Jump to content

Want a black on brass ORAKO orange filter?


Recommended Posts

I'm baffled by the price, but I'm equally baffled by the prices people pay for anything Leica happened to paint black in small quantities. Just the thing to fit to one of those elusive original black IIIa bodies, perhaps?

The price is also about double what a service would cost from a respected technician who will replace the RF beamsplitter if necessary, probably making the filter redundant...

Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Matlock said:

I have to say that I have had some rather mixed experiences with Classic Photography UK. Also his prices for many items are "through the roof". As always, buyer beware.

I'm not convinced "I was UNABLE to find another (original black paint over brass) example on the global ebay entering different words into the search engine, both in current and completed listings!" justifies their pricing, somehow.

Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Anbaric said:

I'm not convinced "I was UNABLE to find another (original black paint over brass) example on the global ebay entering different words into the search engine, both in current and completed listings!" justifies their pricing, somehow.

Yes, I am afraid he has a way with words.

Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, M9reno said:

Although previously expensive, his prices have reached outrageous levels in the last year, I suspect because, thanks to Brexit, he now has far less competition from the usual sources on the continent + VAT + import charges. 

Very true, I bought a couple of items from him a few years ago and, although they were a little expensive, they were exactly as described and well packed. Two years ago I ordered a Reid and TTH lens. The lens arrived and was fully up to standard and only slightly more expensive than elsewhere. The camera failed to arrive although tracking showed it had been delivered. When I contacted him he stated that the camera had been sold to someone else and his, rather useless (his words), assistant had "Mixed things up" . I got a full refund but it took some time. I decided to avoid him in future although I did buy a  cheap plastic lens cap for a couple of pounds  which was fine but I couldn't believe his prices when looked through his list. I noticed one item that I could have got cheaper from Boris even after  factoring in VAT and import charges.

Edited by Matlock
Link to post
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Matlock said:

Very true, I bought a couple of items from him a few years ago and, although they were a little expensive, they were exactly as described and well packed. Two years ago I ordered a Reid and TTH lens. The lens arrived and was fully up to standard and only slightly more expensive than elsewhere. The camera failed to arrive although tracking showed it had been delivered. When I contacted him he stated that the camera had been sold to someone else and his, rather useless (his words), assistant had "Mixed things up" . I got a full refund but it took some time. I decided to avoid him in future although I did buy a  cheap plastic lens cap for a couple of pounds  which was fine but I couldn't believe his prices when looked through his list. 

There is another member here (Wilson, I believe) who had a bad experience returning an item to him. Wilson posted it without requiring a signature on delivery, and the item appears to have been conveniently “lost” in the mail…

Link to post
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, M9reno said:

There is another member here (Wilson, I believe) who had a bad experience returning an item to him. Wilson posted it without requiring a signature on delivery, and the item appears to have been conveniently “lost” in the mail…

Food for thought!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I also had a very bad experience when I sold a 35mm Summicron Asph on EBay to this dealer. Many months later I bought something Leica related on EBay from another seller and when in communication with them we had both been held to ransom in the same way.

”Caveat emptor”

Link to post
Share on other sites

I basically shamed that seller into refunding at least my item cost, by threatening to post my experience and copies of correspondence all over the internet. Don't these greedy idiots know the Leica world at least in the UK, is fairly small. A lot of us know each other and meet up at things like Leica Society, LHSA and L-CF meetings, where over a couple of glasses we talk about the good and bad experiences we have had. A very short sighted approach. At least now on eBay, if an item is faulty or misdescribed, they provide tracked postage FOC. 

I do need a couple more Rayqual black anodised LTM to M adapters (they are the only ones I have found that are 100% accurate and work reliably on Live View M cameras or active M adapters such as the M to L). If my wife is going to visit my daughter in Baltimore, MD over Thanksgiving, I could get Stephen Gandy to send the Rayqual adapters to her, as he does not send overseas. Robert White in the UK sadly no longer stock the Rayqual due to customs duty charges on low value items. The item I bought from Classic Photography was an LTM to M adapter but it was very poorly made with the mating surfaces not the correct distance apart (varied from 0.94 to 0.97mm rather than 1.00mm) nor were they parallel. 

Wilson

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have a black ORAKO which came with a black III from 1935, one of my 'Swiss Photos' cameras which originally went to the Perrot dealer near Bern in 1935. It is , indeed, a very rare item and I keep Blu Tack on it to ensure that it does not fall off the camera. It went missing at one stage, but miraculously appeared again in one of my boxes of Leica parts. I believe that there are cheap copies out there for users who just want the orange filter functionality. I also have a chrome post war OKARO which gets much more use, not least because the 'c' models often suffer from poor rangefinder image quality. 

As for the chap who is trying to get a huge price for this item, I don't believe that I have done business with him. These days I don't buy much from the UK because of the additional taxes. Sometimes if I see something going cheap at an auction I will buy it and pay the extra tax, but I buy much less from the UK now. I have noted the comments on this seller.

William

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi,

The price for the black ORAKO seems quite high but we all know that black items are reaching extremely high prices nowadays. I'm not sure if (in general) they're currently used or they're more another "piece of furniture". I must recognize that my OKARO belongs to the second type and use to live in a random IIIc.

Regarding the seller, my experience (or I must say my wife's experience) was good but it was more than 4 years ago. She bought a Leica I upgraded to II with its Elmar (that I was following) for gifting to me later on, and they were in extremely good condition and at a very reasonable price. I don't know how they're currently but I fully agree that the Brexit has made me think twice every potential purchase in the UK.

Best wishes,

Augusto

Edited by tranquilo67
Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, tranquilo67 said:

 

Regarding the seller, my experience (or I must say my wife's experience) was good but it was more than 4 years ago. She bought a Leica I upgraded to II with its Elmar (that I was following) for gifting to me later on, and they were in extremely good condition and at a very reasonable price. I don't know how they're currently but I fully agree that the Brexit has made me think twice every potential purchase in the UK.

Best wishes,

Augusto

I agree that a few years ago he was an extremely good seller. I believe it is more about greed than Brexit (although I am not a fan of that debacle).

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I bought a "black" ORAKO about 14 years ago. I think it was originally a nickel ORAKO that had been attacked with some satin black Humbrol modelling paint. However it was at a photo fair and the seller had no idea what it was and I only paid £2 for it. That was the same fair at the racecourse in Brighton, Sussex, where I picked up an ABCOO knife in its original Morocco leather case for £8. I have an OKARO that I don't think is a Leitz one as its orange filter is the wrong shade compared to my other one and the knurling pattern is different. My other one came in a little red Leitz box, so I am fairly sure is original. I believe that Kuhn-Leitz may have offered these during the 1950's, like they did for quite a few accessories, including their own version of the Visoflex. 

Wilson

Link to post
Share on other sites

My black ORAKO can be seen here:

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

The top and the rim of the ORAKO  look repainted in this photo, but they are not so 'pretty' when seen 'in the flesh'. It came with other original material including an orange filter for the Summar.

I also got a FILCA with film inside it with this camera, which may have been the one which contained the 'Swiss Photos', too long to explain again here. The camera was delivered to Perrot near Bern in Switzerland  in 1935. 

William

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...