请教会拆徕卡IIIf的兄弟！！！
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没有WD─40，酒精、汽油、煤油等都可以，但效果差一些。如锈的利害，放上酒精后，可在刻度盘上垫一小木块 ...
好的！谢谢师兄！我去试试！
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没有WD─40，酒精、汽油、煤油等都可以，但效果差一些。如锈的利害，放上酒精后，可在刻度盘上垫一小木块 ...
师兄你好，再问你个问题，这个机子的T门和单反上的T门是不是一样的，就是按第一次打开，再按一次关闭？我现在只把螺母和螺钉进行了调整，在T门时按一次打开，但是再按快门时不能关闭，只有把慢速盘调到1秒时就关闭了，然后慢速盘的其他的快门速度好像已经和刻度上一致了。
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师兄你好，再问你个问题，这个机子的T门和单反上的T门是不是一样的，就是按第一次打开，再按一次关闭？我 ...
该相机的T门是你说的第二种情况：即快门打开后，要换到另一档速度才关闭。（许多老相机是启用此方法）
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托妹，来支持~！
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该相机的T门是你说的第二种情况：即快门打开后，要换到另一档速度才关闭。（许多老相机是启用此方法） ...
哦！那太感谢了，看来是整好了
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托妹，来支持~！
谢谢托妹支持！
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楼主胆大心细，佩服。我的莱卡IIIC目前状况很好，就有两档慢门不准，10分之一和15分之一，听起来像二分之一秒，倒不影响使用，哪天闲下来也搞一搞。
判断、推断、果断！
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学习贴，高手如云啊
拍自己想拍的照片。 qq&&345⑤②①零七
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楼主胆大心细，佩服。我的莱卡IIIC目前状况很好，就有两档慢门不准，10分之一和15分之一，听起来像二分之一 ...
这个弄起来应该很简单，不需开顶盖，只需把慢门那个地方拆开调整就可以了。
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学习贴，高手如云啊
呵呵，大家都是相互学习。
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Medal No.5
Medal No.7
Medal No.8
Medal No.9
Medal No.10LEICA IIIf ()
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& &&
Leica IIIf
Screw Mount
& . This page best with
activated.
LEICA IIIf (15.230 oz/431.8g
with film, about $400 used) shown mit
. . You can get these at these direct links
It helps me keep adding reviews of ancient equipment when you get yours through these links, thanks! Ken.
December 2012
Sample images:
Great for: Ultra-high quality images from the smallest and lightest possible camera. The LEICA IIIf is one of the least expensive ways to get into the LEICA system. The IIIf looks so crazy and ancient that no one will give you a hard time photographing with it. Superstitious people who confuse DSLRs with weapons are not
afraid of the IIIf.
Not great for: Action,
automation or fast shooting. The LEICA IIIf works great, but for practical photography, it requires about twice as many knobs and settings to do the same thing as a modern fully-manual camera requires.
Introduction &&&&&&&&
I can't vouch for
The screw-mount LEICA IIIf is significantly smaller and
lighter than any Leica M camera. It's so light that I often forget it's with me.
The LEICA IIIf is often quieter than
LEICA M cameras, so in other words, it does what they do best, but even better. It is many times quieter than the noisy digital .
The IIIf weighs only two-thirds as much as a typical LEICA M. It weighs only half as much as most DSLRs, and less than one-third
what a pro DSLR weighs, and delivers better image quality.
It is the same shape as LEICA M cameras, but is it slightly smaller in every dimension. LEICA M cameras are bigger than screw-mount cameras, and digital M cameras have gotten even slightly bigger.
The LEICA IIIf
is an excellent sixty-year old camera. It sold for the equivalent of $3,500 in its day.
Facts, like &1/1,000 second shutter speed& or &longer rangefinder base length,& are facts, but
subjective observations,
like &easy to use& must be taken from your own
point of view.
review takes
three tacks simultaneously,
for three different kinds of people:
If you just want a camera to shoot, the LEICA IIIf shoots silently, but requires moving and setting about twice as many dials and levers as more recent manual cameras to make even the simplest settings.
Consider the LEICA IIIf for careful nature, travel and landscape photography, but a
or ) is a much better choice if you're traveling with people who won't wait for you to make all the settings for each snapshot.
The IIIf has many advantages over newer cameras, but much as cars of its day required you to know how to set a manual choke and drive a three-in-the-tree manual transmission, the IIIf demands the same attention. (Actually, people who bought the IIIf had their own drivers, or drove Mercedes-Benz, which already had fuel injection back then, thus no chokes.)
The Early 1950s
Most of this review steps back to the 1950s, when this was the most extraordinary camera ever developed, and was the most impossibly expensive dream camera that everyone wanted.
Even at $3,500, the new LEICA IIIf was
so popular that is was on backorder for the first couple of years.
I find it more fun to write about the IIIf
from the perspective of its own time, when the incredible automatic flash synchronizer was an amazing first. Today for shooters, it's incredibly complicated, manual and backwards compared to an
or any other current camera.
Orthodox Leica Adherents
are people who believe that everything should be done as it was during the life of .
Anything newer, like parallax correction or
levers instead of knobs for film transport, is
needless frivolity. This unnecessary fluff detracts from their religious photographic devotions, and are therefore seen as the work of the Devil. These frills
must be expunged.
For these devoted followers, the IIIf is the crowning achievement of The Prophet's Vision. The IIIf is as He, The Creator of modern photography, intended photography to be.
Rear, LEICA IIIf. .
Bottom, LEICA IIIf. .
The LEICA IIIf
Top, LEICA IIIf and . .
The LEICA IIIf is LEICA's most popular screw-mount camera, having made about 180,000 of them.
The IIIf was a rumored secret as late as Summer 1950. People were told not to wait for a new camera, and just buy the IIIc. Then for Christmas 1950, Leica broke the news about the brand-new must-have IIIf.
quieter than many LEICA M models, and certainly quieter than any of the
digital LEICA M cameras.
The LEICA IIIf
has a 1.5x magnified rangefinder with
a longer effective baselength than most
Leica M cameras to give more precise focus, and therefore sharper pictures.
The LEICA IIIf's rangefinder has significantly
longer effective base length
than any digital Leica M like the .
The magnified rangefinder and the viewfinder are two separate windows. You look through one to focus, and move your eye to the other to compose and shoot.
LEICA IIIf rangefinder and viewfinder windows. .
The 1.5x rangefinder telescope often needs its own focus adjusted so that you can see it most clearly so that you can in turn focus the camera. This adjustment is the little lever around the rewind knob.
The LEICA IIIf has a smaller, but brighter, viewfinder than any LEICA M. This is because the IIIf's viewfinder is separate from the rangefinder, so it doesn't need the darkening that newer cameras need to ensure contrast against the rangefinder spot. The rangefinder is a separate magnified window.
The LEICA IIIf was the hot new ultra-expensive
camera that everyone dreamed would be under their Christmas tree in 1950.
The IIIf is the most advanced
true screw mount Leica. It incorporates 37
years of continual advancements from
first 1913 prototype.
The LEICA IIIf adds another first, a dedicated film-type indicator integral with the film-advance knob. It indicates in
Weston, and indicates either color or black-and-white. An option was to have DIN readings instead of Weston along with the ASA indications.
The newer screw mount IIIg () came after the introduction of the
(1954), and incorporates some frivolous features, like parallax correction and multiple framelines, back-filled from the M series. Orthodox
refuse to allow these frills on their cameras.
With the LEICA IIIf, you have to use accessory finders for any lens other than 50mm. This is not a problem, since the best photographers use nothing but a 50mm lens anyway. Accessory finders are a pain. Orthodox shooters are quick to point out that the main reason Leica invented the M series with multiple-frameline finders was so that Leica could sell more lenses, not because it lead to better pictures.
The LEICA IIIf
is a great picture-taker, however it is far more primitive than anything else you're likely to want to shoot. The IIIf is the most advanced Orthodox
screw-mount Leica, but it's still 60 years old.
The sort of people who love the IIIf are the same sort of people who prefer shooting muzzle loaders and black powder: the results are the same, but you have to do a lot more yourself.
The LEICA IIIf is great for nature and landscape shooting, but I'd want to shoot something more modern, like a ,
(or a DSLR) if anything moves.
You have to reset the frame counter to zero manually for each roll of film, however it is much larger and easier to read than automatic-resetting counters. Since you always can see the entire frame counter dial, it's easy to see the &roll at a glance.&
Today, you'll need to trim the leader of each roll of film
load film easily.
The &f& in IIIf stands for flash
The must-have feature of the new IIIf is perfect flash synchronization
at all speeds up to 1/1,000 with both flashbulbs as well as both kinds (delayed and undelayed)
of electronic flash.
Even with perfect sync (timing), you'd loose part of your photo at speeds faster than 1/50 with electronic flash, but with FP flashbulbs, it's easy to shoot at any speed up to 1/1,000.
A new flash synchro-contact point (flash sync terminal) is
on the back of the camera, below the accessory shoe. The synchronizer cord that comes with the new flash unit locks to the connector when rotated 90.&
Automatic flash synchronization was a big deal in 1950. The month before, you had to buy and calibrate external synchronizers with three-way contacts to go between your cable release, shutter button and flash unit to get the flash to fire at the correct instant for even
focal-plane shutter exposure.
For the first time, all you now have to do is set the automatic synchronizer dial to the correct number (read from a table depending on what flashbulb and shutter speed you were using) and you
get perfect flash synchronization.
The synchronizer dial is controlled by moving
the two little nubbins under the shutter dial, and there are numbers from 0 through 20 in red or black, depending on model.
Later cameras like the M3 calculated this automatically and no longer needed this setting, but if you used flash in the early 1950s, this was very hot stuff until the even more automated LEICA M3 came out a few years later.
: LEICA IIIf with Black Contact Numbers
The first version of the LEICA IIIf had a slightly different set of shutter speeds than the newer version shown here.
Back in the 1950s, speeds had not become universal from one camera model to the next.
The first version had black numbers everywhere, including the contact numbers on the synchronizer dial around the shutter dial.
The proper appellation of this model is the LEICA IIIf with Black
Contact Numbers. Lay people often use an incorrect
street name of
&Black Dial& or &BD,& even though all the dials are of course silver.
: LEICA IIIf with Red Contact Numbers
The version shown here has red synchronizer contact numbers around
the shutter dial.
The proper appellation of this model is the LEICA IIIf with Red
Contact Numbers. Lay people often use an incorrect
street name of
&Red Dial& or &RD,& even though all the dials are silver.
The synchronizers time a little differently, so be sure to use the correct synchronizer setting tables for your version of camera.
: Self Timer added
The newest version of the IIIf added a self timer.
It also has red contact numbers.
Street names for this camera often include &self timer& or &ST,& but
one need only list the vintage to identify it without confusion.
LEICA was always able to add the self timer to any older model, and for all I know, may still do it today.
Why would Leica make the IIIf for these four years when people could buy the far, far more advanced LEICA M3 instead? Because the M3 cost about 50% more, and most people already had a slew of screw mount lenses and accessories.
In those days, the Leica screw mount had been around as long as Canon's current EF mount today. If Canon suddenly introduced a new camera that cost 50% more than the 1Ds Mark III ($12,000) and used a new lens mount, would you buy it?
The great advantage in Leica's case is that all the older screw mount lenses work perfectly on the newer cameras, even today's M9, with a simple adapter ring. When Canon came out with the EF mount in 1987, you had to buy all new lenses because your old FD lenses were worthless on the new mount. Bravo, LEICA!
About 5,000 of the total of 180,000 LEICA IIIfs were made in Canada.
The rest are all made in the Holy City of Wetzlar.
The LEICA IIIf was
a hit because it was priced no more than the previous model IIIc which it replaced.
Depending on your choice of lens, it listed from just $2,500 to $4,260, corrected for inflation in 2009. (that was $280 to $472.50 in 1950 dollars.)
popular 50mm f/2 LEICA SUMMITAR lens it still listed for just $3,400, the same as the older camera without flash synchronization. ($380 in 1950 dollars).
The LEICA IIIf, body-only, listed at only $2,000 ($224 in 1950 dollars).
Compatibility
The LEICA IIIf works perfectly with all LEICA screw-mount lenses. Current M-mount bayonet lenses do not fit.
If you're using anything other than a 50mm lens, you'll need to slip an external finder in the accessory shoe.
Newer bayonet M mount lenses do not fit, but all
screw mount lenses sold since 1931 work and couple perfectly on all newer LEICA M cameras with a simple adapter ring.
Yes, a 1931 screw-mount lens on an adapter gives perfect exposure coupling and automatic exposure on the
and , exactly the same as a new lens.
Screw mount lenses are also called M39 by Leica, as well as L mount, LTM (Leica Thread Mount), 39mm x 1.0mm thread, Leica Thread, and probably even other appellations.
This thread is still standard for enlarging lenses today, and some makers, like Voigtl&nder, still make screw-mount lenses because of their extraordinarily wide compatibility, even with today's cameras.
Leica has occasionally offered some current lenses in this mount, most notably, the current versions of the extraordinary ,
Specifications with commentary &&&&&&&&
LEICA IIIf, mit out lens. .
Flange Focal Distance
(M-Kameras are 27.8mm.)
Rangefinder
1.5x magnification with an internal telescope.
Lenses focus as close as 1 meter (3 feet).
The focusing adjustment for the telescope (needed to see the rangefinder clearly) is the small lever under the rewind knob.
38mm physical base length x 1.5x magnification = 57mm
effective base length.
Here is the LEICA IIIf rangefinder's effective base length compared to newer LEICAs:
Physical Base Length
Rangefinder Magnification
Effective Base Length
Leica has made diopters for the combined rangefinder and viewfinder eyepiece.
Viewfinder
0.5x magnification.
Soft-edged image displayed against black.
Leica has made diopters for the combined rangefinder and viewfinder eyepiece.
Clean image, no framelines, no focus patches, no nothing except your image.
Covers 50mm (5cm) lens, only.
For other lenses, use the LEICA VIOOH Imarect finder (), which gives more precise framing than even today's LEICA M9's finder. The VIOOH's sharp-edged image is adjustable both for parallax, and also for
magnification changes with distance. The VIOOH Imarect finder is so good that I also suggest it for use with LEICA M cameras for more precise results.
Horizontal rubberized cloth focal plane.
1 - 1/1,000, also Time and
Different models have different sets of intermediate speeds.
The latest models have a self-timer.
Cable release: requires the same screwy nipple adapter as the Nikon F and Nikon F2. I have no idea why Nikon copied the cable release of the screw-mount Leicas in the 1950s, when Leica had already moved to the current cable release socket with the M3 of 1954.
Tripod Thread
Professional 3/8.&
to fit common 1/4& - 20 tripod heads.
empty: 14.465 oz. (410.0g).
mit 36-exp film 15.230 oz. (431.8g).
mit : 22.855 oz. (647.9g).
Performance &&&&&&&&
President Nixon's Helicopter. .
1952 LEICA IIIf, 1957 , 2008 , f/9.5 at 1/50, 1.7 meters, 2007
meter read LV 13&&, ,
process and scan.
No Park. .
1952 LEICA IIIf, 1957 , 2008 , f/10 at 1/100, 1.2 meters, 2007
meter read LV 15&, ,
process and scan.
at Legoland, . .
Snapped with a 1952 , 1957 , 2008 , f/5 at 1/100, 2.2 meters, 2007
process and scan.
Carl's Jr. .
1963 , 2008 , f/11 at 1/100, 50 feet, 2007
meter read LV 15-15&, ,
process and scan.
was frame 39. Digital does't even go to
frame 39, or even the 37 when you fill your card or your buffer, you're bonked.
Not that these shots are any good, but I knocked them all off on one 36-exposure roll of film, just goofing around taking my kids to Legoland and running errands. God only knows what I could knock out if I took the IIIf someplace scenic.
La Jolla's La Valencia, 16 November 2010. .
1952 LEICA IIIf, , 1999 , 2008
, 1/100 at f/11,
application on my ,
process and scan.
covered most performance aspects
in the . Here are some more.
The LEICA IIIf is quiet, compact, and as you'll see below, easy to
Technical performance is limited only by your choice of lenses and film, and more so by your
ability as a photographer.
Rangefinder
The dedicated, magnified
rangefinder works great.
Do remember to adjust the focus lever on the top left for the sharpest rangefinder image, and Leica suggests practicing to ensure you get your eye in the exact center.
The rangefinder is as or , however it is not more accurate.
The IIIf's rangefinder lacks the adjustability of M cameras. The IIIf's rangefinder can be calibrated at one distance, and that's about it. M cameras allow adjustability at more than one distance, so typically you won't get perfect focus at every distance with a IIIf.
N for precise use, experience will show you how to correct at different distances with your IIIf.
Viewfinder
The viewfinder is brighter than LEICA M cameras because it has no need for the semi-polarization used when a rangefinder spot is added.
it's just a soft-edged image in black.
The image is a small 0.5x image, sort of like a DX DSLR.
There is no blockage with the standard 50mm f/3.5 ELMAR with A36 filter mount.
There will be a little blockage when a filter is attached, and minor blockage when used with newer E39 filter-mount lenses.
The viewfinder is so close to the lens that parallax isn't a big deal, but blockage will become a big deal if you try to get smart and use bigger lenses.
For bigger lenses, like the 5cm f/1.5 LEICA SUMMARIT, the external VIOOH finder is more precise, more accurate, and has no blockage problems.
Noise and Vibration
The LEICA IIIf is at least as quiet as LEICA M cameras, and many times more quiet than the noisy digital LEICA M cameras.
Shutter Gate Opacity
I ran around all day in the California sunshine without a lens cap. I did try to keep my lenses stopped all the way down.
I saw no leakage.
Film Economy
39 frames on a 36-exposure roll.
Rewind Time
About 30 seconds.
This is a goofy-looking old camera.
Normal people won't even give you the time of day if they notice you carrying it, which fits in exactly with our genius plan.
When my wife saw me carrying it, she said &get rid of
that sh*tty camera. G I want some decent photos of my kids.&
Deployment &&&&&&&&
I suggest using the , which attaches instantly without tools or marring the camera.
Light Meters
Real photographers have enough experience to know the correct exposure settings based on conditions. For instance, indoors is f/2.8 at 1/25 at ASA 400.
Learners who need light meters have many choices. Leica made
which slipped in the accessory shoe.
LEICA IIIf and . .
LEICA IIIf and . .
Today, learners use the
and optional
to pop it in the accessory shoe. You won't be able to see the setting of the shutter dial under the
if you use it in the accessory shoe.
I leave the DIGISIX set to ISO 100, so the LV numbers are universal. I transpose them in my head for the ASA in use. This way I always know when readings are wrong, and can guess well, too, since the same number always corresponds to the same light.
With , it's easy to remember that at 1/50,
f/2 through f/16 covers LV 9-15 with
an 81A filter, without needing the calculator dial.
If you use an iPhone or , the
application works great, once calibrated.
Most lenses screw-in so that their top index marks are at about the one o'clock position, not straight up. This is so you can see them when you have accessories in the shoe.
Original LEICA screw mount lenses are at least 50 years old today. You'll need to check them with the . Most will have some haze, and often this isn't a problem. If it is,
can almost always fix it.
Leica made a very limited run of modern ,
lenses in screw mount. It is unlikely you'll come across any of these, but if you do, they offer the best performance. I still wouldn't suggest either current 50mm even if you can find them: each is so much bigger than 1950s lenses that you'll have half of the camera's finder blocked. You'll need an external finder with any of these. See my
page for specifics.
The best lens for the IIIf is a 50mm. It's the only lens you really need, and the only lens covered by the built-in viewfinder.
As 50mm lenses made in screw mount go, the best common lens is the . It came in both scr you of course need the screw mount.
The big problem with the common 50mm LEICA SUMMICRON, made from , is that the front element is made of glass as soft as chalk, so every sample by now has gotten dull from over 50 years of rough cleaning.
It will take you a few months of looking at this direct link to it at
to find a good one (see ). Expect to pay about $500 for a nice one if you find it, or about $250 for one with worn glass
as almost all are. Unscrupulous dealers call the ones with dull front elements &coating& or &cleaning& run away from those.
Leica made the optically superior rigid 50mm f/2 SUMMICRON lens in screw mount, but they will cost you because they are rare.
is very good, and most are in good condition.
Heck, even the original 50mm f/3.5 ELMAR () is a swell performer, even uncoated! I have a seventy-six year old one from 1934 and it works great. The only gotcha with the original f/3.5 ELMAR is that the aperture is adjusted on the front of the lens, so you have to pull the filter every time you want to adjust it.
You can get either ELMAR
for about $250 in very nice shape, and it's what I'd suggest unless you want to look for a year for a clean SUMMICRON. Then again, with film, you'll want f/2.
For a lens faster than f/2, you're looking at the LEICA SUMMARIT 5cm (50mm) f/1.5. Its performance isn't that great, but more seriously, its big 41mm bayonet filter front will block much of the camera's finder image, asking for the use of an external finder, and the dedicated 41mm bayonet filters, mandatory for most photography, haven't been made in 50 years. This SUMMARIT is also prone to worn and hazy glass, so I'd spend my time trying to find a good sample of the much more practical f/2 SUMMICRON.
For a wide lens, there are plenty of 35mm (3.5cm)
f/3.5 screw mount lenses. The best is the SUMMARON; the ELMAR was much earlier and crummier. Expect to pay about $300 for a nice one, as most are.
For a tele, you will get the 90mm (9cm) f/4 ELMAR. Expect to pay about $150. It is sharpest when stopped down.
Most older screw mount lenses use push-on A36 filters, for the lens' 36mm
outer diameter. For these lenses, use either hard-to-find A36 filters, or the LEITZ SOOGZ adapter for
standard 39mm filters.
The LEICA VIOOH Imarect finder () is needed for any lenses other than 50mm. I got mine at this direct link to it at
more precise framing than the built-in viewfinder. It's better than
even today's LEICA M9's finder, so it's a great idea to get one. The VIOOH's sharp-edged image is adjustable both for parallax, and also for
magnification changes with distance.
For the best results with the VIOOH finder, be sure to set its own parallax distance adjustment manually before each shot.
Do not soil your LEICA by attempting to attach
rubbish from the likes of modern-day Voigtl&nder. Why would you want to waste your time, insult your camera and look foolish in front of your friends? The only real reason to shoot with a LEICA IIIf is to use LEICA's superior optics, not to waste film with dinky lenses.
Lens Hoods
Forget using hoods on a 50mm lens with the built-in finder. You'll block half your viewfinder.
The LEICA IIIf uses a professional 3/8& thread.
to fit common 1/4& - 20 tripod heads.
Usage &&&&&&&&
Find and read LEICA's user manual. I'm unsure if it's available online.
A key point of the simplicity of the IIIf is this note below the table of contents:
If you can't operate every aspect of your
camera with your eyes on your subject, what good is it? That is the problem with the digital garbage of today: these digital cameras demand more attention than the subject itself.
Light Meter
Film Loading
There is one very important trick that I didn't notice until I noticed this message on the bottom of the camera as I was struggling to load it:
FIlm must be trimmed to have a longer leader, and exactly two perforations must show at the bottom.
If you don't trim your film properly to provide a longer leader tongue, the film will get jammed in the gate and not load. Standard out-of-the-box film will not load properly until trimmed.
If you do trim your film, it slides right into the IIIf and loads very easily.
trim it, I count back 13 perforations along the bottom, and cut it out with my Swiss Army knife. Be sure not to cut across a perforation, as the edge might get caught trying to load. Leave two perforations pulled out of the canister out at the bottom as shown above, and you're good to go.
Leica fanatics use the special ABLON cutting guide (Nr. 68,320, $27.00 corrected for inflation in 2009 [$1.80 in 1939 dollars]). If you shoot a lot, the ABLON is nice because the film drops right into perfect position with little tits that poke in the
perforations. The ABLON comes with its
own cutter in its own small leather case, bravo!
People who don't read directions go through all sorts of dangerous antics, like sticking their fingers through the shutter, to try to load the film improperly.
The reason you need to
make the leader longer is because the film has to slide past the film gate, with the pressure plate in place. The back does not swing open.
When you trim your film properly,
there is no bottom edge that has to jump over
the other film rail, which is what hangs-up people who don't read directions.
When properly trimmed film is loaded, only after it's in place do you advance the full width of the film over the gate, so all works as
Now that you know this, you'll be fine as you read the printed manual to load the film.
In a nutshell,
first trim your film. Then set the advance-rewind lever (by the shutter button) back to &A,& remove the bottom plate,
remove the take-up spool, slide the film leader under the clip of the take-up-spool, drop both film canister and take-up spool into the camera at the same time (turn the rewind knob is it doesn' this is also where it jams if you didn't trim your film), make sure the sprocket is engaged in a perforation by turning the film advance slightly, pop on the cover, wind the film,
lift and set the advance knob film reminder, and then set the frame counter to zero. Easy.
Newer models of the IIIf have a small &pusher& attached to the bottom cover to help the film run better in the proper tracks.
To unload, set the advance-rewind lever by the shutter to R for rewind, pull up the rewind crank, and have at it. The dot on the shutter release button moves as the film spins the sprockets, and stops just before the last of the film is drawn back into the cassette.
Lens Mounting
This couldn't be easier: they screw on and off.
Use the infinity lock to lock the focus ring, and only then grab the lens to remove it. The infinity lock is designe the close-range stop of the focus helicoid is not.
The lens tubes of collapsible lenses should be drawn forward and locked during mounting and unmounting.
If you really want to follow proper Leica procedure, align the lens' focus knob with the viewfinder window as you present it to the camera.
Don't allow direct sun to hit the naked shutter when lenses are removed. Keep the IIIf in your shadow.
The index marks usually stop to the left of center so that you can read them with accessories in the shoe.
First look through the rangefinder (the leftmost peephole) and move the lever around the rewind crank so that the image is clear. This focuses the 1.5x telescope of the rangefinder so you can see it best with different distances.
Once the rangefinder itself is in focus, focus the lens until the two images coincide.
The rangefinder telescope focus adjustment keeps moving as I carry the IIIf. Maybe some chewing gum would help keep it in place.
The shutter dial cannot be set unless the film is wound. Don't try to move it when the shutter is uncocked.
Once wound,
lift the dial to set it.
The top shutter dial rotates 360.&
Keep your fat fingers away from the top shutter dial when firing. It is connected directly to the shutter rollers and spins as the shutter exposes your film. If you obstruct it, you'll get weird exposure.
You can see the shutter's setting when not cocked by using contact number &2& on the
synchronizer dial as your index.
There are two shutter dials: one for the fast speeds, and one for the slow speeds.
The fast speed dial is on top where you expect it.
The slow speed dial is on the front of the camera, just below the fast speed dial.
For fast speeds, set them on the top dial and leave the slow speed dial locked at 25.
For slow speeds, set the fast dial to &25-1&
and set the speed on the slow dial.
For Bulb, set it as B on the fast dial, with the slow dial of course set to 25.
For Time, set the fast dial to &25-1& and the slow dial to T.
The shutter opens and stays open until you move the slow-speed dial away from T.
Unlike most M cameras, intermediate speeds may not be used in the fast range.
Intermediate speeds may be set on the slow range dial. For instance, for 1/4 second, set it just a little away from 5, towards the 2.
Since the shutter dial isn't easy to see under a Digisix meter, I tend to shoot at the same speed and change the apertures instead.
Leave the IIIf uncocked when you put it away.
To use a cable release, get a screw-on nipple adapter. It's the same
as the adapter for the Nikon F and Nikon F2.
For electronic flash and studio strobes, adjust the red scale of the synchro-dial below the shutter speed dial to contact number 20 and use a shutter speed of 1/50.
For classic electronic flashes with built-in delays to simulate flash bulbs, set contact number 0 and use 1/25 of a second.
For focal-plane (FP) flashbulbs, set the synchro dial to the contact number listed in
Leica's table below. The guide numbers are in feet for 17& DIN (ASA 40).
Exposure Guide for LEICA IIIf Cameras with Red Contact Numbers.
I don't have a table from Leica for earlier IIIfs with black contact numbers. These are different from the red numbers.
Leica also provided a guide for use with conventional flashbulbs intended for leaf shutters. Leica doesn't recommend these bulbs, since they are designed to give light as a short peak and lead to uneven exposures. The more exotic FP flashbulbs are designed for a more even light output over a short period of time for curtain travel.
Recommendations &&&&&&&&
The LEICA IIIf is a wonderfully small, quiet and ultra-high quality camera.
If you don't mind a lot of fiddling just to make the most basic settings, you'll do great.
Since they are sixty years old, you most likely will want to send it out for an overhaul before using it.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Paul Racicot who made this fine camera available to me to review.
Many more thanks
to his dad,
Thomas Racicot of the , who fought for all of us in
World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War so that we
could be here today reading about this.
This Leica has a story.
Thomas Racicot was stationed in Munich Germany in the early 1950's. He took his wife and kids, including Paul,
all over Europe.
His son Paul was born in Munich, and his
brothers were three and six years old.
Their dad bought this LEICA
photograph the beautiful scenery in Germany.
He dragged the whole family
all around Europe taking photos.
One time a Russian border guard tried to confiscate this LEICA. Thomas Racicot pulled out his trusty
45 revolver and said, &you're not taking my Leica.&
The Russian guard backed off, presumably because Thomas Racicot was a deadly serious crazy American soldier.
Thomas Racicot had spent a lot of money on this camera, and wasn't about to give it up.
didn't remember this event because he was only a baby, but his older brothers both thought that they
were all going to die!
Of course with men like Thomas Racicot, the USA always wins, and he, his family and this LEICA passed safely on to this day. Strength brings peace.
Thomas Racicot passed away in October 2007, but his contributions to America and the world's peace will never be forgotten.
I hope I can do him at least a little bit of service using and preserving his old LEICA today.
Repairs and Overhauls&&&&
Many thanks also to
for doing a complete overhaul on this IIIf so I could review it here.
I'm amazed at the work that was done.
As received, I almost loaded it up and went shooting, until I realized that the slow speeds were sticky, then stopped working.
I sent it in for an overhaul, and was astounded at what came back.
What I sent in was a moldy old camera. Like many old cameras, the finder wasn't very clear, the shutter was sticky, the shutter curtains were crinkled, and it had green oxidation goo around a lot of the edges of the chrome.
It came back
looking almost unused, as you can see in some of the illustrations above. They even replaced the fake leather perfectly, as you can.
The finder and rangefinder are now as clean as the day this IIIf was delivered back in M&nchen in 1952. The rangefinder is dead-on, with perfect alignment.
All the green crud is gone externally, and everything is so clean I can hardly believe it's the same camera I dropped off.
The shutter curtains were replaced with new material, using the original tracks. Of course after a full overhaul, the shutter works perfectly.
All this, and no tracks were left.
did an amazing job resuscitating this 60 year old camera to like-new performance. I'm sure it will give another 50 years of service before needing any more adjustment or cleaning.
More Information&&&&
Pacific Rim Camera has some .
LEICA Photography, Christmas 1950, introduces it as NEW! starting at page 10.
LEICA Photography,
Fall 1951, has an article explaining how synchronization works.
There is a short mention of the newly added film alignment bar in the
Winter 1952 issue of LEICA Photography.
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