Leica IIIc

[Peppo]

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Hi,

I'm new in the forum, just registered a couple of months ago and since then I read most of the topics and learnt a lot about Leica vintage cameras.

Now I got this camera (n. 369986) that looks in fearly good conditions and according to my research should be a Leica IIIc. The lens is a Xenon 5cm 1:1,5 and is completed by a leather case that looks original to me. Eveything seems working but as you can see when loading the shutter the black part of the curtain looks damaged, I would like to know if this is something you can live with or need to be fixed.

My intention is to use the camera, but before I woul like to give it a good CLA, I'm in Italy living in the area of Milano, maybe someone of you is able to suggest where to go to get it done properly.

Thank you for your help

Giuseppe

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[Pyrogallol]

Welcome to the forum.

It looks to me as if it is a “red blind” 111c, which is a highly desirable camera. But many of the red colour shutter blinds deteriorate and become sticky over the years. It would need to have new shutter blinds fitted as part of a general service. If the shutter does still work reasonably you may be able to live with it. The camera with the original red blinds is more a collectors’ item if it does not work correctly and would loose some of its desirability if the blinds were replaced with new standard black ones. ( when we say red blinds, actually only one blind appears red when you look in from the lens opening, the other blind is red on the back side that you cannot see from the front).

Your Xenon lens is also a desirable lens, more so than an ordinary Elmar or Summar that might have normally come from a 111c.

 

you will find more information about red blind 111c cameras and Xenon lenses on the forum. There is an expert discussion running at the moment on the forum about the Xenon.

 

Edited May 10, 2020 by Pyrogallol

[Peppo]

Thanks for your reply Pyrogallol. The shutter is still working even if I cannot judge how well it does. If I will be able to use it I will try to leave it as is.

[luigi bertolotti]

Welcome to the forum, Peppo !! Always a pleasure to see a new entry in the Forum coming from my country... 😎

Also your lens deserves some attention : the Xenon was an important lens in Leica history, with a complex story behind (you can see a recent thread on it in theis section of the forum) : yours one is one of the last with 2 rings on the focus barrel, and dates to 1937 ; and I suppose its distance scale is in meters, right ?  if its glass is in good conditions it's an interesting and valuable item.: it can be worth to give to it, too, a good CLA.

For a service lab next to your area, you can contact Ryuchi Watanabe at NewOld Camera in Milano (I had some works made by him) ; in italy, historically the better known repair shop for old Leicas is SAM.CA in Genova  (Leicas were imported by a Genovese firm - Cattaneo - for lot of years - starting in the '30s... so there is a longtime "local knowledge" endured till today)

Out of Italy, a very serious lab is Van Manen in Holland ( https://www.kamera-service.info/index.php/en/ ) who is accustomed to serve international customers.

Btw... my IIIc is not so distant from yours one (383395) but isn't a "red curtain" item... 

Edited May 10, 2020 by luigi bertolotti

[Peppo]

Thanks Luigi for your reply. I read a lot of your posts in the forum and I noticed how deep is your knowledge, good to have someone closer to confront with.

You are right the distance scale is in meters and the lens looks in fearly good conditions no scratches on the front and back lens and only some dirth inside. As soon as the conditons will allow it I will go to NOC and get it serviced.

Thanks again

Giuseppe

[Pecole]

Welcome, Peppo.

I was a little surprised by what Pyrogallol said about the rarity of the wartime "red blinds" : I had no less than twelve (including one much rare IIId) in my former Fontenelle collection, with serials between 364256 and 378487, the closest one to yours being the nº 369928.

As for the Xenon and Luigi's comments, I also had a "two rings" very close to yours : nº 376562. And also close to the "three rings" nº 376648, what tends to prove - notably when looking at the patents engravings - that any speculation about dates or homogenity of serials series are hazardous.

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