Counterfeit Leica luftwaffe ?

Hey everyone,

 

Sorry for my english, here are two pictures of a Leica. I'm pretty sure they are false, but I need some others advice.

 

Thank you

Totally fake. It's a Soviet camera with the chrome stripped off and fake engravings.

 

How to Spot a Fake Leica

Barnack Leica: true or fake? A comprehensive guide - Johan N. Kuiper | fotograaf in Assen

How to tell a fake Leica from a real one.

Leica Fake

Russian Fake Leicas

Edited July 25, 2017 by Richard Williams

Thank you very much ! I didn't fond so many link.

The general appearance is usually enough to say it's a fake (as you suspected), but the links give some of the specifics (e.g. the front viewfinder window and the curve of the front of the top plate are all wrong). Occasionally we see real Leicas with the chrome stripped down to the brass, but not in combination with 'Luftwaffe' markings! A real Luftwaffe Leica would usually be in chrome or grey finish. Gold-plated 'Luxus' Leicas, also exist, and are very rare and expensive. The faker has made something a bit like both of these, in the hope of making it look collectible. I hope nobody paid a lot for it - some people do collect them as curiosities, but they are only worth a fraction of the price of an ordinary Leica, let alone one with military markings or a gold finish.

Concur, its a Zorki tarted up to look like a leica.

(image is from Wikimedia commons)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Zorki_with_Industar-22_f3%2C5-50mm.jpg

Concur, its a Zorki tarted up to look like a leica.

(image is from Wikimedia commons)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Zorki_with_Industar-22_f3%2C5-50mm.jpg

Yes gold color really strike me. But some details like smooth button let me think it was real .

 

Is this zorki valuable?

Not like a Leica is.

They are going up a little as they become "collectable" instead of "old".

By way of a comparison I bought several as "semi-disposable" rough duty cameras for caving photography. Back in the 70's I paid £24.99 for a brand spanking new one!

Some people ask for over £100 GBP on ebay for fake Luftwaffe 'Leicas' (Zorkis or FEDs), which are generally sold openly as 'copies'. I don't know how many they sell - a serviced, unmodified version with the original Soviet engravings and intact chrome plating can be found for half that. They are interesting cameras in their own right, made as close but honest copies of contemporary Leica screwmount bodies (the USSR wasn't too bothered about patents). For comparison, the (real) Leica originals start at under £200, but that's usually just the body. Luftwaffe versions start at about £800 and rise into the thousands, especially if you have a lens with military engravings.