My "New" camera

[Pascal H.]

A couple of years ago there was a thread on this forum about re-enactment. I was very impressed by this thread, not that I am into re-enactment but by the quality of the pictures. Somehow it was as if these pictures were taken more then 60 years ago. There was something about these pictures. Then the photographer revealed his secret. He took these pictures with an original wartime Leica camera.

Since that day I have been looking for such a camera. Not very intensive but maybe once a week I googled to see if I could find one at an affordable price as most of these cameras are going at ridicules prices.

There is a lot of information to be found of all Leica cameras and I was specifically looking for an early wartime Leica IIIc camera. On a site about the Leica camera I found out in which range the serial number of the Leica should be.

A couple of weeks ago I found a Leica IIIc on a Dutch auction site. The seller offered it a 5 pm. From the pictures he posted I couldn’t make out the serial number so I gave him a ring. The serial number was 360115 which could be dated back to 1940, Bingo!!! 10 minutes later the deal was done much to the surprise of the astounding seller.

A few days later the camera arrived and it looked to be in a good shape.

[Pascal H.]

Next would be taking pictures and the quality of the pictures.

First I cut the film to proper shape using the Leitz „ABLON” template. Then I loaded the camera with the black & white film and went out to take some pictures……………..

After I took about 14 pictures I handed the film in and a long wait started. Some years ago these films would be developed in a day but nowadays as almost nobody uses a analogue cameras anymore I had to wait for a week.
After a week I went to pick up the photos the result was rather disappointing. Only 8 out of 14 were printed and these 8 pictures were also half black.

[Pascal H.]

As I studied photography I started to search what could be wrong with the camera.
The Leica IIIc uses a so called curtain shutter and irregular curtain travel produces ‘banding’ also called “Capping”. Capping produces partially exposed frames just what happened with my pictures.

Uneven exposures are due to incorrect tensioning- one of the rollers, usually the second curtain’s (the one which closes the frame), is tensed too much. This makes the second blind to travel fast and catch up with the first one. At the least, it causes one part of the frame to go darker than the other. At worst, the curtains catch up and “cap” (the slit effectively closes) before completing the frame traverse, causing part of the frame to go totally black.

The Leica IIIc is a totaly mechanical camera and very sturdy camera as well. So I opened up the camera and found out that the tension of the second curtain was indeed much too high. I loosened the tension and assembled the camera back again.

Again I went out for a test shoot, handed in the film and again had to wait for a week.

I made 22 pictures, so the first thing I asked when I went to pick up the pictures how many were printed. “22 pictures are printed” was the reply. Next I had a look a the pictures and I was amazed that ALL pictures came out good. I took pictures at different speeds and all came out perfectly.

Here is the first picture I took after I loosened the tension of the second curtain.

[Pascal H.]

Here are some examples of the pictures I took and to me they all have that “old” look that no modern camera can equal. Hope you like them.

[Pascal H.]

Next

[Pascal H.]

Last.

KR
Pascal

[Theodor]

Great shots!!! This fame did not come from nothing, the Leica were great cameras for their time! And your work is very good, too, it is not easy to take good shots with the old machine, it's not like the digital Point & Click The last photo, especially, is fantastic, looking at it I just expect to see a German soldier on a bike there!

[Glenn Barbaritz]

nice vintage camera. looks to be in great shape. very nice pics too. like your in a time machine. Glenn

[landsknechte]

It's always nice to see other folks with an appreciation for these old machines. There is a certain something about the pre-war uncoated optics that I absolutely love. The Elmar is a classic.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Pascal, those photos really do have the "look". Nice camera.

Cheers, Ade.

[Pascal H.]

Thank you all for you nice comments.

I am also very pleased with this camera and especially with the quality of the pictures it takes. Just what I was hoping for.

Taking pictures with these cameras is nothing like taking pictures with a modern digital camera. I think the biggest difference is the light meter. To be more precise, the lack of a light meter on these cameras. So there will always be the need for a separate light meter.

When I took these pictures I didn’t own a light meter and I didn’t want to buy one in case the camera wouldn’t work. So I took along my other analogue camera and used that one as a light meter.

In the meantime, after I found out that the Leica was still working perfectly, I found a light meter in very good working condition for a real bargain price on eBay.

So the next time there is no need to drag along 2 cameras

KR
Pascal

[jacquesf]

Very impressive photography.Jacques

[behblc]

Cracker.

[seekwhence]

You have a very strange camera depicted in your thread. First, the serial number is wrong for a IIIc. According to Jim Lager (the world's expert on vintage Leicas), the serial number for your camera was allocated to the IIId model (360001-360134) which clearly yours isn't. Second, the film advance knob and shutter speed dial seem to be from a IIf or IIIf (both made from the early to mid 50's). Lastly, the lens is the final model Elmar from the 1950's because the aperture scale goes up to f22. Still if you are happy with it and the pictures it takes then that's what's important. But if you want to claim that you have an authentic WW2 era Leica then there are serious problems with that statement.

seekwhence

[landsknechte]

You have a very strange camera depicted in your thread. First, the serial number is wrong for a IIIc. According to Jim Lager (the world's expert on vintage Leicas), the serial number for your camera was allocated to the IIId model (360001-360134) which clearly yours isn't. Second, the film advance knob and shutter speed dial seem to be from a IIf or IIIf (both made from the early to mid 50's). Lastly, the lens is the final model Elmar from the 1950's because the aperture scale goes up to f22. Still if you are happy with it and the pictures it takes then that's what's important. But if you want to claim that you have an authentic WW2 era Leica then there are serious problems with that statement.

seekwhence

This website ( http://www.cameraquest.com/ltmnum.htm ) lists the serial numbers as a bit different, and according to it 360115 is indeed a 1940 IIIc. Barnack Leicas were often updated at the factory to more contemporary models, and retained the original serial number when they were. I've got a 1946 IIIc that was converted to a IIIf, and a 1939 III converted to a IIIa. Nothing unusual in that regard, and there are countless other examples out there of that conversion.

If the Elmar is a 1950's vintage, that would be perfectly in keeping with the era that a IIIc would be converted to a IIIf. (What's the serial on the lens, BTW?)

IMHO, if the objective is a more purely WWII era photographic experience, then it might not hurt to hunt around for a wartime or a prewar Elmar that's uncoated. There's a certain mojo that the uncoated lenses have that is just wonderful, and to boot they tend to be a bit cheaper than the later coated lenses.