Leica IIIF and lens cleaning/repair

[gregarpp]

Is there a FAQ on this??

I picked up a III that has slow low shutter speeds.
Closer inspection shows some crack marks on the shutter.
The cosmetics are great! Viewfinder is clean and clear.
I have $100 invested so far...
I am wondering the cost, and if it is worth getting fixed to use.

I also picked up a 50mm/2.0 coated lens.
The optics are near perfect, much better then my other 50mm I picked up. This one has stiff aperture... from lack of use.
$100 invested so far in this lens.

[rover]

Lenses are pretty inexpensive to repair, under $100. If it were me... I would repair both in preparation of using them regularly.

[gregarpp]

I looked up the serial number of the camera... it is a IIIF and has a red dial..
If that means anything

[kmack]

A CLA will cost anywhere from $90 and up for the body depending on who you send it to for repair/cleaning.

Some of the sources I have found are:

Oleg (Russia)

John Maddox
L&J Leica Repair
109 Royal Oak Rd.
Greenville, SC 29607
804-297-6931

Dag Camera/

Yau's Camera Service
12 Fawndale Crescent
Toronto Ontario
Canada M1W 3K1.
d.yau@rogers.com

Essex camera

Those will give you a good starting point.

[gregarpp]

I heard DAG was rather expensive.
Essex has $190 for shutter repair.

I just e-mailed Yau's Camera Service


I guess I will have to call John Maddox tommrow.
Does he have an e-mail or webpage?

[kmack]

Originally Posted by gregarpp

I heard DAG was rather expensive.
Essex has $190 for shutter repair.

I just e-mailed Yau's Camera Service


I guess I will have to call John Maddox tommrow.
Does he have an e-mail or webpage?

By all accounts John is good but can be slow, I have never found a website or e-mail for him.

Oleg is going to be the cheapest, I had a Zorki repaired by him about a year ago and he did a very good job. If you check thru the forums you will find a few people who had their Leica's repaired by Oleg. Shipping to Russia can be exciting though.

[John Shriver]

Actually, the older Leica lenses apertures don't get sticky from lack of use. The rings are very tight fits, and the old oil turns to gunk. Or, if the blades get sticky, that's dangerous, since it's very easy to wind up ripping out the pins.

Any Leica 50/2.0 lens that isn't all scratched up or fungused is worth having cleaned, be it a Summar, Summitar, or Summicron.

[ERV]

I sent my IIc and two TM lenses to Youxin Ye in Boston for servicing and cleaning.
(there is a long post/ debate in the Leica M forum about the differences between various Leica repair people that is an interesting read. See "Happy day -- M3 back from CLA ")
His prices and turnaround time are very reasonable and I'm very happy with his service.

[jkelly]

I recently sent an Elmar 50/3.5 with a stuck focus ring to Oleg. When I asked him for an estimate by email he told me it would not be in excess of $20. Postage to Russia was $8, Oleg charged $13 to fix the focus ring and do a complete CLA, and postage back from Russia was $10. Total invested was $34 and it took four weeks including transit time. I had no problems, and was very pleased with the whole experience.

Oleg charges $70 for a CLA on an LTM Leica. His website is http://www.okvintagecamera.com/repair.html for prices. His email address is there as well, and he is very responsive.

[Ronald M]

DAG is good but expensive. New curtains and a cla for $180 at Markhama.com in atlanta.

Took him two weeks and did a fine job.

[gregarpp]

I have already sent them to someone else..
I have a few more I am going to send.