M8 vs M7

[farnz]

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Deb,

 

My recommendation is to buy an M8 today. There's not enough difference to wait and pay more for an M8.2 and while you'd be waiting and saving you couldn't be shooting with an M. Buy an M8 today and start shooting today!

 

Pete.

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[BonneyD]

Thanks Pete

 

I can pick up a M8 with 50mm summarit lens for $3800AUD. Both appear to be in mint condition, do you think this is reasonable.

 

Are there any serial No's to avoid in the M8, maybe earlier models?

[farnz]

Deb,

 

My currency site converts $A3,800 to £2,465, which seems about right for a used M8 and 50/2.5 Summarit lens. (Btw, I've assumed that it's the current 50/2.5 Summarit rather than the older 50/1.5 Summarit.) Over here M8's are generally selling for £1,400 to £1,700 and used 50 Summarits are going for £700 to £900 depending on age and condition.

 

Have a search on the forum but I don't believe that there are serial numbers to avoid. The very earliest M8's were recalled for sensor problems but it's widely believed that all of those were caught and even if one had managed to creep over to Oz, escape detection and show problems later I think it's extremely likely that Leica would repair it at no charge because it's a known failure of the Kodak sensor.

 

You might like to check the number of shutter actuations, which you can find out how to do by a quick forum search, to make sure it's not in the 100's of thousands yet. The M8's top 1/8000th shutter speed is very useful for using fast lenses in bright daylight but it naturally puts a lot of stress on the shutter. Of course, even if an M8 had a high number of shutter actuations it may not have been used at maximum speed so there's likely to be plenty of life left in it. But it would also offer you an opportunity to negotiate on price.

 

Pete.

[Archiver]

$3800 is a great price for what would appear to be a mint M8 and 50mm Summarit, given that I've seen good condition M8's go for about $3400-3500. If you are getting a camera and a Leica lens, that is a fantastic price.

[farnz]

$3800 is a great price for what would appear to be a mint M8 and 50mm Summarit, given that I've seen good condition M8's go for about $3400-3500. If you are getting a camera and a Leica lens, that is a fantastic price.

That surprises me (although I'm not doubting what you say). In the UK an M8.2 would sell for AUD $3400 (£2300) but a good condition M8 classic would sell for about AUD $2,600 (£1,700). Upgraded M8u's sell for about 10% less than M8.2's. Perhaps the M8 markets are different in Australia and the UK owing to availability.

 

Pete.

[Archiver]

You'd be lucky to get a good condition M8 in Australia for under $3200, or at least, I certainly haven't seen them. And I regularly look at the usual secondhand Leica dealers in Melbourne.

 

I've often noticed the price difference between Australia and the UK and the US, which goes for everything. A Helmut Newton book that costs about USD$100 on Amazon goes for AUD$300 in a shop over here. That's why two major book retailers have just folded this year, and also why even Australian dealers are feeling the bite. I bought my secondhand M7 at a local store for $3100, whereas they go on eBay for about $2400-2700, sometimes better.