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We've all heard of that college student who bought an M2 for 5$ in a thift shop.

 

I've never got such a deal but I've managed to get Leica equipment for low prices in the past. Such as a very clean M2 that I got in an eBay auction for 600$CAD.

The shutter speed had to be adjusted, and the vulcanite had to be replaced. Other than that, it is in excellent condition.

 

I later got an M262, which I also bought on eBay, for about 3500$CAD.

The sensor was filled with dust and oil spots, and the focusing mechanism had to be lubricated two days after I recieved it. (Those problems where not specified by the seller)

It looked like new back then, but after about six months of use, I've got some paint removed on the corners and a cut in the faux leather. It has been faithfull ever since.

 

Then, yesterday, I looked for a replacement for my 35mm ZM 2.8 on the internet and ended up looking for pre-ASPH summicrons. I then stumbled uppon a 35mm Summicron on keh.com for 1080$USD. No picture of the actual lens was shown and generic pictures of a Type 4 where shown instead. It was listed as "UG" (ugly). Giving this extremely low price and the 180 day warranty offered by keh, I jumped on it. (I'll keep you guys updated on this purchase.)

 

 

What are the good deals you guys managed to get on Leica equipment?

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What are the good deals you guys managed to get on Leica equipment?

 

Does time-travel count? NIB Leica M2, with Summicron 50mm. $225. 1965.

Edited by pico
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… several years ago, in a small photo shop without any Leica connection… my excellent Hektor 7,3 cm with hood caps and original leather pouch, came in the rights hands from a dealer that knew only that it was "some old German lens", at 150 Euros… :)

Never found a similar good deal… apart "Leitz Elmar" at 20 Euros, proudly exibithing their Eastern origin… :p

Edited by luigi bertolotti
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Prices have changed quite a lot. Haha! Do you still have/use it?

My M3 cost the equivalent of £66 in Canadian dollars when I bought it, new, in 1968. Still have it and use it.

 

Gerry

Edited by gyoung
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My M3 cost the equivalent of £66 in Canadian dollars when I bought it, new, in 1968. Still have it and use it.

Gerry

In 1968 you could buy a decent house for EUR 50.000. Nowadays it will cost you ten times more.

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In 1968 you could buy a decent house for EUR 50.000. Nowadays it will cost you ten times more.

 

House inflation where I live has gone up much more in the last 50 years. Houses here now cost nearly 100 times what they cost 50 years ago. My original house, bought in 1974, would now go for 70 times what I paid for it.

My best bargains have come from auctions, like buying a II Model D with a 5cm Hektor for less than the value of the Hektor, or getting a set of viewfinders including a rare viewfinder for the 7.3cm Hektor for less than the value of the viewfinder. With auctions, though, the value equation can often swing the other way, particularly if there are a lot of bidders after the same item.

 

William

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In 1968 you could buy a decent house for EUR 50.000. Nowadays it will cost you ten times more.

I think you're being modest, it all depends where you live even in uk, in 1968 a friend bought a modest semi detached house in Leeds for a bit over £4,000, after a period of rapid house price inflation we paid £15,000 for a nice 3 bedroom terrace in suburban London, in 1974. My son was living close to that area about 5 years ago and similar ones were fetching £700,000. It's not so extreme outside London.

Houses are better 'investments' than even M3s it seems.

 

Gerry

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Years ago when I had my store, someone brought in a beat to hell Black M2 and Leicavit. After negotiating a sale price and writing the check, the gentleman let me know he had picked up the M2 in a thrift shop for less than $ 50! Buying and selling Leicas for years as a collector and dealer, you see a lot. I always tried to be fair with people who had gear to sell. After many years, I would start by asking, how much are you looking for?

 

My other great "bargain" was a Sabre stock that was part of an estate sale on line. Someone on one of the Facebook Leica Collector groups posted up about the auction, which was listed online. This was late on a Saturday night, so I thought what the hell, I'll see what there is. After I got past the tools and household goods and farm implements, there were several hundred lots of cameras, mostly Leica. I got excited when most of the cameras were described as Leica DRP! Certainly not Leica cognoscenti here! There were also several card tables full of miscellaneous camera stuff, and what did I see, a Sabre stock lying there! I got so excited I woke my wife up to show her. Long story short, I won the auction for that lot for under $5K, though the lot was still under $500 for most of the auction. The auctioneer called me and asked me if I was aware I had a reserve of $5K on that lot, was there a mistake? I assured them there was no mistake. They asked me what was worth so much in that lot, and all I would say was I won't tell you before the auction ends, but if I win, I'll let you know then. I picked up several other interesting articles from that estate auction. A Xenon, 400 Telyt 1st version, IIIg, Berg-Elmar, 73 Hektor, 28 Summaron and a MBROO metal case. I sold the Sabre stock for a nice profit in the last Westlicht auction. Needless to say, my wife was happy with my bit of speculation!

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'Good deals' are really a matter of whether you feel you have had a great deal of value out of the equipment as much as the price paid for it. My most used M9 was picked up for about half the going rate because it had been dropped and repaired but still had a dent in it. The dealer offered a 6 month warranty so I bought it. However when it arrived it also had a 12 moth warranty from Leica. Several 10s of thousands of exposures later its still going strong and showing yet more sins of use. 

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Years ago when I had my store, someone brought in a beat to hell Black M2 and Leicavit. After negotiating a sale price and writing the check, the gentleman let me know he had picked up the M2 in a thrift shop for less than $ 50! Buying and selling Leicas for years as a collector and dealer, you see a lot. I always tried to be fair with people who had gear to sell. After many years, I would start by asking, how much are you looking for?

 

My other great "bargain" was a Sabre stock that was part of an estate sale on line. Someone on one of the Facebook Leica Collector groups posted up about the auction, which was listed online. This was late on a Saturday night, so I thought what the hell, I'll see what there is. After I got past the tools and household goods and farm implements, there were several hundred lots of cameras, mostly Leica. I got excited when most of the cameras were described as Leica DRP! Certainly not Leica cognoscenti here! There were also several card tables full of miscellaneous camera stuff, and what did I see, a Sabre stock lying there! I got so excited I woke my wife up to show her. Long story short, I won the auction for that lot for under $5K, though the lot was still under $500 for most of the auction. The auctioneer called me and asked me if I was aware I had a reserve of $5K on that lot, was there a mistake? I assured them there was no mistake. They asked me what was worth so much in that lot, and all I would say was I won't tell you before the auction ends, but if I win, I'll let you know then. I picked up several other interesting articles from that estate auction. A Xenon, 400 Telyt 1st version, IIIg, Berg-Elmar, 73 Hektor, 28 Summaron and a MBROO metal case. I sold the Sabre stock for a nice profit in the last Westlicht auction. Needless to say, my wife was happy with my bit of speculation!

 

You did very well with that lot, Bill. The Sabre set presented at Westlicht was in beautiful condition. The auctioneer was, of course, plumbing for information so that it would be he, rather than you, who would make the killing. You make a very valuable point here. I never discuss bids I have made with anyone, not even with good friends. When it comes to auction time, it is everyone for themselves.

 

William

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Some time after Leica's announcement that it would not produce a (digital) R10 I was looking at the London Camera Exchange's website on a Friday evening and noticed a set for sale that was a R9 and 28-90/2.8-4.5 Vario-Elmarit-R asph.  The price was £1200 for the lot, which was fully boxed and described as 'as new' so I walked into The Strand shop as they opened on the Saturday morning and acquired it.  

 

I traded the R9 at a well-known Scottish used Leica dealer for a 'new old stock' 100/2.8 APO-Marco-Elmarit-R, which was priced at £1200.  Some time later I sold the legendary 28-90/2.8-4.5 Vario-Elmarit-R asph for £3500 so I was fortunate to be £3500 up on the deal.  (I had seen a number of samples of the 28-90 selling for up to £3800 shortly before I sold mine so the pricing was in the right ballpark.)  Sometimes one just gets lucky.

 

Pete.

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I got a real bargain just this year: nice condition black M4-P with MR-4 meter, M4-2 winder and Thin 90 Tele-Elmarit, all for just €800.

 

I know without a shadow of a doubt what my worst deal was and that was part exchanging my Reid & Sigrist Model 2 body (ex-RAF) for £28 against a Mamiya SLR. :(  :(

 

Wilson

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I never had a real bargain, seems rare with Leica. I only know of bargains in the sense of good value for money, not in the sense of a good deal compared to the market.

I acquired my Elmar 50 (latest) for 700€ (which is normal) and find that an unbelievable good value for money until today. The Elmarit 135 R is also a cheap lens with a lot of character. The R8 brings a lot of camera for a very low price.

Edited by otto.f
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