Leica III With 5cm Elmar 3. 5 - Body 1936 - Rare Wartime Elmar - Both Usable Now
Item History & Price
Part of our late dad's collection. Acquired in 1970's and stored unused for 45 years.
Body and lens have had $200 CLA, fully operational but sold For Parts due to bent ring, ripple, haze. See description and test photos.
Leica III built 1936 serial 191179. Elmar built 1940 serial 543193, uncoated, chrome. See test shots comparing to multicoated Nikkor.
The Good:Body: - III shutter speeds operate smoothly and all sound correct a...fter CLA. Not tested with film. - Slow speeds sound correct, 1 second appears to be right on. - Both shutter curtains shown in photos, one curtain has ripple, otherwise both in excellent condition, CLA tech did not report any concerns. - Smooth film advance, frame counter and shutter operation. - Photos show wear to satin metal finish. Camera looks and feels nicer in the hand than photos suggest. - Viewfinder image is clear, no issues, minor haze. Rangefinder is well aligned and provides clear double image to focus with. - All painted digits / letters are intact. Film take-up spool is present. Lens:- Lens extend / lock / collapse operates crisply.- Diaphragm blades clean, setting tab slides smoothly over full range.- Infinity lock operates properly and lens focuses smoothly over full range.- Lens was built in Germany during WWII. You owe it to yourself to google 'leica freedom train' to appreciate the righteous Leitz story.
The Bad:Body: - Top and bottom plate show wear from use. - Vulcanite almost perfect, some shrinkage near lens mount, one crack between slow shutter dial and lens mount. Lens: - Lens front ring has a bend in it between 'Elmar' and 'f=5cm'. Three of the four on-edge views maximize its visibility. - Lens is uncoated and CLA was unable to achieve full clarity. The harsh LED reading lamp shows noticeable haze on interior surfaces. No cracks or scratches to front or rear elements. - See test shots, you will agree this 80 year old lens is excellent.
Test Photo - Cardboard target was shot in full sunlight outdoors from 11 meters wide open at f3.5. Focus is on the 3mm digits that are part of the bar code at top right of box. Exposure set -1.3 stops. It is a 40mp HiRes tripod mounted shot from OM-D-EM5ii, making an effective 150mp full frame sensor.
Comparison of 80 year old uncoated Elmar with 1974 multicoated Nikkor 50/2 (also set to f3.5). One respected authority says this Nikkor has 'perfect' contrast from f4. There were NO adjustments to image or camera default settings before cropping to 1/170th of 24x36 frame. The 3mm tall digits are about 9 pixels tall on my screen before upload, these lenses are at their limits. In my ignorant lay opinion, the Nikkor has about one more step of contrast (ie The Zone System) than the hazy Elmar.
Elmar 3.5 is the lens that established 35mm photography. Arguably this shot shows it is sharper than any handheld 24mp shot you and I might snap.
You are bidding on a piece of Leica history you can hold in your hand, and start shooting with immediately on digital or film.
Happy collecting, and happy shooting.
Let's keep it simple.Shipping: to Canada cad$25, to USA cad$35, Europe cad$45, Asia cad$55.We do not falsify Customs Declarations. Do not bid if you cannot afford taxes on your Leica importation. We ship worldwide. Do not ask for a shipping address change after auction, sale will be cancelled and you will be blocked as suspected fraudster. Thank you.
Body and lens have had $200 CLA, fully operational but sold For Parts due to bent ring, ripple, haze. See description and test photos.
Leica III built 1936 serial 191179. Elmar built 1940 serial 543193, uncoated, chrome. See test shots comparing to multicoated Nikkor.
The Good:Body: - III shutter speeds operate smoothly and all sound correct a...fter CLA. Not tested with film. - Slow speeds sound correct, 1 second appears to be right on. - Both shutter curtains shown in photos, one curtain has ripple, otherwise both in excellent condition, CLA tech did not report any concerns. - Smooth film advance, frame counter and shutter operation. - Photos show wear to satin metal finish. Camera looks and feels nicer in the hand than photos suggest. - Viewfinder image is clear, no issues, minor haze. Rangefinder is well aligned and provides clear double image to focus with. - All painted digits / letters are intact. Film take-up spool is present. Lens:- Lens extend / lock / collapse operates crisply.- Diaphragm blades clean, setting tab slides smoothly over full range.- Infinity lock operates properly and lens focuses smoothly over full range.- Lens was built in Germany during WWII. You owe it to yourself to google 'leica freedom train' to appreciate the righteous Leitz story.
The Bad:Body: - Top and bottom plate show wear from use. - Vulcanite almost perfect, some shrinkage near lens mount, one crack between slow shutter dial and lens mount. Lens: - Lens front ring has a bend in it between 'Elmar' and 'f=5cm'. Three of the four on-edge views maximize its visibility. - Lens is uncoated and CLA was unable to achieve full clarity. The harsh LED reading lamp shows noticeable haze on interior surfaces. No cracks or scratches to front or rear elements. - See test shots, you will agree this 80 year old lens is excellent.
Test Photo - Cardboard target was shot in full sunlight outdoors from 11 meters wide open at f3.5. Focus is on the 3mm digits that are part of the bar code at top right of box. Exposure set -1.3 stops. It is a 40mp HiRes tripod mounted shot from OM-D-EM5ii, making an effective 150mp full frame sensor.
Comparison of 80 year old uncoated Elmar with 1974 multicoated Nikkor 50/2 (also set to f3.5). One respected authority says this Nikkor has 'perfect' contrast from f4. There were NO adjustments to image or camera default settings before cropping to 1/170th of 24x36 frame. The 3mm tall digits are about 9 pixels tall on my screen before upload, these lenses are at their limits. In my ignorant lay opinion, the Nikkor has about one more step of contrast (ie The Zone System) than the hazy Elmar.
Elmar 3.5 is the lens that established 35mm photography. Arguably this shot shows it is sharper than any handheld 24mp shot you and I might snap.
You are bidding on a piece of Leica history you can hold in your hand, and start shooting with immediately on digital or film.
Happy collecting, and happy shooting.
Let's keep it simple.Shipping: to Canada cad$25, to USA cad$35, Europe cad$45, Asia cad$55.We do not falsify Customs Declarations. Do not bid if you cannot afford taxes on your Leica importation. We ship worldwide. Do not ask for a shipping address change after auction, sale will be cancelled and you will be blocked as suspected fraudster. Thank you.
