What's a good used Leica?

[c6h6o3]

I'll take a single stroke M3 over any of them.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Roger - I understand your issues with the rotational directions - With the last four or five cameras I've had I keep reaching for the "missing" shutter speed dial on my Nikon F3 that I no longer have - like an appendage that was removed you still expect it to be there & to be the same way ...

Dear Lee,

The missing limb -- the perfect image!

I shall steal it. (The image, not the limb).

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Roger Hicks]

The biggest issue is forgetting that the (VC) meter isn't coupled to the camera at all and forgetting to change a setting after carefully metering a scene. There's been the odd D'OH! moment because of this! This is less of a problem with the MR - only the aperture to forget

Dear Mark,

I know exactly what you maen. Been there; failed to do exactly the same thing.

Mind you, I can forget that my SPOTMETER isn't coupled...

Cheers,

Abstemius von Knackerthrasher

 

[df cardwell]

The M6 is really tough to beat: new, large supply, great value.
Wonderful camera.

Mine is the .85 finder, I use it mainly with a 35mm lens.

Please give it a try without the winder. You can always add one, or the Abrahamsson Rapidwinder.

The cool accessory, however, is the 1.25x eyepiece magnifier.

In any case, have fun !

 

[df cardwell]

Roger

Are you calling the 35/1.4 and 75/2 a good combination ?

YES ! YES ! YES ! YES ! YES ! YES !

df

.

 

[Bill Mitchell]

If you don't know what you need, then you don't need it.

 

[Ian Grant]

I'll give you one excellent piece of advice

Go to a Leica dealer, say you want a good working camera, the odd ding or mark is irrelevant, you just want an excellent work-horse.

I did just that about 20 years ago and my M3 is still in excellent working order, the lens stil superb.

In the meantime the camera hit a tree, I don't know how . . . and a piece of glass was cracked & needed replacing in the range-finder, so with Leitz's estimate I claimed on my insurance

The camera came back repaired, as good as before and the charge was far less than the estimate, and under the amount I had to contribute myself toward the insurance claim.

Leicas's are built like tanks to last . . . . If you want a good one to use, rather than collect tell the dealer, and you will pay far less.

Ian

 

[Dave Parker]

I woud say the best used leica is the one that fits your style and works without any problems, sounds like you need to venture down to you local high end photo store and actually pick a few of them up and see how they feel in your hands...

 

[Ian Grant]

Your right Dave.

Until you try shooting with a Leica, you won't realise what you've been missing . . .

Ian.

 

[naturephoto1]

That is true including their SLR cameras. And no other manual focus lenses in 35mm have the feel for focus that a Leica has.

Rich

 

[Dave Parker]

Your right Dave.

Until you try shooting with a Leica, you won't realise what you've been missing . . .

Ian.

Being honest with you, I have been very impressed with the Leica IIIb I picked up a few weeks ago, it is amazing the amount of presion that a camera that was made in 1939 has, it has been an enjoyable experiance.

Dave

 

[naturephoto1]

Being honest with you, I have been very impressed with the Leica IIIb I picked up a few weeks ago, it is amazing the amount of presion that a camera that was made in 1939 has, it has been an enjoyable experiance.

Dave

Hi Dave,

And believe it or not until 10 or so years ago, Leica still serviced those cameras. Even today an M3 built in 1954 can still be serviced or repaired by the manufacturer. What other camera maker can make that kind of a claim?

Rich

 

[c6h6o3]

Hi Dave,

And believe it or not until 10 or so years ago, Leica still serviced those cameras. Even today an M3 built in 1954 can still be serviced or repaired by the manufacturer. What other camera maker can make that kind of a claim?

Rich

Hasselblad, until their supply of parts runs out.

 

[naturephoto1]

Hasselblad, until their supply of parts runs out.

But most of the parts for the M series Leicas are still being made.

Rich

 

[Roger Hicks]

What other camera maker can make that kind of a claim? Rich

Gandolfi. They will repair ANY camera they EVER made -- 1880s to present. I need a new part for my Universal 12x15, which is around 100 years old and may actually date from the 1890s. At some point a brass part (rise lock plate) was replaced with chrome. Now it's going bck to brass.

They will also refurbish and update older models. If I could afford it -- I can't -- I'd have a new, fully interchangeable front made for the Universal to take bigger lenses and maybe a modern 11x14 inch back as well.

Their refurbishments vary from putting in good order to refinishing as new.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[bjorke]

A good motoroized Leica with a 35mm lens is called the Contax G2

 

[Confusion Circle]

I have a Leica M6 titanium with the titanium 35mm Summilux lens. I love it. I originally sought to buy an M7 but I did not like the prospect of relying on battery power for shutter operation. With the M6, I have the use of all shutter speeds as it is a fully mechanical camera. The battery is only used for the lightmeter. The M7 uses an electronic shutter that needs the battery to work except for 2 speeds which are mechanical.

 

[35mmDelux]

One of the best and most afordable used Leica is the M4-P. Has all the framelines of the M6 minus the internal metering. The other great Leica is the M6 Classic, with internal metering.
The M7 isn't a "good used" Leica because it still commands high prices. It does work w/out batteries at 60 & 125 speeds.

 

[Roger Hicks]

One of the best and most afordable used Leica is the M4-P. Has all the framelines of the M6 minus the internal metering. The other great Leica is the M6 Classic, with internal metering.
The M7 isn't a "good used" Leica because it still commands high prices. It does work w/out batteries at 60 & 125 speeds.

Well, I've got an M4-P, and have had since I bought it new 25 years ago. Disadvantages: viewfinder flares out so badly I used to use an M2 instead under certain conditions; black chrome finish wore quickly and looked (still looks) like hell; 75mm frame barely usable. Advantages over M2: does have 75mm (and 28mm) frames; accepts winder. Neutral: rewind crank faster but less strong (I once had to repair mine with a Leatherman in the Julian Alps).

Cheers,

R.

 

[David H. Bebbington]

I have owned around 10 or 12 Leicas, from IIIa to M3. I had great faith in the brand until I bought a M3 around 12 years ago. This was working great but was really in need of a service, so it went for one to Leica UK. They charged me over £400 for this, insisting on replacing the shutter curtains. It took 3 return trips to the workshop for them to get the camera working properly (the first time I got it back, the shutter seized up after three shots), when the camera was finally working again it became apparent that the silvering on the rangefinder prisms was not too hot (camera hard to focus), furthermore after quite a bit of experimenting, I decided I did not like the contrast levels of modern Leica lenses (I had a new f2/50 Summicron and f2.8/28 and 90 Elmarits), so got out of Leica and have never gone back (except to the half-way house which is Voigtländer). I freely admit that Voigtländer is not Leica, in terms of build quality this does not bother me, as I am not likely to use my Voigtländers hard enough to wear them out, in terms of noise level there is of course a noticeable difference, if being quiet/near-silent was important to me, I'd have to go Leica again. I liked the 1960s Summicron lenses best, if I could travel back in time to the 60s, I'd probably buy a Leica M2 with 3 Summicrons (35, 50, 90). On the other hand, the center-weighted metering in a Voigtländer I find much more practical.
Ultimately, I think the people who buy Leica now simply feel they must have one, the decision is more emotional than technical. I think few people who do decide to buy one regret it!