leica 28mm f/2 - what's the catch?

[joeq]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

i just bought this lens used from what i believe to be a reputable dealer here in nyc. i paid $2050 usd (negotiated down from a slightly higher price) and it included the case and caps. it looks, to my untrained eye, to be in really great shape but now - seeing what similar ones are selling for on ebay - i'm thinking that i either got a great deal or there's something fishy going on.

 

thoughts?

[richfx]

Which version did you buy?

Rich

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[thompsonkirk]

Only one version, & that's a stunning price. Enjoy!

 

Kirk

[joeq]

Which version did you buy?

Rich

 

uh, summicron asph... i think. is there more than one?

[joeq]

Only one version, & that's a stunning price. Enjoy!

 

Kirk

 

short of noticing anything weird after i shoot with it, anything i should be on the lookout for?

[lct]

...anything i should be on the lookout for?

Other deals like that from the same seller.

[gpwhite]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

You can look to see if it is six-bit coded (small white and black capsule shaped areas painted on the polished lens flange).

 

It costs $150 and a number of weeks to have Leica update an older lens with six-bit coding, so dealers usually charge double that in terms of a premium for six-bit vs. non-coded lenses. Optically, however, the 28 f/2 is exactly the same lens whether coded or not... I think it is one of the top two or three M lenses.

 

If you did not get the lens shade and leather pouch, that would knock the value down further. Nevertheless, if you find the lens is optically sound at large apertures and close focusing, then you have a wonderful deal.

 

P.S. In my experience, the 28 f/2 is beyond comparison up to about f/5.6... at long distances or small aperture settings, however, I do not find it to be remarkable.

[Washington]

In all honesty and with no disrespect meant: I don't get the logic here at all.

Ok, you bought the lens because you knew it was a bargain and, when you have it in

hand start to worry about the lens because of the price? This makes no sense to me.

Why not go out and shoot with it and see if it works for you? What could other people

possibly know about the particular lens you have? Apples and oranges.

Sure, you could possibly have a problematic example but you could have that if you

bought it new.

People can pontificate on their own example but it still isn't what you own.

I think you should be taking pictures with it instead of looking for obtuse problems

to write about instead.

[250swb]

i just bought this lens used from what i believe to be a reputable dealer here in nyc. i paid $2050 usd (negotiated down from a slightly higher price) and it included the case and caps. it looks, to my untrained eye, to be in really great shape but now - seeing what similar ones are selling for on ebay - i'm thinking that i either got a great deal or there's something fishy going on.

 

thoughts?

 

It has been noted on the forum not long ago that Ebay prices can be higher than buying from a reputable dealer. Three things happen on Ebay, buyers try to outbid each other, then sellers look at the price's reached when they are thinking of selling and put their lens on at an inflated price. Then to cap it off buyers think 'this is ebay, its where I get a bargain' so never bother to check dealer prices. Its all a self perpetuating way to spend more and more money.

 

 

Steve

[farnz]

Joeq,

 

One problem that can arise with the 28 Summicron is if the previous owner twisted the M bayonet into position by using the hood for leverage. This can cause the front ring to come loose because its held in place with 3 tiny screws.

 

Remove the hood and check whether there is any play in the black metal ring at the front of the lens. If there is play it can often be solved by carefully tightening with a jeweller's screwdriver but occasionally the front lens element may have moved, which will require a trip to Solms or a reputable repairer to realign the element. If the lens element has moved it's likely to show up as difficulty in nailing focus. This is fairly uncommon though.

 

Pete.

[LuxBob]

In all honesty and with no disrespect meant: I don't get the logic here at all.

Ok, you bought the lens because you knew it was a bargain and, when you have it in

hand start to worry about the lens because of the price? This makes no sense to me.

 

Buyer's remorse.

[joeq]

In all honesty and with no disrespect meant: I don't get the logic here at all.

Ok, you bought the lens because you knew it was a bargain and, when you have it in

hand start to worry about the lens because of the price? This makes no sense to me.

Why not go out and shoot with it and see if it works for you? What could other people

possibly know about the particular lens you have? Apples and oranges.

Sure, you could possibly have a problematic example but you could have that if you

bought it new.

People can pontificate on their own example but it still isn't what you own.

I think you should be taking pictures with it instead of looking for obtuse problems

to write about instead.

 

no huge mystery here - i bought the lens somewhat on a whim but with the awareness that things usually sell for about what their worth.... so i didn't think much about whether the price was dramatically high or low. then, when i came home and did a little research and discovered a disparity in price, a bell went off.

[joeq]

You can look to see if it is six-bit coded (small white and black capsule shaped areas painted on the polished lens flange).

 

It costs $150 and a number of weeks to have Leica update an older lens with six-bit coding, so dealers usually charge double that in terms of a premium for six-bit vs. non-coded lenses. Optically, however, the 28 f/2 is exactly the same lens whether coded or not... I think it is one of the top two or three M lenses.

 

If you did not get the lens shade and leather pouch, that would knock the value down further. Nevertheless, if you find the lens is optically sound at large apertures and close focusing, then you have a wonderful deal.

 

P.S. In my experience, the 28 f/2 is beyond comparison up to about f/5.6... at long distances or small aperture settings, however, I do not find it to be remarkable.

 

yes to the caps, pouch, and lens hood - not sure abt the small white and black capsule shaded areas.... what's a flange?

[joeq]

It has been noted on the forum not long ago that Ebay prices can be higher than buying from a reputable dealer. Three things happen on Ebay, buyers try to outbid each other, then sellers look at the price's reached when they are thinking of selling and put their lens on at an inflated price. Then to cap it off buyers think 'this is ebay, its where I get a bargain' so never bother to check dealer prices. Its all a self perpetuating way to spend more and more money.

 

 

Steve

 

well said - but even the dealer prices list this lens at about $4000... i would think the difference between a new lens and a used one in mint condition would be $2000!

 

it's looking more and more like i got lucky and, for whatever reason, the dealer just wanted to unload this lens quickly (he did mention he was selling it on consignment for a good customer of theirs - maybe, as a favor to the guy, he just wanted to make a deal right away.)

[joeq]

Buyer's remorse.

 

no remorse - but rather a healthy level of skepticism.

[farnz]

yes to the caps, pouch, and lens hood - not sure abt the small white and black capsule shaded areas.... what's a flange?

Joeq,

 

The flange is the broad, flat metal part at the rear of the lens that surrounds the rear element and makes contact with the camera body when the lens is attached.

 

" the small white and black capsule shaded areas" are part of the 6-bit coding system that the M8 and M9 use to determine which lens is attached to the camera body so that the camera can apply the appropriate level of vignetting correction for the lens. They are 6 small indents that are milled into the flange and filled with black or white paint to make up a 6-bit code that the M8 or M9 can 'read' using the LEDs in the lens mount.

 

Pete.

[Washington]

"Have you checked the wheel-base?" W.C. Fields- "The Bank Dick."