Leica Screw Mount
 zorki 4k body vintage film camera LEICA copy  US $20.00
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 zorki 4 body vintage film camera LEICA copy US $15.00
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 ZORKI 4 Russian Leica Copy Camera Industar 50 Lens EXCELLENT US $49.99
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 ZORKI 4 Russian Leica Copy Camera Industar 50 Lens EXCELLENT US $49.99
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 Leica IIIa Model G Leitz Wetzlar Camera 1939 US $120.50
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 FED 3 type B Camera Pink BODY 8155017 US $47.24
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Getting A Usable Vintage Camera
You can certainly get a nice usable vintage Leica for $500 or less. However, you need to understand a few things before you choose one. Leitz made two different systems of 35mm rangefinder cameras.
The earlier system has a mount that accepts lenses that screw into the camera body (what we call 39mm screw mount, or LTM for Leica thread mount). They introduced this system in 1930 with the Leica I(C) model, and continued it well into the 1950's up to the classic Leica IIIg. Concurrently during the 1950's, Leitz introduced a new system that accepts lenses with a special bayonet mount (rather than screw in, the lens is placed against the mount lined up with a red dot and a quick quarter turn locks it in place).
This is known as the M bayonet system, which started with the superb Leica M3 and continues right up to the latest M8. Okay, for $500 you want to find a classic Leica that your fiance', who probably knows and appreciates the Leica mystique, can enjoy in his free time.
I'm talking hobby camera, not camera for his work, because a photojournalist today would be doing his job with the latest digital gear. No problem. You're on the right track looking at the Leica IIIf. It's a common model, with over 180,000 sold between 1950 and 1957, it accepts all the zillions of screw mount lenses Leitz made up to that time (and also early 39mm screw mount Canon, Nikon, and even many Russian made lenses), and there's always a bunch available on eBay.
I do not recommend the Leica IIIg; although it is a better camera, collectors keep it's price hovering in the $1000 range. I do not recommend some other common earlier models like the Leica III, IIIa, or IIIc; although they're equally common and readily available for less money, they are also just old enough to cause a lot of trouble and frustration. Among the screw mount models, the Leica IIIf is a great choice. Find one that work! Don't take a risk on an example that needs any sort of repair.
Look for one that has a bit of external personality (as long as there's no overt damage, a few rub marks or gentle dings are not a problem), the seller guarantees it all works, as it should. And the Leitz Summitry is a fine fast lens, but get the Elmer 5cm f3.5 instead if you can.
Forget the original box (collectors will PUSH the price for original boxes, but there's no advantage for you there), don't worry about a case (they fall apart, and they sometimes cause more damage to the camera because they hold in moisture), but do try to get a proper Leitz lens cap. This is your best bet for a usable vintage Leica in the $400-$500 range.
Now if you want to bend just a bit, and you'd like to explore those later M series cameras, you can probably get a 1960-ish Leica M2 with a superb Submicron 50mm f2 lens somewhere in the $500-$600 range. All the same thoughts apply in regards to condition, etc. The biggest advantage of the M series over the old screw mount series is that if your fiance' eventually wants to get a modern Leica (for work AND pleasure), any lenses he already has with the M2 would be interchangeable with the later camera.
The classic M3 is too desirable among collectors, the M1 has limited features, and you could consider stepping up for the M4 (actually it would have to specifically be the M4-2 because the original M4 has become quite collectible as well), but that model is the first of the "modern" designs. So there you have it, the Leica IIIf or the Leica M2, those are your best choices in your price range. Regarding your question about Leica values, in general, yes, all of them do increase in value.
The vast majority increases slightly ahead of inflation (over time, not right away), so not that terribly high, but certainly enough to equal money in the bank (and assuming you deal only in top condition). The historically significant models, and a few choice rare models, increase by much greater degrees, in some cases to the point of being ridiculous. Common models like the IIIf just seem to float along with the economy. So, in general, Leica cameras appear to be a good to excellent "investment".
About the Author
Victor Epand is an expert consultant at http://www.UsedCameraSell.com/. Used Camera Sell is a community of various independent used camera sellers from around the world. Each used camera seller represents a unique style of products all their own. If you have used cameras to sell, click here to create a Camera Account.
Leica Compact Digital Cameras
The latest Leica mini digital camera offered by Minox can make an ideal choice which perfectly combines classical vintage style and outstanding technology in just one unit. The compact and stylish digital camera features a commanding 32 megabytes internal memory, 1.5 inch color display, 5 mega-pixels resolution and around 2 GB space for storage on SD cards to help photographers take images in the best quality.
In 2004 the M Leica became the longest lasting 35mm camera making it the 'daddy' of them all. Nikon F lasted 15 years before being totally redesigned and the Rollie made 30 years plus. Ok, one more!! The Exacta saw 38 years but to reach a 50th celebration must mean that Leica has a winner on its hands.
The Leica digital camera reviews will include the C-LUX 2, which runs about $450. This camera has 7.2 megapixels with three times optical zoom. This camera is very similar to Panasonics DMC- FX30. It is a very easy-to-use camera is lightweight, compact and has image stabilization. The only downfall to this camera is it uses a custom Liton battery, which could cost you some money if you need to replace it.
This camera does not need a viewfinder because it offers a two and a half inch viewing screen so you can see exactly what you are shooting.
As for quality, this may be a bit easier to rank. At the top would be Leica, followed by Panasonic, Minolta, Olympus, Yashica, Practika, Pentacon, Fuji, and Zeiss. There are several other brands, and just because they are not on this list does not mean they are bad brands. In fact, in this time there is really no such thing as "bad camera brand", but there are just certain brands that really shine.
Now if you want to bend just a bit, and you'd like to explore those later M series cameras, you can probably get a 1960-ish Leica M2 with a superb Submicron 50mm f2 lens somewhere in the $500-$600 range. All the same thoughts apply in regards to condition, etc. The biggest advantage of the M series over the old screw mount series is that if your fiance' eventually wants to get a modern Leica (for work AND pleasure), any lenses he already has with the M2 would be interchangeable with the later camera.
Affordability may not be the first thing in the minds of true photography buffs. But, if comparable features are provided then, it is natural that the more affordable camera will be picked. This is what is tapped by the latest Pentax-k7 which is a greatly affordable DSLR camera which poses serious threat to Nikon and Canon in the DSLR scene. Compared to bulky DSLRs like Nikon D300 and Olympus E-3, the pentax-k7 is a small, compact and light DSLR in the market.
So, with all these excellent features, this latest offers a detail setting and the best quality images to anyone looking to capture perfect images. The CCD imaging sensor of this digital camera was specially created to fit the settings of the entire series and due to this the resolution of 5 mega-pixels is magnificent. This latest CCD technology helps in reducing the noise considerably making the photographer to get excellent quality photos. Overall, the Leica mini digital camera is entirely covered with all the necessary features making this camera the best choice for everyone.
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