Leica IIf to IIIf modification?

[timointo]

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Hi everyone,

 

I've been happily using a camera which I thought was a IIIf Red Dial. Besides the red dial it also has a self-timer. Now when I came across a few listings for screw-mount Leica serial numbers, my camera is listed as a IIf in each of them. I promptly contacted Leica and they confirmed that it indeed should be a IIf and suggested that perhaps the previous owner (which I was told when purchasing the camera was the original owner who bought it new in 1952) has upgraded the IIf into a IIIf.

 

Now the question is, does anyone have any idea how common such conversions were? I was aware that a self-timer could be installed in most of the old screw mount bodies, but to install the slow shutter time dial to turn the IIf into a IIIf sounds like a thorough modification to me.

 

The camera itself is in an excellent condition and came with a mint Elmar f3.5, bag etc.

 

Thank you,

 

Timo Harjunen

Helsinki, Finland

[harryzet]

common practice if you had the money in the 1950s

[timointo]

Thanks, wasn't aware of this.

 

Best regards,

 

Timo Harjunen

[luigi bertolotti]

Conversions of that kind (and even more "complex" like If to IIIf, IIc to IIIf...) were standard listed option by Leitz in those years, so many were carried on; I remember that, time ago, someone of the forum found and posted an old pricelist of "upgrades"