Leica IIIa better than Zorki 1?

My Leica IIIa has serial number 197167 which suggests it was built in 1936. Judging by english inscriptions on the bottom plate and small tripod mount hole, it's an export version. According to the serial number, it was initally Leica III and must have been upgraded to IIIa at some point. This Leica IIIa has already some smaller scars, a small dent in the top cover which is typical for a camera of this age. But apart from that, it's in perfect condition.

I bought the camera on ebay for a small price, I made an offer which was accepted. It was listed as non functional, but it didn't scare me off. From the beginning I intended to send the camera to Oleg, who is a legend in the rangefinder community. Oleg has just resumed his camera business within EU and I appreciated his service in the past. The repair process included full CLA and replacement of the beam splitter which I ordered from Nobby Sparrow. Nobby has also supplied me with the missing collar for the shutter release button.

I mentioned Zorki 1 in several posts already, but could anyone resist comparing it to a Leica? Definitely not me, even though there has already been one million posts covering that topic. Comparing both vintage cameras doesn't have practical dimension, it's just out of curiousity.

The camera came without lens and and case. I already have many soviet m39 lenses and am absolutely happy with their optical perofmance. Apart from curiosity I don't find a reason to get a separate Leica lens having a Jupiter 8 and Industar 50. They are both excellent. Especially if one could get the camera CLA'd for the half price of an extra Leica lens.

 The case isn't required, but I like to have a half case for extra protection and generally I find it more pleasant to touch leather than metal. I found an original vintage Leica IIIa case on ebay for just 15 EUR and restored it in a similar way I did with my Zorki cases to get a half case with detachable top cover. 

It needs to be mentioned, that both cameras are not technically identical. It would be more fair to compare Zorki 1 to Leica II Mod. D instead of Leica IIIa. Leica IIIa is a further development of its predecessor and has more complex shutter mechanism. Apart from adding mechanism for long times, it also has mechanism to control more even travel speed of both curtains allowing for more even exposure accross the frame which I find the most significant improvement. 

Both are vintage cameras, a1936 built Leica and a 1952 built Zorki 1c. It is a comparison between a luxury camera and mass product. My Zorki is a well preserved and restored export version which according to some sources was better built than than versions for domestic market. 

 

On the exterior there are two significant differences between the cameras. Leica IIIa has an additional knob to set slow time exposures and dioptre correction. 

I find both cameras very solid and it can be felt while holding them in hand. I would even assume, that Zorki seems more solid than Leica. It's very subjective, but when I tap with my fingernail on the top cover of Zorki it seems as if the brass below was a bit thicker.

It can be seen, that Leitz put much more effort to details. Just a short look at both cameras allows to see where KMZ took shortcuts and didn't put much attention. The viewfinder window is the first thing allowing to distinguish a Leica from its copy. KMZ didn't care much about perferct roundings at the edges. It looks more as if someone tried to smoothen the edges with a file instead of putting more effort to manufacturing single elements Engravings on Leica are very smooth, slighly thinner and smoother than on Zorki. The chrome finish on Leica looks satin and smooth. Zorki seems more shiny. 

 

Many praise Leica for its quiet pleasant shutter sound. I agree. Compared to Zorki, Leica is quieter indeed. It does operate smoother, however Zorki isn't bad, even though it's louder.

Apart from technical aspects mentioned above, the user experience is the same. I walked miles with both cameras at different occasions and there was no single noticable differents between Leica and Zorki 1. My type of photography doesn't require using slow shutter speeds, so I don't really take any advanage of Leica IIIa over Zorki1. 

Below are some photos I took with my Leica IIIa and a collapsible soviet Industar 50/3.5 lens.