Experiences with the Leica iiic

ColdEye · Apr 29, 2020

How is your experience with the Leica iiic? Seems to be the best mix of features and price level for the ltm Leicas. I am in the mood for a 35mm rangefinder as I have none now. I used to have a Canon P, fed 2, Leica CL, M3 and M4. Out of all of those I liked the m3 and Canon P the best. Now I can just got for a Canon P again and be done with it, but I might as well try something new and I have never tried those LTM style Leicas. I still have a 50mm canon ltm and I am looking to add a collapsible lens to use.

chriscrawfordphoto · Apr 29, 2020

I have two Leica IIIf bodies, which work identically the IIIc except that they add flash sync. These cameras are very oldschool. The rangefinder and viewfinder are separate and the eyepieces are tiny and squinty. The built in finder is 50mm only and no framelines or parallax correction. The edges of the finder are fuzzy so its hard to frame very well. I consider the built-in finder worthless, and always use an accessory finder with mine, even with a 50mm lens. Its all part of the charm of using antique cameras, but the stuff you're used to is MUCH easier to use.

Keep in mind that virtually all screwmount Leicas, unless they've been serviced recently, have dim rangefinders and deteriorated shutter curtains. Both of my IIIf bodies have been overhauled by Don Goldberg with new shutter curtains and rangefinder beamsplitters. I have a IIIG body that was overhauled the same way by Youxin Ye.

ColdEye · Apr 30, 2020

I see, I was planning on getting a WA lens too and mounting that plus a VF. Guess its back to the P for me.

outwest · Apr 30, 2020

But, it's a Leica! I have a IIIc and a IIIf and a Canon VI. I use first generation Leitz lenses on the IIIc, second generation Leitz lenses on the IIIf and Nikon lenses on the Canon. They are all fun but the IIIs are a delight to use and give you a sense of accomplishment when you do.

AndyH · Apr 30, 2020

I have two IIIc bodies, which I love and use regularly. As others have said, the rangefinders are generally dim, but usable. I had to spot fix a couple of worn places in one of the shutters but the other one was perfect. They are real mechanical pleasures to use. I timed the shutter speeds with a smartphone app, one is perfect and the other is only about 1/3 stop off at longer speeds. Both operate well within the latitude of the film I use.

Because I was working to a budget, I started with Russian glass. I had to buy two 35mm Jupiters to get one that focused properly, but it's a decent piece of glass. I also have Zeiss Jena 50 mm lenses and the 85 and 135 Leitz glass. I'm looking for 50 and 35mm Leitz lenses and will someday find ones I can afford, but in the meantime, I'll probably pick up a Canon 50.

I had a Canon P many years ago and thought it was the bee's knees, but there is nothing like a vintage Barnack Leica for the feeling of mechanical quality in use.

Andy

ColdEye · May 1, 2020

Actually I might give the III a try. I still have a couple of LTM lenses here to use.

StepheKoontz · May 1, 2020

Instead of the canon P, give the L1 a look. The Barnack Leica's are nice, as are the Nicca/Tower clones. Near then end of production, Nicca made a Lever wind, back flap loading Barnack clone that is a great user, but hard to find. I actually like the dual viewfinders as it gives you a magnified focusing spot and then the viewing port right next to it.

darinwc · May 5, 2020

The iiic is a good usable camera, so long as the rangefinder is usable. I actually like the separate view/range windows.

davela · May 5, 2020

If you're a firm believer in having full control of your camera, and also appreciate fit-and-finish of the highest quality, you might like Leica bottom loaders. They are not for everyone. I like them myself for those and many other reasons.

That said, those used to the modern conveniences of the 35mm film SLR as developed from the 1960's on may struggle some what Barnacks. I do recommend, in many shooting scenarios, the use of external finders with them such as the SBOOI and others of high quality (although the SBOOI is hard to beat now or when it was made).

Ko.Fe. · May 5, 2020

Jupiter-12 is the simplest lens to align for Leica RF.
Where are different Canon 50 versions. Some of them are prone to haze and some of it is not removable.
Where are Canon 35 f2 LTM lenses, they are less expensive than old Leitz LTM slow lenses.

AndyH said:
I have two IIIc bodies, which I love and use regularly. As others have said, the rangefinders are generally dim, but usable. I had to spot fix a couple of worn places in one of the shutters but the other one was perfect. They are real mechanical pleasures to use. I timed the shutter speeds with a smartphone app, one is perfect and the other is only about 1/3 stop off at longer speeds. Both operate well within the latitude of the film I use.

Because I was working to a budget, I started with Russian glass. I had to buy two 35mm Jupiters to get one that focused properly, but it's a decent piece of glass. I also have Zeiss Jena 50 mm lenses and the 85 and 135 Leitz glass. I'm looking for 50 and 35mm Leitz lenses and will someday find ones I can afford, but in the meantime, I'll probably pick up a Canon 50.

I had a Canon P many years ago and thought it was the bee's knees, but there is nothing like a vintage Barnack Leica for the feeling of mechanical quality in use.

Andy

I'm waiting for serviced IIIc with new mirror. I prefer IIIc with metal rear lenses holder. IIIf with lost rear lenses are common. Cheap plastic to hold them instead of metal.
I purchased it from ex-Leitz person, Florida based, he sells restored, serviced Leica barnacks on eBay and his CLA is under 100USD.

Mr Flibble · May 6, 2020

There are replacement rear-viewfinder masks available for the IIIc/IIIf. I think DAG sells them.

The Post-war IIIc is certainly one of the more affordable types of LTM Leica. The wartime IIIc, not so much.
The complaints about them are usually about the squinty optics, damage to glasses and difficulties of bottom loading.

Personally I like my LTM Leicas a lot and an early wartime IIIc is my daily user, usually with a 50mm on it.

guangong · May 6, 2020

My IIIc is one of the very first to come out of the factory after WWII. Aesthetically I prefer it to the IIIf, because uncluttered with flash dials. If you prefer combined vf rf I would recommend any of the Canon clones. Great build quality with some improvements. I have a P. It’s my bad weather M. The P is not as pocketable as a IIIc.
Myj. c required filter for rangefinder until Youxin cleaned it up to like new condition.

choiliefan · May 6, 2020

I really enjoy shooting my '47 IIIC which was serviced by Youxin several years ago.
He put in a new prism so it's a combination of squinty and bright with a good focusing patch.
Have a couple lenses including an old 50mm f2 Summar which he cleaned best he could,
35mm Jupiter, 90mm? Elmar and 135 Hector, all good. Lots of precision and fun fun fun to use.
The Nooky-Hesum is a relatively cheap attachment which enables close-ups with 50mm lenses.

BAC1967 · May 6, 2020

I have a III, IIIa, two IIIc's, two IIIf st rd (one is converted from a IIIc), and a IIf. I enjoy shooting all of them, the small viewfinder doesn't bother me at all. I've had several of them serviced by Youxin including the one below that I got for $35 at a garage sale with a bunch of other stuff including the accessory viewfinder and lens pictured. This one was made in 1950 and has the Sharkskin Vulcanite coating, still in great condition. The chrome plating has flaked off a bit, I understand this was a problem with some of the post war models due to a lack of proper materials. I like the look of it with the flaking chrome.

I thought I read somewhere that there were improvements to the shutter on the IIIf. The IIf and IIIf also have that tab on the bottom plate that helps align the film if you're not using a FILCA cassette. Standard cassettes are slightly smaller than the FILCA so the film wouldn't align perfectly in the gate. That's not a big deal though, plenty of people shoot without the tab.

Leica IIIc with a Summitar 5cm f/2 lens by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

R.Gould · May 6, 2020

I have a IIIC and a IIIf, the IIIf is a factory update of the IIIc and I get a lot of pleasure shooting both, I like the separate viewfinder/rangefinder, but I do not use the built in viewfinder, I have a Contax turret finder, the shutter on the iiif is a quieter shutter than the iiic, and the f was cla'd by the dealer I bought it from,

Laurent · May 6, 2020

I have a IIIa, I positively love it. I got somewhat used to the integrated VF, but I really prefer external ones (the 50mm one is superb, 1:1 magnification is wonderful).

It's also wonderful with the 21mm (Color Skopar) and the 3,5cm Elmar

Sovier lenses (esp. the Jupiter 12) are doing great on it!

darinwc · May 6, 2020

Do NOT buy a Leica iiic/iiif screw mount camera if:
1: You wear glasses and have a hard time seeing through tiny viewfinders. Even if you use an external finder, you need the rangefinder to focus. (Or you could use the distance scale of a wide angle lens)
2: you get easily frustrated by 'fidely' things. You must trim the film just right before loading it, and even then it can be problematic. Loading the camera can be a chore. You have to change viewfinders when changing lenses.

A small slr like an Olympus or Pentax or Nikon fg is 1000x easier to use and about the same size.

btaylor · May 6, 2020

When I got my OM1 in 1979 it was because I felt it was the closest I could get to a Leica in size and low noise that I could afford. Recently I got a Nicca copy of the IIIf, had it overhauled by Youxin but couldn’t get on with it. As stated above it is fiddly and just more difficult to use than the OM. The fact that I am an eyeglass wearer didn’t help. Then I got the Leica I have wanted for decades, an M2- entirely different story, a pleasure for me to use. As much as I find the old LTMs attractive I don’t really want to use them.

Ko.Fe. · May 6, 2020

Mr Flibble said:
There are replacement rear-viewfinder masks available for the IIIc/IIIf. I think DAG sells them.

The Post-war IIIc is certainly one of the more affordable types of LTM Leica. The wartime IIIc, not so much.
The complaints about them are usually about the squinty optics, damage to glasses and difficulties of bottom loading.

Personally I like my LTM Leicas a lot and an early wartime IIIc is my daily user, usually with a 50mm on it.

Holders sold the Ebay. Lenses which falls due to falling apart plastic are not available anymore.

horacekenneth · May 6, 2020

darinwc said:
Do NOT buy a Leica iiic/iiif screw mount camera if:
1: You wear glasses and have a hard time seeing through tiny viewfinders. Even if you use an external finder, you need the rangefinder to focus. (Or you could use the distance scale of a wide angle lens)
2: you get easily frustrated by 'fidely' things. You must trim the film just right before loading it, and even then it can be problematic. Loading the camera can be a chore. You have to change viewfinders when changing lenses.

A small slr like an Olympus or Pentax or Nikon fg is 1000x easier to use and about the same size.
View attachment 245570 View attachment 245571

This was a big concern for me with the barnacks on top of scratching my eyelenses which was happening with any metal viewfinder. I've found that I can use the RF window no problem with glasses and the SBOOI for composing (with a bit of electrical tape hanging over the edge which prevents the scratching). t the

Re the Canon P - no doubt the controls are more convenient, but the barnack feels better in use.

darinwc · May 6, 2020

Note you can get adapters for your screw mount lenses and use them on a Leica M series or voigtlander with full rangefinder coupling.

I don't have a Leica m. I do have a Canon P and it is the easiest thing to use! No switching of frame lines or viewfinders. Hinged back. Lever wind.

choiliefan · May 7, 2020

...but bigger and clunkier.

eli griggs · May 12, 2020

If your no a purist, go by harbor freight and buy a box of "O" rings, than used some Pliobond or similar camera safe glue, and make a lens protector around your back viewing and focus windows.

A Fed will eat your glasses, and you'll have a hard time putting "O" rings on securely,but a Leica Barnack is a kinder camera to eyeglass wearers.

Also, if you care to give it a try, Home Depot carry's small, brownish rubber pads, two to a pack, in the plumbing department, and you can make a protector of some of this material, though you might double up and cut down thicknesses, for your best fit.

Good Luck and Good Health to you and yours.

c41 · May 13, 2020

I don’t wear glasses (yet) but I always took part of the point of a rangefinder camera to be that it was much easier to focus precisely than an SLR.

Scratching glasses sounds like something that can happen with any camera? It also sounds annoying.

guangong · May 13, 2020

Viewfinders. Separate viewfinder-rangefinder windows do prevent being overly worrisome abut focus. As for wide angle lenses, the minuscule Voigtlander 28-35:finder sits low on my LTM cameras. M3 viewfinders have a little notch visible at base to let photographer know that with lens set at f5.6 or smaller, pictures would still be sharp if rf double image des not exceed notch.

Experiences with the Leica iiic

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