Leica M3

tevo · Mar 24, 2013

Today, I went to a camera show in Hayward to browse camera gear and hopefully come across some thread mount glass. I didn't find any worthwhile thread mount lenses, but I met a gentleman who had an M3 for sale. He said there were some issues with it, those being that there was some minor water damage inside, he was unsure of the accuracy of the shutter, and the rangefinder was getting a bit dim. The camera is in decent cosmetic condition, and as far as I can tell the shutter is accurate. I picked it up for $300.

Here are a couple of shots from it, using an M>LTM adapter and my Summitar 50/2. (I slightly overdeveloped the film)

#1

Young Love by theofficialtevo, on Flickr

#2

Timeless Traditional by theofficialtevo, on Flickr

BrianV · Mar 25, 2013

That is a great price for a working M3!

Water Damage- either he had it cleaned, or it was very, very minor. Water corrosion will stop the mechanism.

Youxin Ye does CLA's on Leica equipment, is fast and reasonably priced- if you want a CLA. If the viewfinder is hazy, a Cleaning will brighten it up.

Compaq · Mar 25, 2013

That car shot is lovely. Everything converges to make it pleasing, I think, as far as composition goes.

I wish I had an M3!

Mully · Mar 25, 2013

Nice find...old film cameras are fun.

Derrel · Mar 25, 2013

An M3 that actually shoots, for $300? Even an old beater would most likely be worth three bills. Score, dude!

2WheelPhoto · Mar 25, 2013

Nice!

I like that 1st shot too a lot

tevo · Mar 25, 2013

BrianV said:
That is a great price for a working M3!

Water Damage- either he had it cleaned, or it was very, very minor. Water corrosion will stop the mechanism.

Youxin Ye does CLA's on Leica equipment, is fast and reasonably priced- if you want a CLA. If the viewfinder is hazy, a Cleaning will brighten it up.

Thanks! Yeah, I can see where there was water damage - the silver trim inside the camera is a bit rough, and there's a small spot on the shutter curtain, but it still functions. I just spoke with a repairmen who also recommended Youxin, I'll be contacting him just to have it cleaned up a bit. The viewfinder is about 80% clear, but the second image in the RF is quite dim.

tevo · Mar 25, 2013

Compaq said:
That car shot is lovely. Everything converges to make it pleasing, I think, as far as composition goes.

I wish I had an M3!

Thank you! That's my dad, he won Timeless Traditional for his '33.

I was wishing I had an M3 a couple of days ago, and this one basically fell into my hands. Funny how the universe works.

vintagesnaps · Mar 25, 2013

Funny, one came my way too not long ago and I sure hadn't been planning on buying one (maybe ever?!) but a camera store in my area had an M3 for sale - I was looking for a LTM lens, not an actual Leica brand lens much less the camera body too. It was too good a price to pass up for both and all I had to do was gaze into its lens with those many aperture blades and I was in love (can a girl fall in love with a camera? apparently so).

Looks like you'll enjoy your camera and continue to get some nice photos with it. Doesn't Leica service anything it ever made?

bhop · Mar 25, 2013

$300.. dang..

tevo · Mar 25, 2013

vintagesnaps said:
Funny, one came my way too not long ago and I sure hadn't been planning on buying one (maybe ever?!) but a camera store in my area had an M3 for sale - I was looking for a LTM lens, not an actual Leica brand lens much less the camera body too. It was too good a price to pass up for both and all I had to do was gaze into its lens with those many aperture blades and I was in love (can a girl fall in love with a camera? apparently so).

Looks like you'll enjoy your camera and continue to get some nice photos with it. Doesn't Leica service anything it ever made?

I've heard conflicting answers. To my knowledge yes, but a few repairmen have said that Leica won't repair models that are no longer in production. I need to investigate that claim further, but for now the camera works.

bhop · Mar 25, 2013

Personally, I wouldn't send my old cameras to Leica anyway. Reason being is there are a few competent repairmen that specialize in Leicas that will be half the cost of Leica-official.

usayit · Mar 25, 2013

http://www.sherrykrauter.com/

It is rumored that leica,nj will send stuff to her directly for quick fixes.

tevo · Mar 25, 2013

usayit said:
Sherry Krauter.com -- Home of the Golden Touch.

It is rumored that leica,nj will send stuff to her directly for quick fixes.

Sherry, DAG, and John from FocalPointLens always get brought up, at this point I am considering the extent of work I want done on this camera. I may just have a basic CLA done and save my money to buy a newer/better body or likely some more glass.

Derrel · Mar 25, 2013

Funny thing....a lot of Leicaphiles spend money on unneeded CLA's, just to say they had a CLA done on such and such and so...personally, I would not bother CLA'ing the newly-acquired M3...unless you have it done by a repairman who is competent, and on top of chit, it's a waste of money. IMHO. Of course, if you just want to say you have $550 in the camera and be able to say that it's been "See-ellll-ayyyyed by _______ ____!" then go ahead and waste the money.