Tote1940 Loc: Dallas

Unless rangefinder is for multiple focal lenghts why?
Lens seems to be 50 mm
Non leica person

msnydernyc

It looks like a Leica IIIf or model close to that. The "thing" on top is an auxiliary view finder to accommodate various lenses.

Sergey

As a child I had a Russian made Zorky 3 (pretty sure a copy of Leica). I searched web for images and found a bunch on eBay and also here:
https://johnnymartyr.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/martyrs-leicas-vs-eckmans-copies-zorki-3/

bsmith52 Loc: Northeast Alabama

The mini-series is binge worthy. 50's 60's time piece about a female chess prodigy. Doesn't sound like much but will grab you quick and hold you til the end. Worth your time.

sabfish

I don't understand how a finder on top of the camera eliminates parallax. I would think it would increase it v. the built in rangefinder which is under the attachment.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Leica

Skitch Loc: Las Vegas, NV

I’m impressed you could identify based on hair and hands!

Nicholas J DeSciose

The thing on top is a Viewfinder probably for a wide angle lens

srt101fan

Does anybody here read anybody else's comments? Apparently not....

MrPhotog

There is a lever on the users side (can’t see from this view) which tilts the viewfinder to match the view of the lens. It is marked eith various distances. After you use the rangefinder to focus, you read the distance on the lens ring and transfer that distance to the viewfinder lever.

On these cameras the built-in viewfinder window is slightly to the side of the lens. It is OK for most shots with the normal lens.
And the rangefinder doesn’t see the entire image at all. There are actually two peepholes on the back of the camera. One for focusing through the rangefinder and the other for the viewfinder.

This auxiliary viewfinder is mounted directly above the lens, which eliminates the slight side parallax.

With wide angle lenses the parallax isn’t a big issue until you get really close, but with longer lenses, like the 90 mm and 135 mm lenses. you needed the viewfinder to show you accurately what was going to be in your picture.

In 1954 the M3 model introduced a rangefinder that had frame lines for the 90 and 135, and a diagonally sliding mask coupled to the rangefinder, that shifted the viewfinder image in both directions as the lens was focused—so what you saw in the viewfinder would be on your film. Mostly. For better precision your option was an SLR.

Lenfagen

It looks like a Leica 3F with a rangefinder attachment. I had one many years ago. a great camera, sorry I gave it up.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Andy, it looks like a Leica IIIf with a 50mm Summitar f/2 lens.
--Bob

Robertski Loc: So California

Now that's something I can use! Thanks for the useful tool that I wish I knew about earlier.

If any curmudgeon accuses your reply of being too "roundabout", you can quote the old Chinese or English proverb... "If you give a man a fish, you will feed him for a day, but if..."

MJPerini

It appears to be a Leica IIIF with one of Leica's multi focal length 'universal' (via turret) accessory viewfinder.
Accessory viewfinders do no generally have parallax correction
There were also Russian and other copies of these cameras.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Yes, that's one of the Leica III series "screwmount" (M39) cameras, or one of the very close copies of them. But it is most probably a Leica III (also called Leica F), IIIa (also called Leica G), IIIb, IIIc, IIId (very rare), IIIf or IIIg. Most likely IIIc, IIIf or IIIg. Without seeing a top and back views it is difficult to narrow it down much further than that. Shutter speeds, flash sync and other clues on top and back can help identify the model. The serial number on top would confirm exactly which model. There are meticulous records of those.

On top, fitted into the cold shoe, is a variable viewfinder (model #VIOOH) for use with 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 90mm and 135mm lenses (or 3.5cm, 5cm, 8.5cm, 9cm and 13.5cm). The viewfinder built into the camera is used for focusing, while the viewfinder on top is used for composition and framing. There were a series of accessory viewfinders available, a couple of which were variable like this one, but most of which were matched to a specific focal length. AFAIK, all the accessory viewfinders also have manual parallax correction. This is necessary when using viewfinders that aren't "through the lens" (TTL), especially when focusing upon closer objects.

The lens on the camera appears to be a collapsible Leitz 5cm f/2 Summicron or Summitar.

Here's a pretty good summary of the Leica III models from 1933 to 1960 (a few were made as late as 1966): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leica_III

For more info and lots of detailed photos see: https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/leicasmcams.htm