# Leica M3



## tevo

Today, I went to a camera show in Hayward to browse camera gear and hopefully come across some thread mount glass. I didn't find any worthwhile thread mount lenses, but I met a gentleman who had an M3 for sale. He said there were some issues with it, those being that there was some minor water damage inside, he was unsure of the accuracy of the shutter, and the rangefinder was getting a bit dim. The camera is in decent cosmetic condition, and as far as I can tell the shutter is accurate. I picked it up for *$300*.

Here are a couple of shots from it, using an M>LTM adapter and my Summitar 50/2. (I slightly overdeveloped the film)

#1



Young Love by theofficialtevo, on Flickr

#2



Timeless Traditional by theofficialtevo, on Flickr


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## BrianV

That is a great price for a working M3!

Water Damage- either he had it cleaned, or it was very, very minor. Water corrosion will stop the mechanism. 

Youxin Ye does CLA's on Leica equipment, is fast and reasonably priced- if you want a CLA. If the viewfinder is hazy, a Cleaning will brighten it up.


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## Compaq

That car shot is lovely. Everything converges to make it pleasing, I think, as far as composition goes.

I wish I had an M3!


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## Mully

Nice find...old film cameras are fun.


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## Derrel

An M3 that actually shoots, for $300? Even an old beater would most likely be worth three bills. Score, dude!


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## 2WheelPhoto

Nice! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





I like that 1st shot too a lot


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## tevo

BrianV said:


> That is a great price for a working M3!
> 
> Water Damage- either he had it cleaned, or it was very, very minor. Water corrosion will stop the mechanism.
> 
> Youxin Ye does CLA's on Leica equipment, is fast and reasonably priced- if you want a CLA. If the viewfinder is hazy, a Cleaning will brighten it up.



Thanks! Yeah, I can see where there was water damage - the silver trim inside the camera is a bit rough, and there's a small spot on the shutter curtain, but it still functions. I just spoke with a repairmen who also recommended Youxin, I'll be contacting him just to have it cleaned up a bit. The viewfinder is about 80% clear, but the second image in the RF is quite dim.


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## tevo

Compaq said:


> That car shot is lovely. Everything converges to make it pleasing, I think, as far as composition goes.
> 
> I wish I had an M3!



Thank you! That's my dad, he won Timeless Traditional for his '33.

I was wishing I had an M3 a couple of days ago, and this one basically fell into my hands. Funny how the universe works.


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## vintagesnaps

Funny, one came my way too not long ago and I sure hadn't been planning on buying one (maybe ever?!) but a camera store in my area had an M3 for sale - I was looking for a LTM lens, not an actual Leica brand lens much less the camera body too. It was too good a price to pass up for both and all I had to do was gaze into its lens with those many aperture blades and I was in love (can a girl fall in love with a camera? apparently so). 

Looks like you'll enjoy your camera and continue to get some nice photos with it. Doesn't Leica service anything it ever made?


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## bhop

$300.. dang..


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## tevo

vintagesnaps said:


> Funny, one came my way too not long ago and I sure hadn't been planning on buying one (maybe ever?!) but a camera store in my area had an M3 for sale - I was looking for a LTM lens, not an actual Leica brand lens much less the camera body too. It was too good a price to pass up for both and all I had to do was gaze into its lens with those many aperture blades and I was in love (can a girl fall in love with a camera? apparently so).
> 
> Looks like you'll enjoy your camera and continue to get some nice photos with it. Doesn't Leica service anything it ever made?



I've heard conflicting answers. To my knowledge yes, but a few repairmen have said that Leica won't repair models that are no longer in production. I need to investigate that claim further, but for now the camera works.


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## bhop

Personally, I wouldn't send my old cameras to Leica anyway.  Reason being is there are a few competent repairmen that specialize in Leicas that will be half the cost of Leica-official.


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## usayit

http://www.sherrykrauter.com/

It is rumored that leica,nj will send stuff to her directly for quick fixes.


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## tevo

usayit said:


> Sherry Krauter.com -- Home of the Golden Touch.
> 
> It is rumored that leica,nj will send stuff to her directly for quick fixes.



Sherry, DAG, and John from FocalPointLens always get brought up, at this point I am considering the extent of work I want done on this camera. I may just have a basic CLA done and save my money to buy a newer/better body or likely some more glass.


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## Derrel

Funny thing....a lot of Leicaphiles spend money on unneeded CLA's, just to say they had a CLA done on such and such and so...personally, I would not bother CLA'ing the newly-acquired M3...unless you have it done by a repairman who is competent, and on top of chit, it's a waste of money. IMHO. Of course, if you just want to say you have $550 in the camera and be able to say that it's been "See-ellll-ayyyyed by _______   ____!" then go ahead and waste the money.


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## tevo

Derrel said:


> Funny thing....a lot of Leicaphiles spend money on unneeded CLA's, just to say they had a CLA done on such and such and so...personally, I would not bother CLA'ing the newly-acquired M3...unless you have it done by a repairman who is competent, and on top of chit, it's a waste of money. IMHO. Of course, if you just want to say you have $550 in the camera and be able to say that it's been "See-ellll-ayyyyed by _______   ____!" then go ahead and waste the money.



The only reason I would want to have it CLA'd would be to brighten up the rangefinder / clear up the viewfinder a bit. I'm also aware that at some point the film rewind knob was broken and repaired by a party unknown to me, so I would like to have that checked to make sure it's not going to break on me. But it is in working condition as of now, so I am going to shoot it for a while before I make any kind of decision.


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## usayit

Derrel said:
			
		

> Funny thing....a lot of Leicaphiles spend money on unneeded CLA's, just to say they had a CLA done on such and such and so...personally, I would not bother CLA'ing the newly-acquired M3...unless you have it done by a repairman who is competent, and on top of chit, it's a waste of money. IMHO. Of course, if you just want to say you have $550 in the camera and be able to say that it's been "See-ellll-ayyyyed by _______   ____!" then go ahead and waste the money.



CLA isnt that expensive and even a Leica needs adjustment after 20 years of use.  Its not just to say its been CLAd.  My LTM was done by essex camera for $125.  They also did my Canon but was a bit more because the curtain had to be replaced $300 iirc.     Unfortunately, I got word that they are closed due to the store loss after a flood.   Leica NJ is also right near my work but they often send things to germany which tends to drive up the cost.

Many mention in this thread are top notch.... Sherry worked for Leica at some point.


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## tevo

I noticed this inside my viewfinder today, although it doesn't seem to obstruct the view at all. Could this be a result of the aforementioned water damage?


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## gsgary

Just send it in for a CLA and you will have a perfect camera that will last you a lifetime


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## usayit

^^ what he said...

Just call around to the places already mentioned in this thread and get a quote...

Despite what Derrel says, most Leica shooters realize that to enjoy the most out of a beautiful machine, it needs to be in good working order.   You are lucky... $300 for a working example isn't all that bad.


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## tevo

I went shooting with it yesterday, and the main problem is the dim rangefinder image. In areas of low contrast it was very difficult to find focus. For this reason I'm going to send it for a CLA. Is Youxin Ye as reputable as I've heard? I don't want to spend too much money on this camera, being that it is an early model with a history of water damage. I'd be more inclined to find a nice copy of a newer M3 or another M body and have it overhauled to be like new.


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## usayit

Unfortunately, my shop was closed after the storm.  Very reasonable prices... hole in the wall but excellent results.  I see their website is still up, you might want to call them up and see if they are permanently closed or just temporarily.   Essex Camera Services Inc. - Home      I also checkout Leica, NJ since they are near my work.  I like to deal in person if possible.

I would just call around get estimations first....   There's the ones mentioned here.   I noticed that steves wasn't mentioned yet... they are based in CA (but not near San Jose).   ¢Æ Steve's Camera Service Center ¢Æ.   I heard good things about Steve especially among those that shoot with the Epson R-D1.   Pretty much the only state side shop that will touch an Epson R-d1.


Good luck.


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## BrianV

Contact Youxin Ye: the worst problem that can occur with the M3 finder optics is that the prism becomes separated. I think he told me that he has some recemented prisms. I sent my M2 to him, came back great. I have also sent FIVE LTM Leica bodies and a Leotax D-IV that was a total wreck. Came back like new, new curtains, new beamsplitter, new covering, works great.


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## JustinZ850

Nice find!!!

Speaking of Leica's, I visited MAP Camera in Shinjuku Tokyo this week and I'm pretty sure that is the closest thing to heaven!!


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## kshapero

bhop said:


> Personally, I wouldn't send my old cameras to Leica anyway.  Reason being is there are a few competent repairmen that specialize in Leicas that will be half the cost of Leica-official.


Everyone is different. I bought an M3 that had a CLA from Solms. Like new. Glad, though, I did not have to pay for it.


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