I got a bung but where is the boat?

[Reiska]

Hold your hands at an auction or else you might be a buyer. That is what happend to me. Now I am a proud owner of a Leica R4 SLR. First in my collection and perhaps the last. (It depends on a lottery next week ;D)

Now my problem is how to get a decent body cap for it. Leica lenses use to be quite expensive. The body was really cheap and the seller says it is fully working. Serial is 167xxxx, so it is quite new. (1985, I suppose so it might be too young for a collector)

Why Leica SLR ? Because I am leant towards SLRs. You have to specialize nowadays, you know.

I will tell you more when I get it complete.

[Rachel]

Hi Reiska,

welcome to Leica SLRs. I too have an R4 and also a Leicaflex SL; two very different cameras.

You should be able to get a standard lens (50mm Summicron) for a reasonable price although Tamron Adaptall lenses will also fit. Be aware, though, that you will need 3-cam or 3rd cam Leica lenses for this model.

[k38]

I don't know how hard it is to do business with www.keh.com from Finland. They have body caps for $8.00 and 50mm 3 cam lenses from $225. I don't work for them or anything, but I have been very well treated by them over the years. I believe you can also use what are called "third cam" lenses. These are only for the R3-R7 cameras and do not work on the Leicaflex models. If you have trouble finding a body cap send me your address and I will send you mine as it is easy for me to get another.

Best,

Dwight

[nikonbob]

I hope you are able to get some lenses for your new R4 and post some comments on using it. I don't think I have ever seen anyone using a Leica SLR here locally and would be very interested on your comments. Enjoy your new find.

Bob

[Reiska]

Thank you Rachel and Bob for a kind welcome and k38 for recommending KEH. I checked the prices there and noticed, that they are very competitive. Especially for 50mm Summicron is cheaper there than generally in German ebay. I think, that it is a good body cap, that is good for taking pictures too.

My son is living in Atlanta GA and KEH in Atlanta is familiar to me, I just forgot that opportunity !!! I have to call him immediately because the exchange rate is affordable now

Reiska

[nikonbob]

Nice having connections around the globe. Yes indeed. I have always found 50mm lenses make great and usable body caps.

Bob

[Reiska]

Repairmen are the endangered breed today. A couple of years ago I sent some of my SLRs to a repair shop. The customer service person told me that I was lucky. They had only one repairman left who was specialized for mechanical cameras and he was going to be a senior citizen soon.

There are quite few articles left that as a whole are reparable. Use and cast away is a prevailing practice:-[ It's a good thing that there are some who are crank enough to save those repairable collectibles for a future and for their own pleasure

Reijo

[nikonbob]

Ron

You are correct that anything Leica is expensive to repair or even CLA from the few top notch technicians that are still out there. A CLA from one of the top techs in the USA will cost nearly the price of a good IIIc or IIIf. Early Contax RFs are in the same boat too.

Reijo

I say good for those of use who are crank enough to recycle these items. I guess it is a matter of CLA and repair now while parts and skilled tecnicians are still available. OTH it is a good way to pick up some basic repair skills ourselves.

Bob

[PeterW]

Nikon Bob wrote{

I say good for those of use who are crank enough to recycle these items. I guess it is a matter of CLA and repair now while parts and skilled tecnicians are still available. OTH it is a good way to pick up some basic repair skills ourselves.

Before picking up basic repair skills on a screw mount Leica or a pre-war Contax it's a good idea to get hold of a couple of 'parts' older Zorki or FED Leica copies, and a couple of 'Contaxes made in Russia' ie Kievs to practice on. They're much the same as their German counterparts, and not so disastrous if you end up with a pile of bits you can't reassemble! I speak from experience with a Kiev I still haven't got working quite right yet.

PeterW

[k38]

Fortunately on the Leica front we have two very fine and gifted techs (and probably some more I don't know) Golden Touch (Sherry Krauter) and DAG (Dan Goldberg). Sherry did my Leicaflex a couple of years ago and it is a joy. DAG also lists a lot of parts for cameras, Leica and other, on his website.

Check www.dagcamera.com and

www.sherrykrauter.com/index.php

Their websites have some pretty cool stuff too.

Dwight

P.S. Wait till you feel one of those Leica R lenses in your hand! You'll feel like you died and gone to Wetzlar

[Rachel]

nikonbob said:

I have always found 50mm lenses make great and usable body caps.

I started with 35mm and 90mm lenses 2-cam lenses as I only had the Leicaflex SL at the time. When I got the R4 I had Leica UK upgrade the 2-cam lenses to 3-cam.

[kiev4a]

peterw said:

Nikon Bob wrote{

I say good for those of use who are crank enough to recycle these items. I guess it is a matter of CLA and repair now while parts and skilled tecnicians are still available. OTH it is a good way to pick up some basic repair skills ourselves.

Before picking up basic repair skills on a screw mount Leica or a pre-war Contax it's a good idea to get hold of a couple of 'parts' older Zorki or FED Leica copies, and a couple of 'Contaxes made in Russia' ie Kievs to practice on. They're much the same as their German counterparts, and not so disastrous if you end up with a pile of bits you can't reassemble! I speak from experience with a Kiev I still haven't got working quite right yet.

PeterW

Peter:

I've never dug into a Leica myself by I know folks who have learned on Zorkis and FEDs, then worked on Leicas and some of the Japanese Leica copies. They all say the German and Japanese cameras are more difficlt to work on because the tolerances are much tighter.

[Reiska]

[/quote]
Peter:

I've never dug into a Leica myself by I know folks who have learned on Zorkis and FEDs, then worked on Leicas and some of the Japanese Leica copies. They all say the German and Japanese cameras are more difficlt to work on because the tolerances are much tighter.[/quote]

That's right. Which is better rapid-fire gun in Sahara desert, Russian "Degtarjev" or Finnish "Lahti" ?? ( Degtarjev is better because of the loose tolerances. Sand is not an issue )

Doing is learning but knowing is a good counterpart. As a young boy I was keen to know all about the "guts" of radios, clocks etc. Many of the devices got the same destiny like Humpty Dumpty. Nobody could not get them together again.

Reijo

[nikonbob]

Peter said it better than I did. I did not mean to imply people should willy nilly tear apart their cameras to repair them. Some things are best left to the experts and only the individual knows their own limitations in that respect. I do and have sent cameras out for servicing. Many people dump on FSU cameras for reasons unknown to me. As peter also stated they are good to practice repairs on as learning tools besides being excellent picture takers. I have great respect for FSU made military stuffs ie AK variants.

Bob

[Reiska]

Learning to repair "things" is an affordable skill and a good way to learn is practice. To start with less valuable objects is wise, as mentioned here. More or less technical knowledge is also desirable.

My opinion is that there is no valid reason to dump FSU gear. They are often excellent and innovative. The value for money has always been OK. The problem has been the CQ and often a basis, that quantity goes before the quality.

Bob

You mentioned the military stuff. I agree with you and that's what I meant with that Degtarjev joke. It has been one of the most reliable shooters in a history.

Reijo