Restoring a 85-year-old Leica camera

[@normandong4479]

Amazing story & video of old Leica repair, a testament to its original precision & design. Takes a bit of patience and courage to overhaul something this old. Results speak for themselves. Makes me cherish my Leica M3 even more.❤❤😊

[@jsollowsphotography]

Loved this video and the fact that the camera remains in the family. I also have a Leica iiiF that was in terrible condition. I had it Leica serviced and they did an incredible job. It will remain one of my favourite cameras and is alway on the go with film. Thanks for your channel. It's one of the best photography channels on KZbin!

[@AnalogInsights]

Thank you for your kind words. This means a lot to me.

[@sputumtube]

Wonderful story. I can feel the passion in your voice regarding this lovely old camera, and Jules did a remarkable job of bring it back to it's former glory. Thanks for posting. Here's to the next 85 years. :)

[@passcomcompass2623]

Great story, not only is it a great camera, but knowing that it was used within the family for generations makes it so much more valuable personally. I inherited an M3 my great-grand father bought 1959 in Hong Kong, with the summilux v.1 along with leather casing, lightmeter etc. He cherished the camera and took it everywhere, later passing it on to one of my grand uncles whom loved photography the most among the brothers, who then also used it intensively for couple decades, he is now 94 years old and going strong. He had two daughters but none like photography particularly, when he knew how I'm into photography he kindly passed it on to me in 2010. This camera introduced the world of film to me. Since then I've ditched digital completely, used tons of cameras, but that M3 shoots exclusively all my family events and important personal events. I photographed alot of candid day to day shots of my family, luckily also alot of my grandfather (Eldest brother of the grand uncle whom gave me the camera, and the son of the original owner) before he passed away, I documented the whole process of his sudden illness, peaceful death and the process my family healing from it. I will soon be photographing my marriage with it and later document my kids growing up. whom some day would inherit this camera and maybe photography his family and my death. Thinking about this gives a very odd satisfaction. P.S. The M3 really is one of the best Leicas ever made, the summilux v.1 is sometimes too soft wide open though, tack sharp stopped down. P.P.S I heard the III series have very complicated mechanics and are the more difficult models to service in the Leica lineup, the M series redesigned and simplified alot of it, great job reparing it, very talented.

[@enduroman2834]

I am working in the exact building in Wetzlar (maybe even on the same floor, who knows) where this camera, or at least parts of it, were made in the 1930s. It is so exciting to see how these little cameras could survive so long and how the world around them changed so drasticly. Love your videos and photography, keep up the great work!

[@jonlouis2582]

Yes, it is amazing. I have two also from the mid-thirties that work very well after service!

[@robinj.9329]

Another excellent and Educational experience! A teacher I know had to take her old Leica to a "Watchmaker" for inspection and repair. He attends our Church and is also a Photographer and camera collector. Did about the same work as we saw here. And her 50's era "Box" now works just fine!

[@KarinMajoka]

Such a great story - must have been a nice surprise to get a bag full of cameras. And Jules did a wonderful job on the cleaning and repairing!

[@YurievOlmos]

The bridge take at 14:18 mark is superb. That is how you expect good film contrast to look like.

[@rickyzagalo]

Pure passion, that's what this episode is about. A delight. In fact, right now I realized that, the excellent moments that you share with your followers are, much more than videos about photography, they are moments dedicated to the passion that this world contains where, as in this episode, the pleasure of handling the equipment, has one of the main roles. I really, really, appreciate your videos. Thank you. Ricardo

[@geoffreyanthony4276]

As a Leica 3f owner and user this video is a great delight. I;m filled with admiration that Jules undertook this work and the result was so successful. A real inspiration, thank you both.

[@pushingfilm]

What a great story, really appreciated the sentimental and craftsmanship aspects. Fantastic work on the restoration! 🙂

[@BobShrader]

Fantastic work by Jules and a great story about the camera. Thanks for sharing.

[@jonmnelson]

Your videos are so satisfying, and that camera is a real gem. Anyone would be proud to own it, but how much more special it must be for you to carry on your uncle’s photographic legacy. Beautiful.

[@davegball]

I found your channel last week through this video and I'm addicted. Lovely production and great content.

[@yttean98]

Your videos are always exactly timed, no superfluous images or dialogue. I enjoy watching.

[@eddyjcreative100]

A great friendship produces great photos...and work together ...is second to none...great guys...

[@avengedart6648]

The video has already been released and I haven't yet prepared a glass of wine for watching. I think the Leica after repair is the best choice for everyday photography. Thanks for what you are doing.

[@johngskewes]

My hat is off to Jules, and congratulations to you, Max. Jules did a stunning job - the resorted camera is a thing of beauty - I doff my cap. This weekend I was relating to a friend, the story of my selling some of my old woodworking tools. "This tool should be in a hand," I told her. And the same goes for your camera - it should be in a hand, it should be looked through, and partnered with. Bravo.

[@AlejandroGonzalez-AGS]

Great story and incredible restoration! I’m lucky to have also inherited a IIIf (black dial) with a 5cm Summitar lens, and original filters! He purchased the camera kit in 1953 while in military service. Serial numbers date to a 1952 manufactured. He took great care of this kit! A few years ago a had it serviced by a local service expert, and only needed basic cleaning and fresh oil. Everything works perfectly...enjoy it! Be safe. Cheers.

[@maangamandai]

Great story. Hope this camera continue, to give joy for generations to come..

[@xiaonanwang4589]

Beautiful story and beautiful camera! I recently got a 1951 Leica IIIF with the former owner's name "Umbach" engraved on the back of the camera. After watching this video and I feel lucky to own such a beautiful camera and can't help thinking about the stories associated to mine 70-year-old camera. Anyway, thanks a lot for sharing. I think stories like this truely keep film alive!

[@olafrotkohl5898]

I loved this video-full of passion, insight, and lucidity regarding finely made objects and the beauty that can be created using them kindly and carefully. The postcard designed and printed for your great-uncle was a beautiful and heartfelt gesture-very moving. Thank you!

[@Fortisnocte149]

Another serene and beautifully made video. Thank you for the consistent quality and calmness of your work and congratulations on reviving that wonderful outfit for another 80+ years of catching photons on film.

[@danbuchman7497]

A wonderful love story. Bravo to Jules, Greg and Max for sharing with us. You are all an inspiration to us who love film, cameras and photography.

[@thienphunguyen5496]

I love the aesthetic of this video, it’s like watching a repair but in an art studio behind glass and during the process being admired by hundreds if not thousands of people. These are the kind of repairs I want to see!

[@stevenbudd3725]

Great video! I returned to film earlier this year and have acquired a 1952 Leica IIIf 'red dial' with Elmar 50mm f3.5 and adore it. A film test revealed it's close to perfect functionally but it'll still go for a CLA, along with the Elmar to ensure it's tip top. It's such a joy to be back shooting film and a Leica M3, with Summicron 50mm f2 v3, Canon EOS 50e, Pentax SV in black, Pentax Spotmatic II, Voigtlander Vito B (1/500 second version), Kodak IIIA, Arette C and Walz 35 are now also in the mix. Oh, I've got it bad... Marvellous channel - thank you for the brilliant content!

[@PGphoto2011]

What a wonderful video, awesome work Jules!

[@Crushenator500]

My grandfather gave my uncle his Leica M3, and it was recently passed down to me. It's currently sat waiting to be restored with Youxin Ye, I'm hoping to have it back in the mail within a week or two. Can't wait to have it back and finally be able to shoot with it. It still had the factory L seal, it hasn't been serviced once since it was built in the 60's.

[@LindaEnfield]

Loved this edition. A wonderful treasure to find and the restoration is perfect. Thank you for sharing

[@AnalogInsights]

Thank you for your kind comment.

[@GeorgeStar]

A Leica IIIc with Summitar 50mm f2 was one of the few possessions my parents brought to the US when they immigrated after WWII. It started my lifelong love affair with photography when they allowed me to use it at the tender age of about 10. It was stolen many years ago but I can still remember the feel of the winding knob, the unique smell, the sound of the shutter. The Summar was probably the worst lens Leica ever made but it's unbeatable for the fuzzy, flarey look. The IIIc and my parents are long gone and I miss them both terribly but I still have many negatives and prints to remind me of those times. Thanks for bringing back happy memories.

[@BeingWolfy]

I've watched this video many times since you first released it. I thoroughly enjoy it every time. Thank you. I hope you're getting lots of use out of your beautiful camera.

[@siggimac]

Fantastic story. Congratulations to Jules for his craftsmanship. Always looking forward to your videos.

[@ImperfectPhotography]

One of your most interesting videos. You have a very good and very talented friend in Jules! Enjoy using your “new” camera!

[@joebond4398]

Lovely story and really liked the thank you card! I took a bunch of photos on my grandad's IIc which I found having been in a box for 30 years, but it definitely needs some love now. I need to find a friend like yours!

[@stonehenges5722]

Thank you. Great to see this kind of video in these times. Had tears in my eyes. I'm just an old softie..

[@davidhughes7652]

Same here! You are not the hard man your name suggests.

[@jimfranklin9770]

Thank you for this special episode. Your friend Jules is truly an artist. I can no longer repair cameras due to a bad shake in my hands, so I appreciate his skills at repair. This episode left me feeling refreshed.

[@colinosullivan930]

Max, Jules and Greg. I absolutely love your channel and work. The best ❤️

[@AnalogInsights]

Thanks so much! This means a lot to us.

[@schonja4927]

Born in Salzburg and living in Munich I absolutely love it when you shoot places I know. It is so stunning to see which compositions and angles you guys come with beeing a lot more skillful than me. Certainly a nice camera too.

[@vinyljunkie64]

What a great story and what a great restoration your friend did. Very happy you gave it a good home ❤️

[@OHMYGORDNESS]

postcard came out really cool

[@SteveMorton]

Wow what a lovely find and how brilliant to get it restored to fully working condition again. I love the fact that it has stayed in your family since new, that makes it even more special. I know you will enjoy using it when you do. Thank you for sharing this.

[@3BMEP]

Absolutely brilliant! My IIIa (given to me by my mother) needs just that kind of overhaul as well. 2021!

[@Jack-qn6vy]

Congratulations on the restoration. Love the patience of your videos.

[@jasonwhitehead4068]

I can’t imagine the joy of been given a box of old cameras. Great episode.

[@davidroberts6766]

A wonderful story. It always means more when a camera comes into your hands. My sister recently gifted me a Zeiss Ikon box camera, she got from her 90 year old mother in law. I think it dates to the 1930s as well. I cannot wait to see if it works! Beautiful restoration. Well done, Jules.

[@the_last_rangefinder_society]

Agree, a wonderful story, and significant how much more meaningful the narratives behind these classic designs make the contemporary usage of them.....these cameras really were a companion for life....and thanks to Jules....multiple lives.....I thought about this in the last couple.of days photographing the preparations for the Queen's funeral (herself a lifelong Leica user) in London with my 3F.......

What a great story and you know how to convey the feelings that repairing that camera gave you. In addition, I really like your black and white photos.

[@AnalogInsights]

Thanks a lot for your kind comment. 🙏🏻

[@TheHDAli]

Eine wundervolle Kamera mit faszinierender Geschichte. Habe selten ein Video so genossen.

[@rileysmithphoto]

Very cool! The Barnack's are so fun to use. Thank you for this.

[@VictorWyatt]

I love seeing the work that went into the restoration and that you kept the camera in the family. Excellent!

[@AndersKeisHansen]

Thank you for another great video! You can always feel the photographic passion in all your videos. Thank you for that, makes me want to go out and take more pictures!

[@epstar83]

Superb story! Love the images and the camera!

[@antothemanto77]

Another lovely video! Thank you for your continuous, high-quality content!

[@vpnels]

Wonderful story. Great video. Touching and uplifting. Thank you.

[@Sutlore007]

Great job of restoring the Leica! your friend is so skillful

[@MatthijsLangerman]

I just watched thr video, what a fantastic job on the restoration! The video work was great as always! And reading trough the comments there is not one disrespectful comment. The three of you can be proud of that! Have a wonderful day, greetings from the Netherlands

[@richardg6109]

Fantastic story and video. Jules!

[@SettyM]

The Joy and Bliss in your voice.

[@d.idowuolutosin4250]

Great story and video Max. These are the type of photography stories we need more on KZbin. Thank you for sharing.

[@karmatik1337]

Excellent reportage Max. Thoroughly enjoyed and glad to here that it all worked out for you.

[@robinj.9329]

I nearly forgot! The real beauty of these cameras made long, long ago, IS THEIR QUALITY AND DURABILITY! Unlike so many "consumer" products we buy today, which are actually engineered to be "throw aways"!!!!! Give me that old time Craftsmanship every time!

[@Riccardo_Mori]

"A thank you postcard for my uncle" - that was lovely, and what a great photo you chose for that. Cheers!

[@elessar60]

What a great gift from your uncle and even better that you were able to restore and it take some beautiful images.

[@fabianoliver3939]

What a great episode. Is very touching to receive a leica as a gift. is very important too to know his history as you describe. Last summer i bought a non working IIIf, and i cla'd myself. What a nice experience. Inside the camera has all the service date it receives....las one was 38 years ago, and i with respect i inscribed my repair date. it was like a watch. thanks for your video, and enjoy it.

[@danielwalsh492]

wow! awesome video! great to see another one saved. Barnacks are great fun, I have a lovely Leica ii D in my posession

[@jeg569]

What an amazing family story, Jules has done a great job on a beautiful family heirloom.

[@john_murch]

Such a great story and happy for you and your re-born Barnack Leica. It would be great if you could shoot it again in Greece, Hungary and Switzerland some day. Thank you for sharing...

[@sergiomanrique88]

incredible and beautifull story!! Photos and camera too!!!!!

[@UncleDansVintageVinyl]

Lovely video! I have a IIIf, which is a completely joy to use.

[@chrisbone7149]

A beautiful camera with a remarkable history. Thank you for sharing this story.

[@janvanderwalt]

I truly enjoy seeing videos such as these. I inherited a Fujica STX-1 this January from my wife's late grandmother, and I am really enjoying the camera. As they were made to be enjoyed.

[@michaelmeyers4917]

You are very lucky. It is a beautiful camera that will out live you. Its a camera that will go to camera. It just gets better the longer you have it!

[@berndtwiest4571]

ABSOLUTELY amazing, this is also a proof how durable these cameras are. Great to see that you get this to work again.

[@michaelvincent121]

I have a lllf my grandfather bought new. I am just waiting for it to come back from a rebuild. This video got me soooo excited Thank you.

[@thisisalizard7995]

Outstanding. Lovely story, beautifully told. Congratulations to you both. This channel is invariably a joy.

[@waynerichardaves5375]

Vielen Dank for sharing this story. I love old style cameras and this one is amazing and the photos it produced after the overhaul are stunning too. I have a couple of Voigtlander 35mm cameras in my collection that are still in their original leather cases. Wayne Aves Brisbane Australia

[@MarcoRoepers]

Beautiful story and craftsmanship

[@ChrisEbbrsen]

Saw this maybe two years ago. So happy for you inherriting such an elegant instrument. Your photos very professional caliber. I hope to own a Leica someday but am very happy with my S nikon which I refurbished two years ago. It has a Leica film speed and advance lever. Ive been lead to believe it is not designed to shoot color. But i do. I hope to try pluss x in it someday just to tighten the image and see what the camera will do. Your very lucky to have friend who repares cameras. Apparently my range mechanism is so delicate i mussent touch it. I would like to clean the viewfinder but the coatings in the mirror are microns thick. If i were to touch it the mirror would disolve. Its only a vacume deposited aluminum mirror not unlike telescopes. I am not 100% sure of these facts but have deduced from previous experiences. Thank you for showing what a Leica will do. Good health to you. Bye!😅

[@hansmyrskog2535]

Wonderful story. Amazing find. Very inspiring. Thank you for this.

[@Skux720]

The biggest repair I've done on a camera was to fix the shutter squeak on a Canon A-1, and even then I felt like a master craftsman! It truly is special to restore these old tools and give them a new life. Amazing video and well done to Jules.

[@prajeethk4348]

Good job, Jules, for putting life back to the iconic camera and by the way, all photos are stupendous, Max. I too own a Leica IIIf. With love, from India...

[@GaetanCormier]

What an amazing story! Always top notch videos from you Max! And high five to Jules for this amazing repair job to make the rebirth of this camera!

[@donaldlampert331]

What a history, and the privilege that it must be for you to be the next steward of this camera...... we only wish that they could tell us their stories! I hope you guys are all well during this crazy COVID time! Stay safe!

[@ZoneFocused]

Beautiful story! The way the camera shined after the repairs was great. Dope that the camera still has a lot of life left in it!

[@sudosden3567]

Two years ago I bought a 1933 IIIa for my best friend 50th anniversary. Of course I tried the camera before and it was a dream to use, perhaps like driving a Classic Porsche 356 (I guess...). Pictures are really nice, oldschool style, like in Metropolis movie. Of course too he was really happy with the gift. Later I searched one for myself, but found a rare 1959 M1, who is a M2 without rangefinder, in perfect condition. It was the ancestor of MD séries. Really fine camera for street photography using depth field technics. I suggest you trying to find one...

[@edmundisanski982]

Only to echo many other comments below! A lovely human story about a beautiful piece of engineering.

[@AnalogInsights]

Thanks so much for your kind feedback.

[@monochromios]

Wonderful story and great restoring experience. Thank you for sharing.

[@MartinLeschinski]

stunning work! I‘m blown away

[@calvinlewis8924]

Excellent restoration by Jules! For me Leica defines 35m photography. Makes me appreciate my Leica M3 even more. Thanks!!!

[@brycepowell5770]

Wonderful and inspiring! Thanks for sharing this great story. Masterful narration and editing. Felt like I was right there.

[@philiph6488]

Recently found your excellent channel. Great content and very well presented.

[@adamrobb27]

Fascinating video! I wish I had friends that knew how to repair cameras like that!

[@xiaodu87]

What a beauty of a camera. And a great job to repair it! While not using the Leica system, I share the liking for the purely mechanic functionality. Cool video!

[@ameliecs6941]

Jules, I hope to thank you in person one day for reviving our family treasure! And Max, I really love your way of story telling and can't wait to go on another shooting stroll together with you :)

[@IainHC1]

Just loved this :-) All that work....... and to let us see it too :-) Thank you :-) On a second thought...... Your uncle was lucky he got to keep the camera.

[@dennisng4627]

I have enjoyed your passion for all things photography. Your wonderful & eloquent story of your uncle’s Leica is one of my favorite (Maitani is someone with whom I have admired for a long time-I owned 3 vintage Olympus pen & a digital Pen F in his honor). You have inherited a family treasure, please feature more shoots with it. Also, would have enjoy a video on Jules restoration process. A remarkable work. Lovely photo postcard of the Porsche parked in front of the Bauhaus building. Thank you for sharing.

[@wadelapan5756]

Real artistry in the video work and a fascinating subject.

[@funbichons5215]

Leica iiia always fascinate me. Smallest of all the Leica iii’s paired with Leica 35mm F3.5 Elmar fits in my pocket. Thanks for another awesome video. Also, nice to see Jules again.

[@rmle23]

Great work at restore this camera cam be see in this video. At this moment I restore by myself my R3 camera who suffers from pentaprism silver coating degradation. The pentaprism was remove for re-silvering and I search on ebay for another R3 to give me more parts to do my job. Leica is well made cameras and the build construction is outstanding!

[@maxwellwellmax878]

My Dad always wanted a Leica but could never afford it. I have been thinking of getting a new MP since I started college, but always put it off. Lately I have been thinking of getting one and passing it on to whichever of my nephews or nieces shows interest in photography. Thank you for your story!!.