matteoprez Posted October 3, 2010 Share #1 Posted October 3, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi everyone, I have been looking for a Leica M3 for sometime, and after much searching (mainly due to a rather limited budget) I have found a Leica M3 'double stroke' dated 1957 (serial no. 90***0) I will be testing the camera with a couple of films, but at 1st inspection it all looked alright. The inside looked clean and neat, the viewfinder clean, too. But then I am no expert, and this one would be my 1st Leica, which is why I am writing on here. Any specific things (other than the obvious ones) to look for before deciding to get the camera or not? It will come with a 6 months warranty but I have no idea where it will be serviced in case something is faulty (something else to investigate, I know). Thanks in advance Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 3, 2010 Posted October 3, 2010 Hi matteoprez, Take a look here Leica M3. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
luigi bertolotti Posted October 3, 2010 Share #2 Posted October 3, 2010 M3 is a camera of legendary robustness... but many of them have made thousands of pics... ; there is not a part that is specifically subject to wear... the 2 important components to verify are the shutter and the rangefinder : if one wants a M3 to use it regularly, is better that the camera should be inspected by a professional and specialized lab : shutter times can be verified and tuned, rangefinder mechanism can be verified and adjusted... operations that, when done by the right hands with the right tools, make the camera perfectly usable for years and years. I haven't idea if some lab of this kind does exist in Colombia... but there are some, very trustable, in US, and M3 is such a wonderful camera that the trip is worth. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxspbr Posted October 4, 2010 Share #3 Posted October 4, 2010 Luigi is absolutely right. Test the 1 second speed, with the camera open; probably if this speed is OK, the others will be too. The rangefinder must be clear. Test it pointing the camera to a very distant object and the lens at infinity. The images must coincide. Usually this is suficient. Of course there are several places to send the camera; here in São Paulo, Brazil, there are at least three places where you can trust the service. Maybe here is easier than USA. But I believe that you can find a trusted repair guy in Bogota. Martin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Geschlecht Posted October 13, 2010 Share #4 Posted October 13, 2010 Hello Matteo, Welcme to the Forum. Of the 225,000 M3s manufactured in total your's is 1 of 3,300 M3s alloted in 1957 - 300 of which were Leitz Midland. Midland cameras being relatively rare. I found a name in Bogota of a Leitz authorized repair station there in 1972. Sanitas Ltda. I do not have an address for them and that was a while ago but perhaps it is a starting point. You might find their address go there and see who is there now. A bit of advice: The camera you have is a machine which was designed to be used. One of the ways you can often help both yourself and the camerea is to simply sit with it and gently excersise all possible combinations and separate functions. Cameras, by the way, are like people: If you find yourself forcing them you are probably doing something wrong. Remember though, this is a camera designed to work. A thought about servicing: The life of a camera is calculated factoring in the potential stresses and strains from proper servicing at regular intervals. There is nothing to be gained by servicing a machine before the end of it's maintenence cycle. You simply shorten the total usable life. Part of the design of this camea is to spread lubricants as well as remove buildups by using it. Just operating the camera, lens, etc with no film in it is often the best way to fine tune things. Best Regards, Michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
azman Posted October 13, 2010 Share #5 Posted October 13, 2010 Matteo, I got a lot of help from this sub-forum just last week in this thread http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-collectors-historica/145120-help-inspecting-potential-purchase.html There's also some youtube video links there to give an idea of shutter sounds :-). It's great that you get to do some test shots. It's one of the things i did not get to do. I saw a post (i do not remember if it is in LUF or another forum) where someone took test photo's of a series of marked distance cards to see if the distance scale is accurate. Regards, Azman Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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