C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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rangefinder-35mm
The IIIf (1950) is Leica's third-generation screw-mount (LTM / M39) rangefinder, refining the prewar Leica III lineage. Two separate windows: a rangefinder for focusing (1.5× magnification, separate from the viewfinder), and an eye-level viewfinder for framing. Mechanical horizontal-cloth focal-plane shutter to 1/1000s, no meter, no AE, no battery — pure mechanical. Body is brass with vulcanite covering, weight 600 g, 32 mm thick. The IIIf added flash synchronization (via the accessory-shoe contacts) — its main innovation over the IIIc.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
The peak of the Barnack screw-mount Leica. The body Henri Cartier-Bresson used before he switched to the M3.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Leica Screw Mount (LTM / M39) |
| Years | 1950–1957 |
| Shutter | 1s – 1/1000s, mechanical horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | Via accessory shoe (cold-shoe + electrical contacts) |
| Meter | None |
| Modes | Manual |
| Weight | 600 g |
| Battery | None |
Released 1950. Sub-versions:
184,000 units made. Replaced 1957 by the IIIg (1957–1960, larger viewfinder, 50/90 frame lines), which was Leica's last screw-mount body. The M3 (1954, M-bayonet) overlapped and ultimately ended screw-mount production.
The IIIf is the camera that defined "Leica" for the prewar / immediate-postwar generation of photographers. Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, David Seymour, Werner Bischof, Erich Salomon — all used IIIf bodies (or earlier Leica IIIs) before the M3 changed the system. The screw-mount lens family (LTM / M39) remains in use in 2026 — Voigtländer, Cosina, MS-Optical, and Light Lens Lab still make new LTM lenses, all of which mount on the IIIf.
For 2026 buyers, an IIIf is the cheapest entry into "real" Leica ownership. A clean black-dial body runs $400–700; a Red-Dial Self-Timer commands $800–1,200. The screw-mount LTM lenses (50/2 Summicron collapsible, 50/3.5 Elmar, 35/3.5 Elmar) are also significantly cheaper than equivalent M-mount glass.
Leica Screw Mount (LTM / M39) lenses. Common: Elmar 50/3.5 (kit), Summicron 50/2 collapsible, Summitar 50/2, Summaron 35/3.5, Elmar 90/4. LTM-to-M adapters allow LTM lenses on M-mount bodies (M3, M6, MP). The IIIf's body cannot accept M-mount lenses without a different body. SBOOI accessory finder for 50mm framing on accessory shoe (the IIIf eye-level finder shows roughly the 50mm field).
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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