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Leica IIIa
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:20 pm    Post subject: Leica IIIa Reply with quote
How about this camera ? Perhaps I can buy one on affordable price ?


PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 2:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'd recommend a IIf/IIIf (or post-war c). Working variants of these are often more reasonably priced, and besides, post war models have been less frequently faked (whether from a FED/Zorki to a fake Leica or from a Leica to fake Nazi/Wehrmacht/Luftwaffe memorabilia).

But even more than that, I'd recommend a M4-2 - as they weren't made in Germany and lost some less relevant M4 features, collectors and posers often shun them, so that they are quite reasonably priced (especially now that even the M5 has got expensive).


PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 2:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have a IIIa available locally around 100-200 USD.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 2:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Go get it, if the shutter and rangefinder are good, and it is no disguised FED or Zorki (watch out, good clones are hard to spot).


PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 2:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sevo wrote:
Go get it, if the shutter and rangefinder are good, and it is no disguised FED or Zorki (watch out, good clones are hard to spot).


I am afraid from this as well to buy on Ebay, seller is experienced old guy who was shop owner in last 40 yrs I think this is safe.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 5:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
There will be precious few Russian fakes with a slow speed dial on the front, I wouldn't worry about that. The IIIa is probably the best bargain among Leicas, it and the IIIC had the highest production numbers among screwmounts as I recall. A IIIa will come with an uncoated lens, usually an f/2 Summar, which is really a pretty nice lens but it's certainly not a Summicron. It has more "Leica atmosphere" and less sharpness and contrast than later lenses. I have some notes on spotting fakes here: http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-213.html ... any Russian fakes that can fool you after looking this over cost the faker too much for him to sell at the price of a IIIa.

As for a IIIf, M4, etc, of course they are better cameras. If you can find an M4 at the price of a IIIa, by all means take it. Let me know how you make out on that.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 11:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
rick_oleson wrote:
The IIIa is probably the best bargain among Leicas, it and the IIIC had the highest production numbers among screwmounts as I recall.


Yep. But thanks to the wartime break, the bulk of IIIa's is about ten years older than the bulk of IIIc's - late c's spent only a decade or so on workhorse duty before the M series and reflexes took over, while IIIa's often have been heavily worked for twenty or thirty years.

But for $200, I'd pick up either, or indeed just about any Leica with no technical fault beyond the need for a cleanup and new shutter cloth. No real risk of a Russian fake there either, as anybody who went to the extreme of adding slow speed to a FED did not do so to build a bargain Leica, but made something seemingly more collectible and valuable of it.

Sevo

Last edited by Sevo on Sat Jan 24, 2009 2:04 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 12:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Many thanks guys!
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