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I was occasionally seeking for a Leica M3 or M2 basic set, possibly from the 50's.
I focused on this Leica M3 circa 1956 (Ref. Leitz ISUMO), double stroke, that was sold with a Leitz Wetzlar Summicron collapsible normal lens 1:2 f=5cm of the same period equipped with a 39mm screw-on protective filter, a 42mm pi-uch-onLeica lens cap and an original Leitz shade hood (Ref. Leitz IROOA).
The camera was serviced in Paris, France, in 2018 by Gérard Métrot at Photo-Suffren, (a Leica boutique) who worked on the maintenance of camera's of famous French photographers as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Doisneau. The camera was inspected by Odéon-Photo, Paris, another historic Leica place in Paris, in April 2024.
I sourced at the same time in Germany a stunning Leitz Leica leather bag (Ref; Leitz IDCOO) of the same model that appeared on the back cover page go the Leica brochure year 1954. This bag can accommodate the camera and a mounted Leica-Meter type M. The interior in covered with a carmin velvet in perfect condition.
Le Leica M3 is one of the most iconic range-finder 35mm camera of the 50's and the 60's. It was produced in Wetzlar, Germany, in different versions at 226178 exemplars, between 1954 (n° 700000) and 1966 (n° 1164865, www.summilux.net/materiel/Leica-M3) . The Leica M3 was the result of the study of a "super-Leica" that was started before WWII and only achieved in the 50'S.
The greater improvement of the M3 compared the classical Leica's was in a magnificent and very complex range-finder combined to the view finder permitting the framing with the two eyes open, integrating the frame in the real and normal vision. The shutter integrate too the normal ans slow speed in the same barillet. The film advance of this version of Leica M3 is also the typical "double-stroke" advance that was exclusive to the Leica M3 first versions.
The camera was transported to me from Paris to Lyon, France on April 26, 2024 and the bag arrived the day after.
The Leica M3 was the reference camera for designing the last French FOCA Universel RC in the 60's. This one was only produced at 2000 units in years 1962 and 1963 (see bellow)
About the FOCA Universel RC camera appearing In some pictures of the series :
Only a bit more than 2000 FOCA URC were produced in the O.P.L. (« Optique et precision de Levallois » S.A.) in Châteaudun, Eure, France, in 1962 and 1963 before stopping definitively the manufacturing of the curtain-shutter camera’s. The FOCA Universel RC is considered as the most beautiful FOCA ever produced in France. A series of FOCA Universel RC were provided to the French "Marine Nationale" and "Armée de l'Air".
The evolution of the FOCA Universel to the « RC » version included a complete new system of wide viewfinder at 1:1 ratio with collimation in orange color and coupled full parallax compensation. I got the camera on September 9, 2023 at the photo fair of the Photography Museum of Saint-Bonnet-de-Mure, France. It took about 3 months of reflexion and discussion with a retailer to take the decision. The camera was provided with the normal 5-lens OPLAR optics 1:2.8 f=5cm of the same period (model-6 version-10, 1961) with front cap and FOCA AUV 42mm push-on filter, the specific URC ever-ready leather bag in perfect condition, and the original edition of the user manual.
Alors pour la petite histoire le petit anneau là dans la narine c'est pour obliger ce gentil monsieur à se baisser pour monter et descendre de son dos...