Leitz
Superb! 1938 Leitz Leica IIIa with 2.0/50mm lens and camera case, Freshly Serviced, CLA'd
Cleaned, Lubricated & Adjusted. Ready for immediate use!
There are times when camera collecting is incredibly difficult. It comes as moments when you’re asked simple questions like “What’s the best camera…?” or “Which is the most significant camera ever?” The brain starts working, the heart beats nicely and the mouth moves but if an answer appears at all… it’s a long and complicated one, full of design details, historical moments and personal rationalizations.
Fortunately answers come quicker when we are asked to feel more and think less…. Matters of the heart are easier to answer and to agree on. The eye and the heart have a directness and honesty that the brain lacks as it struggles to retain, comprehend and balance all the many details.
So here’s a simple question for the heart. What is the most enjoyable camera of the 20th century…? I don’t know about you, but I see the answer almost immediately. I can also feel it between my hands. And it’s a surprising answer because it runs counter to my technology oriented brain. What I see is not the most expensive, the rarest or even the most sophisticated. That evidently doesn’t impress my heart… which is why the heart and the mind are such a good match. They need each other for balance. The brain tells us what we think we need and the heart tells us what we want.
The most enjoyable camera ever….? I thought it would be a Pentax Spotmatic but it’s not. The winner is a screw mount Leica. It’s honest, it’s significant and above all it’s great fun to be with. The Leica is like the perfect partner that some of us search our entire lives for. It has that unique mix of something for the heart, something for the eye and something for the head. It’s that perplexing mix that insures we never tire of being close. And when you cradle it in your hands, you’re not simply picking up a camera… it’s more like being reunited with an old friend. A friend with rich sparkling stories of adventure and history, life and death, valor and treachery, lives and passion… And like a faithful friend it will go on and on recording our adventures, our children’s adventures and possibly be still there for our grand children to enjoy and to remind them of our life, excursions and adventures.
This camera’s own life is long and colorful. I can’t tell you the stories of where it’s been all these years but I can tell you this camera started its long journey of many roads and many years in Germany before the war. The serial number indicates that it was produced in 1938. A brand-new camera that was ready for the next year when WWII was triggered by the unprovoked German invasion of Poland on June 22nd during Operation Barbarossa.
This camera has just been carefully cleaned, lubricated and adjusted to ensure that it will continue working for many years to come. It works very smoothly and lends credence to the idea that the more a Leica is used, the smoother it works. The shutter curtains run smoothly and are completely light tight. The coupled rangefinder has been cleaned and the image is easy to see and focusing works smoothly & accurately. The view finder is clean and bright. The camera winds very smoothly and all shutter speeds, B & 1 sec. thru 1/1000th are appropriate. And in case you’re wondering, it uses normal 35mm film.
It comes complete with a Leitz film take up spool and a brown leather case & leather strap.
Included is a Leitz The 2.0/50mm Summar lens which was a popular choice and often used by photojournalists. Now-a-days, owners often like to use this lens up close and wide open as a portrait lens. The results are praised for its soft Leica glow. Of course when stopped down, and used at normal distances the Summar also delivers a fine rendition coupled to a pleasant vintage 1930’s look to it. Naturally this lens was intended to be used on Leica screw mount cameras but it works well on modern mirrorless digital cameras by simply using an inexpensive adapter.
As any collector will tell you, it’s very hard to find a f2.0/50mm Summar in good condition. This is due to the rather soft glass that Leitz used, which scratches easily. Evidently this lens it the exception to the rule. The chrome barrel naturally shows wear consistent with an 86-year-old lens but the glass itself is in exceptionally fine condition. Probably the best Summar glass I’ve seen in years. It’s obvious that it was never cleaned unnecessarily and when needed, it was cleaned with the utmost care. There are no scratches, just some very light cleaning wisps (visible only under magnification). Focus and aperture adjustments function smoothly. The aperture blades are super clean and it’s capable of producing lovely photos with modern color and B&W films.
All in all, a wonderful collectable Leica. The perfect company on your own search for that perfect picture, that perfect moment, when you discover that perfection isn’t about being perfect… it’s about being comfortable about yourself, your choices and following your heart.
