A Leica IIIa that actually gets used!!! Look and see!!!

[danny_zahner]

Here is the results of the first roll through my Leica IIIa. I was

intending to just test out the camera's functions, and have found it

to work beautifully. For a camera that is exactly 50 years older

than me, I am VERY impressed by the image quality and enjoyment I

get out of this old Barnack. Anyway, I'm not that great of a

photographer (at least not yet), and am just posting these to show

what one of these cameras can do in the hands of a beginner. Now,

let's just hope I am able to get the photos uploaded. Here goes!!!

 

BTW, the actual prints are MUCH MUCH nicer than these cruddy scans,

using a low quality Dell scanner.<div></div>

[danny_zahner]

Another Pic:<div></div>

[danny_zahner]

Another pic:<div></div>

[danny_zahner]

Another pic:<div></div>

[danny_zahner]

Last pic:<div></div>

[danny_zahner]

Also, I used Kodak Tmax 400 film, Walmart processing, and sunny 16 to judge the exposure, and the settings were right around 1/1000sec. at f12.5, give or take a stop or two. Also, the lack of sharpness and appearance of overexposure are caused by the low quality scanner. Please take these photos for what they are: pictures taken by a photographer who has only been in the hobby for less than a year, and scanned using a mediocre scanner.

[Sandeha Lynch]

Stop apologising ! - you're doing great. (And try a slower film.)

[rich815]

Great camera, have fun. My only advice would be to stop the Tmax 400 and Walmart processing. Unless you're doing your own processing use Kodak T400CN (or whichever of the other 3-4 types of C-41 B&W Kodak has now) or better still Ilford XP2. The negs will not be over-cooked, have better tonal range as a result, be easier to scan, and most likely cheaper to process.

[bill_winters]

Great work! I love the images of the vintage farm equipment.

[winfried_buechsenschuetz1]

You are not the only actual user of a Leica IIIa. Mine was the first used rangefinder I ever bought (after a horrible experience with a Zorki4K), and for many years it was my one and only camera for b/w work. It did not need an overhaul when I bought it 25 years back and still is working (OK, the slow speeds are a tad slow).

[grahams]

Danny - Nice shots - keep that Leica shooting.

[xenotar28]

You are doing just fine. Most important, you are enjoying it. This period you are going through may be the one you remember with greatest affection in later years. It is such great fun when things look new and fresh. Go for it.

[jeroen dommisse]

Anyone who has experience with old Leicas and colour negative film?

[thanz]

Summitar, kidding right? probably the sharpest Summitar pics I have seen from a lens I've never considered to be sharp, nice job. This is a good lens for portraits as well, keep it up!

[furcafe]

Yes, C41 film will work fine in your old Leica, or other old camera, FWIW.

 

--------------------

 

"Anyone who has experience with old Leicas and colour negative film?"

[Troll]

Congratulations! There is a feel to the Barnack cameras which was lost with the M series, and I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes your all-time, lifetime, favorite camera. There's really something special about them. If you're not doing your own developing and printing you may prefer to use a more traditional film such as Tri-X, and have it scanned to CD when it's developed, then have only the good stuff printed.

[john_shriver]

The Summitar is a wonderful lens, especially a coated one. Very fragile, the front lens is flint glass, extraordinarily soft, easy to make cleaning marks on. The coating is also very soft. Use NO pressure when cleaning, always clean wet. I'm keeping a UV filter on my coated Summitar, it's the only lens I keep a UV filter on.

 

The Summitar's contrast is low wide open, but comes up plenty in a few stops. The corners are also a little soft wide open, but not such that you would notice on a 4x6 inch print. Probably a LOT better than the average point-and-shoot zoom lens.

 

All the Leica 50mm lenses are damn sharp at f/11 or smaller, which what Danny would be shooting at in bright sun with T-MAX 400 film.

 

I've been using my Leica IIIa since I bought it with an Elmar in the early 1970's. It, and my Canon rangefinders, now share a large stable of lenses, including 50mm Elmar, Summar, and Summitar, and Canon 50/1.8 and 50/1.5. They're all different, although the differences can be very subtle.

 

The only "color film" issue with these lenses is that the Summar and Summitar lenses can be a bit wild with color film at large apertures. While their "out of focus" rendition is just nice and soft in B&W, in color it's more violent and swirly, because the out of focus areas are not well color-corrected at all.

[mike_elek]

What year did Leica begin coating its lenses? I ask because I'm not sure this lens would be from 1942, as that would place it in the middle of WWII, and I thought lens makers didn't begin using lens coating (in the consumer sector) until after WWII. What year was the Summitar introduced?

[Troll]

Leica coated their lenses for the military during WW2 (Carl Zeiss invented/discovered the process in 1936), but didn't coat consummer lenses until after the War. So this Summitar probably started life in the army. Many uncoated lenses were factory coated after WW2, but this were a very soft material, and subject to cleaning marks. I have a Summar from 1938(?) which is beautifully blue coated.

[jim_mcbride]

Nice thread. I wish I saw more like this on the Leica forum (which seems very M-centric).

Danny's pix are excellent and might scan better if he used a C-41 film (as noted above).

The lens looks plenty sharp to me! Hope we see more like these from you, Danny.

[danny_zahner]

First off, the reason I posted this here rather than the Leica forum is because I don't like the Leica forum as much. From what I've gathered it suffers from the "gotta have everything Leica to be a good photographer" ego. As was stated, it is also heavily biased towards the M-series cameras. Besides, I can't hardly afford anything else that says Leica on it (not even lens caps!!!). The Classic Camera forum seems much more laid back. And yes, all pics were taken with a nice, haze-free, and unscratched Summitar. I just double-checked the lens date (based on the serial number), and it was indeed produced in 1942. I also felt it was odd that this lens is coated, but it does reflect a blueish hue. I think it was most likely a consumer lens that was sent back later for coating, if Leica was still making consumer lenses in 1942 (World War II was raging very heavily at that time, and German industry was in a rush to get whatever they had to the front lines). If it did start out in the military, I am surprised to see a lack of German inspection markings (the Heer stamped nearly everthing). Now about the developing. I have spent all the money I can on getting great cameras with great glass, to help improve my photography. Now, I don't have a large income (going to school full time, working full time, don't have much extra time except in the summer). Consequently, I can't currently afford darkroom equipment, and can barely afford Walmart processing and film. I will most definitely switch to the C-41 B&W film, since it seemed to have better contrast, is cheaper, and is cheaper to develop. Thanks for all the comments, helpful hints, suggestions, and compliments.

[LMar]

Very nice shots!

 

Actually, the old Leitz lenses, even the uncoated ones, work well with color film (attached shot was made with an uncoated, un-numbered circa. 1931 50 mm f 3.5 Elmar --- Fuji 200 at about 1/125th sec., at f 3.5).<div></div>

[miguel tuna]

Great photos Danny, hope you keep that enthusiasm for long time. I'm very proud to see a person from my range of age taking pictures with a "old school" camera and using sunny 16 rule:). Keep up the good work;)

 

sorry if my english is bad.

 

Best wishes

[russ_butner___portland__or]

Where's the Cat pictures?<div></div>

[larry_mobbs]

I have the same kit. A friend caught me trying for a dramatic shot. He used an Olympus Stylus Epic.