Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/11/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hello, Well, I am back in Paris for some days and back again on the list...whether some of you like it or not. I don't really have time for this, but on the other hand it is nice to get e-mails. I start up again with an atypical intervention from my side: Errol, your M3 + lens dates from 1957. When you move the lever to the left of the lens, you change frames. The M3 had 3 frames: 50mm, 90mm and 135mm. This lever was introduced in 1955 from no. 785801. In 1956 the shutter speeds were modified from B-1-2-5-10-25-50-100-200-500-1000 to B-1-2-4-8-15-30-60-125-250-500-1000, what means 1 more speed. In 1957, from no. 844001, the film pressure plate, which until then was made of glass, became a metal plate. In 1958, from no. 915251, the single stroke was introduced. etc. etc. Your M3 have probably been modified to have single stroke winding. What you tell us about the frames and the range finder, seem a bit strange. When you mount a 5cm (50mm) lens you should normally have the corresponding 50mm lens frame. If you push the lever to the left or right, you should see the corresponding 90mm and 135mm frames. If the viewfinder is mainly black, showing just the white square used for focusing, there is a serious problem, and the camera would need a repair. Difficult to know exactly what it is when I don't have the camera in front of me. Good luck anyway. The M3 is a wonderful camera with the 0.9x viewfinder. You can easily shoot with both eyes open. Regards Oddmund Garvik