earleygallery Posted November 7, 2015 Share #1 Posted November 7, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) My R3 was declared unrepairable by the guy at Aperture. I will try the mothership as a last chance but expect them to say no. I've had my R3 from new and it means a lot to me. It still works but the top speed doesn't fire properly. I could buy another R body of course, or just give up and sell my R lenses to new SL buyers. Maybe I should look at all my stuff and rethink what I use/need/want..... 10 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 7, 2015 Posted November 7, 2015 Hi earleygallery, Take a look here Today is a sad day. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Sebasti1 Posted November 7, 2015 Share #2 Posted November 7, 2015 Hi James, I'm sorry to hear that your camera isn't working anymore. My M is only three an a half years with me and we share already a lot of memories. So I can truly understand you. Could you buy a working body and use parts of it to repair your camera? That would be my suggestion. Otherwise, if you can still use your camera, just do it as long as it works. Regards 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IkarusJohn Posted November 7, 2015 Share #3 Posted November 7, 2015 I still mourn the death of my FM2 ... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 7, 2015 Author Share #4 Posted November 7, 2015 I did ask CRR if I could get them to swap the shutter from a tatty but working R3 but apparently it's not so straightforward. I'll get a 2nd opinion though. I think if I buy another film R it will be an R6. Electronics can fail and even for a Leica there will be a point where your faithful camera becomes a paperweight! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_parker Posted November 8, 2015 Share #5 Posted November 8, 2015 (edited) Don't underestimate the R7 - it's not mechanical but it is a very capable and underrated camera, also you could consider one of the original SL cameras, with their superb viewfinders. Ps. Sorry about the R3 - the shutter has a particular sound which is reminiscent of the 70's - perhaps you could get another tatty camera for spares and send it to one of the heavy mob such as Don Goldberg or Malcolm Taylor, or maybe Reinhardt if he is still working, to see what they can do. Edited November 8, 2015 by robert_parker 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbealnz Posted November 8, 2015 Share #6 Posted November 8, 2015 The realist in me says start again, but I can see the attraction, sentiment is a strong thing. So, the realist in me also says, find someone who can/will rectify the issue, either by repairing what you have, or by a transplant, a donor part, whatever is required. The Leicaflex SL (or SL2), IS nice though, I have one. Good luck, Gary 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share #7 Posted November 8, 2015 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm not such a fan of the Leicaflex, I don't like the viewfinder either! Those rounded corners bug me, and a couple of my lenses are 'R' only so won't work on them anyway. I decided to use my R3 today (I went up to the Cenotaph in London) on manual only and only up to 1/500th. I haven't really ever used in manually as the auto exposure has always worked so well, but it's actually nice to use as you get the suggested shutter speed in the viewfinder. I need to make sure the shutter is still working correctly on the other speeds. I've seen an R3 online at a dealer so will check that out next week, but if the shutter is OK up to 1/500 I might just use it like that. Will see….. Funnily, it got a bit of attention - rarely happens - but a couple of people remarked on my Leica! Edited November 8, 2015 by earleygallery 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted November 9, 2015 Share #8 Posted November 9, 2015 While the passing of a camera is a sad thing, I cannot help but state my admiration for any person who sticks with a single camera until it reaches the point where it can no longer be repaired. You are to be commended. I shot a roll of film through my recently purchased R5 this weekend have come away from the experience admiring the form, feel, and function of the camera. I can see how a person could settle on the R: It seems to lack nothing. Not really paying attention to the R cameras when they were current, I can only guess that price worked to retard their sales success against the Japanese SLR cameras. I owned/own a few of those old SLR cameras (Canon F1, Canon AE1, Pentax LX) and believe I enjoy the overall R5 experience to any of them. I hope mine lasts well into the future. I am curious, is the terminal shutter condition a mechanical or electronic issue? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anlotti Posted November 9, 2015 Share #9 Posted November 9, 2015 Don't underestimate the R7 - it's not mechanical but it is a very capable and underrated camera . . . I can certainly agree with this. My two are still going strong at 20 and 24 years old and I'm very fond of them. It sometimes feels as though the R7 has been airbrushed from Leica history, as though the Rs jumped from the R6 to the R8 with nothing in between. The R7 may not be a purely mechanical camera in the traditional sense but it still feels mechanical, if that's not a strange thing to say, and is a solid and intuitive beast to work with. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share #10 Posted November 9, 2015 While the passing of a camera is a sad thing, I cannot help but state my admiration for any person who sticks with a single camera until it reaches the point where it can no longer be repaired. You are to be commended. I shot a roll of film through my recently purchased R5 this weekend have come away from the experience admiring the form, feel, and function of the camera. I can see how a person could settle on the R: It seems to lack nothing. Not really paying attention to the R cameras when they were current, I can only guess that price worked to retard their sales success against the Japanese SLR cameras. I owned/own a few of those old SLR cameras (Canon F1, Canon AE1, Pentax LX) and believe I enjoy the overall R5 experience to any of them. I hope mine lasts well into the future. I am curious, is the terminal shutter condition a mechanical or electronic issue? Hi Wayne, Well, the R3 isn't my only camera but it is my only R body (I also use LTM and M, and Canon for digital). However, in all the time I've had it I've never felt the need to buy one of the later bodies, the R3 just works (or did!). I too had Canon's - AE1, A1 and an original F1 - I do regret letting that F1 go and kind of wish I'd stuck with it. But I switched to a Leica M and didn't get on with it back then (and M3) and it was replaced by the R3. The R series 'failed' because it was a manual focus system when everyone else had moved on to AF. It limped along but then digital took off and the rest is history. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted November 10, 2015 Share #11 Posted November 10, 2015 Use the lenses on a SL. Camera is ugly, but you should get good pic. R6 or 6.2 were my favorite R cameras. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted November 10, 2015 Share #12 Posted November 10, 2015 I just bought a mint R6.2 to use with a zoom R lens I have had a couple of years. I am now looking for a prime or two. I had a nice R system about 20 years ago and wish I had not sold so much of it off. The prices on R equipment is a lot higher than when I sold mine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 38 Posted November 17, 2015 Share #13 Posted November 17, 2015 As others have suggested try an R7 . I believe with the R3 if you change one part , say the shutter , you then have to get it to talk to other bits in the camera and do various bits of calibration which can be hard and time consuming . 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted November 18, 2015 Share #14 Posted November 18, 2015 Back in the day I had many 35mm cameras with 1/500 top speed, not to mention Hasselblad V-series, and Rolleiflexes (which I still have). Many mechanically-timed horizontal FP shutter cameras ran up to half a stop slow at 1/1000 anyway, including my Nikon Photomic FTn's. I could adjust them to 1/1000 but after a bit of use they fell back to 1/750. If your shutter works accurately at the rest of the speeds, maybe ask yourself how often you use 1/1000. Might still be useful as a backup or second body with wider/faster lenses also. R bodies are dirt cheap these days, although repairs are still expensive, so economically-speaking they might be considered disposable. It's sad, because they are beautiful machines, but it is what it is. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share #15 Posted November 19, 2015 As others have suggested try an R7 . I believe with the R3 if you change one part , say the shutter , you then have to get it to talk to other bits in the camera and do various bits of calibration which can be hard and time consuming . That's what I have been told so I guess it must be correct coming from different sources. There was an auction of photo gear today and it was possible to bid online - I almost forgot about it but looked it up and just missed an R7 body which sold for £40! Next up was an R3 which comes with a couple of cases and a Tamron zoom lens, which I won for £50. If the Tamron lens has the Leica adaptor attached I should be able to cover the cost even if the R3 turns out to be a dud. A risk, but worth taking! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share #16 Posted November 19, 2015 Back in the day I had many 35mm cameras with 1/500 top speed, not to mention Hasselblad V-series, and Rolleiflexes (which I still have). Many mechanically-timed horizontal FP shutter cameras ran up to half a stop slow at 1/1000 anyway, including my Nikon Photomic FTn's. I could adjust them to 1/1000 but after a bit of use they fell back to 1/750. If your shutter works accurately at the rest of the speeds, maybe ask yourself how often you use 1/1000. Might still be useful as a backup or second body with wider/faster lenses also. R bodies are dirt cheap these days, although repairs are still expensive, so economically-speaking they might be considered disposable. It's sad, because they are beautiful machines, but it is what it is. You're right - I rarely use 1/1000th on any camera. I shot some photos on the R3 with the end of a roll of Lomo 'effect' film and some shots were rather underexposed - I'm not sure if it's a trait of the film, if I just didn't pay attention to exposure, or if - hopefully not - the shutter is playing up at other speeds too. It appears to fire correctly though. If the speeds are OK I'll just continue to use it on manual (I'd be worried using it on Auto that I'd miss shots if the exposure crept above 1/500th at any time and I wasn't paying attention). That said I've just bid on an R3, and I've no idea what operational condition it's in! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardpan Posted November 20, 2015 Share #17 Posted November 20, 2015 (edited) Did Aperture say why your R3 is beyond repair? Have you tried to speak with Dieter Paepke? He is recommended by Leica to handle all their Leica R repairs. Dieter Paepke Our address data : Company: Paepke - Fototechnik Street: Rather Broich 57 Town: 40472 Düsseldorf Country: Germany Tel.: 0211 / 98 68 88 0 Fax: 0211 / 98 68 88 29 mailto: paepke-fototechnik@gmx.de http://www.paepke-fototechnik.de Edited November 20, 2015 by howardpan 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 20, 2015 Author Share #18 Posted November 20, 2015 I didn't speak to the repair guy at Aperture myself but he'd declared it 'unrepairable' after a brief inspection - the shutter needed replacing and parts are not available was the reason I was given. I will contact the people you suggest and see what they say from my description of the fault, but the few others I've spoken to all say the same thing, that the cost will be prohibitive and it's not easy to simply swap the shutter unit with one from another camera. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denys Posted November 21, 2015 Share #19 Posted November 21, 2015 Hello James - sorry to hear about your camera. Have you contacted Malcolm Taylor? He doesn't have an eMail or website but I spoke with him earlier this year about bringing my M4-P back to life. If nothing else, it was a pleasure conversing with a true enthusiast and expert. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share #20 Posted November 21, 2015 Hi Denys, I have only ever heard great things about Malcolm Taylors work, but also frighteningly long times for him to complete a job - as in several years or more! As it happens I've had an interesting 'R3' day! I will start another thread about the R3 body I bought at auction for £60 and picked up this morning. I have also found a service manual for the Minolta version of the R3 and interestingly, in the fault finding section there is a paragraph about problems with the 1/1000 and 1/500 speeds! So it would appear that it may not be fatal but still expensive to get anyone to look at! If nothing else I'm learning an awful lot about the R3, much more than I really should need to! As for your M4-P, repairs on that should be relatively easy given that it's fully mechanical - what's wrong with it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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