skip.fitz Posted September 20, 2009 Share #1 Posted September 20, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) May i first say that i have never before owned a LeicaI but recently came into possession of a lllc "K" model with a f2 5cm Summicron in really good condition. It has been in a closet for an untold number of years and the shutter seem to stick at slower speeds. I live in the Northen Virginia/Washington D.C.area and am looking for a reliable repair facility. Any recommendations?? Also, my camera has a red ASA/DIN "reminder" in the take up spool/winder knob. I've seen photos of others on the net, but none quite like this. Was this normaL? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 20, 2009 Posted September 20, 2009 Hi skip.fitz, Take a look here newly acquired lllc "K". I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
luigi bertolotti Posted September 20, 2009 Share #2 Posted September 20, 2009 Welcome to the forum !!! Can you post some pics of your Leica ? I ask this because the film reminder in the knob is typical of Leica IIIf , not of Leica IIIc, and the IIIf did not exist in the "K" version... the film reminder of course could be a later modification: but, anyway, a "K" Leica is always an interesting item to see : we will be glad to see one here !!! For the repair shop, of course I'm not the right person to give advice on USA... : but keep in mind that a "K" is a rare and rather precious model, and is worth a first-class lab: I only can say that almost any American of this forum praises Don Goldberg as a top technician of old Leicas. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pvsrv Posted September 21, 2009 Share #3 Posted September 21, 2009 Another alternative for repairs is Sherry Krauter. I just had her do some work on my Leica IIIf. Her web page with information on her services is: Sherry Krauter.com -- Home of the Golden Touch. Dan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted September 21, 2009 Share #4 Posted September 21, 2009 The serial number should tell us what it actually is. The old man from the Age of the IIIa Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip.fitz Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share #5 Posted September 21, 2009 Please see attached photos. i really appreciate all your help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 21, 2009 Share #6 Posted September 21, 2009 Thanks for the pictures ! This is surely an item which is worth a close and deep expertise, for it is clearly a modified body, but a very very interesting one, provided it's original : a) s/n belongs to 390001-397650 ...a series that is generally referred to as "IIIc - 1943-1946" : wartime, a complicated period in which Leicas were built in lot of variants. in that numbering, many IIIc K do exist (I have evidence of 390042 - 390333 - 390639 - 391245....) in various finishings : black, chrome, grey, grey+chrome; and to complicate things... not all the Ks were engraved "K" c) but what is sure is that none of them had, originally, the flash synchro ring around the time knob, nor the film reminder in the wind knob... thes are distinctive of postwar IIIfs d) "K" stands for "Kugellager" (or, according to other "Kaltenfest") : shutter mounted on ball bearings : this is a feature that a close inspection can verify. So, let me say, the problem is not only restoration: mainly, is to identify exactly which kind of camera is this : probably its right definition is "Wartime IIIc K modified to IIIf Black Dial" , but this, I repeat, ought to be better detailed: the shutter, expecially, has to be closely inspected to determine its age (there is a IIIc shutter, a IIIc K shutter, a IIIf shutter in 2 variants...). BTW... many IIIc K had a "K" stamped on the shutter curtain... is it so in your item ? It's sufficient to remove the lens to verify. The lens is, apparently, much less interesting than the body : a standard collapsible Summicron of 1953, its first year of production. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip.fitz Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted September 22, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thanks Luigi. There is no "K" on the shutter. That is the lens that was on the unit when i got it, but there werte three other lenses in the box along with it. Another 5cm f2 Summicron (# 1364979), a 3.5 cm f3.5 Summaron (# 888963), and a 5 cm f 3.5 Elmar (# 1243973). Anything among them seem correct? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert J Posted September 22, 2009 Share #8 Posted September 22, 2009 The reason for the missing K on the shutter curtains could be as simple as a curtain replacement at some point in the camera's history. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 22, 2009 Share #9 Posted September 22, 2009 Yes, surely the shutter has been worked on to add flash synchro... what would be very interesting is if it has maintained its "K" flavor... I do not know if it's possible... can be it has been substituted by a IIIf BD shutter... I notice that camera has been probably repainted, so as the s/n, but the "K" looks not re-enameled. The top is anyway a IIIc top. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc_braconi Posted September 22, 2009 Share #10 Posted September 22, 2009 The early IIIf, specially the prototypes, were built with what the factory can afford including military issues also the chrome was hard to get in these years so they used to paint the bodies. A bit confusing era for collectors. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted September 23, 2009 Share #11 Posted September 23, 2009 According to most experts, "K" means "Kugellager" (ball bearings), not "kältefest" (winterized). Winterized cameras, as far as I know, were not specially engraved. Winterizing was a manual procedure done to standard cameras. The old man from the Age of the Swedish Army IIIf Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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