Vintage Cameras - clean/repair?

D

dclutter

Messages
158
Name
Dale
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi All,

After the passing of my grandfather-in-law we discovered a number of very old cameras and lenses. Looking for a decent spot to get them checked out - ideally around Hertfordshire or London. Can anyone recommend a good shop?

For those interested - Cameras:
  • Leica III (trying to determine which exactly, think a IIIa or IIIb)
  • Contax II
  • Voigtlander Virtus
  • Chinon CM-3 (not so vintage :))
Lenses:
  • Leica Summaron F3.5 35mm
  • Leica Elmar F4 90mm
  • Leica Summar F2 50mm
  • Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar F4 135mm
  • Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar F2 50mm
  • Auto Chinon F1.7 55mm
Camera's are in okay condition, no idea if they work. Some of the lenses look like they are in great condition.
 
:plus1:

OTOH there may be specialist repairers for the Leica stuff, dunno.

That's a lucky find. I'd conservatively put the value at £5 each for the purposes of the estate. I'd certainly be prepared to double that for an instant profit to you...;):D
 
ChrisR said:
:plus1:

OTOH there may be specialist repairers for the Leica stuff, dunno.

That's a lucky find. I'd conservatively put the value at £5 each for the purposes of the estate. I'd certainly be prepared to double that for an instant profit to you...;):D
Click to expand...

Haha, if I hadn't been there when we were sorting through the house I can guarantee they would have been thrown out! :eek:

I was a little giddy with excitement as we were finding more and more of the gear. Also found a set of Carl Zeiss Jena binoculars too.
 
Great stuff... but remember in 1954 you could buy a small car for £4/16/0! ;)
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
It was not far off a weeks wages for the average man...
Click to expand...
So true. In 1958 I was working nearby and frequented Messrs Leitz in Mortimer Street for microscope repairs etc and was earrning around £6 for for a 5.25 day week (alternate Saturday half-days) if memory serves :(
 
dclutter said:
Well I can confirm the model IIIa now! A little disappointing to see that store isn't there anymore. Would have loved to take this in to give them a laugh.
Click to expand...

E Leitz = Leica themselves, before they split into separate companies for the cameras and microscopes (both now branded Leica), so you could probably go along to the current store in Mayfair and they might even be able to help! (I once emailed Leica a technical query about a 1930s lens, and they asked for the serial number without batting an eyelid).

If you just want someone to look over the cameras you could try Aperture, or Leica dealers Red Dot and Richard Caplan in London:

http://apertureuk.com/
https://www.reddotcameras.co.uk/
http://www.richardcaplan.co.uk/

But for an actual service I'd be inclined to use one of the real specialists. The two old-school Leica technicians most often mentioned are Peter Grisaffi (CRR Luton) and Malcolm Taylor (phone them rather than email!):

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/
https://www.yell.com/biz/malcolm-taylor-leica-specialist-leominster-3607553/

I've also heard good things about Cameraworks (Alan and James Starkie), who sent me a detailed and helpful reply to a service query:

https://www.cameraworks-uk.com

Turnaround times may be significant for any of these, but the job will be done properly.

For classic Contax, I've heard Ed Trzoska mentioned several times:

http://europhotoservices.co.uk/

Did you inherit any accessory viewfinders for the Leica and Contax? You'll need them for the non-50mm lenses if you intend to shoot with them.

Note that you need to trim the leader of the film before loading to avoid problems with the wind-on mechanism of the Leica. The IIIa manual is here:

http://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_iiia.pdf

But the shape you need to trim the leader to and the loading process are better illustrated in the later IIIf manual:

http://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_if_iif_iiif.pdf

(see p 27-32 - just use scissors and leave about 23 sprocket holes unpaired).

Also check out archive.org the detailed 'Leica Manual' by Morgan and Lester - they have several editions contemporary with your camera.

Be careful about cleaning the lenses - the Summar in particular has much softer glass than modern lenses, and is easily scratched.
 
Last edited:
The Camera Museum and Aperture (see above) are associated shops, run by brothers. Don't know if they have different repairers, but both are worth a visit.
 
Retune said:
E Leitz = Leica themselves, before they split into separate companies for the cameras and microscopes (both now branded Leica), so you could probably go along to the current store in Mayfair and they might even be able to help! (I once emailed Leica a technical query about a 1930s lens, and they asked for the serial number without batting an eyelid).

If you just want someone to look over the cameras you could try Aperture, or Leica dealers Red Dot and Richard Caplan in London:

http://apertureuk.com/
https://www.reddotcameras.co.uk/
http://www.richardcaplan.co.uk/

But for an actual service I'd be inclined to use one of the real specialists. The two old-school Leica technicians most often mentioned are Peter Grisaffi (CRR Luton) and Malcolm Taylor (phone them rather than email!):

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/
https://www.yell.com/biz/malcolm-taylor-leica-specialist-leominster-3607553/

I've also heard good things about Cameraworks (Alan and James Starkie), who sent me a detailed and helpful reply to a service query:

https://www.cameraworks-uk.com

Turnaround times may be significant for any of these, but the job will be done properly.

For classic Contax, I've heard Ed Trzoska mentioned several times:

http://europhotoservices.co.uk/

Did you inherit any accessory viewfinders for the Leica and Contax? You'll need them for the non-50mm lenses if you intend to shoot with them.

Note that you need to trim the leader of the film before loading to avoid problems with the wind-on mechanism of the Leica. The IIIa manual is here:

http://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_iiia.pdf

But the shape you need to trim the leader to and the loading process are better illustrated in the later IIIf manual:

http://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_if_iif_iiif.pdf

(see p 27-32 - just use scissors and leave about 23 sprocket holes unpaired).

Also check out archive.org the detailed 'Leica Manual' by Morgan and Lester - they have several editions contemporary with your camera.

Be careful about cleaning the lenses - the Summar in particular has much softer glass than modern lenses, and is easily scratched.
Click to expand...

Woah, thanks for the information, thi sis great! I just need some time now :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top