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Where are the well-used Leica M's?

"Well-used and well-maintained — the daily companion, polished, functional, loved."
In the case of a Leica well-maintained doesn't take much. My '68 M4 has seen service perhaps twice in it's life. Most recently when I bought it. I sent it off to DAG for a service & to adapt it to take the Leicavit. It's loved but not polished. Neither is it dented or erratic.
I use it, rely on it and appreciate its attributes, both what it has and what was left out (like all those extraneous viewfinder lines).
 
Let's see photos of more used Leica Ms.
 
GregY said:
Let's see photos of more used Leica Ms.
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OK ... Apparently dropped by previous owner. Has dings and other marks on the upper housing. Very minor vulcanite loss under the lens release button. Was thoroughly CLAed and tidied up by DAG before I got it.
Shoots flawlessly and is the first among equals of ALL 35mm Leica and Nikon I own and use:

 
Beautiful CR. One of the most delightful of Leicas!
 
GregY said:
Beautiful CR. One of the most delightful of Leicas!
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I've never worried too much about buying Leica so long as it was in decent condition and I could afford the item to pay without incurring debt.

The reason I never worried about spending the money (if I had it) is that Leica of this era is pretty much money-in-money-out. When you do sell, it's more-or-less close to what you paid IF you shop carefully and take your time. You get killed if you want cosmetically perfect, in the box, with manuals etc.

The M2 was a bargain. Because it needed the dings knocked out of it, the prior owner had just had DAG do the CLA and repair (I actually have a copy of the repair order). That alone represented close to half the buying price of the camera. It was like getting an M2 for $600 and sending it in for a CLA.

It shoots flawlessly and - like I said - it is first among equals in my stash of 35mm machines. The M2 with the 35mm f/2 ASPH Summicron is my go-to combination that gets used at least half the time in this format. I am taking it on a trip later this summer with that lens, a 50 f/2 V3 Summicron, and a 21mm f/4 Color-Skopar ... the latter being one of the most addictive lenses I own
 

CR, My first Leica was an M2 bought as a university student for $175. My two lens kit is a 21mm & 35mm although lately if i take one lens it's the tiny canon 28mm 2.8 which punches well above its weight category. (photo below wide open 1/60th, tri-x)
I've had many different Ms over the years and regret most selling an original black paint M2 I bought in Paris in about '98 for roughly $550 USD. (They are crazy expensive now).
 
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nice!
 

Wasn’t the Canon 28mm f/2.8 one of Winnogrand’s favored lenses? Nice classic rendering there.
 
AZD said:
Wasn’t the Canon 28mm f/2.8 one of Winnogrand’s favored lenses? Nice classic rendering there.
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Apparently he did use one.
Also an ideal lens for smaller cameras like the CL
 
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Wasnt there some ancient Latin story in which some guy or animal preferred ugly partners as it made them overcome that awe?
 

I'm with you in thinking "the perfect is the enemy of the good." I had a very clean 1936 Martin D18 which skyrocketed in value. Much too nice a guitar to play at home alone. I found this well used 1945 D18 that I'm happy to take to musical gatherings. It pains me to see pristine musical instruments and glass case condition Nikons & Leicas. Bought and admired but never used for their actual purpose.
 
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I have a 1962 ES 335 Butterscotch you should see ...
 

Geez, that’s a pretty nice guitar. I was originally looking at 40s/50s J45’s just before the values took off. Almost could have pulled it off. After old Martins reached ridiculous levels people suddenly realized old Gibsons were equally good, just different, so that was the end of that dream. Also missed out on an early Epiphone Texan that was the single most beat up acoustic guitar I have ever seen, but wow it sounded incredible. Also, RIP, Intermountain Guitar and Banjo in Salt Lake. Can’t bring myself to go into the cafe in their old building.
 

I paid Intermountain a visit once while on a Moab trip with my kids.
 
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