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Leica M 240 Purchase Recommendation


joesan

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This is my first post on this forum, so kindly excuse for any stupidity!


 


I had been to two Leica dealers nearby and one has a Silver M240 that has actually under 200 clicks and it looks very new. Even the plastic cover protection on the rear LCD is intact. He quotes around 5.5K Euros and he is ready to give me the 500 off on the Leica M 10 year deal. So it comes to about 5k with a 2 year warranty from the date of purchase, the Licence for Lightroom 6 and the original packaging.


 


The other dealer has the M240 in Black and he quotes around 4.6K Euros and it has around 2000 clicks. Upon inspection, this one has some wear on the top of the camera, where on the edge close to the hot shoe, the paint has come off for about half a centi meter. The rest seems to be Okay. This also comes with a 2 year warranty from the date of purchase, original packaging but unfortunately does not have the Lightroom license anymore.


 


I'm also planning to shed off my Nikon gear that I have. A D3200 body and a 105mm f2.8 VR Macro lens. The first guy is quoting around 450 to 500 for it, while the second one is quoting around 600. Of course if I sell it on ebay, I could get even more. So effectively, the price for the M240 body for me is now:


 


1. M240 in Silver - 4500 Euros (with Lightroom 6, 2 year warranty) - just like new one


 


2. M240 in Black - 4050 Euros (2 year warranty) - with some wear and tear visible on the top


 


The question now for me is the following:


 


1. Is it worth the extra 500 Euros for the Silver M240?


 


2. Is the paint ripping off the top portion of the black M240 a concern? I mean, I have seen a couple of used black M240 and I love the patina that I get. The silver ones have visible scratch marks when used, but the black does not show scratches, but ages so very beautifully.


 


Looking for suggestions!


Edited by joesan
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If you are undecided about silver or black, take a card to visit each dealer and shoot a few tests with the same lens on each body.

 

My experience suggests that it is unlikely both bodies have the same RF calibration. So you might find that one body gives you actual images preferable over the other. That finding could be your deciding point.

 

Someone who lives near Frankfurt will likely say, oh send any body to Wetzlar and they can match it to your lens. True. But what if you can get it right at the beginning?

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Are you saying that there is a full two years left on the original warranty from each camera, both of which are used?  Or are the time periods left on the original warranties different based on date of original owner purchase?  Or is the 2 years a dealer warranty?

 

I don't know where you're located but warranty terms have been known to differ, including transferability, which seems less certain in the US.

 

I would check carefully on the terms and make sure you're dealing with a trustworthy dealership.....then decide on which camera, which comes down to taste in addition to your budget.

 

Jeff

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How do you know how many shutter clicks there have been? I thought this information was not available to mortals. It's not part of the normal menu info.

If they are genuine 200 or 2000 bodies, the difference is unimportant, but if one body is already showing signs of wear, I would like to know for certain.

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The warranty is the regular Leica warranty and it is applicable from the date I purchase the camera from the dealer. I just had the camera for a brief period in my hand and that too without a lens. Here is what I recognize as the difference between the two bodies when I looked through the VF.

 

The Silver M240 was focussing nearby objects, I mean when I looked through the VF, I was trying to focus on the eye of the subject and I had to get close to the subject to get the eye appear sharp, while with the Black M240, it was the opposite, I had to move farther away from the eye of the subject such that it appeared sharp.

 

How do I know how many shutter clicks the camera had... I'm just going by what the dealer tells me. I did not verify it by myself!

 

Is there anything that I should be looking into so that I can decide on the body?

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So either Leica has serviced the camera and issued a new warranty, or the cameras have been kept as dealer demos since new....the clock starts ticking from original owner purchase.  Again, ask the tough questions....and make sure you have the warranty terms in writing.

 

You couldn't verify shutter clicks if you tried....not possible with the M240, even for the dealer.  Ask the dealer how he 'knows'.

 

The way to check focus is to compare the RF focus with live view, preferably on a tripod.  Have you used an M before?  Were you using the same lens (same focus distance, etc) for both cameras?

 

Jeff

Edited by Jeff S
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Second deal looks fishy to me. Either it is a new 'demo' camera and it may have a few thousend clicks. But it should still have the original papers and license for Lightroom.

If it does not have a license for LR, it is actually second hand, and it can not have the full warranty, becuase it is purchased on a previous date and may even be registered with Leica on that date. The discount you get is not enough IMO for a second hand camera with reduced warranty...

One dealer sold me a refurbished M8 once as if it was new demo. He told me there was 2 year warranty, but when a defect popped up it was clear I had only 1 year limited warranty and the defect was not covered  :o  :angry:

This second deal of yours reminds me of that one ...

The first camera is probably new. Every M has a few hundred clicks right from the box because of test shots in the production process.

So, IMO either go for the first deal or look for a real honest second hand deal on the M240 with probably limited warranty, but license of LR included and all original papers, and a larger discount to compensate.

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Are these real reliable dealers? The whole thing sounds strange to me. How can they spin a story about the number of actuations? the camera does not record them in a way that can be deciphered.

How can you check focus without a lens? Quite impossible. Just putting a body to your eye will tell you zilch.

Even with a lens it cannot be checked handheld.

Your salesperson should have told you.

 

A camera without LR license, alleged 2000 actuations and considerable wear cannot have the full factory

guaranty. AFAIK in the USA it will not have importers guaranty either, so you would have to send it to Wetzlar. Walk away from that one and if you want to go with the first make sure it comes with ALL the paperwork and check the serial number for registration with Leica. 

 

Personally I would simply buy a new camera, sealed in box. You are spending thousands of dollars. Those few hundred are neither here nor there. You can buy exactly the body you want and it will be in perfect state. There are special deals and it is worth haggling

 

You still have to buy a lens. If you want to save money, buy a recent used one, there are far less concerns than with a body.

Or buy a Zeiss lens.

Both would save you more than you are attempting on the body.

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Yes, actually that would be my next question. How do I check the serial number against the Leica website? Could you point me to some sources where and how I should look for the serial number on the camera? I would go to the dealer and ask him for the serial number on the silver M240 and perhaps check that against Leica customer care. Is that how I do?

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Welcome to the forum. You should not take any decision w/o knowing precisely what kind of warranty you will get (lawyer speaking). If it is a genuine Leica warranty, you should receive a Leica warranty card together with the body. in such a case, the number of actuations is of little interest. If it is a dealer warranty, make sure that the dealer(s) is/are dependable enough and ask for both warranty duration and actuation number to be printed on the dealer's invoice. Happy snaps :).

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i think the shutter count he is referring to is the file number sequence shown? of course this can be user reset & may not indicate the actual shutter count from manufacture until present.

 

if you buy a silver body then you will probably be buying silver lenses & vice-versa for black. this may be a consideration when choosing.

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Yes, actually that would be my next question. How do I check the serial number against the Leica website? Could you point me to some sources where and how I should look for the serial number on the camera? I would go to the dealer and ask him for the serial number on the silver M240 and perhaps check that against Leica customer care. Is that how I do?

Give them a telephone call. You cannot check from the website. One thing you'll learn when entering the Leica world: the optimal way to deal with the company is on a personal level, Leica does not operate like a large company, they deal individually with individuals as best they can. It has its drawbacks, but more advantages.

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Welcome to the forum. You should not take any decision w/o knowing precisely what kind of warranty you will get (lawyer speaking). If it is a genuine Leica warranty, you should receive a Leica warranty card together with the body. in such a case, the number of actuations is of little interest. If it is a dealer warranty, make sure that the dealer(s) is/are dependable enough and ask for both warranty duration and actuation number to be printed on the dealer's invoice. Happy snaps :).

 

Ok! That clarifies. I will check with the dealer and double confirm that it is a Leica warranty. I guess it is, but I will make it sure once again!

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