Leica IIIb

 I'm just 27 frames into testing the recently acquired Leica IIIb. Not much, but the differences are obvious enough to perhaps allow a mini-review, a sort of first impressions post.

First some background: This isn't my first screw mount Leica. The first Leica I ever owned was a IIIf black dial acquired at a garage sale in about 1978 or 79. It was externally in mint condition, but had a few tiny pinholes in the shutter from being left on a closet shelf while wound since, probably, 1950-something. I was still a working photojournalist at the time and the IIIf wasn't a realistic option for that work, so it was a curiosity that I played with in the studio. Not long ago I chanced on a proof sheet of a roll shot through that camera, a studio series of Marlene who I did model comps for, and apparently shot the one additional roll for fun. Except for the few tiny pinholes, they're respectable images. There were a few other test rolls through that camera, but not long after someone offered four times what I'd paid for it. So I took the offer and put the money back into lenses for my pro rig which I could in turn use to earn more money. A logical choice at the time, although I did later wish I'd gotten that shutter fixed and had a little more time with that first Leica.

As a result of that earlier experience, it took only minutes to get the hang of the IIIb. 

The IIIb is in pretty good condition for an 85-year old camera. The top plate is excellent, just a few very minor scuffs, cleaner than most of my newer bodies. The baseplate has some larger scuffs, obvious but not bad compared to some older cameras. The leatherette appears to have been replaced, and there's a small tear in the front which may be from a botched install because it's otherwise pretty clean.  The camera has been apart, there are minor marks on the screws, and the shutter looks suspiciously clean and new. As far as I can tell everything works.

The 5cm f/3.5 collapsible Elmar is a little newer, post-war. Except for minor cleaning marks it's in good shape.

The camera is tiny, considerably smaller than an M-body. With the lens collapsed it easily slips into a jacket pocket and that's a tempting attraction. Add a wrist strap and it would be really easy to carry this anywhere.

For me the main limitation is the tiny rangefinder and viewfinder, after decades of M use they feel really small. The rangefinder seems to be accurate enough if one has time to focus carefully; the rangefinder image is at 1.5x so it's pretty easy to use when not rushed. The IIIb was the first model to move the viewfinder window right next to the rangefinder, so it's then pretty quick to shift the eye over just a bit, frame, and shoot. Except that for careful composition, that viewfinder is really tiny. It's also set up only for a 50mm lens, not an issue for me since that's my usual preferred focal length.

Most everything else is slow and deliberate. Trimming the longer film leader, loading carefully, winding and rewinding with knurled knobs, lifting the shutter speed dial to change settings, metering with a handheld meter (or sunny f/16 rule, on a bright day; I'm badly out of practice but long ago could estimate exposures in most conditions pretty accurately). Slow and deliberate is OK though, when the camera is for pure creative enjoyment.

My original intent was to run a couple of rolls of film through this and then put it on the shelf with only very rare use. It's kind of fun to play with so far though. It might come out to play a bit more often than originally planned, we'll see.