My father & I have located two Leica cameras that were purchased overseas and used by my Grandfather during WWII and beyond. There is some slight damage to them and an appraiser that has seen one says it can be repaired. Also, someone told me to check with Leica, as the serial numbers may be registered and they would provide repair of these cameras. Can that be true?? Can anyone suggest the best course of action, since we would like to restore them to good condition, use them and most likely, keep them in the family for sentimental reasons. Thanks & Regards from Texas...

-- Pam (pam@performancesystems.com), December 18, 2001

Answers

Even though they're more than 50 years old, Pam, WWII Leicas can take pictures quite as good as *any* modern 35mm camera. Their build quality is outstanding and the lenses available for them remarkable. You might find yourself using them because they're the best cameras you have rather than for sentimental reasons only -- your grandfather knew what he was doing when he bought them.

There are a number of highly-regarded Leica repairers in the United States, whose names are mentioned in hushed tones on that strange Web forum, the LUG. You can join the Leica Users' Group by sending an e-mail containing the phrase "subscribe leica-users-digest" to "majordomo@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us", and you will then receive a file of posts once a day or so.

The answer you need may be in the LUG archives (try searching for "Sherry") or you may have to wait for a repair thread. The community there is very knowledgeable but is also rather daunting, so I suggest that you don't post a question yourself.

The old-style Leicas -- sometimes called Barnack cameras after their inventor, or LTM cameras after the Thread-Mount lenses they use -- are nowhere near as convenient as modern cameras. but they do have style and quality. They also now have a modern source of affordable good-quality lenses: Voigtlănder rangefinder cameras also use LTM lenses, and modern Voigtlănder lenses are of course multicoated.

Later

Dr Owl

-- John Owlett (owl@postmaster.co.uk), December 18, 2001.

Pam, the very best and friendliest place to get detailed answers to this question is the Leica Users forum right here on LUSENET

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic=Leica%20Photography

You have a couple of gems there-don't sell them. It is quite possible Leica might be able to repair them. Many independent repairers, such as Don A Goldberg and Sherry Krauter certainly can. Search through the threads in the above forum, or just wait for the answers to roll in.

Oh, and by the way not only is there a huge assortment of lenses for your camera available in the used market, there are quite a few up-to- the-minute lenses manufactured by Voigtlander that will work with them, and at least one special edition present-day Leica lens.

Go to the forum above-they are a lot friendlier and much less quirky than some of the folks on the older LUG.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), December 25, 2001.