Leica fakes. How to identify a fake Leica II .

[@abdullahbalouch8518]

Hard to find a man so experienced in film photography. Keeping it simple. Love it

[@PhillipMcCordall]

Thankyou, :)

[@steveborghardt]

Wow - thanks so much for this - I was looking through Ebay and it looks like every Leica 2 in the $800 to $1,000 price range is fake - I'm so glad I've found your video. Thanks again.

[@jpoconnor5744]

There are genuine Elmar lenses with no serial number. When a Leica I (Model A), which had a fixed (non-interchangeable) lens with no serial number, was factory converted to a Leica II, III, or IIIa, the lens was converted to LTM for use on the camera, and no serial number was assigned to the lens.

[@jaykovs]

Great video! Do you have a similar video for Leica lens?

[@michaelsimonds2632]

Superb, expert, professional suggestion of what to do during lockdown! Read about a feature, then practice it, then go on to another feature. Mr. McCordall, you are the best!

[@PhillipMcCordall]

Thanks , very few know what their cameras can do , me included :)

[@davepastern]

Looking at a used Leica IIIf online - seems to have the right rangefinder actuator in the lens mount area, shutter button looks like your example IIIf but has a hole in it (looked at a bunch of alternatives and they all had the same looking shutter button). Top plate looks legit as well as the engraving and serial number. The viewfinder is square though (but has a ledge). Again, I looked at a bunch of others and they all had square viewfinder housings on the front of the camera. I'm guessing that there's a tonne of fakes on the market...

[@davepastern]

Checking Lagers history of Leica book and it seems square window is correct. Got a great deal USD $250 for the 3 set, signed by Mr Lager and in as new condition. Stoked!!!

[@dmytro732]

@@davepastern So you're saying that there were Leicas with rectangular viewfinders? I've always used that as a sign that it's probably a fake.

[@davepastern]

@@dmytro732 I can only go on Lager's books...

[@barrybridgeford530]

As a kid, I knowingly bought a couple of Canon rangefinder bodies at Toronto pawnshops and equipped them with a variety of German lenses. My favourite lens was a Leica Summicron F2 (collapsable brass) .. sharp as a tack!

[@MrVoayer]

Well... Short but to the point ! Well done ! Keep them coming !

[@d1llp1ckl3zz5]

I bought a Leica IIIa but it has the same edge as the black Leica viewfinders. Its shutter button is also taller and has a neck. I don’t know if it’s a real or Frankenstein’s Leica 3a

[@richardsimms251]

Very very good. Thank you. Canada

[@TecnologiacreativaMario]

I was wondering about mine (it was a gift) and now I'm sure it's a Fed, thanks for this video but still my fake Leica is really beautiful and the pictures are great, what a incredible work to transform a Fed in a fake gold Leica made the engraver!

[@Tailracehero]

Great video . .my son collects and even restores old cameras, so I've sent him the link . .Thanks for sharing! #30

[@blackestknights]

Glad to see you are alive and kicking phil

[@christophc8766]

Could you do the same video with the Leica 3 (3a or IIIa especially) , or is it basically the same tipps and things to have closer look?

[@bmprosser74]

I just came across your video and boy oh boy do I feel stupid! I won a bid on what I thought was a Leica. I restored it and even made it work. I don’t even know what to do now because I wanted a genuine Leica. What do you suggest if someone gets a fake and are fakes worth anything?

[@PhillipMcCordall]

yes fakes are still nice cameras that work well.

[@codiecrieg2480]

yeee my is oryginal :3 ^^ Leica IIIa :3 Ty for this video. It help me a lot b4 i bought my :3

[@PhillipMcCordall]

Thankyou for the comment :)

[@johnspencer1146]

Great information, very useful.

[@潘少先]

你好 ！你会维修吗？我的佳能仿徕卡，我更换完帘布快门出了问题？B和慢速快门会卡住，两块帘布好像一起过去。 Hello! Can you repair it? My Canon imitates Leica, but after replacing the fabric, did the shutter have any issues? B and the slow shutter will get stuck, and the two curtains seem to pass together.😀

[@PhillipMcCordall]

Well it seems to have a problem, although I'm sure it can be repaired :)

[@camilafazzio6147]

Hello sir, i have found a leica camera that used to be from my grandfather. I dont know much about photography or cameras but would like to learn how to use this one for i have fallen in love with it at first sight. However i dont know how to know which model it is to do research on how to use it, would you be able to help me with it? I would be forever grateful. Thank you so much for the well informed video.

[@PhillipMcCordall]

Firstly send me the body number and I can identify the model. Then I'll know if it's totally manual one, also are there any accessories with it :)

[@camilafazzio6147]

@@PhillipMcCordall of course, the serial Number is 298885 and no it does not have any accessories except the leather case it comes with it. When you know the model could you tell me if it should have accessories? i could look for them and see if i find anything.

[@PhillipMcCordall]

@@camilafazzio6147 298885 is a Leica 111 (three) made in 1938 , The lens unscrews and many other lenses are available second hand but normally very expensive. Learning how to use it, is another problem if you know nothing, you will need a light meter so you can calculate the exposure, the focus is through the left viewfinder by turning the focus ring with the lens pulled out of course. Loading the film into the camera is not easy and there are several tutorials on you tube on the subject of loading and using a Leica, although for a complete amateur this may be a real learning curve you have in front of you.

[@camilafazzio6147]

@@PhillipMcCordall ok thank you so much for your help i really appreciate it! i will try to do my best, but first i will take it to a shop and see if its all working correctly and can be cleaned. Have a good weekend! thanks again.

[@kong4902]

Hello sir, good video, is a IIIf having a 821*** serial number normal, please?

[@Wiencourager]

Google Leica serial numbers, you should be able to find a list.

[@michaelbuckley8986]

Great presentation.Thank you for sharing.

[@bhoche2055]

Really missed this amazing man

[@PhillipMcCordall]

Many thanks, what a compliment :)

[@tonytfuntek3262]

Nice video.....I almost picked up a gold Leica at a flea market for $100.00 Alarm bells went off in my head so I walked away from it.

[@PhillipMcCordall]

Not a bad price for one with a Leica marking, as it's a great talking point :)

[@Martin_Siegel]

It should be five centimeters or 50mm (around 8:10 mins)

[@terryallen9546]

Hello, I enjoyed your video. My Leica lllc complies with all your genuine Leica points except the rounded corner on the upper right corner of the viewfinder. I may have misunderstood you on that point. Perhaps you were referring to a Leica ll. Anyway, I've done a bit of simple research and looked at a couple dozen or so Leica lllc images, and they all look like mine, square.

[@PhillipMcCordall]

Yes your right, As long as the viewfinder has a top that is flush with the top panel , its correct . Congratulations your the first to pick that up :)

[@hahaahah7214]

There were 11 o clock versions of the elmar lenses. Also I personally wouldn’t call zorki’s and fed’s really fakes after the first models

[@launch121]

Thanks for sharing info..

[@GregCarrick]

Is a Fed really a fake when it's not marketed as a Leica? I have a Fed 2. I knew it was a Fed when I bought it, it was sold to me as a Fed, it's got Fed on the body... nothing fake there.

[@PhillipMcCordall]

No I agree but a lot of feds have had changes to make them look like Leicas, by changing the top housing , that's the object of my video , the rest are legal copies of course.

[@NoosaHeads]

I have a couple of fakes. You don't even need to look at specifics. Just the general quality is a dead giveaway - quality of chrome plating, knurling, lettering etc - is all you need to make a very rapid assessment. I honestly believe i could determine a fake, with a blindfold on - the difference is so obvious. The Reid is a different matter. It feels very high quality but looking at it immediately shows what it is.

[@mattdyer9544]

Very entertaining video, It is quite puzzling that if they can make counterfeit, but realistic looking normal leicas, why all 'special models', Luftwaffe/Olympics are so garish, and obviously fake.

[@wakkowarner8810]

people who buy luftwaffe/olympics leicas know they are fake and just buy them as a show piece or a prop

[@anisharaujo5379]

I do have a replica (fake) leica This video is a really good information video that you sir :)

[@samuelbourget9076]

hey I have a leica II and would like to have it authenticated but don't know where to go to do so could you please point me in the right direction. From the vidoe, it might be fake but I want to make sure before selling it. Thank you very much :)

[@PhillipMcCordall]

What part of the video is different from yours ? The most reliable way to know is by taking the lens off and looking at the focus mechanism on the body. If it's a round wheel then it's 99% sure it's a Leica

[@samuelbourget9076]

@@PhillipMcCordall well the focus mechanism is round but there are screw on the bottom plate and on the lens the screw is long but the rest seems to point at an original

[@PhillipMcCordall]

@@samuelbourget9076 If everything else is good apart from the screws then your good. I'm told that some did have screws, although I've never seen one :)

[@samuelbourget9076]

@@PhillipMcCordall wow nice then! I got it in a box with others cameras for 150$ cad at a thrift store

[@PhillipMcCordall]

@@samuelbourget9076 If it's in good working condition you have done very well, even for spares it's worth 100

[@wolfgangkaminski4580]

Thank you, sir.

[@joffrythehorse106]

Thank you for your usefull tips. Since my favourite photographic local store has closed, i have to buy things online to find a good price, but it's full of traps. I found very usefull the tip on the lenses

[@PhillipMcCordall]

Glad it was helpful!

[@juan7345]

hi! very nice video i like the vide, but i still have a doubts abaout one leica that i wanna buy, if i show you that one can you say me if it is a real one? thanks

[@PhillipMcCordall]

yes no problem

[@juan7345]

@@PhillipMcCordall thanks a lot, i have written to you un facebook

[@An.Individual]

Leica info interesting and the lockdown idea is good.

[@JoePastorgomez]

pretty much if its not a Leica Rangefinder it's " Fake " Right ?

[@PhillipMcCordall]

Well it could be a real Leica with a replacement top casing, The biggest problem is what you can see in a photo, when buying on the internet, that's why I show all the different ways of telling.

[@abcdefc1645]

Feds and Zorkis aren’t fakes... they’re feds and zorkis

[@PhillipMcCordall]

Yes I realise that,Zorki and Fed copied the Leica design legally after the war when the copyrights became free. I thought I had made that clear in the video. However there are a lot of those cameras that have had the parts changed with Leica copied parts, so they look like the real Leia as I demonstrated again in the tutorial. These cameras are difficult to identify as counterfeit cameras. I've nothing against the design copied Zorkis or Feds , they are good cameras. Bear in mind that a copy is not the same as a counterfeit object.

[@oldtechnology]

Those fakes looks quite nice actually. Would buy them over Laica in a heartbeat.

[@PhillipMcCordall]

There are plenty of collectors that want copies.

[@stevepringle2295]

Thank you

[@theothertonydutch]

I've got a Zorki in abominable condition. I've used the lens a bunch though. It's got character!

[@wagonfixin]

I found an old "Leica ll" my dad had given me before I moved, was trying to figure out how it worked so I could do some photography with it and the forum I posted to told me it was a fake Zorki lc Leica kinda funny I didn't plan on selling it regardless

[@andresefrainmanuelcastillo8636]

What a great video, thanks for sharing

[@edward_grabczewski]

Do the Leica fakes actually take good photos? I can't find a single video on KZbin comparing photos taken with a real Leica and a fake one. Are there any actual photographers buying these fakes interested enough to actually try them out?

[@PhillipMcCordall]

Yes they are very good but probably no comparison in reliability, also don't forget the quality of an image is mostly the lens and not the body .

[@allanredford6070]

you omitted japanese copies.. CANON; Nikon were involved in making bodies, lrnses. Leotax also? servicemen, eat photographers found some of them wprthehile.

[@KarthikVP008]

corona look where have u bought me...

[@shred3005]

There are fakes, and then there are clones

[@fczSevenzero]

FED and Zorki bashing. There's nothing you've said that I haven't already heard before.

[@michaelschnittker7388]

Fascinating video! I have an interesting "Leica clone" with Fed-1 DNA but it doesn't try to pass as a Leica! No, that would be too straight forward and perhaps overly obvious! No, it instead poses as a famous Japanese Leica clone! It tries to pass as a Leotax with the Showa Optical Works Ltd. nomenclature and such! The lens is a collapsible 5cm f/3.5 marked Lantana Anastigmat with metal Leotax cap. But it has the Fed-1 four slotted screws on its front and the three around the tripod socket on the bottom and of course a lever in the lens cavity instead of the Leica roller! It works well (after a fashion) and is interesting as a "clone of a clone" but it's NOT a Leica OR a Leotax!

[@nicoladegiuseppe8354]

thank you.