View Full Version : Just scored a IIIG!
i just picked up a IIIG with a 50mm summicron on the auction site for $400!
i'm pretty sure it's gonna need a thorough cla, any recommendations?
i'll post more info whenever it arrives...
thanks.
bob
$400 is really low for what you got. For the IIIG, there's Youxin Ye, wye7@yahoo.com. He does not do lenses, though. You could try DAG, www.dagcamera.com, if the Summicron needs attention.
Spyderman
02-18-2008, 00:30
Wow! 400! Great price. AFAIK they tend to go for about 1000 in good condition...
Get it CLA'd (if needed) and enjoy it.
Roger Hicks
02-18-2008, 00:31
That is a giveaway price. I'd suggest that you wait until it arrives before trying to work out what it needs, then ask (here) again.
Cheers,
Roger
Wow! 400! Great price. AFAIK they tend to go for about 1000 in good condition...
Get it CLA'd (if needed) and enjoy it.
Even extreme user IIIg's go for this much without a lens ... mine cost me close to a grand a couple of years ago and no lens!:eek:
At that price, bright marks and scratches are forgiven. I'll second the recommendation on Youxin Ye for the servicing the IIIg - but as Roger said, wait till it gets here.
Congratulations - and - enjoy.
jack palmer
02-18-2008, 04:26
I was watching two on that auction site and one went for $1,700.0 0 +with lens and the other went for $1.300.00 + without. Both Mint.I didn't see any for $400.00!
Where was that hidden? Next time I see a mint 3g for a grand and Buy it Now, I'm going to grab it.
johnastovall
02-18-2008, 05:39
Send the body and lens to Sherry Krauter, Golden Touch (http://www.sherrykrauter.com/). Sherry does lovely work on both bodies and lens. Just had my IIIG and lens CLAed there.
At that price, bright marks and scratches are forgiven. I'll second the recommendation on Youxin Ye for the servicing the IIIg - but as Roger said, wait till it gets here.
Congratulations - and - enjoy.
yeah, i've been looking for a user IIIG for some time now. they always go for more than i'm willing to pay...then this one popped on *bay with a buy it now of $400. i guess i just got lucky being the first person to hit the buy it button.
i was hoping to get some other recommendations besides youxin and DAG. i had a terrible experience with youxin last year and don goldberg takes a long time.
i'll post what it needs when it actually arrives...
bob
jack palmer
02-18-2008, 12:45
Nothing like being in the right place at the right time.:D
Graybeard
02-18-2008, 14:32
The Leica expert that you might consider is John Maddox at L&J Leica Repair.
John is second to none in the quality of his work on Barnack Leicas and he has sources of new parts. He installed a new shutter brake on a IIIg for me recently - a part he obtained from a manufacturee in Germany. His turnaround time is variable but nowhere near where DAG is at this point- contact John at leica1925@aol.com.
yeah, i've been looking for a user IIIG for some time now. they always go for more than i'm willing to pay...then this one popped on *bay with a buy it now of $400. i guess i just got lucky being the first person to hit the buy it button.
i was hoping to get some other recommendations besides youxin and DAG. i had a terrible experience with youxin last year and don goldberg takes a long time.
i'll post what it needs when it actually arrives...
bob
George S.
02-19-2008, 08:42
I don't see any completed $400 IIIG auctions on the auction site. Could you show us the auction number? You sure you didn't get sniped at last second?
Or buy a Leica clone? Or forget a "1" in front of th "4"?!
Leica price guide lists the going price at around $1400 for a body, no lens.
By now it must be thirty years ago another teacher at school said he had a IIIg. I promptly told him never to let go of it, as it would only increase in value. I'm sure he has gone to his eternal reward by now, but I wonder what happened to that IIIg. (He had no children.)
I remember reading in PP, almost that many years ago, that Leica would no longer service thread-mount cameras. Odd, considering that the company at one time would upgrade a Leica to a newer configuration. But even by that time the M series had taken over the lion's share of attention, so screw-mount ones were history. Oh yeah???
the item number is 310024327363.
i actually got an email from another member saying i needed to thank him for convincing the seller to sell it to him for $400. i just happened upon the auction before he got back to his computer to buy it himself.
right place, right time...
Matthew Allen
02-19-2008, 09:37
Wow - that's about what I paid for my IIIa and Summitar. I hope you enjoy it!
Matthew
George S.
02-19-2008, 09:44
Ok, the auction pops up now. I don't know if the seller knows what he's talking about, but he states that he can't see a shutter in the camera! Hope you have something that can be put back to usable condition.
Matthew Allen
02-19-2008, 09:55
Ok, the auction pops up now. I don't know if the seller knows what he's talking about, but he states that he can't see a shutter in the camera! Hope you have something that can be put back to usable condition.
It's likely that the seller has never seen a focal plane cloth shutter and he thinks he's looking at the back of the camera when he looks at it. Even with the cost of a new shutter in the equation this could still be a very good deal.
Matthew
It's likely that the seller has never seen a focal plane cloth shutter and he thinks he's looking at the back of the camera when he looks at it. Even with the cost of a new shutter in the equation this could still be a very good deal.
Matthew
this is what i'm counting on. not many people know much about screw leicas. i assumed the seller was looking for a mirror or a metal shutter, not a cloth focal plane shutter.
i have my fingers crossed, but still assume it will need some work.
either way, it's a good deal for a camera i've been wanting for a long time.
George S.
02-19-2008, 11:59
It's likely that the seller has never seen a focal plane cloth shutter and he thinks he's looking at the back of the camera when he looks at it. Even with the cost of a new shutter in the equation this could still be a very good deal.
Matthew
Why is that more likely than any other explanation? It sounds like the seller went out of his way to say "as is" and "non-functioning". He may know a bit more than he wants us to think he knows so a buyer would think he's getting a great deal off someone who doesn't realize the value of what he has.
I hope its in great shape, but if it turns out to need $300 to $400 worth of work where's the screaming hot deal? Yes, you'll have a working IIIG then, but a cobbled-together one. I do hope this isn't the case, but anything's possible, nothing is more likely than anything else until Bob gets it in his hands.
okay, got the camera and it's a piece of junk! curtains are wrinkled, viewfinder so dirty you can't see through it, vulcanite fell of when i opened the box, and the shutter only works when it wants to.
i talked to sherry krauter this morning and got an extimate of $425 for complete rebuild including curtains.
sometimes you win...sometimes you break even.
xayraa33
02-25-2008, 12:44
sorry to hear that Bob, real bargain deals are very rare.
Steve Bellayr
02-25-2008, 12:44
http://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Leitz/Leica-IIIg.html
See if that works for current prices on IIIg
Matthew Allen
02-25-2008, 12:50
Why is that more likely than any other explanation? It sounds like the seller went out of his way to say "as is" and "non-functioning". He may know a bit more than he wants us to think he knows so a buyer would think he's getting a great deal off someone who doesn't realize the value of what he has.
I hope its in great shape, but if it turns out to need $300 to $400 worth of work where's the screaming hot deal? Yes, you'll have a working IIIG then, but a cobbled-together one. I do hope this isn't the case, but anything's possible, nothing is more likely than anything else until Bob gets it in his hands.
Sorry, didn't see this when you wrote it but I'll reply now. I said it could be a good deal because IIIgs in excellent condition cost around $900 and the Summicron (assuming it's not too scratched) is probably worth around $150 to $225. Even with the $425 of work which it turns out the camera needs that still counts as a decent deal. Not "screaming hot", but decent if the camera can be restored to a semblance of its former glory.
Btw, it appears I was right about the shutter since although it needs replacing, it was there and the seller (unless he was flat out lying, and I doubt that) did not recognize it for what it is.
Matthew
Sad, but I purchased two user grade IIIg Leicas. Sent one to Youxin and it came back very usable and the second sent to DAG, came back perfect. The first came with a Summarit for $600. I've since sold both and made money. The second with the work from Don at DAG is now a $775 camera, which I won't sell anytime soon and if I do it will be worth what I've put into it.
Bottom line - the IIIg is an pricey for what it it is.
i'm not too bummed about it. i knew it would need SOME kind of work, they always do. and i knew the seller was one of these junk dealers who sell anything they find at garage sales, so i'm really not surprised. i'm just happy to have finally picked up a iiig in user condition that i won't be stressed about taking out of the house.
Luddite Frank
02-25-2008, 14:12
Bob,
Sorry to hear that your new -g needs so much help...
To try and put a positive spin on it, if you spring for Sherry to fix it up, it 'll be done right, and vulcanite aside, you'll have a fresh, accurate user, for about $800-900 investment.
You might've spent that much on a body alone, in better shape, and still found yourself spending $150 - $300 on a CLA and related work a few months later...
If this III-g is going to be a regular shooter for you, at least you'll have confidence that all is fresh & clean & right inside.
Check out cameraleather.com for a new skin...
Good luck !
Luddite Frank
George S.
02-26-2008, 05:55
Sorry, didn't see this when you wrote it but I'll reply now. I said it could be a good deal because IIIgs in excellent condition cost around $900
Btw, it appears I was right about the shutter since although it needs replacing, it was there and the seller (unless he was flat out lying, and I doubt that) did not recognize it for what it is.
Matthew
No, Matthew, you said "it could be a very good deal". And yes, there may be a difference between a missing shutter and a ruined one, but not much difference. And my original suspicion that the seller was being less than honest, if not outright lying, seems to have been proven true. I feel badly for Bob and I hope in the end he gets a very usable camera out of it all, but $825 (for starters, because the $425 estimate for repairs is just that, an estimate until all is said and done) plus figure in any possible auction or paypal fees, shipping from seller, shipping to and from the repair person, tax on repair, actual cost of repair, etc. and you don't have a hot deal.
The reports of screaming hot deals (steals) on Leicas from people that don't know what they have are mostly urban myths; the one that I do know of came from a garage sale, you would never see one on ebay, IMO. There are real deals out there if you are willing to be patient and smart. In December I privately purchased a IIIG and 3 Leica lenses, original flash and case for $1075 with shipping and all the items were as new as the day they were shipped by Leica. Just yesterday a IIIG sold on e-boy from a reputable dealer with a 100 day warranty for $659.
Matthew Allen
02-26-2008, 09:11
No, Matthew, you said "it could be a very good deal". And yes, there may be a difference between a missing shutter and a ruined one, but not much difference. And my original suspicion that the seller was being less than honest, if not outright lying, seems to have been proven true. I feel badly for Bob and I hope in the end he gets a very usable camera out of it all, but $825 (for starters, because the $425 estimate for repairs is just that, an estimate until all is said and done) plus figure in any possible auction or paypal fees, shipping from seller, shipping to and from the repair person, tax on repair, actual cost of repair, etc. and you don't have a hot deal.
The reports of screaming hot deals (steals) on Leicas from people that don't know what they have are mostly urban myths; the one that I do know of came from a garage sale, you would never see one on ebay, IMO. There are real deals out there if you are willing to be patient and smart. In December I privately purchased a IIIG and 3 Leica lenses, original flash and case for $1075 with shipping and all the items were as new as the day they were shipped by Leica. Just yesterday a IIIG sold on e-boy from a reputable dealer with a 100 day warranty for $659.
Ok, I said "very", I'm not going to labour the point.:)
In general you are certainly right about the rarity of real bargains, especially on ebay. Ebay is just too big a pool of potential buyers for good deals to go unnoticed though if they are there it's usually in the form of a low BIN. I haven't found the proverbial $5 Leica but I have paid around half the typical auction value for a few items that I spotted right after they were listed, for example a couple of my Pentax lenses which were from reputable sellers and arrived in lovely condition.
Private sales (including those on RFF occasionally) can be great, it sounds like you did very well on your IIIg.
Matthew
Anyone know where I can find a black bodied Leica IIIg with three crowns on the back for less than a $1000 US?:angel:
George S.
02-26-2008, 11:22
Anyone know where I can find a black bodied Leica IIIg with three crowns on the back for less than a $1000 US?:angel:
Probably a dealer in the FSU? ;)
xayraa33
02-26-2008, 11:32
how much would it cost to have a chrome IIIg painted black with the three crowns engraved?
i don't feel bad about buying this camera, i knew what i was getting into. it would be nice if it had been perfect, but how often does that really happen? almost every classic camera i've ever bought needed some kind of work.
i'll probably sell the lens, or keep it and sell my m mount collapsible 50mm summicron to cover some of the cost, so my actual outlay for this body would be closer to $200. add in the cla and curtains and i have a iiig in perfect order for $625. not bad.
also, somebody mentioned that these incredible deals never(or very rarely) happen. i'm living proof that they do, i'm the guy that bought a black paint m3 a few months back for $2k! the lenses that came with the camera were worth more than the $2000 i paid for the whole package.
deals are out there...
bob
Luddite Frank
02-27-2008, 09:00
deals are out there...
bob
"Right place, right time"....
Occasionally, I achieve both...
:)
LF
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