC. My 50 DR is 1 468xxx from 1957 with all of the characteristics of the earlier model. It will not work with the earlier E. Leitz condenser logo spectacles but It will with the later model marked Leitz Wetzlar. That is why I think that the ball bearing was changed at some time in the past. It is a lovely lens and it works very well with the later spectacles. It certainly was one of the best Leica lenses of its era.

 

William

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Hallo,

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[luigi bertolotti]

Have found in my archive of pics another DR in the 1.5xx.xxx that has single scale and italic front engraving ... with the later type of goggles  (ball dimension unknown...) 

 

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