Leica M3

When I was four years old, looking through a stack of Life magazines, I came across Eugene Smith’s photo essay “The Country Doctor.”  I was fascinated by the pictures, especially the shot of the doctor—in a stupor of fatigue--slumped against a kitchen stove.  I had never thought of adults’ getting tired, much less doctors'.  I learned by looking, and never forgot the picture.  I was thirty-four years old before I ran across that photograph again--and simultaneously discovered that Smith was famous and the “Country Doctor” essay one of his best.

It says a lot about Smith that a four-year-old boy would be so impressed by a photograph.  It does not say too much about Leica cameras. 

What do I mean?  In 1979 I heard there was an exhibition of Smith’s prints at a gallery on New York’s Fifth Avenue.  I saw several of the original “Country Doctor” shots, and found their mood as powerful as ever.  However, I did not find the image quality outstanding:  the pictures were no sharper or richer than a lot of less famous shots I had seen.  I asked one of the curators what camera Smith used.  “Oh, Leica,” I was told.  “Always a Leica.”

I hope this illustrates one reason why it is difficult to think clearly about Leica cameras:  their reputation is bound up with the great photographers who have used them.  Leica equals Smith equals Cartier-Bresson equals Meiselas, etc.  It is hard not to be awed by an instrument that so many serious artists have found essential.  It is also true that Leica cameras are associated with a certain shooting style:  the up-close, involved recording of unguarded moments.   

Another confusing factor is the drumbeat for Leica.  The Leica brand has the same power as Rolls-Royce:  it is considered a marque of excellence even by people who don’t know cameras or cars.  When I’m out shooting with my Voigtlander Prominent, people often come over and ask reverentially, “Is that a Leica?”  When I am indeed shooting with a Leica, they don’t ask if I have a Voigtlander.  They just assume that any elegant, expensive-looking 35mm camera has to be a Leica.  And if it turns out that the camera is indeed a Leica, they congratulate me for having it! 

So how can we get out from under all this?  How can we think clearly about such a hallowed device?  My own approach has been to get some Leica equipment, pretend as much as possible that I haven’t heard of it before, and examine the results.  I would like to describe here what I have found.  I’ll be adding pictures to illustrate my points.    

A couple of years ago, I bought two M3s.  One came from an ebay auction; the other from a reputable dealer in the city where I live.  The former camera has been headaches; the latter has been flawless.  Two lessons are drawn from this:  (1) even an M3 can be worn out; (2) don’t buy blind.

Added note:  the rundown camera cost more than the good one from a dealer, not even counting repair costs!

Both my M3s are double-stroke models, which means they rolled off the production line rather early.  One of them is so early that it lacks the frame-preview lever.  Neither is early enough to have the glass pressure plate.  I went for double-stroke models because--according to a number of writers--their advance mechanism is smoother than the single-strokes' and stresses the film less.  I have handled a few single-stroke models, and I indeed feel the advance action is rougher and less positive than what I have on my own Leicas.  Some people avoid the double-strokers because they fear it would be confusing to advance the film in two strokes on only one camera in their collection.  I've not found that to be a problem:  as soon as I pick up a Leica, my hands start doing the correct thing.        

In my experience, the Nikon F has a better shutter than the M3, and the Voigtlander Vitomatic has a superior viewing system.  The Voigtlander Prominent is more beautiful, the Retina IIc is quieter, and almost any camera is easier to load.  So what’s the big deal?  The big deal is threefold:  the precision with which the M3 is made, the ease of its handling, and the lenses it mounts.

There’s not much to say about the first two features.  The precision manufacture affords a proper backing for the lenses; and the ease of use has virtually created a style of shooting.  The major factor here is lens quality, and that’s what I have attempted to examine.