That’s a beautiful example of a IIIg. I’ve got a Rolleicord from 1958 in excellent condition and similar to the Leica, the wonderful engineering and operating quirks of that era make them a joy to use
Excellent, inspiring video. The last time I used my 1936 IIIb I used Fuji Velvia, but your black and white prints look great, I'm off to buy some Ilford HP5. I believe it used to be made not far from here, in Mobberly, Cheshire.
That was an excellent video! I think one of the best ever! The well lit and closeup focus makes an incredible difference! Plus you showed every working part clearly and slow enough so that those of us unfamiliar with the model could actually grasp its function properly. It felt like I have actually held and operated it myself! Would love to shoot a few rolls with one soon! Thanks for an awesome video! I hope If I ever make an instructional video that it is at least half as good as this was! Tschüss!
What a great presentation, well and very politely done; to match the great “mechanical/photo marvel”; for many, an early mechanical Leica provides a much slower, more enjoyable, very involved photo-experience; thank you…
Extremely comprehensive video. The closest I have to a leica is my Zenit C (a zorki with a mirror box stuck onto it) and it’s definitely nowhere near as smooth to use as this is. I use similar labyrinth cassettes on some of my other SLR cameras (specifically Shirley-Willard universal cassettes) and I will borrow your idea of bending the leader tongue several times to note an exposed roll.
The family Leica is/was a Leica IIIa, which was my first serious 135 camera. I learned a thing or two about "the usual suspects" of exposure/shutter speed/aperture/film type. In the 1970's, when I began looking at old/new cameras listed in Shutterbug Ads, the upgrade question came up: Advanced III-series, M-series, or Japanese equivalent? A Leica IIIg was as pricey as an M3 and a tad less than an M2, while the IIIc and IIIf models were (sorta) affordable. Canon Leica Screw Mount cameras, by contrast, were quite affordable, so I bought a Canon P. Cameras are tools to be used, not just acquired to be displayed in a glass case because they are an Investment. I did get a IIIf Red Dial/Self Timer model with an over-cleaned 50mm f/2 Collapsible Summicron, but that was years later.;)
Thanks for your comments, yes I like to use my cameras too rather than just collect them for display or investment. Good luck with your 35mm RF shooting!
People who advocate for "full frame" tend to forget that the original 35mm format was actually about the same size as today's APS-C sensors. And that format was used to project film on the regular and large movie theater screens. Btw., Nikon also made self-loading film cartridges. Looks like they copied the shutter button & collar design. Brilliant video. Subbed. Thx.
Thanks for your comments. It’s a good thing that Nikon used the same shutter button collar design as the lllg’s, because when I went to buy a new cable release for my lllg I was able to buy a brand new Nikon release for it from Japan at a very reasonable price!
Love this video. It explains a lot - and very systematically - the use of the iiig. I was initially skeptical about the 'old-fashion-ness' of the barnacks, but you made it crisp and concise. Now, I'm more confident of considering this gem (which - well - is no good if we're talking about GAS), Thanks Andrew! And I've subscribed to your channel for more valuable tidbits!
I found one similar to this, among my grandads old stuff. He told me this one is a Soviet copy made in a factory that the Soviets stole and transported out of Germany in the last days of the war before the split
Really liked the style of your video, with good close-up detail of the camera and lens and in particular the actual view through the rangefinder and viewfinder peepholes. Other reviews rarely cover this very important aspect of a camera which makes such a difference to its ergonomics . However, it did leave me wondering as an eyeglass wearer how suitable it would be for me.
Hi Gaurab, Thanks for your comment. No, this camera is not a good one for eyeglass wearers. You’d have to try it to see if you can see through it properly without your glasses on but you really need to jam your eye right into the viewing peepholes in order to focus and compose with them properly. Part of the problem is that the lenses in the peepholes are fairly deeply recessed, which has the advantage that they always tend to stay clean. Incidentally, in the video the 50mm bright line frame appeared pincushion-distorted but when actually viewing through the camera it appears perfectly rectilinear.
Pretty strange these were developed after the M3 was well into production. Beautiful camera but one would think the lever wind and combined vf/rf would make this camera old news.
Yes, for many photographers you’re right, the M series was more efficient in many ways. I have owned several M cameras and I never wanted a vintage Barnack Leica until a lllg, with its improved viewfinder, became available. For fast, professional work the M series is surely the winner.
So nice to see a IIIg being used. So many of them seem to sit on collector’s shelves. What are the differences between IIIf and IIIg (besides the self timer)?
I’m pretty sure that the main differences are the self timer, the lllg’s bigger, more sophisticated viewing window, and a simpler form of flash synchronisation setting in the lllg. In the video the bright line compositional frame has appeared bent (pincushioned, I recall) whereas when you look through the camera in real life its perfectly rectangular, very neat. The lllg viewfinder also has the parallax correction too. I couldn’t imagine using a camera that doesn’t offer accurate compositional framing (and the lllg is very accurate) so the lllg is my choice. Yes, you need to use your camera!
WoW ! From WHERE did you get that clean IIIg AND with CASE ? !! I remember seeing them on sale in a Camera Dealers in ISERLOHN GERMANY when I was there in the British Army RAMC in 1958 for about 820 DM when we got 11.50 DM to 1 Pound Sterling ! I had a pre-war CONTAX III at the time bought in BERLIN when I was there in 1957.
Hi Peter - I picked it up from a very well stocked camera dealer here in Australia, Camera Exchange in Box Hill, Victoria. But I have noticed quite a few good IIIgs around, perhaps because they were the last model made and particularly expensive. The case is compact and very usable!
It’s a cotton packing strap taken from an old wooden Japanese crockery packing box and stitched together with a plastic joining clip and adjustment buckle taken from a thrown-out kittens collar. Very hi-tech! The screw-in metal loop is a Leitz camera screw taken from one of their heavy duty camera straps. Because the tripod socket is at one end of the camera this type of attachment carries well, and I try to avoid using key rings at the side lugs because I think they wear them out. The new Leica fabric neck straps have metal loops which look and feel much more sympathetic, and that’s my 2nd option other than using the leather everready case, which also works well, it’s very compact and protective.
No, I think you could set the speed first if you wanted to, but with the camera in the not-advanced position then the shutter setting knob is difficult to read and set properly, so you wouldn’t normally do it that way.
Hi! Very nice machine. I'm just a beginner, I also bought a iii f some time ago. When I watch other people's videos online, I find that the shutter sound of my camera is different, I don't know if it is broken. But the shutter sound of your camera sounds the same as mine, like a sharp rubbing sound, so the shutter sound is not very crisp. Would like to ask if you have researched on this?
Hi Steven, I don’t own, and haven’t owned, very many of these Barnack cameras but I do own two of these lllg cameras of very similar age, serial number and overall external condition and I can tell you that one of them (the other one) fires with a noticeably louder and sharper sound than this one, so I guess they’re all a bit different, and I have noticed different shutter release loudness in the several different Leica M cameras which I have owned. As for having a broken shutter (eg. a broken shutter drum spring), I have had this once in a very well used Leica M5, and you’ll discover the state of your shutter, in this and other respects, eg. pinholes, fabric fraying and other faults, quickly and easily if you shoot a short test roll at a variety of different shutter speeds. The noisiness of the shutter may also be influenced by its internal lubricated condition and may be improved upon by cleaning, servicing and relubricating. Good luck with yours!
No, the lllg is not a good camera to use if you need to wear glasses. You really need to get your eye right in close at the deeply recessed tiny peep holes and glasses will prevent this. However because the camera has a focusing eyesight adjustment lever at the rewind knob this may make it possible for some glasses wearers to use the camera without their glasses, but you’d still need to find the main framing window peephole to be compatible with your eyesight, either with or without your glasses on. I need glasses only for reading and I find that the camera works fine without them, but if you need glasses for general vision then you may find the camera unusable. One of the interesting things that I find about the lllg which is not the case with the more modern M series cameras is that the smaller more deeply recessed optical elements of the focussing and viewing ports at both front and back of the camera tend to stay naturally and permanently clean, free of fingerprints etc., which is very convenient but it makes eyeglasses impractical.
The strap is a cotton belt which came from a wooden Japanese crockery packing box, which I sewed together with some plastic clips taken from a cat’s neck collar. The metal ring and screw is taken from a Leitz heavy duty leather camera strap.
你好 ！你会维修吗？我的佳能仿徕卡，我更换完帘布快门出了问题？B和慢速快门会卡住，两块帘布好像一起过去。 Hello! Can you repair it? My Canon imitates Leica, but after replacing the fabric, did the shutter have any issues? B and the slow shutter will get stuck, and the two curtains seem to pass together.
These cameras are certainly repairable but I don’t do camera repairs myself unless the work is very simple. I’m happy to leave that job to experienced experts!
These lllg cameras are typically the most expensive of the Barnack models, but not including very rare examples. On the other hand there seem to be plenty of them about in very good condition, perhaps because they were the most recently made model. They are generally much cheaper to buy than M cameras. For the complete camera shown in this video, complete with leather case (but not lens hood or cloth neck strap and screw-in ring) I paid about half the price of a second hand M body (body only, no lens) in similar condition.
Outstanding instructional video I’m 75 & this brings back so many memories
Very thorough - with one exception. You forgot to mention how beautiful it is! ;-)
That’s a beautiful example of a IIIg. I’ve got a Rolleicord from 1958 in excellent condition and similar to the Leica, the wonderful engineering and operating quirks of that era make them a joy to use
Yes they are mechanical marvels, accurate and well made
Excellent, inspiring video. The last time I used my 1936 IIIb I used Fuji Velvia, but your black and white prints look great, I'm off to buy some Ilford HP5. I believe it used to be made not far from here, in Mobberly, Cheshire.
That was an excellent video! I think one of the best ever! The well lit and closeup focus makes an incredible difference! Plus you showed every working part clearly and slow enough so that those of us unfamiliar with the model could actually grasp its function properly. It felt like I have actually held and operated it myself! Would love to shoot a few rolls with one soon! Thanks for an awesome video! I hope If I ever make an instructional video that it is at least half as good as this was! Tschüss!
Greately impressed! Please produce more such informative videos! They are fantastic! Thank You for shareing!
Thank you Andrew, a comprehensive, well paced exploration of a lovely camera and lens.
What a great presentation, well and very politely done; to match the great “mechanical/photo marvel”; for many, an early mechanical Leica provides a much slower, more enjoyable, very involved photo-experience; thank you…
RUclips prompted me towards this video and I have to say I really enjoyed watching, so much so that I'm taking my IIIg out for a ramble today.
Great Video 📷🍀👏 Thank you. I love my IIIg too👏
Another wonderful video, Andrew. RUclips needs more videos with your presentation style.
Beaut to see the IIIg in use.
Thoughtful commentary.
Same sort of voice of David Attenborough but talking about leicas and not dodgy porcupines! Just love it!
A thorough and clear presentation. Excellent video.
Marvellous work explaining the operation of a wonderful camera.
Nice review, Very comforting that people still use mechanical wonders.
Such a great video and a beautiful camera as well.
Bravo Andrew😊👍
i love how the leica 3 have so many "view"finder and love even more that it existe one with 4 "view"finders
and one without any viewfinder also
@@gusatvoschiavonYes there are many ways to like a Leica!
Yes when everything is so manual and mechanical you finish up with an intricate design. Something which is missing from today’s digital cameras
Extremely comprehensive video. The closest I have to a leica is my Zenit C (a zorki with a mirror box stuck onto it) and it’s definitely nowhere near as smooth to use as this is. I use similar labyrinth cassettes on some of my other SLR cameras (specifically Shirley-Willard universal cassettes) and I will borrow your idea of bending the leader tongue several times to note an exposed roll.
Perfect overview and how to on this camera. Great video.
Wonderful history and instruction. Great job, thanks!
The family Leica is/was a Leica IIIa, which was my first serious 135 camera. I learned a thing or two about "the usual suspects" of exposure/shutter speed/aperture/film type. In the 1970's, when I began looking at old/new cameras listed in Shutterbug Ads, the upgrade question came up: Advanced III-series, M-series, or Japanese equivalent? A Leica IIIg was as pricey as an M3 and a tad less than an M2, while the IIIc and IIIf models were (sorta) affordable. Canon Leica Screw Mount cameras, by contrast, were quite affordable, so I bought a Canon P. Cameras are tools to be used, not just acquired to be displayed in a glass case because they are an Investment. I did get a IIIf Red Dial/Self Timer model with an over-cleaned 50mm f/2 Collapsible Summicron, but that was years later.;)
Thanks for your comments, yes I like to use my cameras too rather than just collect them for display or investment. Good luck with your 35mm RF shooting!
People who advocate for "full frame" tend to forget that the original 35mm format was actually about the same size as today's APS-C sensors.
And that format was used to project film on the regular and large movie theater screens.
Btw., Nikon also made self-loading film cartridges.
Looks like they copied the shutter button & collar design.
Brilliant video.
Subbed.
Thx.
Thanks for your comments. It’s a good thing that Nikon used the same shutter button collar design as the lllg’s, because when I went to buy a new cable release for my lllg I was able to buy a brand new Nikon release for it from Japan at a very reasonable price!
Love this video. It explains a lot - and very systematically - the use of the iiig. I was initially skeptical about the 'old-fashion-ness' of the barnacks, but you made it crisp and concise. Now, I'm more confident of considering this gem (which - well - is no good if we're talking about GAS), Thanks Andrew! And I've subscribed to your channel for more valuable tidbits!
Thanks for your nice wonderful video.
This was an amazingly informative video! Thank you!!!!
Outstanding presentation !
Excellent presentation
fantastic presentation, Andrew!
such a thoorough perfect explanation, great work
I found one similar to this, among my grandads old stuff. He told me this one is a Soviet copy made in a factory that the Soviets stole and transported out of Germany in the last days of the war before the split
Brilliant video, thank you.
Best video about cameras!
Excellent video
Cool Zorki!
Really liked the style of your video, with good close-up detail of the camera and lens and in particular the actual view through the rangefinder and viewfinder peepholes. Other reviews rarely cover this very important aspect of a camera which makes such a difference to its ergonomics . However, it did leave me wondering as an eyeglass wearer how suitable it would be for me.
Hi Gaurab, Thanks for your comment. No, this camera is not a good one for eyeglass wearers. You’d have to try it to see if you can see through it properly without your glasses on but you really need to jam your eye right into the viewing peepholes in order to focus and compose with them properly. Part of the problem is that the lenses in the peepholes are fairly deeply recessed, which has the advantage that they always tend to stay clean. Incidentally, in the video the 50mm bright line frame appeared pincushion-distorted but when actually viewing through the camera it appears perfectly rectilinear.
Great video! ❤
great video
Thanks for the video!
Pretty strange these were developed after the M3 was well into production. Beautiful camera but one would think the lever wind and combined vf/rf would make this camera old news.
Yes, for many photographers you’re right, the M series was more efficient in many ways. I have owned several M cameras and I never wanted a vintage Barnack Leica until a lllg, with its improved viewfinder, became available. For fast, professional work the M series is surely the winner.
So nice to see a IIIg being used. So many of them seem to sit on collector’s shelves. What are the differences between IIIf and IIIg (besides the self timer)?
I’m pretty sure that the main differences are the self timer, the lllg’s bigger, more sophisticated viewing window, and a simpler form of flash synchronisation setting in the lllg. In the video the bright line compositional frame has appeared bent (pincushioned, I recall) whereas when you look through the camera in real life its perfectly rectangular, very neat. The lllg viewfinder also has the parallax correction too. I couldn’t imagine using a camera that doesn’t offer accurate compositional framing (and the lllg is very accurate) so the lllg is my choice. Yes, you need to use your camera!
WoW ! From WHERE did you get that clean IIIg AND with CASE ? !! I remember seeing them on sale in a Camera Dealers in ISERLOHN GERMANY when I was there in the British Army RAMC in 1958 for about 820 DM when we got 11.50 DM to 1 Pound Sterling ! I had a pre-war CONTAX III at the time bought in BERLIN when I was there in 1957.
Hi Peter - I picked it up from a very well stocked camera dealer here in Australia, Camera Exchange in Box Hill, Victoria. But I have noticed quite a few good IIIgs around, perhaps because they were the last model made and particularly expensive. The case is compact and very usable!
@@enLARGE.darkroom DROOL, DROOL !
Wonderful video! What kind of strap are you using? Looks very nice
It’s a cotton packing strap taken from an old wooden Japanese crockery packing box and stitched together with a plastic joining clip and adjustment buckle taken from a thrown-out kittens collar. Very hi-tech! The screw-in metal loop is a Leitz camera screw taken from one of their heavy duty camera straps. Because the tripod socket is at one end of the camera this type of attachment carries well, and I try to avoid using key rings at the side lugs because I think they wear them out. The new Leica fabric neck straps have metal loops which look and feel much more sympathetic, and that’s my 2nd option other than using the leather everready case, which also works well, it’s very compact and protective.
Thanks for your video . On some camera , the speed must be set after the film advance has been made . Is it the case with this Leica model ?
No, I think you could set the speed first if you wanted to, but with the camera in the not-advanced position then the shutter setting knob is difficult to read and set properly, so you wouldn’t normally do it that way.
Hi! Very nice machine. I'm just a beginner, I also bought a iii f some time ago. When I watch other people's videos online, I find that the shutter sound of my camera is different, I don't know if it is broken. But the shutter sound of your camera sounds the same as mine, like a sharp rubbing sound, so the shutter sound is not very crisp. Would like to ask if you have researched on this?
Hi Steven, I don’t own, and haven’t owned, very many of these Barnack cameras but I do own two of these lllg cameras of very similar age, serial number and overall external condition and I can tell you that one of them (the other one) fires with a noticeably louder and sharper sound than this one, so I guess they’re all a bit different, and I have noticed different shutter release loudness in the several different Leica M cameras which I have owned. As for having a broken shutter (eg. a broken shutter drum spring), I have had this once in a very well used Leica M5, and you’ll discover the state of your shutter, in this and other respects, eg. pinholes, fabric fraying and other faults, quickly and easily if you shoot a short test roll at a variety of different shutter speeds. The noisiness of the shutter may also be influenced by its internal lubricated condition and may be improved upon by cleaning, servicing and relubricating. Good luck with yours!
@@enLARGE.darkroom Thank you very much for sharing your valuable experience! Really helpful to me! Thanks 🙏
I think I missed something here, can a modern 35mm film roll be used in this body?
Yes, this camera takes regular factory packed 35mm films in lengths of eg. 12, 24 and 36 exposures.
Is it possible to see the entire frame wearing glasses on the iiig vieuxfinder?
No, the lllg is not a good camera to use if you need to wear glasses. You really need to get your eye right in close at the deeply recessed tiny peep holes and glasses will prevent this. However because the camera has a focusing eyesight adjustment lever at the rewind knob this may make it possible for some glasses wearers to use the camera without their glasses, but you’d still need to find the main framing window peephole to be compatible with your eyesight, either with or without your glasses on. I need glasses only for reading and I find that the camera works fine without them, but if you need glasses for general vision then you may find the camera unusable. One of the interesting things that I find about the lllg which is not the case with the more modern M series cameras is that the smaller more deeply recessed optical elements of the focussing and viewing ports at both front and back of the camera tend to stay naturally and permanently clean, free of fingerprints etc., which is very convenient but it makes eyeglasses impractical.
hi, what strap is that are you using
Where I can acquire the the strap and ring that's mounted onto the tripod thread?
The strap is a cotton belt which came from a wooden Japanese crockery packing box, which I sewed together with some plastic clips taken from a cat’s neck collar. The metal ring and screw is taken from a Leitz heavy duty leather camera strap.
你好 ！你会维修吗？我的佳能仿徕卡，我更换完帘布快门出了问题？B和慢速快门会卡住，两块帘布好像一起过去。
Hello! Can you repair it? My Canon imitates Leica, but after replacing the fabric, did the shutter have any issues? B and the slow shutter will get stuck, and the two curtains seem to pass together.
These cameras are certainly repairable but I don’t do camera repairs myself unless the work is very simple. I’m happy to leave that job to experienced experts!
What is the price please
These lllg cameras are typically the most expensive of the Barnack models, but not including very rare examples. On the other hand there seem to be plenty of them about in very good condition, perhaps because they were the most recently made model. They are generally much cheaper to buy than M cameras. For the complete camera shown in this video, complete with leather case (but not lens hood or cloth neck strap and screw-in ring) I paid about half the price of a second hand M body (body only, no lens) in similar condition.
քʀօʍօֆʍ 👏
I have an old camera leica for sale
167337 - serial number of my leica :3
Excellent video