Want to Buy WTB: Leica M2 (FOUND)

joby · Mar 31, 2018

Looking for an M2.

rough on the outside is okay, i just need to know it works well on the inside. would love it to be CLA'd sometime this century, or film tested with no issues. cosmetics i'm not worried about at all, i would be shooting this, not collecting it. KEH sold a working user m2 for $499 a few months ago, for reference. working rangefinder, shutter speeds within 1/3 stop above 1/8 etc. also looking for a 35mm lens.

thanks!

esearing · Apr 1, 2018

$800-1200 would be a reasonable purchase price for a working M2 that will continue to work for the next decade.

As for affordable lenses, the voigtlander color skopar 35 f2.5 is tiny and makes great images. the 40mm f1.0 is larger but gives that big aperture glow. 28mm is a good one too and you can use the full viewing frame as a guide or use accessory viewers.

joby · Apr 1, 2018

esearing said:
$800-1200 would be a reasonable purchase price for a working M2 that will continue to work for the next decade.

As for affordable lenses, the voigtlander color skopar 35 f2.5 is tiny and makes great images. the 40mm f1.0 is larger but gives that big aperture glow. 28mm is a good one too and you can use the full viewing frame as a guide or use accessory viewers.

thanks for your input. planning on going the direction of the 35/2.5 voigt skopar to start, though i know this is blasphemy to some (i don't care).

Hawkeye · Apr 1, 2018

joby said:
Looking for an M2.

rough on the outside is okay, i just need to know it works well on the inside.

This is a great strategy. I love a good user camera. Once I owned a Rolleiflex 3.5E that was so perfect I it was stressful to use as I did not want to put the first mark on it. Sold it and now only have worn looking cameras that I can use without worry....

btaylor · Apr 1, 2018

Ha! I feel that. I have a few Rolleis in really nice shape and a beater Automat, of course it is the Automat I end up using most!

joby · Apr 1, 2018

Hawkeye said:
This is a great strategy. I love a good user camera. Once I owned a Rolleiflex 3.5E that was so perfect I it was stressful to use as I did not want to put the first mark on it. Sold it and now only have worn looking cameras that I can use without worry....

yes me too. and as someone who doesn't make a ton of money, buying something mint doesn't make sense when the goal is to have a camera that i can take with me everywhere and actually use. it's going to get worn anyways.

darkosaric · Apr 3, 2018

Hi Joby,

Interested in M1? I have one that I am willing to let go, problem is that slow shutter speeds are incorrect, but the price is attractive.

joby · Apr 3, 2018

darkosaric said:
Hi Joby,

Interested in M1? I have one that I am willing to let go, problem is that slow shutter speeds are incorrect, but the price is attractive.

will PM

Fotoguy20d · Apr 5, 2018

I have a couple of DS M3s but only "need" one...

guangong · Apr 6, 2018

As I remember, the M2 was briefly made by Leitz as a budget model. Because fewer made than other Ms, collectors interest reason for high prices. For same money possible to buy user M3 or M4. Other cameras also fetch high prices due to scarcity rather than quality. This does not mean that the M2 is a bad camera...in fact I had friends who preferred it over the other M cameras.
Of course, there can be no argument for personal preference. As a perusal of apug reveals, there is no “best” camera.

joby · Apr 6, 2018

guangong said:
As I remember, the M2 was briefly made by Leitz as a budget model. Because fewer made than other Ms, collectors interest reason for high prices. For same money possible to buy user M3 or M4. Other cameras also fetch high prices due to scarcity rather than quality. This does not mean that the M2 is a bad camera...in fact I had friends who preferred it over the other M cameras.
Of course, there can be no argument for personal preference. As a perusal of apug reveals, there is no “best” camera.

from what i can tell, there were fewer M4s than M2s made, at least according to wikipedia (it could very well be wrong). the M2s seem to go for considerably less than M4s on fleabay/dealer sites, also. M3s are ubiquitous, but i'm not a big 50mm fan, so they don't interest me as much.

Want to Buy WTB: Leica M2 (FOUND)

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