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Newbie guide to buying a used M9

elephant

By elephant
in Leica M9 / M-E

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friedeye

friedeye

Posted
Posted

Off the top of my head:

 

General condition of the camera. Does it look used and abused? Brassing is OK - but dents not so much.

Actuation count.  I think a moderately used camera probably has 3,500 - 5,000 actuations a year.

Rangefinder alignment and accuracy.  Is the finder hazy?

Sensor corrosion. You can test this by shooting the camera at the open sky with the lens stopped down to f/16. Look at the frame on a computer monitor. Dust spots are dark and don't have edges - these can be cleaned. Corrosion spots look more like drops of oil or water.

General electronics. Shoot the camera at different speeds. Test the aperture priority mode. Play with the camera. Take some shots. Delete them. Make sure the buttons and the wheel dial work. 

 

Know your seller and make certain there's a return policy.  Ebay can be fine -- but any deal that looks too good to be true, probably is.

 

Good Luck and Happy Hunting.

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250swb

250swb

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Posted

I agree with James in that my search would be limited to Leica Dealers who can give a warranty. But there aren't many, if any, downsides to buying an M9 at the moment. They are easily repaired and will be for many years to come, forget the sensor issue because if it does happen you get pretty well a new camera back from Leica. And the second hand prices and bang for buck are extremely good when you factor in the fun (and serious effort) you can have with a vast choice of lenses.

 

I think there is a simple equation that says if the shutter count is less than 20,000 and the camera looks battered then it hasn't been well looked after, and if the shutter count is in the 100,000's and it looks pristine something mysterious is going on. So by all means check the shutter count, its a hexadecimal number from the last image taken in the EXIF under 'Unique Image ID' (don't confuse the file number with the shutter count), but I'd only do it to equate condition with use, high shutter counts aren't a problem in themselves.

 

Steve

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uhoh7

uhoh7

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Posted (edited)

I bought mine from a private party, who had just received it back from Leica NJ with a new sensor. I paid 3500 in Jan 2014. It was advertised at DPI. I would only buy one recently serviced, dealer or no dealer. A warranty is something you never want to use. Better a really clean camera without one, than a hard used camera with one. I have read plenty of hard stories about bad bodies bought from dealers and trouble getting things right.

 

So, I would make some browser favorites of the main dealers, and the main boards: FM RFF, Huff, and DPI. You will see one pretty soon back with a new sensor, never yet used since then. That's what you want.

 

If lucky you will find a great one for about 3K USD.

Edited by uhoh7
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jaapv

jaapv

Posted
Posted

Off the top of my head:

 

General condition of the camera. Does it look used and abused? Brassing is OK - but dents not so much.

Actuation count.  I think a moderately used camera probably has 3,500 - 5,000 actuations a year.

Rangefinder alignment and accuracy.  Is the finder hazy?

Sensor corrosion. You can test this by shooting the camera at the open sky with the lens stopped down to f/16. Look at the frame on a computer monitor. Dust spots are dark and don't have edges - these can be cleaned. Corrosion spots look more like drops of oil or water.

General electronics. Shoot the camera at different speeds. Test the aperture priority mode. Play with the camera. Take some shots. Delete them. Make sure the buttons and the wheel dial work. 

 

Know your seller and make certain there's a return policy.  Ebay can be fine -- but any deal that looks too good to be true, probably is.

 

Good Luck and Happy Hunting.

Personally I would prefer a camera with sensor corrosion. Not only will the price be lower, you will get a free refurb from Leica.

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mca

mca

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exactly my thoughts! now my only question is when will they start using the new upgraded sensors for that is when to send my camera in.

 

Personally I would prefer a camera with sensor corrosion. Not only will the price be lower, you will get a free refurb from Leica.

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jdlaing

jdlaing

Posted
Posted (edited)

LOL...yeah....

Welcome to the club. The sickness is now well embedded and should take full effect shortly. I carry the EM-5 in the truck to hold some papers down when I open the window but refuse to let go of it for posterity.

Edited by jdlaing
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hepcat

hepcat

Posted
Posted

I have a basic M9 question - does the M9-P have an improved buffer over the original M9? If it does, does it make much of a difference in practical use?

Thanks.

 

AFAIK, there are no functional differences between the M9 and M9P.   If you're using the camera the way a camera with a combined RF/VF was designed to be used (waiting for the peak of the action and releasing the shutter,)  you'll never over-load the buffer.  If you're trying to machine-gun images like a mo-pic camera in the hope of catching "that moment" you're using the wrong camera for the purpose. 

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Guest )-(

Guest )-(

Posted
Posted

Thanks, I wasn't certain. I'm familiar with the m9, having previously owned one, I just wanted to clarify the m9p really was just a cosmetic change.

 

I appreciate what you're saying on the buffer and have no qualms on the m9s capabilities.

 

it is still fairly easy to be found waiting for the flashing red light to stop, I'd still have happily considered a slight improvement there but no matter, just saved myself $1000!

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hepcat

hepcat

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Posted

Thanks, I wasn't certain. I'm familiar with the m9, having previously owned one, I just wanted to clarify the m9p really was just a cosmetic change.

 

I appreciate what you're saying on the buffer and have no qualms on the m9s capabilities.

 

it is still fairly easy to be found waiting for the flashing red light to stop, I'd still have happily considered a slight improvement there but no matter, just saved myself $1000!

 

It's not entirely cosmetic; the M9P has the sapphire LCD.  That may or may not be sufficient for you to want an M9P.

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