AlbertoDeRoma Posted January 20, 2010 Share #1 Posted January 20, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) If resale value is any indication of desirability (and a clue to manufacturers), I can't think of many (any?) digital camera that's doing as well as the DigiLux 2 these days. I checked completed listings (i.e. sales and auctions that were recently closed) on eBay and here are the top 5 prices in the period from January 6 to 14: $1575 $1312 $1,290 $1060 $1025 Holy smoke! Average is, say, $1200. That's ~60% of the original price from what I understand. What other digicam can you think of that has kept 60% of its value some 6 years after introduction!? Rather stunning IMO. The optimist in me would like to think that someone is taking notice but, alas, I doubt that anything will come of it. I am sure glad I caught the D2 fever before it reached this new peak. Alberto Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 20, 2010 Posted January 20, 2010 Hi AlbertoDeRoma, Take a look here Digilux 2 - resale value through the roof (recent eBay sales). I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
h00ligan Posted January 20, 2010 Share #2 Posted January 20, 2010 hence my other post! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenonzinonos Posted January 20, 2010 Share #3 Posted January 20, 2010 hence my other post! And the reason that I opted for 2 x LC1's... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbertoDeRoma Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share #4 Posted January 20, 2010 And the reason that I opted for 2 x LC1's... Not a bad strategy. Alberto Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalina Posted January 20, 2010 Share #5 Posted January 20, 2010 I recently sold my DL4 Titanium for $1,000 on ebay without the leather case. I sold the leather case for $250 last year. So, I got 125% for my initial investment and I had lots of fun taking pictures with a great camera. The guy who bought my DL4 resells the Leicas he buys for even more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kievnut Posted January 20, 2010 Share #6 Posted January 20, 2010 I bought my digilux 2 for $750 six months ago (mint condition with original packing and accessories) after I followed the posts in this forum. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Thawley Posted January 20, 2010 Share #7 Posted January 20, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Certainly, we have witnessed an upward trend in the average resale prices of the Digilux 2. But, to be fair, the $1575. price was won by a BRAND NEW (how'd I miss that one?) Digilux 2 in the box. Though it appeared the box was damaged on one corner. So... considering the camera was originally $1895., I think you'd have to pull that one out of the equation. A few of the other higher priced sales also had extras. That said, though, Alberto is not wrong. I'd say where the going rate used to be around $650 for a nice clean (complete) kit, you can now expect to pay $795 - $850. Ultra clean with some accessories, you're going to be around $895 - $950. Be careful. Don't get caught up in the eBay frenzy. If you notice, cameras that start off with a price close to the final price tend to go nowhere. To me, that indicates the real market value. The ones that start low and get a lot of bids have the tendency to ramp up the desire and people start nudging up a little more than they originally wanted to spend. Then when it gets close to the last moments, they decide to go a little more... next thing you know, someone has overpaid. Don't bid. Don't even put your name in. Let it lie. If you bid, you're only padding the value. Wait. Don't bid until the last minute. What I do is put in my TOP bid with a minute to go. BUT... I wait to confirm the bid with about 10 seconds to go. If I get it... good. If I don't, oh well. The camera would have to be exceptionally clean and possibly include some extras for me to pay more than $800. JT Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlosecpf Posted January 20, 2010 Share #8 Posted January 20, 2010 Don't bid. Don't even put your name in. Let it lie. If you bid, you're only padding the value. Wait. Don't bid until the last minute. What I do is put in my TOP bid with a minute to go. BUT... I wait to confirm the bid with about 10 seconds to go. If I get it... good. If I don't, oh well. JT I have the same routine. This has helped me to get really good bargains in the Digilux 2/ LC1 realm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted January 20, 2010 Share #9 Posted January 20, 2010 I wonder how much the comments on this forum are responsible for the prices of used Digilux 2's rising. After all, it's plain ol' supply and demand and if this forum is generating demand by convincing fence-sitters to take the plunge ... Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted January 20, 2010 Share #10 Posted January 20, 2010 You guys have been talking this camera up so much on this site that you've increased the price. However, I don't think it is worth those prices at this point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overgaard Posted January 20, 2010 Share #11 Posted January 20, 2010 eBay is a bad place to buy popular stuff cheap. Market mechanics works very well so the price can't become anything other than the top price of what the market is willing to pay. But it's interesting that the Digilux 2 from 2004 cost half the price of a used M8 or 1/3 of a used M8u. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Thawley Posted January 21, 2010 Share #12 Posted January 21, 2010 You guys have been talking this camera up so much on this site that you've increased the price. However, I don't think it is worth those prices at this point. Well.... while you make a valid point, I would buy it over other cameras currently available at a similar price. And, after all, it's not like we're talking about the Emperor's new clothes. The camera produces beautiful images and in use, there's a connection to the user experience that is unavailable in the other options. JT Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbertoDeRoma Posted January 21, 2010 Author Share #13 Posted January 21, 2010 Well.... while you make a valid point, I would buy it over other cameras currently available at a similar price. And, after all, it's not like we're talking about the Emperor's new clothes. The camera produces beautiful images and in use, there's a connection to the user experience that is unavailable in the other options. JT Had I not experienced the Digilux first-hand myself, I would be hesitant as well: $800+ for a 5+ year-old, 5MP camera? My phone camera has 5MPs ... Are you nuts? So I fully understand where you are coming from. But after luckily getting my first one for $450, it was love at first-click and I have not hesitated to buy 2 more at higher prices ($650 and $700.) Partly because I like to go out photgraphing with my wife and kids, but also because I wanted spares in case my main one is lost, stolen or irreparably broken. But, as John mentions, the combination of user experience + beautiful images and tones makes it more than worth $800 IMO - especially since it's bound to keep its value more than almost any other digicam out there today. Alberto Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pop Posted January 21, 2010 Share #14 Posted January 21, 2010 There you have your answers: some are talking up the price, others are hoarders and thus drive the supply to exhaustion. Luckily, there's the poorer brother LC1 which still is affordable. Just got mine for a mere USD 650. Surprise - you really can take picture with that oldie! (big wide grin). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbertoDeRoma Posted January 21, 2010 Author Share #15 Posted January 21, 2010 There you have your answers: some are talking up the price, others are hoarders and thus drive the supply to exhaustion. Luckily, there's the poorer brother LC1 which still is affordable. Just got mine for a mere USD 650. Surprise - you really can take picture with that oldie! (big wide grin). I think the excitement has affected both the Leica and the "poorer brother" - deservedly so. At the risk of sounding defensive, which I am not because I don't think we have anything to be defensive about, here's how I see the double-edged sword of "talking up" the Digilux 2. Were it not for the "talking up", I and many others would have never considered them. This would have resulted in most of the Digiluxes/LC1s languishing unused in closets, basements, garage sales, etc., instead of ending up in the hands of fanatics who enjoy the heck out of them and use them every chance they get. I got all 3 of mine from Craigslist - from people who hadn't used them in years and did not appreciate them - too big, too old, too slow, too few pixels, ... now they are getting regular use. Yes, the downside of talking about it is that the prices will be driven up, but: 1) They are still a great deal considering that most people on this forum have lenses that cost many multiples of this camera. 2) The value of the camera means that it gets treated with care and respect by the people who are selling it and buying it. I know I am "babying" mine. 3) Had I not found the D2, I would have probably spend several times more in search of "the perfect camera for me" and I know I'd probably go through several cycles of buy/try/resell and repeat and possibly never find it. As far as "hoarding" goes, I believe that most of the people with more than one D2/LC1 are neither hoarders nor, technically, collectors. Since the camera is no longer made (and there's nothing quite like it on the horizon - unfortunately) the desire to have one or two back-ups is quite reasonable. After all, cameras get dropped, lost, stolen, etc., all the time. In terms of supply, I don't have any numbers, but I bet that for every D2/LC1 being regularly used by passionate people like the ones in this forum, there are at least a dozen forgotten, discarded or unappreciated ones out there. Furthermore, most photographers out there are not, and would not, be interested in this relic. Most of my friends look at me funny when I show them the D2: "Looks like a Russian camera from WW2!", "5MP, you must be kidding?", ... They are addicted to their DSLRs and gigantic lenses. Every person who REALLY wants a D2/LC1 should be able to get one below $1000 with some effort and patience. The bottom line is that when I look at the effects and side-effects of "talking up" the Digilux 2, I see much more good than bad coming out of it. I am personally thankful to Overgaard and John Thawley and many others on this forum for their time and effort in sharing with the rest of us their passion for this camera and showing us its potential. Putting as many D2s/LC1s into the hands of people who will use them, enjoy them and treat them with care is a good thing. Alberto P.S. Pop, I want to be clear that I am not trying to dispute what you said or trying to argue with your specific post. I am thrilled that you got your hands on an LC1 and enjoying it - welcome to "the club". I just wanted to "air out" my thoughts regarding this camera and the effects of our "talking it up". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stelyn Posted January 21, 2010 Share #16 Posted January 21, 2010 There you have your answers: some are talking up the price, others are hoarders and thus drive the supply to exhaustion. Luckily, there's the poorer brother LC1 which still is affordable. Just got mine for a mere USD 650. Surprise - you really can take picture with that oldie! (big wide grin). If the LC1 had the level of customer service behind the potentially defective sensor as the D2 I would choose the Panasonic over the Leica. I much prefer the look and switch layout of the LC1. Unfortunately, being a necessarily thrifty shopper, I had to choose the Leica just in case I was left with a £300 house brick. My D2 cost £410 near mint. Quite a lot of money for someone at my stage of photography. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdannn Posted January 21, 2010 Share #17 Posted January 21, 2010 I was one of the people who recently bought a d2 on eBay. It has the Leica "glow" without question, and I plan to buy another one. Ok, the shutter response is slower than my dslr, but I did not buy it for blazing fast AF either. It appears to be a 'cult' camera at this point and it's bound to be talked up on the forums. That is not going to prevent me from having a couple of them. It's a fantastic camera. I also have a d3 and a D lux 4. Dan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
foz405 Posted September 11, 2010 Share #18 Posted September 11, 2010 Yes, I'm another one who bought a D2 on e-bay very recently and paid a lot of money. GBP900, with case and various accessories. Still, this is my first digital camera and I did a lot of research before I purchased it. I did consider a D-Lux4 (or the new D-Lux5 when it arrives), but I liked the larger sensor and the reports which proliferate on the internet. I sold a Contax G2 with 20mm and 90mm lens which I've had for the last 10 years, but the problems with supply of film, local processing et al, convinced me to change. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I like the look and feel of the D2 and it does fit most of my needs. Ok, I'd like to have my old Nikkor 500mm mirror lens back, but I almost used to get a hernia carrying all that equipment. Being old it just used to take too long to set up a photograph and I like the ability to just point and shoot with fabulous quality. If there had been an alternative that I could afford, I may have taken it, but the Leica didn't cost me that much more after "trade-in". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickp13 Posted September 11, 2010 Share #19 Posted September 11, 2010 I bought my digilux 2 for $750 six months ago (mint condition with original packing and accessories) after I followed the posts in this forum. not too long ago, i remember seeing popflash offering refurbished digilux 2 in the $500-600 range.with some sort of guarantee. needless to say, i 'hesitated' and missed the opportunity. some day i'll have one greetings from hamburg rick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted September 11, 2010 Share #20 Posted September 11, 2010 Foz405, Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new D2! £900 sounds to be on the upper part of the price page but the extras you've got with it probably help and ultimately it's what the camera's worth to you that counts so I hope you enjoy using it as much as the rest of us enjoy using ours. In case you haven't come across it yet there's a large amount of excellent information at professional photographer Thorsten Overgaard's site <here> about the D2. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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