louster Posted June 1, 2013 Share #1 Posted June 1, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm seriously considering trading/selling some of my old Leica gear to get a new MP. I used M6s for years in newspaper work, but no longer have need of 2 bodies. I'm thinking at my age an MP will easily last my lifetime and our daughter won't be stuck with a bunch of used and abused Leica gear at my eventual demise. If I swap out the multiple bodies and lenses that I no longer use, she'd only have to deal with a small amount of gear to sell or maybe even use (if film is available then!). Does this sound insane? Also, and this is the real reason for this post, if I pull this off, is there a way to make sure I'm getting the most current of new MPs? Want to make sure it has the upgraded viewfinder without the flare/ghosting problem. Thanks, Louie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 1, 2013 Posted June 1, 2013 Hi louster, Take a look here MP purchase..... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted June 1, 2013 Share #2 Posted June 1, 2013 I bought a new ALC MP two years ago for the same reason. Love it. They are all made to order, and all of them have the latest viewfinder anyway. Enjoy your camera Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
louster Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted June 1, 2013 I bought a new ALC MP two years ago for the same reason. Love it. They are all made to order, and all of them have the latest viewfinder anyway. Enjoy your camera Thank you, sir. Could you explain a bit on the made to order part? I know you can custom order anything from Leica, but was thinking in terms of ordering from B&H. They say MP is in stock so assuming that comes right off a well guarded shelf somewhere. I'm also considering a .85x viewfinder. Any thoughts on that? I do appreciate the information. Obviously, this is a huge purchase for an ex newspaper shooter and I want to get it right. Louie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted June 1, 2013 Share #4 Posted June 1, 2013 Very few dealers keep them in stock, so most are made to order. Leica make them in batches. A 0.85 finder is ideal for 50mm lenses and above, not so useful for wider angles. Mine is a 0.58, as I mostly use my 35mm The paint on black paint ones wear quickly on edges and corners, revealing the brass beneath, making the camera very personal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
louster Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share #5 Posted June 1, 2013 Thanks again. That is good information. I rarely use anything other than 50mm and was considering chrome. That would be out of the box for me as most of my gear is black. No red Leica logo on front, so maybe it would be mistaken at a distance for one of the new Fuji cameras out now. IMHO, that would be a good thing. Louie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
enboe Posted June 2, 2013 Share #6 Posted June 2, 2013 Call me sentimental, but I'd rather have grandpa's well-worn M (in my case, a Kodak Bantam RF 828) than a shiny MP that he barely used. There may be a little bit of that in your daughter's preferences, so ask her before selling off your well-worn M6's. On the other hand, adding a shiny MP to your stable sounds just fine! All modern MP's have the upgraded finder, although the first few lots had an issue with eyepiece sealing, allowing dust in. This was, and I presume still is, being addressed free of charge by Leica. You might find a used one that is perfect if you look a bit. Eric Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pharyngula Posted June 3, 2013 Share #7 Posted June 3, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) My dealer in NY told me a while ago when I bought my black M9P (about 18 months ago) that there was a steady demand and they were going out the door about as fast as he could get them. So, I don't think there is much risk of getting a camera that has been shelf sitting since the rangefinder change. I am very pleased to have purchased this beautiful camera and I too feel it will be something to pass down hopefully long after I've run many rolls through it and it is nicely brassed up. I grew up with film and the M9P represented a return to the medium for me after about a decade of pretty much just digital. I couldn't be happier with my decision. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted June 3, 2013 Share #8 Posted June 3, 2013 I grew up with film and the M9P represented a return to the medium for me after about a decade of pretty much just digital. I couldn't be happier with my decision. I think I know what you mean, but the description of the camera might need some refining. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xalo Posted June 3, 2013 Share #9 Posted June 3, 2013 Hello Louie, If you are considering an à la carte MP for use mainly with 50mm lenses, you may want to consider taking one without the 75mm framelines (regardless the finder magnification). I found a used MP .72 with 35/50/90 (M2-)frames and like the clear finder layout a lot. Now, since you used the M6 to earn a living, I imagine you either used those lines or put very well up with them... On the chrome MP (though mine is black chrome), I think it's a very nice blend of the classic M's design with the modernized body. True, they don't brass (as quickly - thinking of Winogrand's M4 ) as the paint ones but are just beautiful as is. Cheers, Alexander P.S.: I would agree that the personal, well-worn tool(s) of a father may mean much. Possible to overhaul one? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
M9reno Posted June 3, 2013 Share #10 Posted June 3, 2013 Especially if you have owned both, or either, of the M6 cameras from new, I agree that there is likely sentimental value in keeping them in the family. If not for your daughter, then for her children. My mother kept my grandfather's IIIg and red scale Elmar 50 in a drawer, and passed it on to me a few years ago. A fantastic camera is made even more precious by its history (as witnessed by the premium put on black-paint brassing - even among certain posers 'artificial brassing', the Leica equivalent to weathered jeans and distressed wood). Anyway, the M6 viewfinder upgrade is easy to do to MP standard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pharyngula Posted June 3, 2013 Share #11 Posted June 3, 2013 I think I know what you mean, but the description of the camera might need some refining. Steve Oops, my bad... I own both the MP and M9P so maybe that precipitated my slip into confusion late last night. Well, that also explains why I haven't been able to figure out how to load film into my M9P - mystery solved! Thanks Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted June 3, 2013 Share #12 Posted June 3, 2013 Lol, likewise, if I hadn't done the same thing myself I'd have asked where you load the film You just beat me to the joke! Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalpowershot Posted June 3, 2013 Share #13 Posted June 3, 2013 Oops, my bad... I own both the MP and M9P so maybe that precipitated my slip into confusion late last night. Well, that also explains why I haven't been able to figure out how to load film into my M9P - mystery solved! Thanks Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
louster Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share #14 Posted June 3, 2013 Thanks again to all for thoughtful replies. Unfortunately, you've about talked me into keeping M6s. Dang! I was hoping this would be easy. BTW, I clicked on the LUG 2012 book and Mr. Barnett's Flickr page, both full of really nice photography. You're a Flickr contact now, Steve. I had vowed not to add any more books as part of this overall downsizing, but will have to make an exception for the LUG book. This isn't going according to plan at all. Typical day in the life. L Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted June 5, 2013 Share #15 Posted June 5, 2013 there was a steady demand and they were going out the door about as fast as he could get them. So, I don't think there is much risk of getting a camera that has been shelf sitting since the rangefinder change. Just to clarify, there has not been any rangefinder change as far as the MP is concerned. It is the M7 (which predated the MP by a year or so) that was later fitted with the 'improved' finder. All MP cameras have the current "reduced flare" RF. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pharyngula Posted June 7, 2013 Share #16 Posted June 7, 2013 Reduced flare RF from the beginning yes, but I thought that the early MPs had a dust problem that was fixed by better "sealing" of RF on later production units? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted June 7, 2013 Share #17 Posted June 7, 2013 Reduced flare RF from the beginning yes, but I thought that the early MPs had a dust problem that was fixed by better "sealing" of RF on later production units? It was dust in the eyepiece not in the RF. I don't think there was any official documentation about the problem but it is widely accepted that Leica introduced better sealing at some point during production. I don't know when that was exactly but I'm sure if you search through this forum you'll find a rough point in time when complaints about "dust behind the eyepiece" drop off and claims that Leica have introduced "better sealing" increase. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1joel1 Posted June 7, 2013 Share #18 Posted June 7, 2013 Take your time, find a nice and gently used MP, and save yourself a few thousand dollars. That would be my approach and I think the MPs would never depreciate any further than where they are now. Use the saved $$$ to travel or buy another lens. MHO, Joel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulus Posted July 11, 2013 Share #19 Posted July 11, 2013 Take your time, find a nice and gently used MP, and save yourself a few thousand dollars. That would be my approach and I think the MPs would never depreciate any further than where they are now. Use the saved $$$ to travel or buy another lens. MHO, Joel I'm wondering if the MP would not depreciate any further. Not in the next few years maybe, but what about the next decade. I noticed that when I was helping the widow of my late friend, that the mechanical camera's he had ( mostly Nikons ) did not sell at all. Also his Hasselblads were so lowly valued, that I decided not to sell them at all. Is this what we want. Give your children a piece of equippement, that is so low in price, they can not sell it and therefore keep it as a memory? Wouldn't it be better just to sell all the old stuff yourself and enjoy your new MP, because who would do that when you are not around any more? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
honcho Posted July 11, 2013 Share #20 Posted July 11, 2013 I bought my MP in 2006 without any thought for depreciation or leaving it to my offspring or theirs to fight over. What happens to it or it's value after I depart is of no real concern to me. I bought it because I like it more than any other Leica M I have used before and it is the last 35mm film camera I will ever buy. I use it for the simple pleasure I get from making images with it for myself. It has followed me across continents and carries my scratches and scuffs. The MP is a camera that, once you have reached a certain level of understanding and competence as a rangefinder photographer, you can bond with easily and permanently. I would be a bit lost without it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.