Leica IIIc Damage The Mechanism?

[flash2]

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I have a Leica IIIc and I am very new to this type of camera. Is it possible to damage the mechanism by winding the knobs in an improper fashion? It could be just because the camera is very old, but the winding knob won't stop winding around and around when there is no film in the camera. Sometimes after adjusting the shutter speed or reversing the winding it will "catch" and then wind the shutter speed knob around like its supposed to. After that, when I press the shutter button it will click, or sometimes seem to "halfway-click". Am I doing something wrong?

Edited April 21, 2017 by flash2

[}{B]

The shutter speed dial should not be moved without first cocking the shutter. I'm new to Leica screw cameras as well and my 111f shutter cocks and fires each time I turn the knob. The shutter speed dial should also rotate at the same time as the camera fires. If you don't have a manual for it there are sites online where one can be downloaded. On the 111f the slow speed dial must also be locked to 1/25th to use the faster speeds. I think that the 111c and I11f are basically the same camera so this may also apply to yours.

 

As to whether the camera has been damaged I'll let more experienced users comment but I do hope that it hasn't been. Hope this has been of some help.

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[earleygallery]

Is the rewind lever in the correct 'fully in' position?

[jc_braconi]

Is the rewind lever in the correct 'fully in' position?

That is the right question !

[flash2]

Is the rewind lever in the correct 'fully in' position?

I am not sure if I understand. The rewind lever (the one with the R and A) is switched all the way to "A", if that's what you're asking. And the rewind knob on the left is fully depressed.

Edited April 21, 2017 by flash2

[Dr. No]

'A' is correct! if you rewind the film you 've to swich it to 'R'

 

the camera is more than 50 Years old. so the oil gets sticky. it might need an cla ..

[Dr. No]

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and: first turning the rewind knob than using the knob for the shutter. the short speed dial should move freely when rewinding. than chosing a different shutterspeed  ...

[wlaidlaw]

There is a sticky thread of Leica repairers recommended by members on the forum. In the UK I have had excellent experience on a number of repairs and services recently on LTM cameras and others by Alan Starkie of Cameraworks-uk.com. Alan is taking on a huge (literally) task for me, a service and repair on the enormous rangefinder Graflex Combat Graphic. Between the two of us we have arranged for a broken and unobtainable part to be 3D printed in titanium. Again in the UK, Malcolm Taylor is so good that Leica themselves use him for restoring their rare cameras. However as he is much in demand, service may not be as rapid as some. If you are considering a repairer, I would recommend asking on this forum where there is a very large pool of knowledge. 

 

Wilson

[flash2]

and: first turning the rewind knob than using the knob for the shutter. the short speed dial should move freely when rewinding. than chosing a different shutterspeed  ...

I think I might have turned the shutter speed knob first at some point. I didn't see any warnings against damage by turning knobs in the wrong order in the manual, so I'm hoping I didn't cause any damage.

[flash2]

There is a sticky thread of Leica repairers recommended by members on the forum. In the UK I have had excellent experience on a number of repairs and services recently on LTM cameras and others by Alan Starkie of Cameraworks-uk.com. Alan is taking on a huge (literally) task for me, a service and repair on the enormous rangefinder Graflex Combat Graphic. Between the two of us we have arranged for a broken and unobtainable part to be 3D printed in titanium. Again in the UK, Malcolm Taylor is so good that Leica themselves use him for restoring their rare cameras. However as he is much in demand, service may not be as rapid as some. If you are considering a repairer, I would recommend asking on this forum where there is a very large pool of knowledge. 

 

Wilson

Well the camera isn't mine, it belongs to someone else, and that person gave me the camera to sell. I'm just hoping that in my fiddling with the knobs (including unloading a 60 year old roll of film), I didn't cause any damage. If there is damage, I'll simply report it to the owner and tell him that it was broken from the start, but I want to be sure that I'm not one who caused the damage.

Edited April 21, 2017 by flash2

[flash2]

Hello all, I found the issue to my problem. After a photograph is taken, it seems that the oil on the shutter speed dial is sticky and the dial won't freely rotate back to its post-photograph location. Thus after a photograph, I must manually rotate that knob back to its proper location, and it is then ready to take another picture. It looks like I need to get the camera oiled or something.

Edited April 21, 2017 by flash2

[earleygallery]

You would be better off selling the camera as it is with the fact that it's going to need a CLA as you won't recoup your costs if you pay for a CLA and then sell it, but it's worth doing for someone who intends to keep and use the camera.