How to Identify a Counterfeit Leica, Basic Tips and How Counterfeit Leicas are Made
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- čas přidán 27. 10. 2019
- eBay Affiliate Search: bit.ly/YTDH_LeicaIII
Many options exist for counterfeiters who want to make a fake Leica. Different Leica bodies have different corresponding inexpensive clones that can be used to make fake versions. This video discusses a bit about how counterfeit Leica bodies are bade, examines production variations between the Leica IIIB and the nearest inexpensive clone, the Zorki, and provides tips to help you become a more educated camera consumer. No substitute exists for knowing details about something you want to buy. That's as true for cameras as it is for cars and coffee. The biggest takeaway from this video should be that if you want to buy something that is known to have an issue with counterfeiting, research real examples and learn how to spot the hallmark differences.
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Hi there David, I'm a 93 year old viewer from Holland. I've been collecting Leica's since the late 40's. I want to thank you for the video's.
Thank you! I can imagine you have an amazing collection, too.
@@DavidHancock I have gotten a few. My father had one of the first photography stores in Europe. I've sold many Leica's to pay for my grandchildren's tuition.
B what a great grandfather
I like leaving my Leica on the dash of my car. It looks really good there in summertime.
I thought I replied to this already, Weird it's in my unreplied pool still. ANYWAY, that's very 2019. In 2020 the cool thing will be to epoxy it to your hood like a hood ornament.
The round rangefinder cam is the dead giveaway, but there are Leicas that have the same viewfinder/rangefinder layout and at least one that has no slow shutter speed dial. You may also see Zorki models which have had the textured body ground down to a flat surface and a replacement vulcanite cover glued on. The vulcanite usually looks quite good, but it's easy to see that the underlying surface is not quite even. The covering sets are cheap on eBay, where you can also find top plates from dead Leicas that will fit the Zorki with the drilling of correct holes. The giveaway on those is, of course, the presence of extra holes. Andy
Oh dang. Those are some good points I didn't know. The spare parts and flush-grinding the body just blew my mind. Thank you!
By the time they’ve done all that they might as well have sold their Zorki as a Zorki. To do this in western countries they must really undervalue their time. Though products can now reach the world market like never before, but income in some countries is well below that in the U.K. and USA. Thus, although a welder can make a very good living in our countries it won’t compare in other nations around the world. So the £350 for a Leica IIIf could give them a profit equivalent to at least a month's income.
I love my Zorki 4K, which I may have mentioned several dozen times. If you get a good Zorki and Jupiter lens it’s a great combination that’s hard to beat. I wish I could recommend them without any reservations, however many say the QC was sometimes lacking. I said that on another video and someone from Russia or Ukraine (where most FSU cameras were made) said that was an urban myth. I have to admit most people I know like their Zorki.
As always a great video David, Monday is quickly becoming my favourite day. Thank you.
Thank you, Mark, and that does make sense. In my field we often hire what are called third-party nationals, especially welders, and that affords them U.S. Davis-Bacon wages wherever they're willing to go work on projects. But a good point that not everyone gets that opportunity.
I do like the Zorkis very much. Mine works just as well as my two Leicas and, honestly, both the Russian lenses that I have are sharper than the Leica lens.
By the time they're done hacking Zorki's, they will be worth more than Leica's due to their scarcity. lol
Appreciate your effort but I think you have made some fundamental error by comparing zorki with Leica iiif. Most of the counterfeit Leica are Leica ii models. Leica iii models are difficult to counterfeit as differences are too many. Still, I like your videos. You are honest in your videos. Please consider this as constructively.
The process of counterfeiting a Leica is the same. I don't have a Leica II, but you're correct, most of the fakes are Leica II models, but not all of them. The idea here was to help people identify construction differences and understand how counterfeits are made, not to say specifically this one model of camera can be counterfeited.
Have Leicas and copies (Russian and Japanese). Love them all. They take equally good photos.
I concur. Actually, my Zorki outperforms both my Leicas handily in terms of image quality.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart! ❤ you've been most helpful. I look forward to purchasing a Zorchi iiic or iiib to try the Leica idiosyncracies.😅
Thank you!
The Leica II doesn't have a slow speed dial, but all Leicas have the domed shutter release with the, "Beauty Spot," which moves as you wind/rewind. The Leica II has a removable collar for a specific shutter release, while the III's collar is wider and threaded for the same reason.
Any Leica purported to be used by Wartime German forces will be a III (slow speed dial). Only the Kriegsmarine (Navy) used the Reichsadler (eagle with a swastika in its talons) and it's about half the size of the one you'll commonly see on forgeries. Genuine WW2 Leicas often have serial numbers or specific markings (e.g. Luftwaffe Eigentum (air force property)) removed or defaced.
You can plainly see the smaller lens inside the Zorki's rangefinder (no Leica ever had this), and the Zorki (and Fed) have a groove next to the cold shoe, while a genuine Leica has a square, almost sharp edge here.
Otherwise, you've pretty much covered it.
Thank you!
Putting that Zorki next to that Leica really does make it look a lot more crude LOL. Very interesting video anyway! I think I'm sticking with my '57 Zorki 4 for now.
Thank you and there's nothing wrong with Zorkis. I use mine more than either Leica.
Why you chose Zorky as example? Early models of FED looked much more like Leica of the same period. Actually first model of FED was reverse-engeniered Leica.
I own a Zorki.
thanks for the video! I'm meeting a guy for a leica iii next week for really cheap (so cheap it's honestly scary) so i'm hoping it legit haha
Thank you!
useful thanks
Thank you!
Man I wanna buy a japan leica m camera but now I'm SCARED 😨.... Any pointers or videos? 😭
I'm only gonna have enough for a body for now. So I wanna get it right.
I think the best pointer that I have for cameras is from the perspective of someone who uses them, not someone who collects them. If you enjoy using it, and it works properly, then it's a great camera. So to that end, make sure that everything is functional and you should be good to go.
As for M Leicas, I believe there are fewer issues with those being counterfeitted due to there being no near-perfect clones of them. That said, I'm not anything close to an M series expert and am open to the possibility tha I'm wrong.
@@DavidHancock I agree with you and appreciate you swift and lengthy reply. 😃
leica 2s does not have slow speed
Thank you!
I'm not sure this is all entirely accurate. The Zorki appears to be based on a Leica III (not IIIa, IIIb, IIIc etc). Consequently there ARE some styling clues on the Zorki that also appear on the Leica III (and only on the Leica III) that don't appear on other Leica III models. You haven't made this clear. Certainly, the bottom plate of the Leica III has the three screws around the tripod bush that appear on the Zorki (but doesn't have the additional four central screws).
The circular RF cam is usually the best determinant of a true Leica, and you probably should have started with it.
Thank you. As for the piece of items, I tried to follow the process someone would follow when examining an item.