For Sale Leica IIIf RD w/ ST recent CLA What a beauty!

durr3 · Mar 7, 2015

Leica IIIf RD w/ ST recent CLA
Just returned from YYeCameras with a CLA and new covering.....he said it checked out fine....cleaned, lubricated and adjusted....works just right and looks very near mint! Comes with Leica leather case (user condition). WHY you ask? I just found a NM Leica M2 button and really do not need to keep both.
The small print: This is for the body and case...not including the Summarit 50mm f1.5 lens.

For Sale: $580 plus shipping

email with questions.

thanks

Richard S. (rich815) · Mar 7, 2015

I have an M2 and IIIf. You DO need both.

durr3 · Mar 7, 2015

This IIIf is so nice I really am thinking of keeping both. What is the next lens to get?

Richard S. (rich815) · Mar 7, 2015

50/2 Summitar. Not expensive, classic LTM lens. Beautiful signature.

Richard S. (rich815) · Mar 7, 2015

The M bodies are wonderful and I actually owned an M3, then an MP, sold my M3, and then bought an M2. Then I tried a IIIc just to see what a classic LTM body would be like. Such a different feel and handling but equally wonderful but in other ways. Upgraded to a IIIf from Youxin and sold my IIIc.

Hatchetman · Mar 7, 2015

I have a Leica III from 1933, uncoated Summitar. I sure love this thing. Fits in the breast pocket of my coat.

Richard S. (rich815) · Mar 7, 2015

Poor guy just wants to sell his IIIf and we're here talking him out of it!

Richard S. (rich815) · Mar 7, 2015

Hatchetman said:
I have a Leica III from 1933, uncoated Summitar. I sure love this thing. Fits in the breast pocket of my coat.

Very very nice.

durr3 · Mar 7, 2015

Thanks for all the comments.....Richard, is the 50/2 Summitar from the same vintage as a M2?

Richard S. (rich815) · Mar 7, 2015

durr3 said:
Thanks for all the comments.....Richard, is the 50/2 Summitar from the same vintage as a M2?

Nope. The M2 did not come out (1957) until 4 years after the 50/2 Summitar was last in production (1953).

Good info here:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/50mm-f2-summitar.htm

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

http://vintage-camera-lenses.com/leica-summitar-50-12-ernst-leitz-wetzlar/

And one guy using it his M9:

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2010/03/05/the-leica-50-summitar-lens-review-on-the-leica-m9/

durr3 · Mar 7, 2015

Richard Sintchak (rich815) said:
Nope. The M2 did not come out (1957) until 4 years after the 50/2 Summitar was last in production (1953).

Good info here:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/50mm-f2-summitar.htm

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

http://vintage-camera-lenses.com/leica-summitar-50-12-ernst-leitz-wetzlar/

And one guy using it his M9:

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2010/03/05/the-leica-50-summitar-lens-review-on-the-leica-m9/

Thanks for the links and info...i will do some homework first. The M2 is to arrive on Monday, but this IIIf is pretty cool!

J

Arklatexian · Mar 8, 2015

Why don't you look into buying a screwmount to bayonet (M) lens adapter, then you could use the same lens on both cameras and from the obvious quality in your picture, it should be very satisfactory. That is a really good looking 111f RD. I regret ever selling mine. There is an old exporession that applied to me. "So Soon Old And So Late Smart"......Regards

durr3 · Mar 8, 2015

oldtimermetoo said:
Why don't you look into buying a screwmount to bayonet (M) lens adapter, then you could use the same lens on both cameras and from the obvious quality in your picture, it should be very satisfactory. That is a really good looking 111f RD. I regret ever selling mine. There is an old exporession that applied to me. "So Soon Old And So Late Smart"......Regards

Hi, I bought a generic adapter, but it seem a bit loose. Which one should I get? thanks

Fotoguy20d · Mar 8, 2015

Sell the IIIf and don't look back. My IIIc is a 1946 model with Summitar that my grandfather gave me in 1984 - he was the original owner. I hadn't used it in many years and it needs a lot of work so I bought a IIIf, and then an M3. The rangefinder ergonomics of the III are so inferior to the M3, I decided I would never use the III again so I sold it. As for lenses, the Summitar is a beauty - look for a 1946-ish one from before they went back to the aperture mechanism of the Summar - for whatever reason, the later Summitars use a 5 or 6 blade aperture (I forget exactly but the older Summitars are 9 or 10 blades and beautifully round) that is also mechanically inferior and prone to issues. You could also just pick up a collapsible Summicron - the earliest ones were very similar to the Summitars but have rare earth glass which is mildy radioactive - look for a serial number over around 1.1 million. Another nice thing about the Cron is the aperture has click stops, the Summitar does not.

As for the adapter, I have the chinese ones on my screw mount lenses - I think I got mine from pigoshop on ebay - never had a problem with them.

Dan

Arklatexian · Mar 8, 2015

Sorry, I can't answer that as I have only owned and used the Leica ones. Do be sure that the adapter is marked correctly for what you want to do....Regards

Sundowner · Mar 9, 2015

Fotoguy20d said:
As for lenses, the Summitar is a beauty - look for a 1946-ish one from before they went back to the aperture mechanism of the Summar - for whatever reason, the later Summitars use a 5 or 6 blade aperture (I forget exactly but the older Summitars are 9 or 10 blades and beautifully round) that is also mechanically inferior and prone to issues. You could also just pick up a collapsible Summicron - the earliest ones were very similar to the Summitars but have rare earth glass which is mildy radioactive - look for a serial number over around 1.1 million. Another nice thing about the Cron is the aperture has click stops, the Summitar does not.

Info for those that care: I have a late '49 or early '50 vintage Summitar (I can't recall which) and it's got the good 10-blade round aperture...so you can go at least until that point and still get it. The 6-blade aperture is a nightmare when you look at it (each blade has three or four pieces, and it bulges outward towards the front of the lens) so I agree that it's good to stay away from that offering. The post-war Summitar is a single-coated lens but you can't tell from the images it produces; they have a buttery-ness that makes it seem uncoated, but they're still surgically sharp. After using the lens I don't mind the lack of detents on the aperture; I have far more issues with accidentally grabbing the aperture ring instead of the focus ring than unknowingly causing the un-detented aperture ring to move. Also, the Summitars go for a lot less than the slightly-later Summicrons; I picked mine up with perfect glass and a fresh cleaning for less than $300 and threw it on an M3 and have had a blast with it so far.

A word on the LTM adapters: the knock-off adapters vary in thickness in my experience; I have three and each of them indexes the lens to a different place on the body. I'd stick with a Leica-built adapter; they're at least twice the price but you know they're the proper dimension.

For Sale Leica IIIf RD w/ ST recent CLA What a beauty!

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