Late last year, my friend asked me to look at her camera. She said there was something rattling inside. She didn’t really explain what the camera was, just a nicca. When I saw it was this one, I decided not to touch it with a barge pole. With the little research I did when I received it, I knew this one was something a bit special. I found the rangefinder was loose, the film advance was cocking the shutter but also firing it. There was a lot more wrong with the camera than the owner initially thought. It deserved a proper, professional service. So I sent it off to Newton and Ellis in Liverpool.

This is the Nicca III-L, it was the last camera made by Nicca before the company was bought by Yashica. That dates the camera to 1958, you can read all about it in Mike Eckman’s wonderfully detailed post. It is a Leica thread-mount camera with a top speed of 1/1000th. The camera was not produced for very long and it is not a common sight in shops or for sale online.

I waited about 3 months for the camera to be finished and promptly went to Liverpool to pick it up when it was ready. I thought I could load a roll of film and wander the city with another friend to make sure everything was as perfect as I hoped it would be. The repairs were expensive and as I was not the one paying, I wanted to be sure everything was right for the owner.

Once I received the camera, I went for a proper English breakfast so I could sit down, relax and load the camera in comfort.

As the Nicca did not have a light meter, I added the Lime 2 I had received recently. It had an extra riser on it, if I was only using it for this camera I would take that off to make it more flush with the body.

Loading the camera was just like the Barnack and Zork 1, you needed to trim the leader to about 10cm before loading it. I also had a strap and some rings with me so I installed them too, but I quickly decided to remove them and use the case instead. I found the advance lever sometimes got stuck under the rings. It wasn’t worth the risk of causing any damage when it was not my camera.

The Nicca was sturdy, but not too heavy with a large and bright viewfinder which has a colour cast to aid focusing, or it did for me. The weight of the camera made it easier for me to hand-hold at lower speeds, so when my friend and I found an interesting warehouse on our walk, I could still get shots at f2 and 1/30th inside.

 While inside the warehouse, I began to feel something wasn’t right. The film felt like it was having issues advancing, it felt “crunchy”, like the sprockets were being torn.

I took the film out and loaded another, but I decided to walk back toward the shop in case this film did the same thing…it did. Now, of course, I didn’t know if the photos would be ok at this point. Once I did develop the CatLab film, I found it was fine. I was quite surprised to find there was no damage to the sprockets at all. Here is the rest of that film.

When we arrived at the shop we explained the issue to the repairer. He loaded a few more films, fired them and everything seemed fine, there was no ‘crunching’. So maybe it was me and how I loaded it? The repairer loaded a roll of Kodak Gold for me and we continued with our walk, I finished the film once I got home.

When I saw the first and second sets of photos, I was so impressed. This lens and body combination had a look that I hadn’t seen for a while, so crisp and clear.

There was no ‘crunching’ feel during this second set but it didn’t feel as smooth as I expected. As there was a guarantee with the service I decided to return the camera for further inspection. Newton and Ellis were fantastic, very understanding. Once they looked at it again, they phoned me and talked me through the further adjustments they made to the Nicca. Soon after it was back in my hands and loaded with a roll of Exeter 400. I took it to Holmfirth and it was as smooth as butter.

The owner of the camera said I could keep it as long as I wanted, but I already have so many cameras and a box full of stuff I haven’t tried under my bed. If I kept this camera much longer, I would rarely use another camera and this blog would be over. Besides, I do have the Canon rangefinder which I don’t use enough as it is.

So, I took one more roll of film and returned the camera to its rightful owner. That film has yet to be developed, if and when it is I will make a photo post with the results.

So overall, this camera is fantastic. If you are lucky enough to have a chance to try one, especially with the F2 lens…do it. If you can afford to own one, do it. The real owner is very lucky to own it, and a fully serviced one at that. I am adding this camera to my current top ten list.

Oh and I just realised this is the first (and maybe only) Nicca I have ever tried.