Tempered Indulgence: the Leica IIIc by Johnny Martyr.Servicing Screw Mount Leicas (PDF), at Pentax Manuals.The Leica Ic (1949-1951, 455,001-562,800) was also based on the IIIc chassis, without the rangefinder and the slow speeds dial. Some of them had grey paint finish due to the lack of chrome during the war. The Leica IIIc was made of aluminum with chrome plated brass top plate, base plate and knobs. Postwar Leica IIIc (serial number over 400,000): no step under the reverse lever, no knob in the focusing lever for the rangefinder.Blind rollers with ball bearings on cameras with the letter K next to the serial number (for Kugellager, ball bearings).Naval Leica's are the only type that may have had the Reichsadler (swastika and eagle). Military engravings in some cameras produced during the war, such as 'Luftwaffen-Eigentum' (Luftwaffe property), 'Heer' (Army), 'W.H.' (Wehrmacht Heer) or 'M' (Marine).The cover of the rangefinder is no longer a separate piece. One piece die-cast body, instead of an assembly of small parts.To create Leica fakes, FED-1 and Zorki-1 series cameras are used, but these can be fitted with a Zorki-2 body shell, which does have strap lugs.The Leica IIIc is a 35mm rangefinder camera introduced by Leica in 1940.Īs an upgrade of the Leica IIIb, the Leica IIIc had important changes: Attention: the above green-arrowed Leica III has a slow-times dial on the front but not all Leicas had that. Other dead give-aways: a black laquered 'collar' around the lens mount (Courtesy Zorki and seen on several Zorki's on this page, not on FED's), two-tone chrome (some parts re-chromed, others not), engraving errors (no, really!) and a tilted letter 'e' in the 'Leica' engraving, signalling the engraver wasn't that skilled yet. This is what it is supposed to look like, the combination of the release button without a 'bowl' and the viewfinder window with its own 'window pane' tells you its a true Leica. The lack of a free-standing 'window pane' on the viewfinder window, also native to FED and Zorki. There's a number of tell-tale signs: The 'bowl' around the release button, native to many FED's and Zorkis.

Luftwaffe leica serial numbers