1st time Leica owner

[almico]

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Hobbyist photog, lots of cameras, film and digital over the years; never Leica. Getting back into film again and just picked up a 1951 Leica IIIf / Summitar 50/2 w/orig case closet queen set from an estate seller. Shutter is gummy and aperture ring frozen, but glass and body is cosmetically pristine. I don't think this camera saw many rolls of film. I hope to remedy that. 

I got it for only $350 + a 5 hour drive so I have funds left over for a good CLA. Who is the goto Leica tech for this camera? 

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Edited April 25, 2023 by almico

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[jaapv]

dagcam<at>chorus.net

[Danner]

A true classic.  Enjoy the film.  The Summitar is a fine lens, I love mine.

[Pintpot]

15 minutes ago, Danner said:

A true classic.  Enjoy the film.  The Summitar is a fine lens, I love mine.

+1 on that, lovely classic. Mine is having a  CLA at the moment. Once you have yours done you'll really be able to appreciate it.

And welcome to the forum! 

[spydrxx]

I see you are in the USA so I'd suggest DAG first and Youxin Ye second...I've used both and they do excellent work. Both are probably backlogged right now so contact each and see what the turnaround time is. 

[250swb]

Well done, nice camera but read up on how a Barnack camera and film loading works, it's not always straight forward and there are rules for good reasons. A stuck aperture ring on a Summitar is just about the easiest DIY job you can do on a Leica lens and there is a video here

https://youtu.be/yxBr6lkS2oc

the person doing the video goes further into the lens than you actually need to do to clean the gunk off the inside of the aperture ring but it's a satisfying job to do yourself.

[jankap]

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+1

And shoot 2 or 3 films with it under different conditions, before CLAing. Short and long exposures. Are you interested in the use of photoflash?

[almico]

Thanks everyone. Glad to be here. Don got back to me quickly. 4 week turn around. Sending it out today. 

4 hours ago, 250swb said:

Well done, nice camera but read up on how a Barnack camera and film loading works, it's not always straight forward and there are rules for good reasons. A stuck aperture ring on a Summitar is just about the easiest DIY job you can do on a Leica lens and there is a video here

https://youtu.be/yxBr6lkS2oc

the person doing the video goes further into the lens than you actually need to do to clean the gunk off the inside of the aperture ring but it's a satisfying job to do yourself.

I watched this video the other day, but even with a small channel wrench on the aperture ring, I couldn't budge it. I dripped some wd40 on it...no help. This camera has made it this far intact and I'd hate to be the guy, after 70 years, that ruins this lens. 

3 hours ago, jankap said:

+1

And shoot 2 or 3 films with it under different conditions, before CLAing. Short and long exposures. Are you interested in the use of photoflash?

Shutter sticks at all speeds. When I release the shutter the curtain starts, then stops. I have to wiggle the winding knob to release it.

I also have a minty Contax IIIa and have been inside that camera. Quite the Rube Goldberg affair when turning that knob!! I'd rather send it off for a proper service than risk breaking something.

Edited April 26, 2023 by almico

[nitroplait]

1 hour ago, almico said:

I dripped some wd40 on it...no help.

Never let WD40 touch a camera or any fine mechanical/optical devices for that matter.

Happy to hear you have send it out 🙂 It is a wonderful if quirky camera worth some loving qualified attention. 

[hdmesa]

1 hour ago, almico said:

...I dripped some wd40 on it...no help.

😬 Don is going to curse you when he opens the lens and finds WD40. Why do this? What a mess that stuff makes inside a lens.

I wish forum members would quit recommending people new to Leica to do it yourself. Don in a recent interview says that fixing the screw-ups of attempted repairs from watching a YouTube video is all too common.

[almico]

1 hour ago, hdmesa said:

😬 Don is going to curse you when he opens the lens and finds WD40. Why do this? What a mess that stuff makes inside a lens.

I wish forum members would quit recommending people new to Leica to do it yourself. Don in a recent interview says that fixing the screw-ups of attempted repairs from watching a YouTube video is all too common.

I only dipped the point of a needle in the wd40 and put the tiniest of drips in a few places around the joint.

 I managed to get the front lens off this morning, but not the next ring. Nothing inside. Fwiw, the aperture did close, but I couldn’t get it back open  

I put it all back together and packed it up. 

Edited April 26, 2023 by almico

[nitroplait]

18 minutes ago, almico said:

I only dipped the point of a needle in the wd40 and put the tiniest of drips in a few places around the joint.

But the nasty smell will live forever 😉

 

[jankap]

4 hours ago, almico said:

Shutter sticks at all speeds. When I release the shutter the curtain starts, then stops. I have to wiggle the winding knob to release it.

Then a CLA is the way. I would let do a CLA too, if it was my IIIf. By the way, I´ll check the speeds of my IIIf (674xxx) tomorrow.

[almico]

5 hours ago, nitroplait said:

But the nasty smell will live forever 😉

 

I happen to love the smell of WD40. 3in1 oil too. 

If you haven't heard "the" story yet:

https://www.happyscribe.com/public/the-way-i-heard-it-with-mike-rowe/episode-171-he-really-stuck-with-it

Edited April 26, 2023 by almico

[250swb]

WD-40 can temporarily free the aperture ring but that is when you need to take it off and clean it out before the old grease solidifies again.

[earleygallery]

6 hours ago, nitroplait said:

But the nasty smell will live forever 😉

 

Nasty?! I wear it as an after shave lotion. It's also tasty as a salad dressing.

[almico]

Found this in the case. Exposure settings for Kodachrome. Remembering the days when the price of a roll of film included developing, prints and a replacement roll. 

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[Anbaric]

Here in the UK and in many other markets, Kodachrome was only sold process-paid right up until the end. In the US, antitrust laws had in the 1950s forced them to allow other companies to compete for processing. Eventually Dwayne's in Kansas was the last lab standing, and ended up with the global monopoly as Kodak closed its own Kodachrome labs across the world. In the final years, Kodak in Europe would ship our process-paid film from their address in Switzerland across the Atlantic to Dwayne's.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Huss]

17 hours ago, almico said:

Found this in the case. Exposure settings for Kodachrome. Remembering the days when the price of a roll of film included developing, prints and a replacement roll. 

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Interesting as using the Sunny F16 rule, bright sun should be 1/film speed @ f16, which would be 1/60 @f16.   They show a stop underexposed, which I assume is because color slide film is viewed either back lit or projected, so you don't want any bright blow outs.

[Huss]

19 hours ago, earleygallery said:

Nasty?! I wear it as an after shave lotion. It's also tasty as a salad dressing.

It's not just for breakfast.