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Saving a Leica IIIG from camera hell - advice?

Ibanez

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Mordor
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Hi all

So I’ve just made (another) camera purchase, this time it was a Leica IIIG and what I believe to be an LTM summitar or summicron.

I believe that the Lens cannot be saved (which is a shame) but the body looks like it might be worth salvaging. The seller advised that it was found in an abandoned garage.

In inspection, I couldn’t see any rust/corrosion/fungus etc. The shutter looks like it hasn’t been left cocked. I assume that the curtains will be shot as the lens cap wasn’t left on.

I will try and clean it and see what’s up but does anyone have advice on what to do once it is received? Can anyone recommend any repair shops in the UK that would accept such a challenge? I’ve been looking for a backup to my M5 and this may be the one.

Vintage Leica IIIB D.R.P. Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Camera. | eBay UK

Vintage Leica IIIB D.R.P. Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Camera.for parts or spare or repair!I find this camera in a abandoned garage…! Please see all pictures for condition! Thank you for looking! Happy bidding! Kind regards
ebay.us

Cheers.
 
Ibanez said:
Can anyone recommend any repair shops in the UK that would accept such a challenge?
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IDK, but I expect that even if you find a shop willing to take this on, they'll charge significantly more than what you'd pay for a usable III on the 2nd hand market. A camera like the one you bought looks more like the kind of project you take on yourself if you have the competence or are in the process of acquiring it (although I'd start with some simpler repairs).
 
Start by cleaning the exterior with an old (clean) scrap of an undershirt, warm distilled water with a single drop of dish washing soap. Report back
 
That looks like a fantastic buy, IMO. I don't know if it would be practical to restore it to operating condition, as such an endeavor could become "interesting" if fasteners are frozen solid due to corrosion. But the worst-case scenario is that you may have a display piece could easily fetch far more than your purchase price if enough people think the wreckage looks cool. You may remember the fire-damaged M4 from a few years ago:

https://rangefinderonline.com/news-...-damaged-vintage-leica-m4-sold-for-over-2000/
 
It’s not too likely, but you might be surprised once you clean the grime from the lens. That it didn’t have a lens cap doesn’t necessarily mean the shutter is dead, not from that anyway. But it looks to have been subjected to a lot of humidity, which is never good.
I’d give it a good cleaning, then evaluate.
 
I believe that it can be cleaned up quite nicely.

Clean up the outside very well and a regular CLA may well be all that it needs inside.

Just be careful cleaning the glass. You don't want to scratch it.
 
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There doesn't seem to be that much metal corrosion... mostly mold. The lens might be too far gone, but a careful cleaning might surprise you.
 
That looks cool as all get out as is. Would be awesome if you could get it workingc lean any glass but leave the outside patina as is minus any mold.
 
Lee Rust said:
There doesn't seem to be that much metal corrosion... mostly mold. The lens might be too far gone, but a careful cleaning might surprise you.
Click to expand...

That's what it looks like to me too. And you have an appropriate name for this comment.
 
Nice for a DIY clean-up. Would be interesting to know the particular effects...not everyday one finds such an perfect example left to decay undisturbed for so long. A case study if you will. Looks like the case rotted away around it, lol. Maybe not as bad as first look. Looks like a Summitar, which may be more difficult to clean due to multiple cemented pairs...but who knows...have fun and report back
 
I think it would look great sitting in a sealed glass case on the shelf. It isn't everyday you find something like that.
 
Fairly sure the lens is a 5cm f2 collapsible Summitar - a very nice lens which fetches around £250 to £400 in UK in fair to good nick. The body seems to have lost its covering, but that's not a very difficult job to repair with leatherette. Pre-cut self-adhesive sets are fairly easy to find. Take Ian's advice, but clean up as much as you can yourself, starting by removing the lens and putting it somewhere dry and covering the camera mounting aperture. There are various sources for advice on cleaning bodies and suitable materials. Patience and small tools!
 
Interesting and great find!. Some comments:

1. This is a IIIG camera, but the Bay listing showed IIIB.
2. The big threaded screw in the bottom was from a case. I bet the case rotted away and simultaneously fed to the fungus that surrounds the body. What a shame.
3. The lens is the first version of the 5 cm Summicron because: 1. It says so in the photograph (faint); 2. The filter threads are at the edge of the filter ring. The Summitar lens has the odd 36mm tapered threads right next to the glass. This lens has the standard 39mm thread. When the IIIG was being sold, the 5 cm Summicron was the contemporary lens.
4. Be exceedingly careful cleaning the lens. The coating and glass are fragile.

Oops, update:
5. The plastic oval that should be around the viewfinder and rangefinder is missing.
 
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If you look careful you can read the inscription "Summicron" on the lower edge of the lens. As the vulcanit is also completely gone I have the suspicion that this camera could have survived a fire inside its case. Just saying...
 
skahde said:
I have the suspicion that this camera could have survived a fire inside its case
Click to expand...

I hadn't considered that possibility, but it could explain the why the chrome is discolored in a peculiar way. Ironically, it could be worth *more* than a good working 3G.
 
Might be a opportunity to create a "Safari Edition" buff off the finish and paint it some godawful olive drab paint, lizard skin covering. Personally I like the idea of leaving it as is. Patina!
 
Today It was for sale again and sold soon after for 9£.
 
With a good story and some papers it could have fetched some more...

Also the damage looks pretty much similar to to the one below, if you ask me.

IIIa “Hindenburg Leica” (incl. the von Rosen Zeppelin archive) | AI_2_21946

The Leica equipment from Fritz Deeg, the steward on the Hindenburg on 6th May 1937. Three days after the crash of the Hindenberg, Deeg found the remains of his camera equipment at the crash site which included a Leica IIIa, a Vidom viewfinder, a Nooky cl…
www.leitz-auction.com

 
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I can confirm that this camera now resides in my collection - purchased, sans lens, last week. It has been rather too close to a fire. It has completely seized but I’ll have a go at stripping it down to see if replacing the lubricants will help. It will also require new shutter curtains, which are ripped. It’s not the end of the world if it just becomes a talking point, it does look great in the flesh - I think the word is patina!
 
I have had several leicas serviced, cleaned and repaired by Ian Petman at Newton Ellis & Co, 29 Cheapside, Liverpool L2 2DY. I would thourally recommend him, as he does a fabulous job with leicas.
 
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