What Leica Camera is this?

<p>Does any one know anything about a Leica Camera #308729. References say that it was made in 1938 and it is a Leica III but it looks like the style of a Leica II. This camera is not ordinary. It is an army green color and has zebra stripes on it.</p>

<p>I am new to this forum and don't know how to post a picture.</p>

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<p>It is Russian FED, faked up to look vaguely like a Leica. Pure and simple fraud. There's a booming cottage industry in Russia making them. Worth about $25.</p>

<p>How can you tell it is fake. Took it to large camera store that have one of the largest collections outside of Germany and they could not figure it out. No one had seen anything like it. Also took it to the new Leica store in San Francisco......they had never seen one before.......</p>

<p>I suspect the stores were being kind. If not, they are not so competent as they should be. Nearly everyone knows about these already, so there's no real excuse. There are some really deceptive fakes out there, however, but this one looks too fresh to be real, for what it is supposed to be.</p>

<p>The going price, fresh from the former USSR, is closer to $125. If it works well (and many do) it can be a good shooter. Most of them are made from Zorkiis rather than FEDs. They will make real Leica collectors and users grind down their teeth to nubs- the camera equivalent of nails on the blackboard.<br /> Here's how to tell the phonies:<br /> http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-213.html</p>

<p>I'm far from an expert , but I can easily say that Leica never made any cameras with "zebra" stripes.</p>

<p>Had it been a Leica, the serial number would have made it a III from 1938. However, the III has a slow speed dial on the front and a differently shaped front view-finder window. A clear shot of the shutter release is needed to establish whether this is a FED or a Zorki.</p>

<p>Occasionally you will find real Leicas with crazy third party paint jobs, so you need to look for the telltale differences listed in the Rick Oleson link above to be sure. The shape of the viewfinder that Mukul mentions is the most obvious Soviet feature to me. If you want to know whether it started as a FED or as a Zorki, see: http://jay.fedka.com/index_files/Page391.htm</p>

<p>Like Richard said: the top of the square frame around the viewfinder window is flat and level with the top of the housing; dead give-away that it's a Russian copy. <br /><br />Pretty cool camouflage paint scheme though.</p>

<p>It could be an early 'Safari' special edition . . . . . .</p>

<p>the short and plain is.... nothing is right on this camera -- even at first glance, it's an obvious zorki - </p>

<p>worth about $100usd - hope you did not pay more - </p>

<p>Have you ever seen a green Zorki? I have a green Zorki 5.</p>

<p>black and green: dual purpose camouflage, can be used at night, but preferably with blackened flashbulbs; looks like they forgot to paint the lensfront</p>