Leica IIIF

cliveh · Sep 21, 2023

Does the Leica IIIF have the quietest shutter of any other Barnack Leica? And how does this comper with modern Leicas?

Pioneer · Sep 21, 2023

I only have a II and a IIIa so I couldn't say. EDIT -They are decently quiet though so I would expect the IIIF to be similar.

I gave up on modern Leicas. They cost too much to repair for insufficient benefit over the older ones.

Udor · Sep 21, 2023

I have a Leica III (model D) and it is certainly quieter than an M3 or even the small Leica CL from the mid-1970s. I haven't run proper sound tests though, so it's hard to tell if the difference is significant or not in terms of numbers. But in my experience all Leica rangefinders are more or less similar when it comes to shutter sound, and they are certainly much quieter than any SLR or even the Canon rangefinders with metal curtains. I'm not sure how they compare to the Contax I, II or IIa (which have metal curtain slats, but vertically travelling shutters).

Ballinderry-Michael · Sep 21, 2023

My MDa (not a Barnack, obviously) is quieter than my IIIf. Not sure whether my II is louder or not; but I don't want to wake up my wife comparing them.

My IIIf is a conversion from If: generalising would therefore be suspect without checking serial numbers.

Paul Howell · Sep 21, 2023

I had a IIIG and Canon 7s, I thought the IIIG to be a bit more quite than the Canon.

Don_ih · Sep 21, 2023

cliveh said:
Does the Leica IIIF have the quietest shutter of any other Barnack Leica? And how does this comper with modern Leicas?

It will have the ball bearing shutter that later IIIc cameras had. Whether or not that is "quieter" than the earlier ones, depends on the specific camera and how smooth everything is operating inside it.

In my opinion (and I have all of the Leica IIII line), they are all about the same volume. They sound the same as the M3.

eli griggs · Sep 21, 2023

Paul Howell said:
I had a IIIG and Canon 7s, I thought the IIIG to be a bit more quite than the Canon.

The Canonet III G is very, very quite, as is the Minolta Hi-Matic 9 and other leaf shutter rangefinders.

The Olympic XA is a outright Trombone compared to those other rangefinders!

awty · Sep 21, 2023

Paul Howell said:
I had a IIIG and Canon 7s, I thought the IIIG to be a bit more quite than the Canon.

My Model 7 is quietest camera I have, cant even tell if it has fired if there is any noise.

I think a lot depends on how used they are, but my iiif is a little quieter compared to my M cameras. My "if" is a little quieter than the "iiif" probably because its a little later and hardly used.
The little iiib is noisy as hell and heavily used.

Paul Howell · Sep 21, 2023

I got both the IIIG and 7S well used, the IIIG was what 20 years old, the 7S a bit newer, not sure if IIIG was quieter when it was new.

BMbikerider · Sep 22, 2023

And the point of this discussion is.....?

Ian David · Sep 22, 2023

To annoy the curmudgeons?

Nitroplait · Sep 22, 2023

cliveh said:
Does the Leica IIIF have the quietest shutter of any other Barnack Leica? And how does this comper with modern Leicas?

I don't know if you have used a Barnack, but if not, you should know that it is constructed in a way so that the shutter dial rotates swiftly with the speed of the shutter at the moment the shutter button is pressed.

The turn of the dial comes to an abrupt halt and adds to the sound as well as the feel of shooting with the camera.

This results is a more complex and less elegant sound and feel of the exposure moment on a Barnack when comparing to a Leica M - it is also louder to my ear.

Comparing my IID, 2x IIIF and IIIG, the IIIG is probably a tiny bit quieter than the two IIIFs but only noticeable when compared next to each other. The sound of the IID is slightly louder, perhaps because it doesn't have ball bearings? All cameras have been CLA'd within the last 4 years.

IMO side by side, the M shutter has a more pleasant and more quiet sound as well as a much nicer tacit feel following the press of the shutter button.

snusmumriken · Sep 22, 2023

BMbikerider said:
And the point of this discussion is.....?

Academic interest only, I imagine. And those thread mount Leicas are mechanical beauties, so why not revel in their finer points?

But shutter noise is also a valid concern if it draws attention when you don’t want it. It was the biggest reason for me to abandon my Nikon SLR with its mirror clatter. Cloth shutters make a soft, low-pitched ‘thuck’. Actually I like even better the sharp but minute ‘click’ of my Rollei 35. No-one ever hears that.

Is shutter noise over-played? My experience is that raising an object that obscures your face often attracts attention even before you demonstrate the shutter noise. So does being tall. Or the two in combination. Or simply turning towards the subject. Sometimes it’s best just to be smiley, but you don’t get the same picture.

eli griggs · Sep 22, 2023

I mentioned this in another thread, about the Hasselblad's shutter/mirror sound the other day and the professional approach from long ago is still valid; use a well made baffle bag made for your camera's model.

Otherwise, you can always add a "portable" white noise machine to your camera and lenses.

mtnbkr · Sep 22, 2023

Not quite relevant but interesting nonetheless, I stumbled across a video comparing the sound of a Barnack Leica with a Nikon F (not sure which model exactly). Both had essentially the same sound measurement, but the Nikon's shutter sound was longer in duration, contributing to the idea it is "louder".

Chris

Saganich · Sep 22, 2023

I have a IIIc that is loud probably due to over tensioning. It goes THUNK! Where my other ones go shump.

Don_ih · Sep 22, 2023

Saganich said:
I have a IIIc that is loud probably due to over tensioning. It goes THUNK! Where my other ones go shump.

Hmmm.... They should all go "phoop" - unless it's slow speeds, then they should go "hhsh-phoop"

Ballinderry-Michael · Sep 22, 2023

You two seem to have foreign Leicas. My Leica II, being German, goes "tsukk" at 1/60" and "chtsuk" at 1/20". Sie ist aber außerordentlich leise.

Don_ih · Sep 22, 2023

Ballinderry-Michael said:
My Leica II, being German

No, yours must be a Fed or Zorki. I'm afraid you've been pedalled a fraud. Is it gold? Does it have an eagle or Luftwaffe scrawled on it? You see, "tsukk" is Russian for "phoop".

Pioneer · Sep 22, 2023

My little Retina IIIC is quieter then all of them. I can't even type the sound it is so quiet.

Ballinderry-Michael · Sep 22, 2023

Don_ih said:
No, yours must be a Fed or Zorki. I'm afraid you've been pedalled a fraud. Is it gold? Does it have an eagle or Luftwaffe scrawled on it? You see, "tsukk" is Russian for "phoop".

To quote a man I loathe (bit of concealed politics here), "they're round and they bounce". Apart from not uttering fricatives, it is a most modest and ordinary beast. It answered me in Irish when I said "phoop" to it just now. Otherwise it's happy just to say "Eh".

r_a_feldman · Sep 22, 2023

BMbikerider said:
And the point of this discussion is.....?

Sooner or later all discussions of Leica cameras or lenses devolve to the level of "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin."

Don_ih · Sep 22, 2023

r_a_feldman said:
Sooner or later all discussions of Leica cameras or lenses devolve to the level of "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin."

Not his one.

Leica IIIF

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