Vintage Leica M3 case

This is the original Leica M3 case

Yevgeni Khaldei 'a Leica III

Yevgeni Khaldei 用來拍攝二次世界大戰經典照片 Raising a Flag over the Reichstag (勝利之旗幟) 的徠卡III相機

Yevgeni Khaldei (1917-1997) took 'Raising a Flag over the Reichstag', one of the most famous photographs of World War II in May 1945 using this camera. The image of Russian troops hoisting the Hammer and Sickle above the Reichstag (the German Parliament building) enjoyed instant popularity. It became one of the most widely reproduced war photographs in the world and is often compared to the famous image of American soldiers raising the Stars and Stripes flag at Iwo Jima. 

The Russians saw the Reichstag as a symbol of the Nazi regime and placed great store by its capture (although, ironically, the Nazis loathed the Reichstag because of the democratic system it embodied and abandoned the building after it was partially destroyed by a fire in 1933). Khaldei's image was taken on 2 May 1945 shortly after the Reichstag had finally fallen. According to Khaldei, the situation around the Reichstag was a 'fluid one' around the time that the photographs were taken. There was continual gunfire as well as pockets of German resistance at this time. The battle was considered still on even though there were tranquil moments on the streets with Russian military vehicles seen below.

Yevgeni Khaldei started work as a photo journalist for the official Soviet news agency TASS in the mid 1920s but was dismissed in 1948 for 'resting on his laurels' though Khaldei himself attributed his sacking to anti Semitism. He only became known in the West in the 1990s after the fall of communism. His reputation rests mainly on his wartime work and the photographs he took at the Nuremburg Trials of Nazi war criminals in 1946. He used Leica cameras throughout his career.

Provenance

It is known that Khaldei was extremely proud of his World War II Leica camera and wore it around his neck to all gatherings and exhibitions regarding photography in his native Russia. In appreciation for bringing his photographs to a wider international audience and for communicating his life and legacy as a photographer Khaldei gifted the Leica to its current American owner. This camera shown at "Witness to History", a solo exhibition of the photographs of Yevgeni Khaldei at the Jewish Museum in New York which opened in January 1997.

Sold for HK$ 1,500,000 inc. premium

Vintage Leica III (1938~9) with 50mm F3.5 Elmar len 徕卡黑漆版古董老相机

The Leica III was produced from 1933-1939. 

E. Leitz G.M.B.H.

Wetzlar Germany

Lens: f3.5, 50 mm Elmar, iris diaphragm to f18. 

Screw mount.

Serial no. 310069 (1938).

Shutter: Focal-plane, speeds 1 - 1/500, Z. Speeds are varied by delaying the second blind.

Construction: Vulcanite covered metal body.

Format: 36, 24 x 36 mm exposures on 35 mm cine film held in cassette, film is re-wound into cassette.

Focusing: Helical to 1 metre.

Attributes: Coupled rangefinder, swing prism type, double image. Direct-vision (lens/lens) view-finder. 

Auto-stop on film advance coupled to shutter. Film advance tensions shutter. Exposure counter.

The key  differences between the Leica II versus the Leica III are:
1. Leica II has no slow speeds 
2. Leica II has no strap lugs. 
3. Leica II has a 1:1 RF image. It has a 1X magnification on the rangefinder, and the Leica III has a 1.5X magnification. So the Leica III is more accurate focusing, and easier to focus.

Within the Leica II families, there are variations:

It is interesting that these screw-mount cameras continued in production for nearly seven years after the arrival of the M3, the forerunner of today's Ms. The M3, with its quick-release bayonet mount and amazingly large combination viewfinder and rangefinder, was a superior camera but came at a superior price.

According to a collector at forum, at the time the IIIf and IIIg were still in demand because they were cheaper and probably preferred by owners of the old screw lenses.and Leicas would have ranged from £125 to £200. I imagine the IIIf (body only) would have been at the lower end of this range, equivalent to about £2,900, while the M3, on introduction, would have been around £180 (£4,200). These figures are based on the retail price index. However, looking at it from an average earnings perspective, the IIIf would have been over £7,000 and the M3 around £10,000. This shows just how desirable and exclusive Leicas were in the early fifties.

Why Leica III

1. Ultra-high quality images from the smallest and lightest possible camera

2. the least expensive ways to get into the LEICA system (Compared to Leica M cameras which have shot up in value in recent months/years, Barnack Leicas are quite inexpensive to buy). 

3. The IIIa is a real Barnack-designed LEICA, designed and crafted in Wetzlar by a company that made more microscopes and precision instruments

4. The LEICA III works perfectly with all LEICA screw-mount lenses.

5.  The LEICA III is quiet, compact

I came across this Leica III by chance and was attracted by its history; its all black paint body plus it comes with its original Elmar lens.This camera is almost 80 years old and it is still functioning, which is amazing. I would have love my M3 to be the black paint version but the price is incredibly high. Maybe one day. So, in the mean time, its this Leica III...

After some simple cleaning:

从历史上说, 莱卡是第一款135旁轴照相机。要知道，之前的摄影师都是后背取景的相机，摄影师将干板或者胶卷装在木质暗盒里，聚焦时则用一块黑色的布盖在头上，透过相机后方的磨砂玻璃把像调整清晰。这种相机非常笨重，根本不适合拍摄新闻之类的转瞬即逝的题材，而柯达等出产的小型盒式相机成像质量非常差，只能用作家庭娱乐拍摄。而莱卡相机将轻便与成像结合在一起，成为当时新闻、纪实摄影的利器。同时相比于柯达的家庭娱乐相机，莱卡结实可靠，是所有战地摄影师的首选。很多神一样的照片都是出自莱卡，很多新闻、纪实摄影界的泰斗也都青睐于莱卡相机。LEICA早期相機機身材質都為扎實的黃銅製造，質感非常好；尤其是早期黑漆的剝落、露出金光閃閃的黃銅，古典韻味十足.

 據說每個Leica發燒友都希望擁有一部「黑漆」，Leica首部生產的相機是黑色的，機身是以黃銅製成，然後才塗上黑漆，由於機身上的漆油會磨蝕，在耐用程度上，及不上後來的鉻銀色相機。有趣的是「黑漆」卻遠比鉻銀相機貴，主因是前者的產量很少，廠方是專為一些有特別需要的人而設的，譬如前線記者和攝影師，由於這些前線工作人員需要常常外出拍攝，在陽光下銀色的相機很容易被他人發現，為了行事隱密和低調，因此廠方生產了一批黑漆相機，讓他們能做好自己的工作。收藏黑漆相機的人還會講究它是否「露銅,理論上露銅越多，表示越多人用過，正正因為越多人用過，所以證明了它在歷史的地位

螺口可換鏡頭的徠卡機身

• Leica I Schraubgewinde：1930年39毫米螺旋口，可配愛爾馬50毫米f/3.5、35毫米f/3.5和135毫米f/4.5鏡頭。
• Leica II：1932年，配有可與鏡頭聯動測距儀。
• Leica III：1933年，配有低速快門，由機身前另一小紐控制。
• Leica IIIa：1935年，配有1/1000s的高速快門。
• Leica IIIb：1938年
• Leica IIIc/IIId：1940年
• Leica If/IIf/IIIf：1952年
• Leica IIIg：1957年

Vintage Leica M3 camera

One of my key reason for selecting the Leica 50mm Summicron Collapsible radioactive len is to be the same as the old leica advertisement. This is how my Leica M3 look, similar to the old vintage leica M3 advertisements.

The Summicron 50mm Lens by Harold M. Merklinger as published in Shutterbug, June 1994.

The Leitz 50 mm f/2 Summicron set a new standard for normal lenses when it was first introduced about 1953. A few prototypes were actually engraved Summitar*. This new lens had two particular features which distinguished it from its predecessors. It was the first “high speed” lens that equaled the performance of the 50/3.5 Elmar at any given f-stop. Thus the 35 mm photographer could choose a single normal lens without sacrificing either quality or speed. He could have both. And second, the Summicron was designed to have uniform image quality across the format, even at the larger apertures. Earlier lenses, and the lenses of other manufacturers, were designed for sharp, contrasty results in the very center, but image quality deteriorated towards the edges. 

The original 50 mm Summicron was produced in a collapsible mount, much like the Summitar and Summar that preceded it, and like it’s sibling 50/3.5 Elmar. The higher speed 50/1.5 Summarit was always in a rigid mount. In about 1956 a rigid version of the 50/2 Summicron for M-series cameras appeared with little explanation. A special version of the rigid lens, the Dual-Range Summicron for the M-3, did feature provisions for close focusing, however. It was not ’till 1960 or so that the rigid lens became available in screw mount—just as production of screw-mount Leicas was drawing to a close. Any number of references will tell us that the collapsible and rigid versions of the Summicron are optically identical. This information is erroneous; these two versions of the 50/2 Summicron are different designs. 

As the accompanying photograph will show, the rigid version of the lens is longer. The optics are set farther from the film and the lens mount than is the case for the collapsible version. The front element and the rear element are both set farther forward. This does not mean the focal length is different, however. The two lenses are simply different optical designs. Additional evidence may be seen in the photograph. The depth of field scales are identical, but the mark for infra-red focusing moves from the f/2 mark on the earlier lens, to roughly half-way between the f/4 and the f/5.6 marks on the later lens. 

In my view, the rigid Summicron represents as great a milestone in lens design as does the collapsible Summicron. The collapsible Summicron becomes somewhat lack-luster at apertures larger than f/4. The rigid Summicron, on the other hand, is fully usable at it’s maximum aperture. Images taken at f/2, even in the close-up range, are stunning in sharpness and contrast. The f/2 aperture finally became a true working aperture, not a low light emergency back-up. The rigid design also re-established the Summicron as the best normal lens available. Lenses of f/2 and f/1.4 from the Japanese competition noticeably surpassed the collapsible Summicron in the center of the image field—as for that matter did the Summitar, though over a very small angle only. I still rely on the original rigid Summicron whenever I seek the ultimate in 50 mm lens performance. This forty year old design is still among the very best! © Harold M. Merklinger, 

Vintage Leica M3 day 2 experience

This is my second day in using the Leica M3 ith 50mm len. Instetad of using my phone apps light meter, the newly integrated light meter has made using the camera a joy.

Once i have the reading from the meter, i just need to set the speed and aperture, focus and shoot. The Leica M3 is less i intimidating that the Rollierflex as it is not so big and attention seeking. 

Still learning...and enjoying.

External light sensor meter for Leica M3 Voigtlander VC - Meter II

The Leica M3 is an all mechanical camera with no electronic components. In order to determine the light conditions, an external light sensor meter is needed.

I went to Sam Sui Po hoping to get a vintage light meter but some how the accuracy is lacking for most of the light meters. Moreover, it is also quite difficult to determine the reading. I have also tried downloading the 4 light meter apps but all 4 apps showed different reading each time.

As such, I have decided to get a modern Voigtlander VC- Meter II which is both compact and accurate.  It costs about hK$1800. To operate this meter, you set the appropriate film speed, aim the front at your subject, and press the orange button. When you release the button, a reading is frozen, and the LED displays will show red over/under arrows as you try different shutter/aperture combinations. Finally you will see the green center dot illuminate and exposure is correct. The LEDs light up as soon as you press and hold the orange button in case you need real-time readings, rather than freezing one in memory. The LEDs stay lit for as long as you are rotating the dials and for about 8 seconds after you stop.

As it is a compact meter, the meter basically integrated itself with the camera.