p.1 #1 · Uh Oh I bought a film Leica by accident...
Yes it is true. I finaly succumbed and bought an antique Leica film camera today. I kept swearing that would never happen.
Parma happens to be the home of one of Italy's largest antique shows. I went this afternoon just to have a look around. At one booth I saw this Leica IIIf in amazingly good condition. It had a beautiful Leitz 5cm f/3.5 Elmr collapsible lens with original metal "Leica" cap, an a beautiful original brown leather "Leica" case. Although it was priced much higher and this guy clearly wasn't a camera dealer, I took a chance and made a low ball offer of $250 for the whole set. After some discussion it was accepted. So now I have it.
So, lots to learn about shooting film and old analog Leicas. I promisepd myself this would never happen. But it did....
p.1 #8 · Uh Oh I bought a film Leica by accident...
I have some questions for all you film gurus out there.
I am considering the exposure controls on the Leica III. Since this camera doesn't have a light meter, it seems to me that this control doesn't actually do anything to control exposure. Since I will start by using the "sunny 16" method to calculate exposure I can just use the reciprocal of the film's ASA number to set shutter speed and follow the rule to set aperture. What the ASA dial says actually doesn't matter.
Is that correct?
How many of you rely on Sunny 16 and how many of you use a accessory shoe mounted meter. Why do you prefer your method?
Since obviously there is no IBIS in film cameras, when it comes to camera shake induced blur what digital megapixel count is film most closely like?
Similar question regarding diffraction. High megapixel count digital camers show the effects of diffraction more. How does film act in this regard? Can I shoot at f/16 without image quality suffering from diffraction?
p.1 #11 · Uh Oh I bought a film Leica by accident...
Grenache wrote:
Cloth shutter?
Yes, rubberized cloth shutter. I inspected it closely and find no holes or tears. There is slight crazing in the rubber, but I am not anticipating trouble from that at this time?
p.1 #12 · Uh Oh I bought a film Leica by accident...
fjablo wrote:
Imo film resolution isn’t 1:1 comparable with digital, but you can expect solid 12-20mp files from 35mm.
On that one: I find it most useful to think about film in analog terms (i.e. enlargement ratio) and then work back to digital resolution.
I think most people would agree that a 15x enlargement of film - with good technique and gear, lower ISO - can hold up to close inspection. That's about a 14x20" print if we're starting from 35mm. To achieve the same print size with digital at 254ppi you need about 20mp.
ISO 400 film will already look quite grainy at this size, maybe 12-13x makes more sense, which puts you around 12-14mp for an equivalent digital print.
A 20x enlargement might hold up with some special film like CMS 20 and high-performance lenses, but that's really more of an edge case.
The nice thing about film though is that it falls apart more gracefully than digital does
p.1 #14 · Uh Oh I bought a film Leica by accident...
The ISO dial is just there to remind you what film is in the camera, no functionality.
As to shutter speeds, 1/60 should be good, with practice, and good technique, 1/30 is common, 1/15 possible, and sometimes even ⅛. Learn how to hold and brace the camera to get success!
p.1 #15 · Uh Oh I bought a film Leica by accident...
Start w ISO 400 film such as Kentmere 400 (really really good and cheap), TriX or HP5.
Those require b&w chemistry to develop.
If you use film like Ilford XP2 it is a chromogenic film which means you can process it w regular colour c-41 chemistry. Which means any regular lab that does colour film can do it. Some places need to ship out b&w film.
Don’t worry about diffraction - I’ve never seen it on film and there is nothing you can really do about it as your ISO essentially is fixed, as is your aperture for correct exposure! Eg sunny f16 w iso 400 film is 1/500 @ f16.
If in doubt, always er to overexposure (unless you are using slide film). Film loves extra light. I pretty much shoot at Sunny f11 in SoCal. And the best way to estimate exposure is to walk around w your digital camera/light meter/light meter app with it set up with fixed iso of the film you will use and just estimate the exposure of scenes around you. Then compare to your app and - I am not kidding - within 30 minutes you will no longer need the light meter.
The only time it gets tricky for me is in the evening, but performing the same exercise will help there too.
You will need a film trimmer to make sure the film lead is the correct shape/length. The Leica name is Ablon but try to find a metal knock off at a fraction of the cost. Amazon is your friend. The plastic ones are easily damaged when you cut the film.
Everyone will say the camera needs a CLA. But exercise it first to see - run through all the shutter speeds several times and give it the ‘it sounds about right’ test. If it hangs or is all over the place then it needs service.
If it passes the ear test, then run a test roll of film through it to verify, this will also check the focus.
p.1 #16 · Uh Oh I bought a film Leica by accident...
EMH2025 wrote:
You jumped in with both feet, rather than an easier M.... have fun and enjoy
I wouldn't call the screw-mount Leica series for easier - it has pros and cons vs the traditional M. The III-series can do something no M-series camera can do: double or multiple exposures on the same frame. Very easy to do with the IIIc which I like using mainly for this purpose because doing it with a M camera can break the film advance mechanism easily.
Another advantage of such screw mount camera is that it the most inconspicuous to use I experienced! Smaller than any M camera, no Leica red dot on the front, and it nowadays looks similar for outsiders to a Fuji series MLC. It blends nicely in especially when doing street photography.
p.1 #17 · Uh Oh I bought a film Leica by accident...
Desmolicious wrote:
You will need a film trimmer to make sure the film lead is the correct shape/length. The Leica name is Ablon but try to find a metal knock off at a fraction of the cost. Amazon is your friend. The plastic ones are easily damaged when you cut the film.
I made my own trimmer from simple cardboard following an online description regarding needed length and alignment. Easy to do and fully for free. I am using my home made one now for > 8 years.
p.1 #18 · Uh Oh I bought a film Leica by accident...
Fyi that lens itself is worth a lot more than $250! And will work great on your digital M w LTM-M adapter.
If you decide to get an adapter, try the cheap ones by fotodiox. I’ve used the super expensive ones from Leica, Voigtlander etc and have had the same hit or miss results -works well with some lens/camera combos -not so great w others- as w the Fotodiox. W the new cheap ones you can easily exchange for another - these variable results are due to slight variances in production on the camera mount, lens mount and adapter.
p.1 #20 · Uh Oh I bought a film Leica by accident...
1bwana1 wrote:
I have some questions for all you film gurus out there.
I am considering the exposure controls on the Leica III. Since this camera doesn't have a light meter, it seems to me that this control doesn't actually do anything to control exposure. Since I will start by using the "sunny 16" method to calculate exposure I can just use the reciprocal of the film's ASA number to set shutter speed and follow the rule to set aperture. What the ASA dial says actually doesn't matter.
Is that correct?
How many of you rely on Sunny 16 and how many of you use a accessory shoe mounted meter. Why do you prefer your method?
Since obviously there is no IBIS in film cameras, when it comes to camera shake induced blur what digital megapixel count is film most closely like?
Similar question regarding diffraction. High megapixel count digital camers show the effects of diffraction more. How does film act in this regard? Can I shoot at f/16 without image quality suffering from diffraction?
Congrats! Got mine in the 90's yours looks to be in really nice shape especially for only $250!!
Get Ilford, used to use tri-x etc before I tried Ilford. Used Pan F but they have 125 iso for more hh shooting, also 400. Get a meter, you can probably get one on your phone, light doesn't tend to be very good under bright sunlight for sunny 16.
Do yourself a favor and forget about diffraction. You'll probably lose a bit of sharpness by f/16, try it. Mught be less than you lose at 3.5
