Is it worthwhile buying a Leica ?

dude163

Hi

the reason I ask is, my father ( who is assisting me in my LBA) was an avid photographer in the 60s-80s and owned a Zorki 4, which I believe is a Leica clone
yesterday I mentioned we should perhaps get a zorki 4 for him for his 71st birthday, and he mentioned, why dont we see if we can find an original Leica instead

So is it worthwhile finding an old Leica II or III and using that?

After learning a LOT in the last few months about manual photography, I thought it would be neat to have a film camera and see how it turned out as I feel like I am way more involved inthe photo process than half pressing the shutter button and machine gunning

Or should I just stick with the Zorki plan?

Thanks a lot

Robert

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

The price difference is huge
Not worth if the main goal is use and not collection.
Speaking frankly, the threadmount Leicas are quite obsolete design for everyday use and not good value for their price quotation.
So are Zorkis of course but there is a big leap in price between them.
If you want to buy a valuable AND still useful rangefinder I would recommend either a Leica M3 (costly, but so much better camera than the L threadmount) or a Contax II or III
all bayonet
But if it's just for the casual Sunday use and for revival, I'd stay with the Zorki.
Another option is the Kiev 4 bayonet, dirty cheap and can mount all Contax RF lenses.

Rolf · Expire: 2015-12-26

If he like to work manuell with a RF cam I would not go under M5, means M5, M6, M7 or MP or digital M8 or M8.2. As always a question of the money in the pocket too.

Wink

dude163 · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:23 pm Post subject:

Well the reason I was looking at the older leicas/zorki etc was they are affordable , the more modern M series Leicas are nice, butthe lenses are a pretty penny!

I know I could just grab a pentax spotmatic to match my takumars, but we all know that this hobby isnt always about the head, sometimes its about the heart too Smile

It was mostly because my father is getting older , and as he is, I notice his short term memory is getting worse and I fear that he will get worse, I just thought it would have been cool for us to go out shooting with my K-X , and let him use my Rebel XT with the helios' lenses then I could have surprised him by pulling out an Old RF camera that worked !

Ill do some more searching around but keep posting advice and information here , I love ths website, very informative and friendly too

thanks

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

ludoo · Expire: 2011-12-05

I may sound like a broken record, but why not look for something like this

It's a screwmount Canon rangefinder (my old IIF), there are quite a lot of them around, they are a world apart from Russian rangefinders for quality and precision, and are more useable than comparable Leica models: a single window for focusing and framing, three selectable magnifications for different focal lengths in the viewfinder, etc. And they are cheaper, usually around 100/150$. Their lenses (Canon made) are also excellent and much cheaper than Leitz lenses.

And they look almost identical to a Leica III

If you decide to get one, look for the later models as they have slightly larger and more comfortable viewfinders (IVsb2 as opposed to the IVsb, etc.).

ludoo · Expire: 2011-12-05

I was also going to suggest a Kiev, but their feel though wonderful (quiet shutter, etc.) is totally different. And they often need fixing light leaks and tuning/repairing the shutter. I know because I have a Contax II and a Kiev, and both had quite a few problems.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

I had Leica III or II for a short while it was awesome craftsmanship for it's age. I didn't have genuine Leica lens just Russian clone, it wasn't impressed me much + bottom loader not a pleasure thing so I sold it. Now I have a Fed-2 for lot less money with normal loading, still untested Sad

PaulC · Joined: 23 Dec 2008 Posts: 2318

I'm scratching my head, trying to work out where Canon got that layout from .... hard to say, really

dude163 · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 1:42 pm Post subject:

Perhaps a Zorki or a FED Smile

Nesster · Expire: 2014-02-20

... for the memories and the experience, perhaps the screw mount Leica is something to do. It's not like it will lose its value over time, you probably won't lose money on it should you ever wish to sell it. Ditto for anything else classic from that era... The Russian cameras do the job, sometimes brutally but efficiently, with a bit less of that mechanical pleasure one of the real classics can give.

He obviously had a hankering for a real Leica back in the day, and I'm sure he'd appreciate the Canon RF for similar reasons (although in the 60s the Canon RF days were over, SLRs were the thing...)

On a different tack, why not a vintage Rolleiflex or Rolleicord? The ones from the 50s and earlier, or even the 60s, also have that silky smooth mechanical feel, and they were top dog cameras in their day. Plus, you get a taste of 120 photography.

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

Well, Paul's apparently tongue-in-cheek comment aside, I was about to make the same suggestion as Ludoo did. The Canon isn't an exact copy, thus it sorta has its own personality. Yet it's similar enough so that if one is already familiar with a Leica TM RF one will also be familiar with the Canon.

I've owned both Leica and Canon TM RFs and honestly I prefer the Canons for their slightly superior ease of use. Only thing I would recommend if you're shopping for one is to find a good source that explains the differences between the various models because there were quite a few different ones, and the variations can affect price.

One of the things I like about the Canon IIIa I bought earlier this year is it has a flash sync that was added after purchase, probably by the original user:

Dunno how much such an alteration has on value, but considering that it's probably as old as the camera, I'm thinking not much. But I like it because I can use regular X-sync strobes with it and not have to mess with Canon's proprietary flash rail that some Canon RFs had. This sync addition was fairly common. I've seen it on lots of RFs over the years.

One other thing to be aware of with these old cameras. The rubber on the rubberized curtain has become hard and cracked, and often the shutters have light leaks. A shutter job on one of these old cameras is a pretty big deal, requiring complete disassembly and a rather exacting replacement process. One method that even repair people will use to avoid this is to use some stuff called Plasti-Dip, a rubber coating that is available either in a can or spray (used for insulation, like the rubberized grips on a pair of pliers -- you'd want the black stuff) that can be lightly brushed onto the shutter's front side with a soft brush, which will eliminate the light leaks.

A reasonable alternative to the M-series Leicas is the larger Canon RFs like the P. Comfortable rangefinder, film crank, same basic dial layout as the M-series, but it still takes TM lenses. I'm thinking that since you're dad is 71 now, he might appreciate the larger rangefinder window that the later Canon RFs have.

The price of Canon RFs has increased quite a bit over the last several years, but it is still possible to find some at a fairly reasonable price. I paid $250 for the above IIIa with 50/1.8 Serenar, and really was glad to get it at that price.

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

If I was 71 and I'd always hankered after a Leica, I don't think a Zorki, Fed, Kiev, Canon or anything else would satisfy. Get him a Leica and he'll be happy. And only then, if he has any difficulties using it for taking pictures, you can think about an alternative.

lahnet · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Posts: 1164 Location: Denmark

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

Sensitive Peter Smile

+2

PaulC · Joined: 23 Dec 2008 Posts: 2318

dude163 · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 3:03 pm Post subject:

dude163 · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 3:08 pm Post subject:

Michelle Pfeiffer!

I have dibs on Wilma Deering and Heather Thomas

re: nostalgia, so where is the best place to grab a Leica body + lens, ebay,or just keep searching the forums

Perhaps I should explain a bit more, the reason my Dad grabbed the Zorki and Jup 8 was it was *just* like a Leica, and it was 28 Pounds sterling back in 1965 ( he got it to take pictures of me when I was born) so if you are good at Math, yes im 45 Smile

he was enamored with the Leica because an older guy he worked with was a recon Armoured car driver in WW2 and he had a leica he obtained by trading a German officer 2 cartons of smokes and some US Chocolate for when they were negotiating surrender terms, and My dads eyes really lit up when he mentioned how exquisite the camera was, " like a little jewel" he said.

Hence my quest to find one before its too late , I got something in my eye ;p

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

walter g · Joined: 20 Feb 2010 Posts: 2463 Location: NC, USA

Get the Leica while he still can load a bottom loading camera, besides it's what he want's.
If he has problems loading it later. Get him a FED 2. It has a removable back for easy loading.

ludoo · Expire: 2011-12-05

I second the suggestions of getting him a Leica. Be prepared though (and this is also for the other rangefinders mentioned in this thread) to have a professional give it a CLA, as most of the times the handling improves dramatically (clear vf, precise rf, smooth controls). Many of these cameras haven't seen service in decades.

As for bottom loading, once you learn how to cut the film it's pretty easy, you just have to check that the thin strip of film stays clear of the shutter, and that it does not disengage for a couple of turns of the advance knob.

dude163 · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 7:34 pm Post subject:

I will let you guys know how I make out, I was thinking about grabbing one that has been recently CLA'd then I wouldnt have to worry abut encountering too many problems

I read somewhere else that there are places to buy refinished/CLA'd ones, but I cant seem to find the location right now, Ill check once I get home

if anyone has any ideas about where to look, please let me know

cheers

my_photography · Expire: 2016-12-25

dude163 · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 4:40 pm Post subject:

Ive been outbid on a few on ebay , but he is on Vacation in Ottawa at the moment and is scouring the used and photo stores up there for.............a leica

So I will wait and see what happens when he returns in 2 weeks

Im just putting ina few token bids here and there on ebay , as i see a few in the past few weeks that go for really low prices, so maybe Ill get lucky, maybe not, patience is the key I think

Cheers all!

Robert

Penumbra · Joined: 06 Sep 2010 Posts: 10

http://www.keh.com/Camera/format-35mm/system-Leica-Screwmount/category-Camera-Bodies?s=1&bcode=LS&ccode=2&cc=79303&r=WG&f