A Leica as old as me?

[Jonahnieuwe]

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Hello everyone,

 

My name is Jonah and I am looking to buy a new camera. I’m in love with the beautiful film Leica and would love to own one. So I was doing some research on the internet and noticed that there were quite a few film Leica produced around the year 2000.

 

So I thought it would be really cool to own a camera that was born on the same day as me: 27 October 2000. The only problem is that I have no idea if it is possible to find one. I hope that you could help me with that! Is it possible? And what is the best way to go about it?

 

I would be so happy if it’s possible! I would keep it all my life!

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Jonah

[Philip G]

Hello Jonah

 

If you haven't already found the following list then it may help you - http://www.overgaard.dk/leica_camera_compendium.html - and it may lead you to look for an M6 TTL (an excellent choice).

 

Good luck with your search and I hope you enjoy your film photography.

 

Philip

[earleygallery]

Unlike humans, or most living creatures, Leica's aren't 'born' on a specific date.

 

Buy a Leica of roughly the correct period and hold a 're-birthing' ceremony on your birthday, and then you can celebrate it together for ever and ever.

[pico]

What a charming idea. You got a good pointer above.

And thanks for reminding me of the year I last cleaned out my 'fridge.

.

[spydrxx]

That was the year of my first heart attack and open heart surgery. I remember using my M6 and M4 quite a bit later that year.  Personally I think your idea is a fun one...good luck in your endeavor.

[JohnnySeven]

I have an M3 thats 10 years older than me.  It looks a lot better than me.  I have a Fender Stratocaster that's exactly the same age as me. It looks pretty rough. Im somewhere in the middle.  Its fun to have these things...

Edited April 12, 2018 by JohnnySeven

[TomB_tx]

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I use a Leica that is 10 years older than I am - and I'm 71. My oldest guitar isn't quite that old, but my violin is a couple (hundred) years older.

[Jonahnieuwe]

Unlike humans, or most living creatures, Leica's aren't 'born' on a specific date.

 

Buy a Leica of roughly the correct period and hold a 're-birthing' ceremony on your birthday, and then you can celebrate it together for ever and ever.

Thank you for your response, a re-birthing ceremony sounds like a good idea! I was just looking on eBay and someone is selling an Leica m6 year of the dragon and what really crazy is that it’s the 4th one and my lucky number is 4! If that isn’t coincidence I don’t know what is.

 

It’s really a shame that €3000+ is just too expensive for me right now, it would’ve been so cool to own a camera with the year 2000 AND my lucky number.

 

The search continues...

 

Thanks again for all the response so far

[Rupert Greenwell]

I have a M3 that was made in the same year that I was born and quite by chance when I looked up the serial number of the 50mm summicron rigid that I acquired years ago, it too had been made in the same year.

  I believe that it is quite common for people to look out for cameras made in the same year as they were born and one two Leica dealers have a list of buyers looking for certain years. It is a bit of fun and a lovely thing to have.  Good luck !

[LocalHero1953]

My first Leica was a M3 from the series' own birth year, one year after mine. I don't own either that or any of the lenses I bought around the same time. Leica's are too expensive for me to hold on to them for sentimental reasons - I have to sell them (a) to fund replacements and ( b ) to demonstrate to my principle investor and sponsor that I am using our corporate cash responsibly.

Edited April 12, 2018 by LocalHero1953

[Lukas F.]

Well, I guess that means you are looking for an M6 TTL.  I thought about getting one myself.  Then I read that Leica doesn't have spare parts for the light meter diodes anymore. Because of that I'm no longer interested in that particular model.

[JohnnySeven]

It might be better to get an M4-2 or an M4P  that's twice your age. The camera is all mechanical, less to break down than an M6ttl.  I just realized that I have T-shirts that are older than you

Edited April 12, 2018 by JohnnySeven

[earleygallery]

How about buying an older model on your birthday and having fully CLA'd (or rebirthed!). You could get a cheap Leica that way and having a thorough service it will be good for your lifetime.

[pico]

[...] someone is selling an Leica m6 year of the dragon and what really crazy is that it’s the 4th one and my lucky number is 4! If that isn’t coincidence I don’t know what is.

 

First, it's cool to be looking for a birthday Leica. Good luck!

Second, in China the number 4 is an unlucky number because the spoken word is close to 'death'. Sorry for the irrelevant trivia.

[Jonahnieuwe]

It might be better to get an M4-2 or an M4P  that's twice your age. The camera is all mechanical, less to break down than an M6ttl.  I just realized that I have T-shirts that are older than you

Someone else also commented below that I could buy an older Leica and get it CLA’d on my birthday, as an rebirthing ceremony. That also sounds like a really fun and good idea. If you buy quality stuff it can easily last you a long long time, leicas or t-shirts.

[Jonahnieuwe]

First, it's cool to be looking for a birthday Leica. Good luck!

Second, in China the number 4 is an unlucky number because the spoken word is close to 'death'. Sorry for the irrelevant trivia.

Thank you, maybe that’s why it’s cheaper then other year of the dragon editions :-). Sadly still to expensive for me though :-(. I’m going on exchange to Japan next year so I’m also looking into some Japanese brands, I have owned an secondhand fujifilm x-t2 and I really enjoyed it. I decided to let it go because I wanted some time to reflect about if I really need it. At the moment I’m quite happy using my Samsung nx3000

[Valau]

A few years ago I bought a 1945 IIIc, took a bit of finding but when I found it I was offered the choice of three!!! I followed that with getting a 1945 Elmar 5cm lens, a great combination the same age as myself but works better!!! David

[adan]

Let's see if we can narrow this down closer to the specific date (October 27, 2000) through a little analysis.

 

Here are the Leica camera serial number ranges.

 

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Serial_Numbers_Leica_Cameras

 

You'll note Leica uses just one continuous master list of numbers for all their camera types built in-house (P&S, M, R, etc), so there may be only 1 digit difference between an R6.2 (SLR) and a completely different M6ttl (M rangefinder). And that Leica pre-assigns "blocks" of numbers for the next 100-5000 cameras they expect to make of a given model. And that even then, they are not always in order. And that once assigned, numbers may spill over into the next production year, if they are not used up in the year assigned.

 

Sorting out just the M camera numbers for the year 2000 (and one block from 1999 that falls inside the range for year 2000!), we get:

 

2554501     2554650     Leica M6 TTL 0.85     2000     camera   150
2555001     2555200     Leica M6 TTL             1999     camera   200
2555201     2555300     Leica M6 TTL             2000     camera   100
2591501     2596500     Leica M6 TTL             2000     camera  5000
2681201     2681400     Leica M6 TTL             2000     camera    200
2681401     2683400     Leica M6 TTL             2000     camera  2000
2688001     2688500     Leica M6 TTL 0.85     2000     camera   500
2720401     2725400     Leica M6 TTL             2000     camera  5000

 

From which we get that Leica planned to build 12500 M6 ttls and 650 M6 ttl 0.85s (higher magnification finder, no 28mm framelines) during the year 2000. At the beginning of the year (or in late 1999) they were just ramping up production of the new "ttl" design, in batches of 100-200, but soon they were assigning larger blocks of 2000 or 5000 at a time for the main model (not 0.85x).

 

As a rough estimate, for a date in late October 2000, and assuming 1) Leica has the usual production slowdown in August (European vacations) and around April 1 (New fiscal year inventory time) and that 2) some of that last assigned batch were not actually made until 2001, I would expect your want to look for an M6ttl with a serial number between 2682xxx and 2722xxx - or from that last batch of the 0.85 cameras, if you want the high-magnification viewfinder (and do not use a 28mm lens). That is about as close as one can get just from serial numbers.

 

Leica does include, in the packaging for current new cameras, a Prüfzertifikat that lists the actual date the camera leaves the factory (at least the one for my M10 does - born Feb 6, 2017). If you find a used M6ttl that comes with all the original packaging, you may be able to find out the exact date it was made, from the paperwork.

[Paul Verrips]

I bought a M4 from 1968 about 3 years ago, for the same reason, it's my year of birth. 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Brenton C]

Someone else also commented below that I could buy an older Leica and get it CLA’d on my birthday, as an rebirthing ceremony. That also sounds like a really fun and good idea. If you buy quality stuff it can easily last you a long long time, leicas or t-shirts.

Perhaps an M2 or M3 that was made the same year as your father or mother . . . Or maybe thise are too old. Your grand father?

 

My M3 was built in ‘58. Now I wish I’d looked for a 1963 model. Maybe my next one!