My M3 is finally getting a make-over.

Its finally time! I'm in the process of arranging for a complete make-over for my 1954 Leica M3 'double-stroke'. This camera has been all around the world in the hands of its previous owners, has thousands of rolls through it and still works as flawlessly as my 3-year-old Leica MP. However, the white lizard leather is getting to me. It was really cool when I first got it but now that I'm getting into my mid-30's, I don't really want a pimpin' camera. The white material also gets dirty easily and I'm tired of cleaning it all the time.

It's going to be a more conservative look but still very much a custom. It's going to be what is referred to as a reverse-Panda among Leicafiles. A Panda is a chrome Leica with knobs and levers from a black Leica. Leica once made a few 'Panda' M6 cameras when it ran out of chrome parts. These are highly collectible and very expensive. A reverse-Panda is the opposite; a black camera with chrome knobs and levers. The white covering will be gone and replaced with traditional black Vulcanite.

I'm still working out the final details before sending the camera away. Robert Jagitsch of Rangefinder Restorations in Texas will be doing the paint-job. The painting process will get rid of all the scratches and rub marks on the top and bottom plates (the chrome plating will be stripped). Youxin Ye in Massachusetts will be performing a CLA (clean, lube and adjustment). The camera doesn't need it but a CLA might as well be done while the camera is apart. Then it won't need any servicing for another 25 years. It will be like buying a brand new Leica customized at the factory as a reverse-Panda but at roughly 1/16th the price. I'm very excited.

Here's a photo of the camera in its current state with the 50mm f/2 DR Summicron mounted.

Ooooh.. Controversial! It's not perfect but the chrome is so good for a 50+ year-old camera.

How about an M3 Safari?

I borrowed "Identifying Leica Cameras" by Ghester Sartorius from the local library... There's probably some good ideas in there

No way to the Safari scheme! Military Green is not for me. I'm not interested in military green Safaries, gold-plated Luxors, or grey-painted Kriegsmarines. I'm set on the reverse-Panda. (like William Eggleston's )

The chrome is very good. If this camera was passed down to me from a family member, I would feel differently about painting it - I'd probably just change the covering back to Vulcanite. The scratches and marks symbolizes the journey that this camera travelled but I know very little about it. If someone asked me how the big rub-mark in the back came about, I sometimes say that its from a bullet it deflected away from me and how lucky I was to have the camera in my coat pocket at the time. I really don't know what caused the rub mark though.

I've always had a feeling that this camera wasn't mine for some reason. I do believe that one never owns a Leica; that one merely holds on to it for the next person. However, with this camera the feeling is so strong that it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable as if I'm borrowing it. So uncomfortable, in fact, that when I was thinking about painting it, I was compelled to seek permission from the previous owner. He gave me his blessings and said that he thought it was a great idea. I was prepared to offer the camera back to him if he had said no. (When he sold me the camera I promised to give him first dibs if I ever decided to sell it.)

The camera travelled a long road to arrive at my hands but after the make-over is complete, any new scratches, bumps or dings will tell a story about my own experiences with the camera.

I went with the reverse-Panda idea as I didn't want just a regular black-paint Leica replica like many people already have. I know that its not going to be unique. I can always re-chrome the camera if I want to even though that process is extremely expensive. New Old Stock top and bottom plates (with a blank area for engraving the serial number) are still available too.

I didn't know that book was available at the library. It should be interesting read. Does it also cover accessories? About a week ago I wanted to know what the correct front cap for a 1936 Summar that I had just purchased - it didn't come with one. Most sources led me to believe that the Summar's cap was the same as the bevelled A36 cap from the 50f3.5 Elmar but a few sources suggested that a rare, non-bevelled version of the A36 cap was used. Eventually, I decided that I didn't care and went for the regular bevelled cap for the Elmar, which was readily available and much cheaper.

I sort of know how you feel... my 1D is really worn from the previous owner. He took it to Haiti, North Africa, Eastern Europe and beyond. Very little of the wear is from me and if any scratches or dents are mine I couldn't tell you which ones were.

The book is cool, there's a seperate volume that handles lenses. This one goes over a lot of the variations, scientific and military models and serial number ranges. There's a cool index of which serial numbers were given out as gifts and to whom.

There's a lot of cool cameras that I wasn't familiar with. I think I want a KE-7A for cold-weather shooting

I'll let you know when I'm done with it, I picked it up at the main branch.

Especially when the previous owner is a respected and well-known photographer, it will see it as 'that guy's' camera perhaps even more.

Out of curiosity, I priced a brand new MP customized as a reversed-Panda and through Leica's 'a la carte' program. I optioned it out to be as close as possible to the specs of my vintage M3. Not as much as I thought but still 14x more expensive than what the resto is going to be. Certainly enough to make anyone light-headed.

Here's a link to the PDF with the price quote: ---> link

Yah, that'll look really nice with your chrome lenses.

That's one of the reasons why I wanted to leave a little chrome on the camera. I think that it would look nicer with my chrome lenses and accessories.

Everything is worked out now. I'm mailing the camera tomorrow morning.

I missed your comment about the KE-7A. If there was an ultimate all-Canadian Leica kit, it has to be the Midland built KE-7A M4 mated to the 50mm f/1 Noctilux. Take a look at how much this KE-7A went for on e-Pay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180328251777

Separation anxiety yet?

YES!

Haha. You won't even recognize it when it gets home. Like sending your kid off to fat camp.

Update: Youxin Ye received the camera. He will be taking it apart and sending the pieces to be painted to Robert Jagitsch on Monday.

Haha awesome.

Update: Robert Jagitsch has received the parts for painting and will be working on it next week. The chrome will be stripped but I elected to keep the nickel coating instead of stripping all the way to the brass. The black paint will stick better to the nickel coating and it will prevent the camera from "brassing" too soon. Keeping the nickel coating also retains some of the camera's heft, which I like.

Good to hear the progress report.

Paint is complete and will be sent back to Youxin for the remainder of the CLA and assembly.

Robert Jagitsch emailed me today to inform me that my M3 was done and he sent me this photo. Hopefully it will be in next week.



I now need to come up with a new name for it. (Mr. White is no longer suitable.) I'm open to suggestions.

I don't know... I kind of like Mr. White. Like calling a fat man "slim" or a bald man "curly".

I never thought of that! That's something worth considering. Thanks.

I was going to suggest Mr. and then using the Portuguese word for Black but when I looked it up I figured it's probably best not to. I think it would get misconstrued.

I'm actually leaning toward leaving it as Mr. White.