How did you get into Leicas?

My local camera shop had a black paint MP in mint condition about 5 years ago for $2500. They also had an olive green M3. I thought the MP was so beautiful that I would be afraid to use it. I did't get either of those, but am now on my 10th Leica.
 
Late to the party, my Leica gear has been limited to a Leica lens or two. I used Leica compatibles mostly. Some weeks ago I gave up and purchased a iiif red dial. Misreading an ad some days later a quick buy-it-now netted me a pristine Leica iif red-dial.The ad stated it's previous owner a millionaire, from his estate, was the only owner. I think the guy must have stored it in a climate controlled vault. Even the leather never-ready case looks new to my untrained eyes. In for a penny. .. ... in for a pound, I now have all the Leica's I need. Don't want to read bout no M's. These should do me as each already will take better photo's than I can. What fun!:D!
 
M2

M2

My grandfather was in Germany after the second world war. He was caught in the crossfire between the Red Army and the Germans. My estimation is that he worked in a foreign worker camp until the end of the war.

The Allies and the American government was not re-patriating people in his position back to the Soviet Union. After the war, he was in Munich helping rebuild. From what I know, he went through training as a train engineer and machinist. In Germany, he bought a Leica M2 camera with a 5cm Elmar lens with the light meter. I think it cost him about $300 at that time. Eventually, he made it to the US through our church. That must have been around 1960. Rumor had it that he brought the camera, his best suit, and a small suitcase.

He didn't use it much, so my father would put about two to three rolls a year through it. When he passed away, he left it to my father. My dad stopped doing film photography at some point and I got the camera back around 2005. I traded it for a Canon D60.

The camera was bought new, in Munich, and I think we have the receipt still. Grandpa Mykola saved everything. Last time I went to Germany was 2008 and I made big attempt to get to Solms. It would have been it's 50th birthday.
 
Leica beginnings

Leica beginnings

I walked into my favorite film camera store and on a whim asked to see the M3 in the locked cabinet.

One wind of the film lever of that mint condition camera was all it took. Two M3's, a 35mm F3.5 begoggled Summaron and a V.3 Summicron came home. One M3 has since moved on but has been replaced by a M4-2 and 50mm Elmar F2.8 which lives with me in my jacket pocket.

I prefer my Hasselblad in many ways. I prefer 120 film in many ways. I even prefer my early Canon F-1 and 50mm F1.4 SSC for several things.

But my Leicas are what gets used the most.

And usage, to me, is what counts.
 
I was working in a portrait studio. I had never seen a Leica M body, but had heard what great cameras they were.

Someone walked in with a near Mint Leica M3 outfit: a 35/3.5 M Summaron with googles, rigid 50/2 M Summicron, 135/4.5 M Hektor and a jammed M3 body.

All for the princely sum of $75.

I knew a local camera repairman who could probably (and did) repair the body, so I took the leap.
It worked out OK, but my life has not been the same since.

Stephen
 
A friend had given me a FED 2 to play around with. I told a professor of mine about it, saying how it was a Russian derivative of the Leica SM cameras. He went on a rant about copies, and how you should always go with the original. The next class I had with him he gave me a 1930's iii with an Elmar, Hood, and case. I was hooked. Two years later I bought an M3, a year or two after that I bought an M6, and two years after that my M8.
 
For a photo class in college (art minor) in the 1980's, I needed a discreet, quiet and fast operating camera. I saved enough from assisting assignments and bought a used M4p and 35mm Summicron. Once I got the hang of it, the Nikons rarely came out. One lens, one camera, lots of Tri-X.
 
In 50 years of photography I'd only ever used Japanese RFs (Yashica Lynx and Olympus XA) and, mainly, film SLRs (OM and Nikon). I bought a cheap Fed-3 about 5 years ago with an I-61 and liked it, but it was about the same size as an SLR. A friend lent me his M4 and while I liked the viewfinder and quality feel, it was still a reasonably large camera - and way beyond my budget. It wasn't until I borrowed his Canon IVSB2 that I found something I really liked - small for my small hands, nice feel.

A week ago I attended a camera fair and found a IIIc body at a cheap price. Couldn't resist. Still waiting to develop first roll of film. The camera feels great in the hand, and is a thing of beauty - I'm hooked!
 
I won my first IIIc in a photo contest. While I was waiting for it to arrive, I found another one (mint, with a Summitar, case, and manual) locally at a very good price and bought it. I already had some other screw-mount bodies (FED, Canon), but the little Leicas go out more often.
 
It's all my son's fault. Four years ago he got me into film again when he scrounged a Rolleiflex. I bought a Rollei 35 rangefinder because I couldn't focus the TLR Rollei. Then I "had" to have an M3 and so on...
 
A fellow from our church loaned me a WWII vintage IIIc kit that was rescued from the trash when his grandfather in-law passed. I fell in love with it and it is still on loan 6 years later. He loves that it is being used.

It has been all down hill since then.
 
I bought my first Leica II in the 60's with a late elmar f2.8. It didn't last too long being traded for a Pentax S2 which started a long haul with SLR's. I bought my first M in the 90's with another elmar and have alway's had at least one in my bag. I have now settled for a nice M4-2 and a battered M1 that came as a basket case for £50 far too much to pay for what arrived. I have repaired the M4-2 and the M1 which usually has a Nikkor 2.1cm attached, the M4-2 has either a 35mm Biogon or a 50mm Canon f1.8. I can't see any reason to change this array.

Best,

normclarke.
 
I know this ain't original, and some of you may take it as a compliment, but I blame you all entirely. And not only for the M5, CL, L1, IIIc, Hexars...
 
When I was 17 and wanted to buy a camera, my dad told me "You should get the best you can afford!" So I took a job for a couple of months and bought a Leica with two lenses. The folks in the photo club gave me a hard time, though, called me a "rich kid" when all I did was work hard to be able to afford one.
 
About 15 years ago, I asked a guy at one of the Photorama shows, "All my life I've heard about Leicas -- are they really that much better to use than that $75 Pentax?" He handed me an M2 and said, "Try it out for a couple of shots." I've always liked precision machines, and I knew right away that I needed one of these, but couldn't hope to afford one then. This summer, I thought about all my less expensive cameras and lenses that I wasn't using, and decided that if I sold some of them, I might be able to afford one camera to use for the future. Surprisingly, my gear was worth a lot more than I thought. I read this forum, learned a lot about Leica M's, and bought a great M4 from the classifieds. I love it, and I didn't even have to sell my beloved Crown Graphic or my Bolex RX4. Will I ever replace it with digital? I have a phone for that.
 
About 10 years ago I decided to try photography and bought a used Rolleiflex SL 35 camera. The Rollei was a joy to use and like a Leica it was small, simple to operate, all mechanical, made in Germany and had awesome lenses. I switched to Leica when its reliability became an issue. I have learned a lot along the way from RFF and Roger's website.
 
giganova said:
When I was 17 and wanted to buy a camera, my dad told me "You should get the best you can afford!" So I took a job for a couple of months and bought a Leica with two lenses. The folks in the photo club gave me a hard time, though, called me a "rich kid" when all I did was work hard to be able to afford one.
Click to expand...
Hey, you're not only rich but stoopid... EVERYONE knows that only stoopid rich kids buy Leicas. Well, them and people who actually care about taking pictures. But the latter don't count 'cause they're rich and stoopid. Surely you must have learned this by now from reading the predictable posts that always come up on this forum on the subject of Leicas?

No? Well, gosh. Join the club of people who think that actually, Leicas are quite nice cameras if they suit you. And that if they don't, well, they might suit someone else.

Cheers,

R.
 
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