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Did you buy your Leica new or used?


dant

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I bought all my film Leicas used and all my digital Leicas new. I've been keeping my eyes open for a used Monochrom and I just saw that B&H had a used one, but they are asking $7,000 for it. At that price I would much rather buy a new one for a little extra and have the peace of mind of a full warranty.

 

The problem seems to be that Leicas don't depreciate all that much until about three years after they come out. I think that the M-E is a great alternative to buying used.

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I'd assume that the majority of new gear actually works fine - we only get to read about peoples problems as a rule.

 

That said, most of the s/h Leica gear I've bought has been fine. The only problem I had was with an M2 I bought via ebay which had a faulty shutter, but the seller was very helpful and it was repaired (and cla'd) very quickly for me.

 

Leica lenses are usually a safe bet as long as they're optically good. I recently bought a s/h Canon lens which had to go straight back as it wouldn't communicate with the camera - most likely a broken cable ribbon inside the lens.

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If used, did it work out for you better than a new cam?

I bought both my M8 and M9 used on eBay. Sold the M8 to get the M9, one if the first to be available used, maybe 1 year old. The M9 sensor cracked and Leica replaced it for free! I read this site frequently to keep aware of potential problems and the camera has worked great without any other issue. Service in NJ concerning the sensor replacement and a 135 f2.8 Elmarit for recalibration to M9 specs gets top marks from me. Yes, there was an issue, but it was resolved and I couldn't be more satisfied with the product and the service.

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M2 Used (now sold)

M3 Used (now sold)

M4 Used (now sold)

M5 Used (now sold)

1st M6 New - Had to have the classic body with a meter as soon as it came out.... (now sold)

2nd M6 Used (now sold)

M7 Used (now sold)

1st M8 New (Still own it) Had few issues right out of the box, sorted out by New Jersey. Eventually got it upgraded with shutter and frames.

2nd M8 Used (Still own it) Bought from Dale Photo, came upgraded with shutter and frames, no issues at all.

 

All Leica lenses bought used. Never had any problems with any of the used equipment I bought.....

 

Cheers,

 

Jan

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M3 used -- only problem was that I left the lens cap off while hiking and burned a hole in the shutter. That was definitely a self-inflicted problem, and it was an easy repair.

X1 used -- had peeling vulcanite, but I think most of them did

M8 used -- no issues

M9 used -- no issues

R3mot used -- no issues

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Bought my M9 as a refurb with full warranty. Tens of thousands of exposures and not a single problem (knock on wood) except the usual minor stuff like trouble with certain SD cards, etc.

 

Since I was a teenager (many decades ago), I have bought and sold literally hundreds of film Leicas and lenses. I used to read Shutterbug when it was a yellow newspaper.

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All my Leica's have been bought second hand both cameras and lenses. I have mostly bought them from camera shops, especially camera bodies ie: a M8 which has it LCD panel replaced in 2012. So I have had between 6 months - 12 months warranty. I have just bought a Leica M again with 12 month warranty.

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