Having a 3G repaired

[didier]

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Dear all,

I inherited 2 Barnacks. A black Leica III with a 3,5/50 Elmar which seems to work fine and that I like (though I shoot very little with it), and a 3G with a collapsible Summicron 50.
The 3G has good looks but needs servicing : speeds are stuck, so I let it at the Leica Customer Care on my last visit.

The Appraisal came today :  1400 Eur for both the body and the lens. I didn’t expect that much, as it is probably more than what such a combo can sell for… 

I do hesitate, as I would not use it a lot, but it would be a good remembrance and giving a try to a 3G would be fun. 

Any advice welcome

Didier 

 

[Siriusone59]

It's only money.  The remembrance that you spoke of and the future memories you may create are worth much more.  I doubt you are looking to sell these things you've inherited and would probably use them if repaired, consider it an investment and remember where they came from. 

[TomB_tx]

I also inherited a few Leicas, and spent more restoring them than they are worth. I see it as money well spent.

[Anbaric]

2 hours ago, didier said:

The Appraisal came today :  1400 Eur for both the body and the lens. I didn’t expect that much, as it is probably more than what such a combo can sell for…

I wouldn't expect that much either. I'd get a quote from a respected independent technician. For comparison, here are Alan Starkie's prices (GBP) in the UK:

https://www.cameraworks-uk.com/detailed-price-list

You might try Will van Manen in the Netherlands:

https://www.kamera-service.info

[nitroplait]

I was under the impression Leica don’t work on Barnacks. Could they be sending them out?

[M9reno]

I paid something similar to Leica for servicing my grandfather’s IIIg years ago. Terrible experience. Rip-off. Avoid. 
 

details: 

 

[williamj]

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On 5/11/2023 at 5:37 AM, didier said:

Dear all,

I inherited 2 Barnacks. A black Leica III with a 3,5/50 Elmar which seems to work fine and that I like (though I shoot very little with it), and a 3G with a collapsible Summicron 50.
The 3G has good looks but needs servicing : speeds are stuck, so I let it at the Leica Customer Care on my last visit.

The Appraisal came today :  1400 Eur for both the body and the lens. I didn’t expect that much, as it is probably more than what such a combo can sell for… 

I do hesitate, as I would not use it a lot, but it would be a good remembrance and giving a try to a 3G would be fun. 

Any advice welcome

Didier 

 

The guys at Miami Leica, in one of their red dot forum presentations, were of the opinion that it's not worth fixing a Barnack Leica. I guess that's because the cost to repair is the same as for an M Leica, and given the price of an M Leica the repair can be justified financially. With a Barnack Leica you could pay more for the repair than you paid for the camera, and you won't make your money back when you sell it. I can't say I fully agree with them, because there are few new film cameras being built, it is terrible to see a camera go to waste, and not everything can be reduced to credit and debit on a ledger, but they make a point worth considering.

[wizard]

Am 10.5.2023 um 21:37 schrieb didier:

The Appraisal came today :  1400 Eur for both the body and the lens.

Do you know why the lens needs servicing? It may be just fine. However, if you send it to Leica, they will always charge you for the lens, too.

There are still people out there who know how to service a Leica IIIg. Will van Manen in the Netherlands is one of them, but he has a lot of work already. A CLA for a IIIg should be in the order of 500 - 600,-, provided nothing is wrong with the camera.

[jankap]

+1

A IIIg is not the holy grail. 

[qqphot]

While I think that estimate is surely absurd,I don't think it makes sense to judge the cost of repairs based on whether they're above or below the price paid for the camera. If anything, it should be based on the cost of acquiring a similar camera that's known to be in fully working and recently serviced order.  That said, there are a lot of IIIgs on the market, I have recently paid ~$400 for CLA which seems fine to me. Unless you have a black paint Swedish Army one, they're not exceptionally rare or expensive.  

I don't understand the claim that it's not worth repairing a Barnack because the cost is the same as a M. I have M bodies too, I prefer using the IIIg most of the time and want it working well.

[a.noctilux]

When we factor labor cost which is not avoidable, the CLA is expensive.

IIIg or M might need same hours of labor.

 

We are lucky to have some independent "repairers" who can do the CLAs cheaper.

Send mails around is the way to go cheaper but is it worth the "expense" of effort ?