tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418200345166548412.post6431111694910265487..comments2024-03-27T13:44:38.472-07:00Comments on Urban Decay: Good Things in Small Packages: Leica IIIC CameraKodachromeguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09234925040052813302noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418200345166548412.post-16755252962982678082023-04-22T09:13:36.744-07:002023-04-22T09:13:36.744-07:00Thanks, Anonymous. Fortunately, I have enough Summ...Thanks, Anonymous. Fortunately, I have enough Summitar filters: Haze, Yellow 1, dark yellow, and Green (which is identical to the later Leitz GGr). For the few times I want an orange filter, I can use a Series VI.<br /><br />The genuine Leitz 39mm filters are outrageous now in the USA market (except for the odd color correction filters such as blue). Genuine Rollei Bay II and Bay III filters are also outrageous. Better buy when you can find one that you can use.kodachromeguy@bellsouth.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06220306502819757568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418200345166548412.post-64504747002406811672023-04-20T08:19:54.300-07:002023-04-20T08:19:54.300-07:00Sadly, Mark's comment is entirely true. LTM Le...Sadly, Mark's comment is entirely true. LTM Leicas are now rare. The only two I've seen for sale in the last three years (this in Melbourne) were a clapped-out iif with a hazey Elmar for AUD $890, which languished in the shop for a few m months until some pigeon came along and bought it (it seems he was sufficiently annoyed about the poor quality of this camera, that he wrote an article about it on some web site, unfortunately I didn't save it so I can't post it); also a IIIF with an Elmar for AUD $750, looking to be in VG+ condition, which was posted in March and sold about a week later. <br /><br />As for lens prices, a Melbourne secondhand dealer has Elmar 90s for AUD $200-$300 and 135s for AUD $400. All usable.<br /><br />Original Leitz filters to fit your dad's Summitar cost AUD $70-$80 each with a red going for AUD $100. <br /><br />It may be saying something that the Elmar and those filters have been on offer for yonks, and are still unsold. <br /><br />BTW Australia was for a long time a great hidey-hole for old Leica LTM gear at reasonable prices. Now no longer so. The GAS vultures have caught on and usually buy as quickly as reasonable quality items are posted for sale. <br /><br />This may be branded by some as heresy, but I did consider buying a 90 and a 135 with a Fuji adapter to use on my XE2, but in the end I decided against it, not from any concern as to the quality of the Leitz optics, but only that I don't often use telephotos. As an investment, however, they may be worth considering. I'm still thinking about this... Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418200345166548412.post-4888588632708694382020-02-07T14:05:48.852-08:002020-02-07T14:05:48.852-08:00Mark, you are right: so many cameras, so little ti...Mark, you are right: so many cameras, so little time. But time for older cameras may be gradually running out. Prices for good-condition examples are rising. The era when people switched to digital and dumped their film cameras in thrift shops is 15-20 years behind us. There is a finite and diminishing pool of good film cameras because time, rust, and mildew take their toll. <b>Buy while you can and prices are still reasonable! And keep supporting real photography.</b>Kodachromeguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09234925040052813302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418200345166548412.post-32877108708206062712019-09-24T13:05:57.766-07:002019-09-24T13:05:57.766-07:00Great article thanks for putting the effort in it&...Great article thanks for putting the effort in it's not easy. <br />I've a 111f summitar and a 111c summar and in my opinion there both wonderful and very useable classic cameras. But I've always had a soft spot for the older Nikons especially nikormats so well built solid with a top quality range of lenses at reasonable prices £21 for a ft2 50mm f2 nikor (ebay) <br />So many cameras so little time!!!Mark Pedwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00559035752177500431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418200345166548412.post-32383341279651227712018-08-01T04:41:19.712-07:002018-08-01T04:41:19.712-07:00Ditto ditto! In the '80s I had an M2 and then ...Ditto ditto! In the '80s I had an M2 and then an M3 but money problems came along and I had to sell out - I still kick myself for that, but needs must. A good friend loaned me a ca 1950 IIIc with the workhorse f/3.5 Elmar and I happily shot B&W with this kit until my finances improved - and then what did I buy? A Nikkormat. <br /><br />Recently I found my Leica negatives and put in time in my darkroom printing them. With great pleasure. As a very old German photographer once told me, Leitz lenses gave softer contrast but "wrapped the light" around the subject in a way no other lenses do (excepting the great Carl Zeiss optics which I believe, come close but not quite up to Wetzlar quality). <br />These days the only Leitz item I own is an old ELDIA printer I was given, but if I ever win a lottery, I'll buy into Leica Ms (an M2 is on my "want list") - if a good IIIf or IIIg were to come along, I would grab it in a flash, as lensmen say. <br />For lightweight travel nothing will ever beat a '50s Leica with one or two lenses, a lens hood and a few filters. Let the digi whiz kids have their plastic toys... with a bit of intelligence and some footwork we film users easily outshoot them in (not all, but) almost every situation. <br />Yes, a super fine review of the IIIc, a truly legendary camera. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418200345166548412.post-10006652355596528362018-01-23T07:16:06.420-08:002018-01-23T07:16:06.420-08:00Fine article, fine 3C review. My all-time favorit...Fine article, fine 3C review. My all-time favorite cameras were 2Fs, which have subtle-but-forgotten-by-me advantages. Today, for the same purposes, I rely on Konica Hexar AF which substitutes reliable-but-complicated tech for Leica's total lack of tech...a workable trade off. As well, Konica whups Leica optically...but I'm limited to 35mm bright frame only. I doubt my Konica will find someone to rebuild it in the far distant future, the way your Leica did :-)JKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16607212231745062778noreply@blogger.com