Leica M3

[tevo]

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.

The only reason I would want to have it CLA'd would be to brighten up the rangefinder / clear up the viewfinder a bit. I'm also aware that at some point the film rewind knob was broken and repaired by a party unknown to me, so I would like to have that checked to make sure it's not going to break on me. But it is in working condition as of now, so I am going to shoot it for a while before I make any kind of decision.

 

[usayit]

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.

CLA isnt that expensive and even a Leica needs adjustment after 20 years of use. Its not just to say its been CLAd. My LTM was done by essex camera for $125. They also did my Canon but was a bit more because the curtain had to be replaced $300 iirc. Unfortunately, I got word that they are closed due to the store loss after a flood. Leica NJ is also right near my work but they often send things to germany which tends to drive up the cost.

Many mention in this thread are top notch.... Sherry worked for Leica at some point.

 

[tevo]

I noticed this inside my viewfinder today, although it doesn't seem to obstruct the view at all. Could this be a result of the aforementioned water damage?

 

[gsgary]

Just send it in for a CLA and you will have a perfect camera that will last you a lifetime

 

[usayit]

^^ what he said...

Just call around to the places already mentioned in this thread and get a quote...

Despite what Derrel says, most Leica shooters realize that to enjoy the most out of a beautiful machine, it needs to be in good working order. You are lucky... $300 for a working example isn't all that bad.

 

[tevo]

I went shooting with it yesterday, and the main problem is the dim rangefinder image. In areas of low contrast it was very difficult to find focus. For this reason I'm going to send it for a CLA. Is Youxin Ye as reputable as I've heard? I don't want to spend too much money on this camera, being that it is an early model with a history of water damage. I'd be more inclined to find a nice copy of a newer M3 or another M body and have it overhauled to be like new.

 

[usayit]

Unfortunately, my shop was closed after the storm. Very reasonable prices... hole in the wall but excellent results. I see their website is still up, you might want to call them up and see if they are permanently closed or just temporarily. Essex Camera Services Inc. - Home I also checkout Leica, NJ since they are near my work. I like to deal in person if possible.

I would just call around get estimations first.... There's the ones mentioned here. I noticed that steves wasn't mentioned yet... they are based in CA (but not near San Jose). ¢Æ Steve's Camera Service Center ¢Æ. I heard good things about Steve especially among those that shoot with the Epson R-D1. Pretty much the only state side shop that will touch an Epson R-d1.


Good luck.

 

[BrianV]

Contact Youxin Ye: the worst problem that can occur with the M3 finder optics is that the prism becomes separated. I think he told me that he has some recemented prisms. I sent my M2 to him, came back great. I have also sent FIVE LTM Leica bodies and a Leotax D-IV that was a total wreck. Came back like new, new curtains, new beamsplitter, new covering, works great.

 

[JustinZ850]

Nice find!!!

Speaking of Leica's, I visited MAP Camera in Shinjuku Tokyo this week and I'm pretty sure that is the closest thing to heaven!!

 

[kshapero]

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.

Everyone is different. I bought an M3 that had a CLA from Solms. Like new. Glad, though, I did not have to pay for it.