Leica III Krigsmarine

[leicamaster]

OMG! That is a real Leica. I have one in my collection and looking for more. Where is this auction? Very rare misspell that was produced until production stopped. Only about 50 in existence. I would pay upwards of $2000 for that camera.

 

[PixelRabbit]

Hi Leicamaster, can you share pictures of the one you have in your collection? Is there a link to information on this misspelling and validating it as a Leica you can give?

 

[leicamaster]

I found that auction online and is about an hour away from where I live. Disregard what I said before. Its fake, junk, worthless. See you there.

 

[PixelRabbit]

I'd still love to see pictures of your Leica with the misspelling and any info on it! It would be great for future reference

 

[gsgary]

Ooh, you got my attention! I'm drooling on my keyboard at the thought. I would assume marine and blue covering would be naval. Did you run across Stephen Gandy's Cameraquest site? he has info. about one.

I'm not as familiar with the earlier Leica l, ll, lll etc. models. There were copies, Russian made cameras, but I think they were made to look similar to Leica but are pretty obvious (and some people collect those). Apparently there are fakes out there too so of course I'd be more leery online but if it's a local auction it could be something that got brought back after the war. I wondered about the spelling but maybe that's just in the listing not actually on the camera.

Did you try looking on Leica's official website? Either there or on CameraQuest there's some history and info. I think, as well as a list of body and lens serial numbers (which apparently you already found).

Go on Leica forum and post in Historical my friend has most of the Leicas, if it is not a fake i would be all over it like a rash

Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

 

[tirediron]

I found that auction online and is about an hour away from where I live. Disregard what I said before. Its fake, junk, worthless. See you there.

Nothing odd about that statement at all...

 

[PixelRabbit]

Agree.

 

[limr]

Hrm... I found this completed ebay auction for a Russian-made copy of these Kriegsmarine Leicas:
Leica II Kriegsmarine 1935 1945 WWII Vintage Russian 35mm RF Camera Excellent | eBay

I didn't realize the Russians made copies under the actual Leica name. Here's another website I found to help you identify if it's fake or not. It's got side-by-side pictures that are really helpful: How to Spot a Fake Leica

Speaking of Zorkis, mine is sitting right next to me at the moment and still has film in it, so I think it's time to go shoot

 

[limr]

Even if it's not a real Leica, if the price isn't too high, you might consider it anyway. Either that or one of the Feds or Zorkis, just so you can get a feel for the old cameras. Remember that the German patents on the cameras and the Leitz lenses were available for use after WW2, and apparently, patents were never registered in the USSR, so their factories were producing the same designs without any worry of infringement. They're not quite Leica quality, but they're pretty damn good anyway The Industar-50 lens on my Zorki is nice and sharp.

 

[PixelRabbit]

Thanks Leonore I'm 99% sure it is Russian, still quite interesting though so I'm going to go and give it a good once over and see what comes of it

 

[tirediron]

Thanks Leonore I'm 99% sure it is Russian, still quite interesting though so I'm going to go and give it a good once over and see what comes of it

Based on the tells in that link, I'm going to go with 99.9999%! Shutter release, lack of slow speed dial, strap lugs, and RF window all appear wrong. Also while the cold shoe seems more legit, the screws holding it down are very crude and at different depths. There's NO WAY that would ever have left the factory like that.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I found a picture of another similar one where the shoe was on crooked! which was an obvious fake, looked like Dr. Frankenstein bolted it together.

Leonore besides the Russian Zorkis etc. you mentioned, apparently there are some out of the Ukraine that must be just out and out fakes, I'd never run across those before.

If this is cheap enough it might be fun as an oddity to play around with - if some clueless collector doesn't show up and start a bidding frenzy! LOL

 

[tirediron]

Regardless of it's ancestory, it's probably a good camera. The Soviet-era, especially early Soviet-era reverse engineered stuff was usually pretty good, and most of those cameras, while not as good as the real thing, are decent cameras in their own right.

 

[bobandcar]

When i get home i will have to look the camera up. i like old mechanical stuff. especially with history.


This is my Leica case.

 

[PixelRabbit]

Well, we went in to see the camera, on the downside there are red flags alllll over the thing, frayed "leather", way too clean and unused metal, screws are pristine, etc etc etc...just feels way off, here are a couple pics I took of it. On the upside I talked to the auction owner about their pictures used online, they are consistently very blurry, he asked for my number and I may be doing it for them! woot!




Notice the frayed "leather" ?