Leica Equipment Identification

[Thatch-Mo]

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Hello All - 

Today I was given a few cases of vintage Leica gear - UNBELIEVABLE! 
 

I’ve been shooting professionally with Leica film rangefinders for the last twenty years. 

I’ve posted some photos to illustrate what I’ve come into… 

I have a few questions:

Does anyone know anything about the Nippon Kogaku 8.5 cm P.C. Lens ? They seem sort of rare, I’ve never seen one before.

The shutter on one of the M3s is stuck open - it looks corroded. Is it worth trying to repair?

what’s the best way to identify the scarcity of iii series leicas ? 

One of the Leica iiis has a strange advance lever. Any thoughts ? 

I just heard of this forum, so forgive my questions if I seem ignorant - I’m so excited by all that was given to me today!

As you can see, I got a rolleiflex and a Linhof in the deal as well !

If anything else looks especially interesting, please let me know!

Best Regards 

 

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[M9reno]

The Nikkor is a famous lens, which catapulted Nikon onto the stage of world photojournalism.

https://blog.nikoneurope.com/en_gb/2018/06/david-douglas-duncan-nikon/

[LocalHero1953]

I had the Nikkor 8.5cm for a while - excellent, but very heavy!

[adan]

6 hours ago, Thatch-Mo said:

One of the Leica iiis has a strange advance lever. Any thoughts ? 

I would guess that is a third-party accessory. Seems to have a logo on it that I can't read in your overall picture.

Leitz/Leica's own rapid-wind accessories were on the bottom, via an add-on baseplate with a straight-line trigger (or clockwork, spring-powered "motor").

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/SYOOM

But there were lots of independent inventors who made accessories for cameras in that era.

Looks like it would work rather like an old dial telephone (i.e. not as strange to photographers of that era as it may look today ), using the finger on the shutter button. Fire shutter, and then move that same fingertip forward into the device's "hook", and then around in a clockwise motion.

Here is a variation on the theme, a Tech Rapid winder made by Tech Photo Corp. in the US in the 1950s.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224627513769

You might also ask in the Leica Collectors and Historica sub-forum down below - that is where the real history mavens hang out.

[a.noctilux]

Welcome to this forum @Thatch-Mo

- M3 rusty inside, not very good sign, and from late single stroke batches may be salvaged in right hands, ask some repair people near where you live ( ...not Leica )

the repair cost can be more than the M3 values

- I wonder why those nails and coins, are they in the lot ?

[frame-it]

the winder looks like this one

 

 

[Anbaric]

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On 5/19/2022 at 1:33 AM, Thatch-Mo said:

what’s the best way to identify the scarcity of iii series leicas ?

The Wiki may be helpful here:

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Main_Page#Screw-thread_Bodies

Original production numbers roughly correspond to availability today. The III, IIIa, IIIc and IIIf are very common, the IIIb and IIIg somewhat less so. None of the standard production models are rare except the IIId, which is effectively a very scarce and collectable variant of the wartime IIIc, with added self-timer. Otherwise, rarity comes from things like particular serial numbers (e.g. first batches) or extra engravings that indicate (e.g.) unusual production locations, military contracts or notable owners. A black factory finish tends to add to the value of LTM cameras even for the models where it's common (like the original III), but for later models that usually came in chrome, an original black paint job can be very rare and desirable. Grey painted wartime models are collectable, as are those with red shutter blinds or a 'K' after the serial number. The wartime variant of the IIIc in general is probably more collectable than the post-war variant, as is the Red Dial Self Timer variant of the IIIf. If you have a camera where the specification suggests a later or better model than the serial number indicates, you may have a factory uprade. Some of these are particularly interesting, especially when they have early serial numbers.

The cameras in the photo look like common models, a IIIf with the third-party accessory wind-on lever, and either a IIIa (if it has the 1/1000 shutter speed) or III. Sometimes small accessories can be as collectable as the cameras, so it's worth identifying them all. Some lenses are also of course scarce and collectable.