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Getting A Usable Vintage Camera
You can certainly get a nice usable vintage Leica for $500 or less. However, you need to understand a few things before you choose one. Leitz made two different systems of 35mm rangefinder cameras.
The earlier system has a mount that accepts lenses that screw into the camera body (what we call 39mm screw mount, or LTM for Leica thread mount). They introduced this system in 1930 with the Leica I(C) model, and continued it well into the 1950’s up to the classic Leica IIIg. Concurrently during the 1950’s, Leitz introduced a new system that accepts lenses with a special bayonet mount (rather than screw in, the lens is placed against the mount lined up with a red dot and a quick quarter turn locks it in place).
This is known as the M bayonet system, which started with the superb Leica M3 and continues right up to the latest M8. Okay, for $500 you want to find a classic Leica that your fiance’, who probably knows and appreciates the Leica mystique, can enjoy in his free time.
I’m talking hobby camera, not camera for his work, because a photojournalist today would be doing his job with the latest digital gear. No problem. You’re on the right track looking at the Leica IIIf. It’s a common model, with over 180,000 sold between 1950 and 1957, it accepts all the zillions of screw mount lenses Leitz made up to that time (and also early 39mm screw mount Canon, Nikon, and even many Russian made lenses), and there’s always a bunch available on eBay.
I do not recommend the Leica IIIg; although it is a better camera, collectors keep it’s price hovering in the $1000 range. I do not recommend some other common earlier models like the Leica III, IIIa, or IIIc; although they’re equally common and readily available for less money, they are also just old enough to cause a lot of trouble and frustration. Among the screw mount models, the Leica IIIf is a great choice. Find one that work! Don’t take a risk on an example that needs any sort of repair.
Look for one that has a bit of external personality (as long as there’s no overt damage, a few rub marks or gentle dings are not a problem), the seller guarantees it all works, as it should. And the Leitz Summitry is a fine fast lens, but get the Elmer 5cm f3.5 instead if you can.
Forget the original box (collectors will PUSH the price for original boxes, but there’s no advantage for you there), don’t worry about a case (they fall apart, and they sometimes cause more damage to the camera because they hold in moisture), but do try to get a proper Leitz lens cap. This is your best bet for a usable vintage Leica in the $400-$500 range.
Now if you want to bend just a bit, and you’d like to explore those later M series cameras, you can probably get a 1960-ish Leica M2 with a superb Submicron 50mm f2 lens somewhere in the $500-$600 range. All the same thoughts apply in regards to condition, etc. The biggest advantage of the M series over the old screw mount series is that if your fiance’ eventually wants to get a modern Leica (for work AND pleasure), any lenses he already has with the M2 would be interchangeable with the later camera.
The classic M3 is too desirable among collectors, the M1 has limited features, and you could consider stepping up for the M4 (actually it would have to specifically be the M4-2 because the original M4 has become quite collectible as well), but that model is the first of the “modern” designs. So there you have it, the Leica IIIf or the Leica M2, those are your best choices in your price range. Regarding your question about Leica values, in general, yes, all of them do increase in value.
The vast majority increases slightly ahead of inflation (over time, not right away), so not that terribly high, but certainly enough to equal money in the bank (and assuming you deal only in top condition). The historically significant models, and a few choice rare models, increase by much greater degrees, in some cases to the point of being ridiculous. Common models like the IIIf just seem to float along with the economy. So, in general, Leica cameras appear to be a good to excellent “investment”.
About the Author
Victor Epand is an expert consultant at http://www.UsedCameraSell.com/. Used Camera Sell is a community of various independent used camera sellers from around the world. Each used camera seller represents a unique style of products all their own. If you have used cameras to sell, click here to create a Camera Account.
Leica M8.2 Camera Unboxing
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Gold-Series 2.0 USB Digital Camera Interface Mini-B 5-Pin Transfer Cable with Ferrite Core for Acer, Agfa, Aiptek, Argus, Canon, Casio, Chronos, Concord, Contax, Cool iCam, Creative, DXG, Epson, Fujifilm, Gateway, Hitachi, Hewlett Packard, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Leica, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Polaroid, Ricoh, Samsung, SeaLife, Sharp, Sigma, SiPix, Toshiba, Vivitar, and Many More! $4.98 It’s time to get your digital camera or camcorder connected, with this premium, gold-plated version USB Type-A to Mini Type-B 5 pin cable. This cable also includes a ferrite core, fully shielded to filter out signal noise to guarantee virtually zero, error free transmissions. This is a 2-meter USB cable is used to download images from your digital device to your PC. On one end of the cable is a st… |
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Leica 14464 Lithium-ion Battery for the M8 Digital Rangefinder Camera (14464) $94.88 The Lithium-ion battery was specially designed for the M8 / M9 and provides enough power for about 575 pictures. A charger, (Leica #14463) for the M8 battery is sold separately and can be used in nearly all countries and it includes a car adapter for 12-24 volts. The charger recognizes the different charging parameters and reacts accordingly to ensure a long life of the battery…. |
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Rainbowimaging Black Genuine Leather Neck Strap for Fuji X100, Leica M9, M8, M7 , M6, M5, X1, Leica R Camera, Sony NEX-5 NEX-3, Olympus E-P1, E-P2, E-PL1, E-PL2, E-P3, Panasonic D-LUX 5, GF3, GF2, GF1, GH3, GH2, GH1, G10, G3, G2, G1 & any other Digital SLR and Classic Cameras. $23.59 Compatible to for Leica M9, M8, M7 , M6, M5, X1, Leica R Camera, Fujifilm X100, Sony NEX-5 NEX-3, Olympus E-P1, E-P2, E-PL1, E-PL2, Panasonic D-LUX 5, GF3, GF2, GF1, GH3, GH2, GH1, G10, G3, G2, G1 & any other Digital SLR and Classic Cameras…. |
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16 GB SDHC 16gig 16GB (SD) Secure Digital High Capacity Flash Memory Card $64.99 - 16GB Secure Digital Memory Card, for Nintendo Wii - SDHC High Speed Class Rating: Speed Class 2, Class 4 & Class 6 - Fully compatible with SD Card Association – SD2.0 SDHC memory card specification standards - Minimum Sustained Write Speed : Class 6: 6MB/sec - Durability: >10,000 insertion / removal cycles - Supports Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM) for music and other commercial m… |
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Gold-Series Type A to Mini 5 Pin Digital Device Interface Cable for Cameras, Camcorders, MP3 Players, Smartphones and Many Other Devices $1.11 This a 2-meter New gold-plated version with ferrite core. Used to move files, photos, or video images from a Digital Camera, Camcorder, MP3 Player, or other compatible device, to a PC. One end is a standard Type-A male that will fit into a PC or a Laptop. The other end is a Type-B mini plug which will fit into the digital device. Can also be utilized as a charging cable for many devices. Fully com… |
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NEW 8GB 8-GB SD SDHC Memory Card ( with Toshiba chip ) for Leica Camera D-Lux 4 C-Lux 3 M8.2 C-Lux 2 Digilux 3 M8 V-Lux 1 $7.85 8GB SDHC Memory Card Class 4 ( with Toshiba Chip )Quantity: 1Type: SDHCBrand: non-OEM ( with Toshiba chip )Storage Capacity: 8GBClass: 4Condition: NewGuarantee: 12 Month WarrantySDHC memory cards can only work with the new SDHC compatible host devices and they are not backwards compatible with the standard SD-based host devices…. |
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Power Supply  Mini USB – Cable Cord Lead Wire for Leica Digital Cameras (5 Feet Black) – Digital Camera Cable$0.01 This Power Supply Mini USB is compatible with the following Leica Digital Cameras digital cameras: Digilux, 1, Digilux, 2, Digilux, 3, M8, M8.2. Please note there may be other models compatible with this cable, please confirm with us before purchasing…. |