Really Good Things in Small Packages: My Leica IIIG Camera

Background

The stock market behaved as every economist predicted in response to the chaotic tariff regulations. Our family assets sink with each burp of the markets. That is sure making America great again...... The popular photo blogger, Kirk Tuck, recommended folks buy any cameras they might want immediately. Hmmm.....  

I like that advice!! I suffered another bout of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) and ordered a camera I have thought about for some years, the Leica IIIG rangefinder. A sale of Leica goodies at Tamarkin Camera in Chicago was too good to resist. The 'Bay lists tens of IIIGs for sale, mostly from Japan. But the Tamarkin price was a bit lower, and all his camera bodies have been checked, cleaned, and adjusted as needed.

The Leica IIIG

The IIIG is the last iteration of the famous Leica thread-mount camera line. Leica made this beauty from 1957 to 1960, with production of only about 40,000 units. Ernst Leitz GMBH had recovered from the war and was selling their top quality cameras and lenses around the world. Leitz had introduced their fantastic M3 camera in 1954, and the IIIG was their last and most sophisticated version of the older thread mount series. Unlike all the previous III models, the IIIG had a viewfinder with movable frame bars to show the coverage of a 50mm lens. It was a major improvement, although not nearly as sophisticated as the finder in the M cameras. 

Framing the scene that a lens will project on the 24×36 mm piece of film is always imprecise with viewfinder cameras. In the past, I have been frustrated with cameras that have a viewfinder only, such as my Vito BL, Kodak Retina IIa, and Leica IIIC. Depending on where I placed my eye, the frame shifted left or right. The projected frame bars in my Leica M2 and my Canonet cameras are a major improvement in aiming more accurately. Therefore, my new IIIG provides this improved function also (see, I just justified GAS). 

 

Leica IIIG viewfinder windows including small window to illuminate viewfinder frame bars

Like the older thread-mount cameras, the IIIG has two shutter speed controls. The dial on the front is for B (bulb) and 1 to 1/30 sec. The dial on the top controls 1/30 to 1/1000 sec. The self-timer is the lever on the front. 

Immaculate engraving and machining

The IIIG is somewhat of an anachronism today, being a mechanical camera that takes film and has no light meter. But it is more compact than my M2 camera, has a hand-crafted jewel-like precision, and has a fun factor that today's electronic cameras lack. And film has certainly enjoyed a revival compared to the early 2010s. Whether it lasts, I cannot predict. 

Loading contemporary film in current 35mm cassettes requires some preparation. You need to trim the film leader to have a tongue about 10cm long, similar to the way film was supplied in the 1960s. You load the film from the bottom. Lacking a back film door, the body is especially rigid.

I already had three 50mm thread-mount lenses that I used with my 1949 IIIC: 

• 1949 5 cm ƒ/2 Leitz Summitar (in the photos above)
• 1962 Soviet 50 mm ƒ/2 Jupiter-8 (a Sonnar type of lens)
• 1950s 50 mm ƒ/1.8 Canon (late production model) 

So, of course, too many camera toys....   

Note: In 1999, Leica issued their 50mm ƒ/2 modern Summicron lens in a thread-mount version. Hmmm... 

Olympic Peninsula, Washington

On a sunny and cheerful April day, my wife and I set out north into the Olympic Peninsula. I mounted my 1949 5 cm ƒ/2 Summitar lens on the body and loaded a roll of Kodak Portra 160. Leitz designed this 7-element lens before the war and continued production until 1953 or 1954. My example is coated and unscratched. I measured light with my trusty Gossen Luna Pro digital meter, set at Exposure Index 100. Here are some examples. Please click any picture to see details.

Hunter Farm, Rte 106, Union

Fix me up, Center Road, Quilcene (1/250 ƒ/5.6)

Fixer-upper house, Center Road, Quilcene

Waiting for repair with a bit of fungus, Rte 101, Quilcene

Skeleton man on patrol, Quilcene

Also waiting for repair, Rte 101, Quilcene

Rte 101 bridge over Hamma Hamma River (1/125 ƒ/8.0½)

Motel, Rte 101, Lilliwaup (1/60 ƒ/4.0½)

Country store, Rte 101, Lilliwaup

Oh, oh, no coffee here, Rte 101, Lilliwaup

Summary

OK, I am thrilled. This  IIIG certainly passes the test. The body looks great, the finder is clear and clean, film spacing is even, and exposure is uniform across the frame (meaning the shutter curtains are running smoothly). The old Summitar lens is contrasty on a bright sunny day. But it has serious field curvature and is not as uniform across the frame as a modern lens. On the scale of internet display, the frames look fine. The entire package is fun to use, with a mechanical watch-like precision. 

My recommendation: Buy a Leica thread-mount camera and get back to the basics of film photography! Have fun! 

Reading

One of the best reviews of the IIIG camera is by Mike Eckman. 

Appendix - Leather Case

Genuine E. Leitz case for Leica IIIG with short or collapsing lens

Tamarkin Camera included a traditional ever-ready ("never-ready") leather case. Such cases were ubiquitous pre-1975 or so, but they fell out of favor with most photographers. I had enormous bulbous leather cases for my Nikkormat and Nikon F cameras in the 1970s. 

I stopped using cases for most 35mm cameras years ago. However, the one for my Retina IIa was useful and compact, and the square one for my Rolleiflex 3.5E adds almost no bulk. Despite the criticisms, cases can be handy because you can walk around in a rain and have your camera protected. But the camera remains easily accessible. And, you can toss it into a backpack or the floor of your car, and it will be reasonably padded. 

The case above is beautifully made of molded brown leather. And this one still has good stitching. It is a compact model with short lens snout, probably intended for collapsing lenses or a tiny unit like the 35mm Summaron. My Summitar fits when collapsed. 

Leitz also made taller cases that, I assume, were designed to hold the camera and a mounted selenium light meter.

Would this be handy for a bicycle outing? The leather straps are old and need to be replaced for safety, and a light meter will need to be in another pouch or a pocket. Hmmm, something to consider.

In the Footsteps of Ara Güler in Istanbul (Nov. 2024)

Ara Güler was a famous mid-century Turkish photographer (1928-2018). He recorded the lives of dock workers, merchants, sailors, stevedores, and citizens going about their daily lives. Ara was a member of the Magnum photography cooperative. 

"I'm looking for the reality that passes in front of me."

The Ara Güler Müzesi is located in a residential neighborhood in northwest Istanbul. The museum is in a converted beer brewery, a bit of a metro ride and walk from the normal tourist areas. It displays some of his original silver gelatin prints (meaning real photographic paper) plus artifacts from his working years. The number of prints on display is limited but well worth the visit if you like to view the work of photography masters.

Gular's well-used Leica IIIC camera with a later vintage 50mm ƒ/3.5 Elmar lens

Example of reviewing proof sheets and choosing the most interesting frame

Selection of frames from a film strip

Well, needless to say, I will never be an Ara Güler, but I tried to take similar pictures around the waterfront that show the bustle and activity of Istanbul. Güler was well known for his waterfront pictures, so let's walk in his footsteps.

On the Bosphorus

The Golden Horn view west with the Suleymaniye Mosque in the distance

The Golden Horn and the Galata Tower

Karaköy waterfront from the Galata Bridge

Fish market, Karaköy

Waiting for a fish, Galata Bridge

On the Galata Bridge

On the Galata Bridge

I took these photographs with my Leica M2 camera on Kodak Tri-X film, exposed at EI=250. Güler used Tri-X as well as other films from the period. He also did some color work, but I think he is mostly remembered for his B&W photographs.

Kodak T400CN Film in Athens, Nov. 2024 (Abandoned Films 13c)

Here are some more examples of the long-discontinued Kodak T400CN black and white film in Athens, Greece (also see the previous article on using T400CN). Being long expired (the film, not me), I exposed it at Exposure Index 50 in my Leica M2 camera. It is a bit limiting in dark places, but I was careful to hold steadily, so even exposures of 1/30 or 1/60 of a second look fine.

Athenas Street with Monasteraki Square in the distance (Leica M2, 21mm ƒ/4.5 Zeiss Biogon lens)

Mrs. Poppy's souvenir store in the Plaka (21mm ƒ/4.5 Zeiss Biogon lens)

Anafiotika kitty (below the Acropolis)

Kitties in the twisty winding alleys below the Acropolis are a thing. I saw two photographers with big lenses concentrating on cat portraits.

Anafiotika artwork (21mm Biogon lens)

Anafiotika artwork (21mm Biogon lens)

First Cemetery, Athens (35mm ƒ/2 Summicron lens)

First Cemetery is the resting place for generations of prominent Athenian citizens, including politicians, poets, authors, and even Heinrich Schliemann.

Seattle Sonics having a coffee at carpo, Psychico 

Beetle in front of traditional villa, Psychico

I remember when Psychico was a quiet town of traditional 2-floor villas. My parents rented one in the 1950s. But now, and quickly, Psychico is becoming a suburb of apartment buildings. 

Northeast Photographic in Bath, Maine, processed the T400CN film in standard C-41 chemistry. I scanned the film with a Nikon Coolscan 5000ED scanner, controlled by NikonScan 4.03 software. The digital ICE system effectively cleans spots and blemishes.

Kodak T400CN Film in Greece - Success! (Abandoned Films 13b)

Film Background

Dear Readers, I did it again. The previous roll of long-expired Kodak T400CN film was only partly successful. But this time, it worked.

T400CN was a black and white film designed to be developed in C-41 chemistry, the same as popular color print films. The big advantage for me is that if I scan the film with my Nikon Coolscan 5000ED scanner, the digital ICE infrared function cleans scratches and dust. It is so effective, it seems like magic. But this only works with films that use dye clouds, meaning color print film or black and white films like the T400CN. The ICE will not work with regular black and white films, like Tri-X. I like traditional silver-based film, but the extra step of cleaning dust flecks adds a lot of extra time in front of a Photoshop screen. 

This film was originally rated at exposure index of 400. For the previous roll, I used 100 because of the age. But the negatives were desperately thin. Come to find out, the laboratory at Evergreen College probably made a mistake with timing or chemical mixture. Regardless, I decided to use EI = 50 in Greece. The film went to Northeast Photographic in Bath, Maine, and came back rich and full tone. It is fine-grained and high resolution.  

Here are some examples from Messolonghi in western Greece. Click any picture to see the frame at 2400 pixels wide.

Messolonghi

Salt production (Leica M2, 90mm ƒ/4 Elmar lens, deep yellow filter)

Salt mountain (50mm ƒ/2 Summicron lens)

Messolonghi is surrounded by shallow lagoons used for salt production and fish farming. Hellenic Saltworks S.A. fills lagoons with salt water and then lets them dry over time. They pile the salt into these impressive mountains for final drying.  

Chapel wall at Etoliko, surrounded by salt lagoons (90mm ƒ/4 Elmar lens)

Unused municipal office next to the Garden of Heroes (35mm ƒ/2 Summicron lens)

Tourlida village with wood cottages supported on stilts (21mm ƒ/4.5 Zeiss ZM Biogon lens)

Traditional fishing boat, Klisova Lagoon (90mm ƒ/4 Elmar lens)

All in all, I am pleased. I will use my remaining rolls of T400CN at EI=50. It is a bit slow but quite manageable in normal daylight (but maybe not for a gloomy winter day in Olympia). Stand by for more examples in the future.

Informal review: Zeiss ZM Biogon 21mm ƒ/4.5 Wide-angle Lens in Olympia (Oly 16)

21mm ƒ/4.5 Biogon lens with hood. The Leica M2 body is from 1967.

My New Biogon Lens

Dear Readers, once again, I failed to curb my GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). I bought a Zeiss ZM* 21mm ƒ/4.5 C Biogon lens for Leica M mount. 

Decades ago, I had a 20mm ƒ/5.6 Russar lens, a pioneering optical design from the Soviet Union. It worked well, but I sold it in the early-2000s when I was reducing my photography stuff. 

But I missed a really wide view for 35mm and had eyed this Biogon for a while. LensRentals sent an email about a 20% off sale, and they offered one of these lenses. That was too good to resist. The lens looked absolutely new, and, I assume, they seldom, if ever, rented this particular unit. After ordering a 21mm Leitz viewfinder from Tamarkin Camera, I was ready to go. (I recommend both LensRentals and Tamarkin Camera for good condition equipment and honest service.)

Zeiss made two 21mm lenses for the Leica M mount, this ƒ/4.5 C (Compact) model and an ƒ/2.8 version. The C lens is a compact gem and is intended for use on film cameras. It is almost distortion-free, meaning that straight lines remain straight. It takes 46mm filters, which are larger than the 39mm filters for my other Leitz lenses. The rectangle hood clips on the outside of the lens, and if you use filters, they must be the correct 46mm diameter to fit inside the hood.   

Finally, you need a 21mm external viewfinder to see what the lens covers. The built-in finder on my M2 camera has frame lines for 35mm, 50mm, 90mm, and 135mm lenses, but it is much too inaccurate to try to guess the coverage of a 21mm lens by looking at the edges of the viewfinder. The best external finders come from Leitz (Leica), Zeiss, and Voigtlander. The Leica unit was the only one with an offset shoe such that the mounted finder does not overhang the shutter speed dial (see the photo above). 

Kodak T400CN Examples, Olympia, Washington

One October morning with misty light, I walked around downtown Olympia. Here are some examples of how this 21mm lens can take in the big picture. Please click any photo to see it enlarged.

View south on Capital Way (21mm ƒ/4.5 Biogon lens, 1/15 sec.)

Capital Way sidewalk

Art alley parallel to 4th Avenue

Olympia Federal Savings parking lot (1/30 ƒ/5.6). Note the straight lines.

Mid-century architecture, Olympia Federal Savings bank

Olympia has a good selection of mid-century architecture. The city must have enjoyed a period of prosperity after the war, resulting in a burst of commercial construction. Some of this architecture has aged well, but some of it looks dismal.

Legion Way view west (1/30 ƒ/5.6)

Sylvester Park from Dancing Goats Coffee

Capital Way sidewalk

5th Avenue

Olympia's downtown core is grungy and dirty. I wish the city would do a serious cleaning, pressure wash the sidewalks, remove graffiti, remove the homeless, and install more effective street drains. It is disgraceful considering it is the state capital. 

Morning on East Bay

Many mornings, especially after a storm, the light on East Bay is just magic. This is my view during my morning coffee.

Fuji Acros 100 Film

Washington State Capitol (May 3, 2024)

State of Washington General Administration office building from Columbia Street SW

This 1956 office building is an example of International Style architecture, emphasizing horizontal lines and severe lack of external ornamentation. 

"The building was designed by prominent Tacoma architect, A. Gordon Lumm, in the International style distinctive for its horizontal cubical form and spare ornamentation. Its exterior minimalist appearance and interior architectural flexibility, including movable aluminum wall panels, demonstrate a growing aesthetic for modular space able to easily accommodate changing space and technology requirements."

This sounds like an early form of the cube farm. The building has been unoccupied since 2018 because the wiring, plumbing, and structure no longer meet building codes. Six years later, I do not see any work on demolition. Some planning documents state it will be replaced by a parking lot and restroom???

1970 (approx.) postcard of General Services Building.

This is a postcard from the University of Idaho's Northwest Historical Postcards Collection. The building did not look too bad back then. 

Summary

I am thrilled with my 21mm Biogon lens. It is high contrast and distortion-free. Resolution is remarkable on fine-grain film. It is compact enough to easily fit in a camera bag with the rest of the Leica kit. You need to be careful in framing to avoid converging lines, such as in the photograph of the General Services building. It is fine wide open at ƒ/4.5. You need the correct 46mm screw-in filters, but the mounts can be regular thickness (slim-mount not necessary). And you need the correct Zeiss rectangle hood. 

Summary: Highly-recommended!

* The Zeiss ZM lenses are made for use on Leica-M mount camera bodies. Most lenses are made in Japan, but a few are from Germany. Many reviewers state that the ZM lenses are as good optically as genuine Leica lenses but are much less expensive. The 21mm ƒ/4.5 Biogon that I bought is out of production, so if you want one, grab one now. 

The 50mm ƒ/1.5 Sonnar is a modern version of the classic large aperture Sonnar lens, first made a century ago. I already have one Sonnar lens, a 1962-vintage Soviet 50mm ƒ/2 Jupiter-8. These Sonnars produce a different "look" than most contemporary 50mm lenses. 

The Zeiss ZM 25mm Biogon lens has a superlative reputation. But I won't buy one, I promise...... 

(Coming soon: 21 mm scenes in Athens and Istanbul.)