Leica IIIf Review 

I love your reviews and videos . They are beautiful pieces of filmmaking, with excellent, informative content. And really well presented.

I'm a recently retired photojournalist who -- thanks to your excellent video -- resurrected my old and far-too-long neglected IIIF and 5 cm Elmar. In doing so, I rediscovered the simple, heartening joys of shooting film with a purely mechanical camera. I have just returned from a tour of the Baltic states, Germany and Russia with a bagful of exposed Tri-X rolls as souvenirs. There are no masterpieces among the frames, but many shots that I will treasure. Many thanks, Max, for a re-introduction to the "real" photography that drew me into my career.

When I was in the British Army in Iserlohn. Germany in 1957-58 in the Canadian Maple Leaf Store they were selling NEW IIIF with 50mm f3.5 Elmar for £45 each ! I had bought a pre-war Contax III with 50mm f1.5 Sonnar in Berlin for £35 so could not afford to get the new Leica as well ---- PS -- Please send some of that wonderful SUNSHINE here to BRENTWOOD Essex England ---

Watching you guys interact with the camera is like a dance, every time Greg took a shot he smiles when he moves the camera away from his eye. Pure joy! That is what photography should be!

I love using my IIIF. Most times I don't even bother focusing, I find the Leica 50mm lens to be one of the easiest to understand how to zone focus. Set to F8 and zone focus and its the perfect street camera. Great review!

Thanks Max and Greg. A review of my favourite camera. I have a IIIf RD which is paired with a Canon 50mm f1.4...known as the 'poor mans Summilux'. A fantastic combination and it brings together Leica engineering quality with some very high quality optics from Japan.

This review drove me to sell my M4-P in favour of an old IIIC which had been sitting in the window of a second hand store that I have been walking past and staring at for the last 2 years. Best decision ever.

I have one of the early Black Dial versions, from the first production run in Wetzlar, according to the serial number. It is indeed a wonderful machine - compact, solidly built, and easy to maintain. Mine suffered some shutter problems soon after I bought it, but with a bit of oil and a few turns of the shutter tensioners, she's back to running like a clock. The earlier ones actually have a 30-1 slow speed dial instead of 25-1. Also, shimming the base plate is necessary because 35mm spools in those days were a bit longer than they are today, so the sprocket holes will impinge on the frame if no countermeasure is used. There's a Leica part you can buy, but since I'm a cheapskate I just made a simple shim out of the center spool from a used 35mm canister. Taking one of these cameras apart really reveals the intelligent simplicity of its ultra compact design. The exact placement of each dial, switch, and button is optimized for mechanical efficiency. The only point against it is that it's a bit of a chore to load, but then again so are many cameras that are well worth using anyway. Another curiosity you find when disassembling a Black Dial IIIf is that the very earliest versions have the mounting points for the self timer inside, even though the self timer wasn't introduced until the Red Dial. Absolutely no Black Dial Self Timer IIIf cameras were produced. However, it turns out that a customer could send in their Black Dial to be upgraded with a self timer. It just didn't come as standard on new IIIf cameras at first.

An excellent review. I like the way you interleave the history of the camera, and information about its operation, with footage of you and Greg using the camera in the field, and also the way you show the final photo immediately after showing you/Greg taking the photo!

Thanks very much for this and other great reviews! I started using SLR's in the '70's, became curious about LTM's in the '90's and purchased a IIIc with 50mm Elmar f3.5. It's very addictive! Even with an assortment of analog and digital cameras, I'm increasingly drawn to thinking through each frame with a IIIf and old Gossen. There's a lot to be said for being immersed in the process instead of falling back on automation and rushing through. Like you mentioned, the IIIf is timeless, perfect form/function and just feels right. Our younger son is at Uni Freiburg and when I visit, my companion will be the old IIIf!

As a 111f owner I heartily endorse your comments. Quality pays, and I find when using the Leica it makes the most of my moderate abilities.

My all time favorite camera. I have the M3, but something about this little gem makes me carry it along most of the time.

I am lucky to have purchased a IIIf (black dial) complete kit from a co-worker back in 1986! He purchased it in Germany during service in 1955. Came with an incredible 50mm f 2.0 Summitar, original 5cm viewfinder, lens shade and four Leitz filters and a era leather bag! I had it cleaned serviced and lubed and works today like if it was new! What a piece of perfection...I consider myself lucky....I also have an M7 and both have a piece of my heart!!!

Thank you for a wonderful review. Around 1970 when I got out of college and started working, I bought a IIIf black dial with an f/2 50mm Sumitar. I didn't have a light meter, so I used the sunny 16 rule (in bright sunshine, at f/16, set the shutter speed to the ASA film speed ) It was good enough back then even for color slide film. I enjoyed the IIIf for a number of years. Your review brought back many find memories.

I just saw your video, it is great! I also own the Leica IIIf Red Dial with the Leica Elmar 50mm f/3.5 lens. My body and lens was CLA’ed. These are great cameras and the images are sharp. Another huge advantage of the Leica rangefinders is that they are still serviceable as opposed to many other rangefinder cameras. There is an advantage to Leica.

Wow, great review. I've always loved the look of this camera, but after watching your video I'm really interested in shooting with it. Love the concept of the dual viewfinders. Really enjoy your videos. Thanks Max, Jules and Greg.

Almost 70 years and it still works like a champ. These were made back when German engineering actually *meant* something

I found a IIIf at a charity shop a few years ago, for just $29, with 50mm Summicron f2. Paid Youxin Ye $180 for a full CLA on both. It's in remarkable condition for a 65 year old camera and is a joy to use. Nice video guys. Thanks for uploading. Cheers.

Fantastic review yet again from you of a fantastic and impressive old school Leica. Thank you for the work that you do and the insights you share.

I've just bought one, Max, thanks in part to your review, and it really is a piece of art. Keep up the good work!

I love the light and airy feel that these old Leica cameras and their glass produce. I really need to pick up one at some point

For me Leica is synonymous with the pinnacle of photography. My experience with Leica began in the mid seventies with the M3. Although I subsequently had Nikon, Pentax, and Olympus camera’s my true love will always be Leica.

Great review! Love my IIIF RD with collapsible 5cm f/2 Summitar. Got rid of my M3 because I preferred the more compact and lighter IIIF.

I enjoy your reviews. This one in particular because I have owned 2 Leica iiic's for some time now. One of which was converted sometime in the past to a iiic. And I recently acquired a very nice iiic. Keep videos coming . Very informative.

I appreciate this video a lot since I just bought a Leica IIIf (body only). Will test it out using a non-Leica lens whether it works first and foremost; but as I heard you advise, I may have to have it CLA'd first maybe to get the best potential of it. Your video and the research you put into it makes me appreciate the value of this model compared to the other Leicas. Love the sample pictures. Thanks!

Love this channel, so happy to find it. Vielen dank für die arbeit das ihr alle leistet um uns diese videos zu zeigen :)

I have two these mechanical marvels; a 1952 black dial version and a 1955 red dial with self timer (delay mechanism). I love the feel and handling of the IIIf.

I’ve always understood that the Leica M line is more advanced and more user friendly, but I’ve never been drawn to them as much I was to the Barnack cameras. I finally got a IIIf last week, in near mint condition. Freshly CLA’d, accurate shutter speeds, and a 5cm f/2 Summicron that hasn’t been scratched beyond recognition. I have truly fallen in love with the shooting process of this camera. Metering off body just makes it much more intentional, even if it reminds me of the days I spent shooting my beater Canon FX with the busted light meter!

Camera bliss using these beautiful vintage cameras. So nice to see photographers taking pictures without looking at the back of their camera every time for digital replays. One of my favorite lenses for the LTM Leicas is the small 90mm telephoto with its 10+ aperture blades.

My grandpa had one of these, equipped with a 3.5cm, a 5cm and a 9cm lens. He kept using it until the early 1990s which is why I (aged "only" 49) had the opportunity to shoot quite some rolls of film with it in the past. Unfortunately we are not able to find it anywhere today even though it has never left our family. I really liked it, but it has its perks, i.e. parallax errors at short focusing distances, especially with the 9cm lens. And of course it is a very slow kind of photography, but that is not really an issue, once you get used to it. So is shooting with my Pentacon six TL and I love it. I'm a die-hard SLR man (70s and early 80s PENTAX all the way... 😂), but I must admit that I have a soft spot for rangefinders...

8:28 , I have you commend you here for your knowledge and flawless presentation of it. Great vid, enjoyed it so much, knowing that these images came from a 1950s Leica setup is just extraordinary. I had to pause the images to enjoy them, especially LOVE the B/W images - STUNNING! I have the 35mm f3.5 summaron, after using it I found the Belmar 35mm f3.5 a better lens in terms of aesthetics and not tripping the aperture dial each time you focus using the ring alone. Love the form factor of the 35mm elmar. very sharp lenses indeed and real jewels

I recently aquired a Leica IIIf more or less as a substitute for a Leica M4 that is away for repair which will take several months, unfortunateyl. But the IIIf pleasantly surprised me! What a beautiful little camera and much easier to work with than I expected. Focussing under lowlight-conditions needs some getting used to (adjust the diopter!) as does putting film into it (leave no rough edges on leader!) but the overall experience is so rewarding that you quickly forget about it's quirks. But now I have a new problem: I have to order more film! :)

Nicely done as usual, Max. Nice video and shots of the vineyards and villages. A Bocksbeutel on the Main...

Your reviews about great pieces of gear are almost like love letters. Great job as usual. Looking forward to the next one.

Just snagged an RD IIIf with Elmar 3.5 - being delivered tomorrow! Can't wait and it'll be a great partner to my Konica IIIA. A really wonderful review, with great production values.

Excellent review. You are so informative and engaging with what you show and say. Thank you!

Thank you for this very interesting and nicely produced review. I was given a Leica III with its Elmar lens for Christmas 2000. It was owned from new by the aunt of a friend of mine. I had the lens coated soon afterwards and the camera works perfectly at 87years of age. Although I have several other cameras, the III is an excellent travel camera as it is so compact and discreet. The image quality of modern Leica lenses is different, not necessarily more delightful.

Great review, you guys do a very good job. I like to see the photos right after you have taken them in the video, very cool!

Fantastic review, really enjoyed this video. Well done.

Just got hold of an early 50mm Elmar f3.5 lens- images glow for a nice effect, reminiscent of Greg's yellow chair shot - interesting charachter in these early lenses.

What a lovely review, I suppose the ultimate screw thread Leica would be the IIIG, I did have a look through the improved but still separate viewfinder of one of these a friend has a few weeks back. My own collection, which I use all, includes a IIIF.

Maxx what's up? I've been looking at this camera for a while but didn't know enough about it. What makes your format of producing these videos so effective is this. Even though it's a long detailed video you constantly dance from talkin commentary To final images from the camera and to showing the camera being used in real-world situations. This style virtually eliminates the viewer getting bored or losing interest while at the same time getting all the important details of the camera across in an entertaining way. As you produce RU-vid videos you're always looking for ways to improve but I think youve settled on the perfect format for your channel and I hope you don't change it. respect

Thanks for this video. It convinced me to finally pull the trigger on a iiif with an Elmar 50mm 3.5. I’m blown away by the size. After getting it CLA’d, I think it will be my go to film camera for quite a while. I was hesitant about the two small windows, but for most situations it isn’t a problem.

I've been shooting Nikon for many years and more recently picked up a Fuji X-T4 and loved the form factor and colors that Fuji gives me. Looking through my grandparents old photo albums I was always amazed at the shots my grandfather captured back in the 1930's in pre-war Germany - I believe he used a Leica I or a Leica II. In my youth my father gave me a Minolta X-570 which I loved at the time so I had the experience of using Film back then. Last week I started looking around at Leica I's and II's but after seeing this review I decided to get a Leica IIIf - I just purchased it less than an hour ago and I'm really looking forward to getting out in the field with it and learning how to use it. Thanks again for putting out this review.

So pleasing to view your videos, you are so accurate with your information, a rare thing on photo channels

Enjoyed the video. I have a 1949 iiic converted to a iii and a 1950 iiic. Really enjoy shooting these two cameras.

Such a great video, I needed to watch it again. Thanks, gentlemen.

I enjoy your videos and reviews. I find them useful and learn much from them. I also am inspired and relaxed when I watch them. Love old Leica's, dream of owning one.

Great video! I love my iiic with the 5cm Elmar. A perfect camera.

Wonderful video, thank you! Excellent detailed information, images, and production.

A great review. I recently sold my M2 and now have a Zorki 1. I took it in holiday and found that I far prefer it to the M2 for the reasons you stated, even with the Zorki.

Always giving great review! I have an R4s and looking forward to a Barnack model! Thanks!

Very, very interesting program. I have an exact genuine excellent copy of one of these Leicas which I have loaned to a relative. Wonderful presentation and photographs. Thank you so much. RS. Canada.

Great review. Now I love my iiif even more!

Your channel is by far my favorite on RU-vid for Analog photography. If you are interested, would be happy to lend you my analog cameras and lenses for your review. I have more than 150 cameras both 35mm and Medium Format, all kinds and more than 200 lenses from all makes.

I have two of these cameras with a screw mount Sumicron 50mm. It is really a fast camera to use as you pre focus the lens. The lens is very sharp and easy to use. I believe Henri Cartier Bresson used this camera for much of his work. Very informative and nice work!

Great video, Max! I've always been curious about these little Barnack cameras. I have a few M cameras and sometimes they feel a bit more than I want to carry. I've always wondered if the IIIf/g would be a fun alternative.

Thanks for a great and informative video. I'm looking around for a IIIf to go with my IIIc/summitar from the 1940s.

Really interesting. I had a lot of fun with my iiic, and playing with different lenses and the viewfinder. I was amazed at the results you could get with it. Now I've got an M2, I just keep it for 50mm, but interesting points about the advantages over the M cameras.

Wonderful video, and quite informative Max. Makes me want to somehow get into the Leica world all the more. Keep the great videos coming :)

This is film so beautifully made and produced. Wow.

Inspirational as always, you gentlemen are such a class act.

I absolutely love your stuff, i have a Minolta XD-11, a Nikon F4, and an Olympus OM-2SP...

hi from Mexico! OMG!!! Price then = $3500 today!!! wow°°° that's mindblowingly expensive!! (back then). Thanks for the history of these beautiful cameras!!! I am looking at buying one soon via auction.

All your points are well taken! it is a perfect camera.

Excellent review and a joy to watch

I am a perfect Leica screw mount Barnack shooter. These work ideally for my needs and desires.

Hi, another excellent video about a beloved camera. I had a M6 in the near past with some lenses and a Voigtlander R2M. Everything sold now because of the economical crisis here😑. I ve stayed with the Russian rangefinders and lenses. I still have only the multiple view Leitz finder which you didn't use it. You haven't mentioned it at all but you were using the Soviet zeiss copy turret finder which is better for 50mm and longer focal lengths. Congratulations, keep on going.

Great to see this channel. IIIf is one of my favorites. I like to call screw mount Leicas jewelry, because that's how they are made! I'm subscribing..

Good review. I have been using two IIIf since 1968 and they are still two of my favourites even though subsequent M cameras have been added. Regarding your need from the external viewfinder in the accessory shoe, if the correct lens-hood for the Elmar is used, the ITOOY, the supplementary viewfinder is not necessary.

I’ve really been yearning to get my hands on one of these or even an earlier wartime or prewar version. I’m moving a larger city and would love to do some classic street photography.

Great review, respect! It reinforced my desire to buy one, which will be here in two days’ time (with the iconic Summitar 2.0/50 + barndoor lightshade)...

Cosina Voigtlander makes a variable viewfinder that covers major focal lengths with framelines. Very nice.

I'm actively looking to purchase a IIIf ST after watching this video. Well done.

Love the approach of the video and Greg has a very cool shades too

Well research and very informative!

Five years have passed since this review, and looking through the comments I noticed that nobody has asked about the Leica 3G. Is this even better?

Excellent as always.

Love your video. The iiif is such a fun camera to use!

I ended up with an urge to shoot some film on the country side. Smooth, this great video. Love the soundtrack, too!

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

I have a IIIa and I love it. I have an M6 too but there is something indeed about the III.

Really beautiful! I'm actually not such a big fan of Leica cameras, because I think that the hype is not really justified. The Cameras -especially the more modern ones- don't really have special features which would make them stand out. Apart from the great built quality not only for the camera but also the lenses seem to be really well made! Maybe I can get my hands on one -or at least a lens which i could adapt- and shoot a few rolls. Great video, nice quality- as always! I really enjoy watching your content!

Really enjoyed this review . Liked and subscribed.

Nice video. A word of warning - those triangular strap rings are the worst for this kind of camera - they can wear away the brass lugs quickly

I use Leica IIIa and Summicron 50mm also very beautiful one. Thank you very much for your reviews. ;))

I did doubt that this was a 111f..... But looking into the serial number it is. It's a 1111f with a delay mechanism.. 1 of 16000 manufactured in 1954. Beautiful cameras :-) And an excellent review :-)

Love the channel, thank you❤

Sehr schön :) Habe selbst die Leica IIIc und es ist ein erhebendes Gefühl, die Cam zu bedienen.

Thank you, that was very insightful and informative.

The best camera presentation I've ever seen. Thank you! I'm curious to know what apparatus was used to shoot the video? Color and clarity are great as is the cinematography, of course.

Loved your video. A few notes: 1. Olympus was inspired by the iiif to create the M-1; almost identical in body size and ergonomics. 2. Vertical shots can easily be done with thumb on the release; it feels natural either way. Incidentally, best technique is to use the flat of the finger firing the shutter, not the tip. The ring around the release actually encourages that. 3. And - this is matter of taste - I only shoot B&W film in mine. Later Leitz M lenses have multi-coating for better color.

Another really great review from a sophisticated and original perspective - I'm a little dubious that the 'f' in the name 111f comes from flash synchronisation, (although the camera had that feature), as the camera range was named over the years from a-g, so that the 111f was a step on from the 111e and a step before the 111g and I've not heard a reference to flash (blitz) in that context before. Nevertheless I'm really impressed with your reviews.

Thanks for this review. Any Video on the 73mm lens?

Wonderful video. Can you tell me what black hood was used? I am looking for a Leica alternative hood for my 50mm f3.5 Elmar.

Masterpiece cameras. One of the best ever created.

Really good pics here.

It would be really cool if you guys reviewed the Soviet rangefinders like the Zorkis or the Feds. As much as I like Leicas, give the little Russian knockoffs a bit of love. They are actually rather well made for the price, with plenty of good lenses to choose from!

Yes, getting used to the separate focusing and framing windows takes some time, but I was surprised to find I was quite comfortable with it in just an afternoon. Do I prefer it to an integrated design like a more modern rangefinder, probably not, but it works very well, although the tiny little windows can be a bit fiddly, especially for those who must wear glasses to use a camera.

You might like the little SBOOI (50) or SBLOO (35) VFs over the bulky turret. The names of accessories of the time were fun. It’s still the measure, relatively, of all small camera. What other interchangeable, full frame camera fits in your pocket today?