Does Anyone Know Anything About This Leica

[SanDiegoWoman]

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Many years ago my aunt gave me this camera which had belonged to her husband. He told her that he won it in a poker game in 1945. I have found some similar cameras which I am told are a Leica IIIF. However those cameras were from the 1950's and there is one distinguishing feature which is different than all of the photos I have seen. Instead of a silver circle to the left of the lens (when viewing the camera from the front) this camera has a black Circle which is the same textured finish as the rest of the camera. I have included two photos. If anyone knows about this camera I would greatly appreciate the information. Thanks so much

 

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[jc_braconi]

Check with the sticky thread in top of this forum

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-collectors-historica/80354-looking-cameras-lens-year-issue.html

[Pecole]

Many years ago my aunt gave me this camera which had belonged to her husband. He told her that he won it in a poker game in 1945. I have found some similar cameras which I am told are a Leica IIIF. However those cameras were from the 1950's and there is one distinguishing feature which is different than all of the photos I have seen. Instead of a silver circle to the left of the lens (when viewing the camera from the front) this camera has a black Circle which is the same textured finish as the rest of the camera. I have included two photos. If anyone knows about this camera I would greatly appreciate the information. Thanks so much

 

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Not the slightest doubt : the camera illustrated is a Leica IIf produced in 1954. So, either your uncle had bought it and wished to conceal the fact to his wife, or your aunt confused the date.

[luigi bertolotti]

Welcome to the forum !!! It's a IIF, as said above... nice camera, with its own lens: not to be thrown away... depending on conditions and functionality, it's a good collectible (and probably also a good item to use), even if of a rather common model.

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello SanDiegoWoman,

 

Welcome to the Forum.

 

There are a number of reasons why someone might inadvertantly incorrectly identify the time/date/etc of something: Sometimes when a person is explaining something to someone else they might be thinking about or pointing to "A" while describing/remembering "B" or they might be talking about "A" while the other person thinks they are discussing "B".

 

This is a model which looks similar in many respects to a number of models of cameras made by Leitz/Leica from the early 1930s thru the middle 1950s. The lens could well be the same one on all.

 

It's interesting you noticed the silver circle/black circle difference. The silver circle contains the adjustment mechanism for slow speeds not available on cameras w/ the black circle. Slower speeds are a convenience not necessarily needed if you should decide to use this camera to take pictures. That is if you don't mind a camera using film to record captured images in place of an electronic sensor. Same captured image different technology for removing the unviewable image from the camera & presenting it in a viewable format. The final picture you look @ will probably look pretty much the same film or electronic sensor.

 

If you think this might be interesting there is no shortage of people on this Forum to help you. If, on the other hand, you want to do something else w/ the camera/lens there will still be no shortage of people to ask.

 

Whichever way or both.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael