Leica Winter Preparation

Winter weather hit hard in and around NW PA. I'd like to walk around outside in 10-20 degree clear weather for winter pictures, but I'm concerned about how my IIIg with f2.8 Elmar will work and don't want to damage it. It's 10 years since a body CLA and the lens was rebuilt about 7 years back. Any advice would be appreciated

When I do winter walkarounds I usually keep my camera inside my shell-jacket which is unzipped at the top so there is little, if any, moisture trapped...pull it out for a shot or 2, and put it back. Usually ok with only a momentary exterior fog up. Since it's been a while since your CLA on an LTM body, though, you might want to put it outside in a protected area for 10-15 minutes before you put film in, exposing it to the temperatures and check everything from film advance to focusing and shutter, slowly to see if things work smoothly. If ok, then go ahead with film. I've done this with LTM bodies and an SL2, when I owned one, and it worked fine. In fact the SL2 stayed out exposed to the elements for about 1/2 hr in 20 degree weather before I put it back in the car and exposures were fine. The other thing worth checking in advance is to check if your film retains its sensitivity (ISO) in very cold weather (Mfr specs).

Film can get very stiff and brittle in the cold, and is prone to static discharge if you wind or rewind too quickly. Leitz was slow to adopt a rewind crank (supposedly) for that reason.

Appreciate both comments. I let IIIg w/2.8 Elmar cool for 20 minutes @ 24f in everyready case. Opened it up and noticed no condensation or fogging in lens or rangefinder. Camera was not loaded. Focus mount and aperture ring were slightly stiffer. Set shutter @ 1/30 and tripped shutter. shutter release slightly stiff. Noticeably stiffer on recocking, so slowed down advance. Shutter speeds seemed ok above 1/30th but not happy with slow speeds. Overall, I think camera would work, but film and shutter cocking would lead to additional stiffness. Closing it back up in case, took it back inside and left it to warm back up for 30 minutes. As Leica body is mostly metal, it was still cool to touch even after 30 minutes. SCL's method makes sense; take a shot and put it back inside jacket. Any changes to shutter speed and aperture should be made with great care.

To continue this project, I cooled my $20 garage sale IIIc for the same 20 minutes in sub-zero conditions without film. Neither the camera nor its 50 Elmar 3.5 have ever received a CLA. It functioned OK at room temperature, but when taken out from the cold the lens focusing mount and especially the aperture tab were very stiff. The shutter sounded OK above 1/100th, but slower speeds were uneven. I didn't try below 1/30th on the slow speed dial. Rangefinder worked OK. Cocking the shutter was stiff. After taking it back into the house and letting it warm up in its zipper case, I tried it out after 3 hours and it was pretty much the way it had been before the testing. For reference, the comments from SCL and Ed_I above should be considered before cold winter Leica camera use. To their comments I would add keep the film warm and then load just before going outside and go slow with everything you do as the camera cools. For reliability I would make the effort to keep the camera and lens warm per SCL. In closing, I further recommend that only recently CLA'd Leica cameras and lenses should be used. I also came across a reference that in the past, Leica at Rockleigh NJ would as a special service, CLA and prepare Leica bodies and lenses for extreme cold usage using special low temperature lubricants in small quantities.

In the old days, any and all "lubrication" was stripped out for really sub-zero conditions (like space walks)

JDMvW is correct. I came across an old receipt from Leica Rockleigh NJ for winter prep on my Dad's IIIf. Of three early 50's 50 Elmar 3.5 lenses, only the one on the winter IIIf has a non-sticky focusing mount. The shutter release sound on the body is much louder than on any of my other LTM Leica bodies. Very possible there is no lubrication in either body or lens.

The IIIc/IIIf/IIIg had ball-bearings for this, typically weatherproofing the shutter mechanism with minimal or no lubricants.

Though this doesn't help against lenses and optics fogging up when taking them out of 'warm' bags and such.

 

I've had some interesting messed-up photos from a Leica IIIa after an half-an-hour drive in the back of an open truck with a -20C wind chill.