Oldest active Leica RF & Lens

I've been to a exposition on 100 years of Leica, and the influence it has had on photography, recently. There were some really nice extremely early samples on display there :) I was a bit surprised, seeing them side by side, how much larger the M cameras are compared to the I, II and III models. Some photos there from Barnack himself too, so those are probably the oldest signs of a Leica being used ;-)

 

My own toys only include R cameras, way too new to apply for being called "old" in any way.

How about an all nickle, freshly serviced (New & improved shutter curtains), 1930 Leica I Model A

Really only one thing wrong with it now, its missing it's shutter release 'collar'.

Edited December 1, 2017 by Gus Lazzari

1938 Standard model E, with a much later Elmar, and a clean SBOOI.

It slides in my jeans pocket so easily.

Edited December 2, 2017 by davidnewton

I have a !939 Leica 111B with F2 Summitar which I bought about 25 years ago from an old gentleman who was a medical officer during the war and ended his tour in Germany.I presume he liberated it, though no details were disclosed .It came with 2 boxes of Zeiss reloads and 2 100ft. bulk rolls of Agfa film.It still works though the small viewfinder and all the manual settings send me back to my Nikon Fm3a with the thought I must try again soon if only to keep it working.I must fish out the last negs and give them an airing in the darkroom. But as I remember my Nikon with its set of 30-40 year old lenses does perform a lot better with no effort required.

I regularly use 1935, 1936 IIIas and one of the first under 200 IIICs made post war. Use a variety of lenses from early Leitz to modern CV screw mount lenses. As noted above, very pocketable. Rangefinders in fair shape but sometimes supplement with oroku and okoro attachments.

My 1932 Leica II is pretty much retired now as I shoot landscapes and don't have a 28mm for it.

1932 Leica II

Really inspiring to hear about all these beautiful pre-war cameras and lenses still in use! Seems like there's even more interest than in 2002 when this thread was started.

 

It's been about two years since purchase and I'm still enjoying my 21xxx 1930 I/III and nickel Summar. I rotate using a 5cm finder or Voigtlander VCII meter in the accessory shoe. Sometimes also a Thumbs Up grip. I've tracked down a good repro chrome collar of the shutter release, which I was missing. And I keep a black FISON hood on the Summar for a little front element and flare protection without adding too much additional size to the rig. I feel comfortable using this camera alongside my more modern Leica and Nikon bodies for important shoots but mostly I just carry it with me for casual snaps. It's about time to have the Summar cleaned as my regular use of it seems to have freed up its lubricants and it's glowing more now than when first purchased. Other than that, still going strong!

 

Allan Cobb, is that an early Kodachrome yellow top can? Also, how many of us inherited or were gifted their first Leica from their parent or grandparent? My 21st birthday present was a IIIg with 2.8 Elmar and Leicavit from my father. Still have it of course.

Hi Christopher, sure enough, it is!

 

Also include me on the inherited Leica list... my 88 year-old mom bought her new IIIg with the 50/2 collapsible Summicron in 1957 and just last month said it was time to hand it down. She didn’t have the patience to load it anymore!

Alan, best wishes to your Mom, perhaps you could load the IIIg for her and have her take your picture. My first ever lens purchase for my Leica IIIg was a pristine 50 Summicron f2 collapsible. Wonderful lens. I hope Kodachrome someday returns as the images are unique. I still have a roll of K64 in the freezer for when Kodachrome returns. With reference to the LTM Leicavit, I've never had a film loading or film advance problem as the bottom edge guide really works as a film guide.

Seems my two 1936 IIIa cameras are youngsters by comparison. Great cameras to slip into a pocket, especially with the

eye glass spectacles type of case that was once available. All my Leicas have been CLAed in past few years. This must be done at least every 30-40 years.

I have Leica II which was a modified Leica I (#4472) with three Angenieux lenses : 1.8/50mm 2.5/100mm 3.5/35mm. As today the body is not very reliable (quite a wreck), I use the lenses with a more recent Leica III body... but even so, not very often ! There are more usable cameras.

POLKa

My only "real" Leica is my M3 single stroke.

I did use a Leica IIIg, I think it was, in the field in 1963. It was serviceable, but I didn't fall in love as I did with the M3.

 

Here is a "WWII Swedish Army Leica"- rare because it lacks any Herman Göring dedication (having only the three crowns of Sweden).

 

Note the brass Elmo 5cm f/3.5.

In response to this topic I just had a good time finishing a roll of color print film that had been in my IIIg/50 Summicron for six months. It does require a bit of adjustment going from an M to an LTM camera body. I didn't expect much from the prints as most pictures were taken indoors or at dusk and I thought best to use a meter. However there is something special that a 50 Summicron gives you at f4 when focus, light and shutter speed all come together on a shot. Based on the results, I'll be using it more this fall.