For your consideration today is my Leica M2 (with rewind lever), purchased locally last year. Serial number is 1103 227, dating it to 1964. Selling because I've wound up doing a lot less 35mm stuff, and nobody wants to be that ass with a perfectly sexy M2 sitting on a shelf. The M2 is basically a single-stroke Leica M3 with the addition of 35mm framelines and a manual-set frame counter.
You wouldn't pretend this was a showroom camera. It has dings and scratches and brassing, and the vulcanite has chipped in several places (you can buy a new skin at Cameraleather.com). This is a camera for taking photos. The only noticeable effect any of this 'character' has is that the rewind knob seems to have a bit of play, 1mm to the right, when you lift it up to rewind. Seems like a loose screw if anything, I imagine it would be fixed up in a basic CLA if it bothered you.
Please note: There's a smudge in the Rangefinder patch, see photo attached, right smack in the middle of the patch. It's definitely internal, and some part of me thinks it might have been done intentionally at some point in it's life. I think it's just a bit of something on one of the mirrors in the rangefinder. I pretty much stopped noticing it after the first few minutes and never found it distracting, but if it does bother you I'm sure there would be a way to spruce it up. Note that this awkward photo doesn't reflect the brightness of the rangefinder, it's actually bright and quite clear. But try pointing a DSLR through a rangefinder window, oof.
There isn't a lens with the body. I always loved the Canon Screw Mount lenses, and a 50/1.8 or a 50/1.4 would be brilliant on this, or even a good old Russian Jupiter LTM lens to get you started.
Shutter speeds are all accurate to my ear and to experience with the handful of rolls I shot. Rangefinder is accurate, inside is clean and dandy, shutter curtains are in good condition and show no signs of drying out or cracking. Framelines are all there, bright and contrasty. It's also been adapted for modern flash contacts at some point in it's life. The lens mount has the number '5' stamped into the black wax that covers the screw. You have to plunge your screwdriver through this to open the camera up, and my understanding is that this number was incremented by Leica every time it was serviced and sealed back up. So it's been well used but apparently not neglected.
Accessories included are:
-2x loading spools (keep your next roll ready to bang in, some would say quicker than an M4's rapid load)
-Generic 35-135mm LTM>M adapter
-IXMOO Casette, plus part of another one (not sure where it came from but it's there)
-Gossen Sixtino Light meter, a small selenium meter that's actually pretty spot on accurate with my modern Sekonic. Clip it to your belt and go to town.
$600 AUD, including worldwide insured shipping with tracking. So, about $100 of accessories and $50 in shipping, that's a $450 Leica M2 you just got yourself. And coincidentally, just in time for Christmas. PayPal preferred and I'll eat the fees.
And if you need more convincing, just do what I did the day I put a deposit on it, and read CameraQuest for hours. Hey sure I totally need a rewind crank...
You wouldn't pretend this was a showroom camera. It has dings and scratches and brassing, and the vulcanite has chipped in several places (you can buy a new skin at Cameraleather.com). This is a camera for taking photos. The only noticeable effect any of this 'character' has is that the rewind knob seems to have a bit of play, 1mm to the right, when you lift it up to rewind. Seems like a loose screw if anything, I imagine it would be fixed up in a basic CLA if it bothered you.
Please note: There's a smudge in the Rangefinder patch, see photo attached, right smack in the middle of the patch. It's definitely internal, and some part of me thinks it might have been done intentionally at some point in it's life. I think it's just a bit of something on one of the mirrors in the rangefinder. I pretty much stopped noticing it after the first few minutes and never found it distracting, but if it does bother you I'm sure there would be a way to spruce it up. Note that this awkward photo doesn't reflect the brightness of the rangefinder, it's actually bright and quite clear. But try pointing a DSLR through a rangefinder window, oof.
There isn't a lens with the body. I always loved the Canon Screw Mount lenses, and a 50/1.8 or a 50/1.4 would be brilliant on this, or even a good old Russian Jupiter LTM lens to get you started.
Shutter speeds are all accurate to my ear and to experience with the handful of rolls I shot. Rangefinder is accurate, inside is clean and dandy, shutter curtains are in good condition and show no signs of drying out or cracking. Framelines are all there, bright and contrasty. It's also been adapted for modern flash contacts at some point in it's life. The lens mount has the number '5' stamped into the black wax that covers the screw. You have to plunge your screwdriver through this to open the camera up, and my understanding is that this number was incremented by Leica every time it was serviced and sealed back up. So it's been well used but apparently not neglected.
Accessories included are:
-2x loading spools (keep your next roll ready to bang in, some would say quicker than an M4's rapid load)
-Generic 35-135mm LTM>M adapter
-IXMOO Casette, plus part of another one (not sure where it came from but it's there)
-Gossen Sixtino Light meter, a small selenium meter that's actually pretty spot on accurate with my modern Sekonic. Clip it to your belt and go to town.
$600 AUD, including worldwide insured shipping with tracking. So, about $100 of accessories and $50 in shipping, that's a $450 Leica M2 you just got yourself. And coincidentally, just in time for Christmas. PayPal preferred and I'll eat the fees.
And if you need more convincing, just do what I did the day I put a deposit on it, and read CameraQuest for hours. Hey sure I totally need a rewind crank...
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but this wee guy should be fed more film than I can provide.
