chris hughes Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 My dad is letting me borrow his M3 (998-xxx), which he bought a few years ago and left in his camera bag with little use. He did have it serviced and everything checks out. It has the Leica Meter MC attachment and looks like it's going to be a lot of fun to shoot. The only problem is that the Summicron 5cm lens looks like the previous owner cleaned it with his tie. There are no scratches but the coating is rubbed badly. It has a mottled look to it. My question is how I should expect this damaged coating to impact the image quality. Having never used a Leica I'm interested in evaluating the camera so I need to know what to expect from the lens in this condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeeter Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 if you are concerned only with quality of the photograph, you are not really evalutating the "camera" per se, but the lens, in this situation. the camera body, in terms of image quality, is merely a film transport system. it is the lens which will actually form the image on the film. it is difficult to predict, without seeing the lens, what, if any, the defective coating will have on the image. the body will function the same regardless of the condition of the lens mounted. if you want to evaluate the lens, shoot a roll. you will form an opinion of the body in either case, but keep in mind what you are judging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_kaplan1 Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 The coating used on the early Summicrons was quite soft. This is really quite common. The main purpose of the coating is to cut down on internal reflections, so the most important coated surfaces are on the inside elements' surfaces, and the front of the lens won't have much effect on anything unless you put a filter in front of it. The likeliest effect you'll get from the mottled front surface on your lens is a very slight reduction in overall contrast in your photographs. Unless you were to compare photos from your lens and an undamaged lens, of the same subject and taken in the same light, you're not likely to ever notice anything is wrong. Put some film in that camera and use it! Consider yourself lucky that your dad had it and is letting you borrow it. For your sake I hope his definition of "borrow" is the same one that my son thinks that I use. At any rate, I don't really expect to ever get back anything I lend him. He does take some good photos, however! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris hughes Posted December 7, 2003 Author Share Posted December 7, 2003 Hahaha! Excellent answers. Yeah, I have a good relationship with my dad when it comes to gear but I'm reticent to hang on to a beauty like this. A lens or a flash here and there is one thing... As to evaluating the camera; yes, it's a matter of poorly used terminology on my part. I'm evaluating both the handling of the camera itself in a very generalized way and this lens in particular. I should have been clearer. Sounds like I'm in good shape though. A little reduction in contrast is not a huge deal for me. Thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awahlster Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 Chris if you can add a proper hood to the front of that lens you will gain back the loss of contrast any slight damage to the coating would cause compared to using the lens without a hood. DID THAT MAKE ANY SENSE?? most people never go the hassle of using a proper hood on their camera but you almost never see a pro without a good hood on their camera it's like a tripod it can't possibly hurt the image quality but it sure might help. A screw in rubber hood available on line for a few bucks might not be the Leica thing to do but it will be cheap. Yea I know it will get in the way of the viewfinder a bit but live with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris hughes Posted December 8, 2003 Author Share Posted December 8, 2003 That's excellent advice. I've been shooting with a Rolleiflex MX-EVS Type II for several years and have found that the addition of a lens hood is essential. Luckily my dad provided me with several nice accessories for the M3 including a UV filter, an original lens cap, a body cap, several colored filters and the Leica lens hood that matches the 5cm lens (it's the one marked IROOA) so I should be in good shape. I'll be taking it out on a shoot first thing tomorrow. Very exciting! With luck I'll have some nice shots to share soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerald_widen Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 As already stated the coating scratches will have little if any affect on your photos. Quite possibly the mottled look might be caused by accumulated "gunk" for lack of a better word on the front element. I would<i> very carefully and softly</i> (as the coatings are soft) try to clean the front element with some lens cleaner and a soft cotton cloth or lens tissue. Spray the cleaner on the cloth not the lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asher Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 My circa 1950s 50mm summicron has small scratches and cleaning marks on the rear element. It functions beautifully. Will your lens? Shoot a roll in various kinds of light, at various aperture settings and you'll have your answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david j.lee Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 chris,congratulations on the M3!! please ,be very,very careful when taking the baseplate off the camera,as it is very easy to damage the vulcanite around the "half-circle" on the body,especially since this one has been stored for a while. you can use the search option on photo.net to see how to take care of the vulcanite.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew n.bra hrefhttp Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 <I>you can use the search option on photo.net to see how to take care of the vulcanite</I><P> ... and you can also look <<A HREF="http://nemeng.com/leica/032b.shtml"> here </A>><P> I also second the remarks on using a lenshood. It will cut down direct sun on the (stained) front element and thus help reduce flare. It will also help keep your greasy fingers away from the glass, reducing the need to keep wiping it clean :?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris hughes Posted December 8, 2003 Author Share Posted December 8, 2003 Thanks for the advice on the Vulcanite. It has a few very small chips where the bottom door meets the body housing (just above the knob that interfaces with the bottom plate) but they can't be more than a cm or two in size. Other than that the body is in fantastic shape with no dents or scratches (just a little rubbing near the Leica engraving on the top where the MC light meter touches when mounted.) I shot half a roll with it today (the light was too blah) and I love how it handles. The idea of nice M3s like this one sitting on collector's shelves with no use whatsoever seems sad to me. It has a satisfyingly solid feel to it and the controls are very easy to operate. Assuming that the images come out good (I have no doubt that they will) I'll be quite satisfied with the M3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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