gkenny Posted May 16, 2011 Share #1 Posted May 16, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi, I was fortunate enough this weekend to find an almost mint Leica D.R.P. rangefinder 35mm camera with case. See photos attached. Everything functions perfectly and the mechanism is buttery smooth and extremely quiet. Unfortunately, I do not not know anything about it. I don't even know what ' D.R.P.' means. Can you help me? First, it has a 5cm f=2 Summitar lens manufactured in 1950, also in mint condition. The beautiful leather case is also mint. There are two controls which I do not recognize; One is a little flat marker of some kind under the shutter selector, marked [1] on the photo. The other is on the front of the camera at about 10 or 11 o'clock, marked [2]. See photos. How does the Summitar lens compare in image quality compared to the other Leica lenses available at that time like the Elmar, Summar, Summeron? How good is this camera considered and what is a fair value? Thank you very much, any help that you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Regards, Ken. http://i56.tinypic.com/2quoxok.jpg http://i54.tinypic.com/11c9qw1.jpg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 Hi gkenny, Take a look here Leica D.R.P. Rangefinder 35mm Camera. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted May 16, 2011 Share #2 Posted May 16, 2011 Nice camera and welcome to the forum! The ring around the shutter speed adjusts the flash synchronisation. I never use flash, especially not with the IIIf in our house, so I have never used it. If you don't use flash, you can ignore it. The dial on the front is to adjust the slow speeds - you shoukld always leave it on the "detent" speed, if you are shooting above 1/30th Please refer to the sticky thread at the top of this sub-forum for valuation advice. The forum cannot offer a valuation service. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkenny Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share #3 Posted May 16, 2011 Nice camera and welcome to the forum! The ring around the shutter speed adjusts the flash synchronisation. I never use flash, especially not with the IIIf in our house, so I have never used it. If you don't use flash, you can ignore it. The dial on the front is to adjust the slow speeds - you shoukld always leave it on the "detent" speed, if you are shooting above 1/30th Please refer to the sticky thread at the top of this sub-forum for valuation advice. The forum cannot offer a valuation service. Thanks for the information, Andy, and as this is my first post, I appreciate the 'welcome'. What is your personal opinion or this camera? Regards, Gkenny. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted May 16, 2011 Share #4 Posted May 16, 2011 My wife has a IIIf and it's a lovely little camera. They can still be fixed if they ever go wrong and the lenses (obviously) have a very nice 50s feel to them, especially if you use an old-fashioned film, such as some of the Adox ones. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkenny Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share #5 Posted May 16, 2011 My wife has a IIIf and it's a lovely little camera. They can still be fixed if they ever go wrong and the lenses (obviously) have a very nice 50s feel to them, especially if you use an old-fashioned film, such as some of the Adox ones. Thanks Andy, where can I get the film you mentioned and how is it different from regular Kodak film? How does this camera compare to some of today's Cannons and Nikons? Regards, Gkenny. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted May 16, 2011 Share #6 Posted May 16, 2011 As Andy has already pointed out, look at the Sticky threads - there's links to more information and a database that will tell you the model and year of issue of your camera based on the serial number. It appears to be a lllf black dial, I regularly use a similar model myself. It's an old camera of course but very well built and very useable. The Summitar lens is a decent performer, especially for black and white film. It's a tad soft wide open, but shoot at 5.6-11 and you should get decent results. You can buy much newer Voigtlander lenses too, which are excellent performers. You can download a manual here Leica IF, IIF, IIIFinstruction manual, user manual, free PDF camera manuals DRP is just the German company designation, like Limited or LTD in the UK. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted May 16, 2011 Share #7 Posted May 16, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) The lens you have will most likely be a bit soft at the edges compared with a modern lens, but will have a nice rendition, especially when stopped down to say f5.6 or f8. I don't know where Adox and some of the older films are available in the US, but they are available over the internet here in Europe. Older films have different grain structure and just a different look to them If you want a traditional look from a modern film, Tri-X is your best bet, IMO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert J Posted May 16, 2011 Share #8 Posted May 16, 2011 DRP is just the German company designation, like Limited or LTD in the UK. DRP actually stands for Deutsches Reichs Patent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pecole Posted May 17, 2011 Share #9 Posted May 17, 2011 As Andy has already pointed out, look at the Sticky threads - there's links to more information and a database that will tell you the model and year of issue of your camera based on the serial number. It appears to be a lllf black dial, I regularly use a similar model myself. It's an old camera of course but very well built and very useable. The Summitar lens is a decent performer, especially for black and white film. It's a tad soft wide open, but shoot at 5.6-11 and you should get decent results. You can buy much newer Voigtlander lenses too, which are excellent performers. You can download a manual here Leica IF, IIF, IIIFinstruction manual, user manual, free PDF camera manuals DRP is just the German company designation, like Limited or LTD in the UK. Not true! D.R.P. means Deutsche Reich Patent (German Reich's Patent) and has nothing to do with the company's legal form (which is GmbH). This engraving denotes a relatively early engraving, since it is now - that the German "Reich" disappeared - D.B.P. for Deutsche BUNDES (Federal) Patent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted May 17, 2011 Share #10 Posted May 17, 2011 Yes we have already been corrected on that point Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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