Leica IIIa..... maybe?

[Kengir]

Hello My Optics Friends,

This is a new realm of the Forum to me, so I apologize in advance for my ignorance. My girlfriend is big into photography (more modern equipment, of course) but who could turn down an antique Leica?!?! Right??

Well she found what claims to be a Leica IIIa D.R.P. Année1938 Ernest Leitz Wetzlar No series 308968

The lens, I believe, is an Ernest Leitz Wetzlar Summar f=5cm 1:2 No. Serial No228634 year 1934

The story is it was acquired from a Lieutenant in the 26th Panzer Grenadiers... but we all know how that goes. Especially since it was mentioned being picked up near Bastogne. (as I recall, weren't the 26th captured in Italy?)

I know I only have two pictures, so let me know if you'd like more.. I know in the helmet world you're shunned if you don't show at least 14 different angles of the lid, so please.. be patient, and I'll see if I can get more if needed.

Any opinions would be helpful on whether this is a good camera or a hunk-o-junk.

Thanks everyone!

Jeremy

[MAUSER99]

I had a similar one.. I sold it on ebay. for 500.00 and that was 4 years ago. The story means nothing as far as value.. It looks nice..guys who collect these also use these.. There are a few web sites about vintage camera use..

Also the one I had, had the better next step up lense.. Thats the base lense.

[seekwhence]

You have a nice looking, original Leica IIIa from 1938. How much have you examined it? Have you unscrewed the lens, and looked through the optics with a strong light? If you removed the lens, did you also fire the shutter and see how the curtain performed at the various speed settings? Is the rangefinder working OK?
I wouldn't put much too much faith in any stories associated with the camera unless it also came with period 35mm images (slides and/or negatives).
Good luck with your Leica! It's definitely a keeper!

seekwhence

[seekwhence]

MAUSER99 - You said that you had IIIa with the "next step up lense"... Are you referring to the Summitar or something even faster like a Xenon?
Also, the Summar was not the base lens for a IIIa. It was actually a step up (both in performance and price) from the Elmar 3.5 which was the base lens that the IIIa would have been sold with. In 1938-39, an Elmar 3.5 sold for about $50; whereas, a Summar 2.0 cost about $100.

seekwhence

[MAUSER99]

Sorry, I cant remember. It went to a guy on the west coast who played with them. He wanted the lense I remember that. The camera was the same as this guys but was a 36... It had the leather case and I paid 5 bucks for it at a local flea market..

[Kengir]

Thanks guys,

When I said found, I should have specified "located for purchase" and not led you to believe it was in our possession - yet

So seekwhence, many of your questions i must leave unanswered for the time being. I just found it curious and adorable that she was trying to tie our two hobbies together, so with that I'll probably be getting the camera, though it isn't my primary focus of collecting. Hey.. nothing wrong with expanding the digs, right?

So this Leica IIIa would have come with an Elmar 3.5 but at some point was upgraded to the Summar? And at $100 in '38-'39, that's not a cheap upgrade!

Thanks again guys,
Jeremy

[seekwhence]

Wow! I wish I could go to a flea market and find a complete Leica rig for $5!
I should clarify what I said about the base lens issue. A Leica could be initially bought with any lens that Leitz offered - or with no lens at all. The 38 IIIa in this thread could have been purchased with a Summar to start but if you had walked into a high end camera store in 1938-39 and said "I want a bare bones Leica IIIa with lens" you would have been offered one with an Elmar 3.5 for about $170.00. A IIIa with a Summar would have cost approximately $220.00 and a IIIa with a Xenon 1.5 would have set you back about $310.00. By contrast, an average new car cost about $650!

seekwhence