[Leica] LTM camera bodies

[len-1 at comcast.net (Leonard Taupier)]

Marc,

That's probably good advice. What I might do is look for a nice IIIf  
while I find a suitable repair shop. Actually I'm looking for a shop  
now to clean up my 400 f5 Telyt. I had no intention to junking the  
IIIc even if I didn't get it CLA'd.  I don't get rid of Leica gear,  
especially the LTM gear. Actually my IIIc was made in 1946. I find  
the IIIg's are over double the price of a nice IIIc or IIIf.

Regards,
Len


On Dec 17, 2006, at 6:27 PM, Marc James Small wrote:

> At 05:36 PM 12/17/2006, Leonard Taupier wrote:
> >I'm looking for a little advise on a replacement LTM body. I
> >currently have a "user" IIIc body with a yellowing rangefinder. I
> >know the shutter needs cleaning but I don't think the body is nice
> >enough to invest in a CLA. I have 4 very nice Leica LTM lenses which
> >I use with a clear VIOOH viewfinder. I was thinking about investing
> >in a nice IIIg. Since I don't expect to use flash with this rig and I
> >like my VIOOH, is a IIIG overkill? I have a very complete M system
> >plus a bunch of Nikon bodies and lenses including digital. But when I
> >just want to go out and have some fun I grab the IIIc.
>
> There are very few LTM bodies which are not worth a CLA, and shame  
> on you for suggesting this!  Bring that baby back to life or, if  
> you don't want it, give it to some deserving soul who WILL invest  
> in the CLA!  LTM bodies are true works of art which have not been  
> produced for the past four decades, so treating one as so much junk  
> is, well, not really a sound position, is it?
>
> I own a IIIc, a IIIf RDST, and a IIIg and have owned several other  
> LTM bodies (III, IIIb, IIIf BD, IIIf RDST) over the years.  Of  
> these, the IIIc remains my favorite, though the other two also have  
> their place and are quite capable of producing excellent  
> photographs.  As Jeffery noted, the IIIg has a certain collector  
> cachet which keeps the price up, though eBay has chiseled this down  
> quite a bit.
>
> If I were going to restrict myself to a single LTM body, I'd go for  
> a IIIc and pick up an APDOO self-timer and a Geiss Kontakt for  
> those rare occasions when flash is in order (I shot a wedding  
> professionally once with a IIIc and Kontakt and Vivitar 283 when my  
> M3 broke -- the pictures were great).  The IIIf RDST provides an  
> inbuilt self-timer and flash synch, and the price of a good IIIf  
> RDST is often not much higher than that of a clean IIIc.  The IIIg  
> only adds the VF marks for the 90mm lens but, again, it is a  
> wonderful tool to use.
>
> If I were in your shoes, I'd just have the IIIc overhauled and the  
> RF cleaned.
>
> Marc
>
>
> msmall@aya.yale.edu
> Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!
>
>
>
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