Did I get a Used M8?

[ttriolo]

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About the only thing that was sealed was the cardboard wrapper around the extra plug adapter for the charger, it has tape on it. Otherwise the big box was not sealed, the manuals were not shrink wrapped, there was no, and is no, protective cover on the LCD screen, the camera comes in a separate box and is wrapped in a plastic bag.

 

You got a NEW camera.

 

To check how many times the shutter has been activated you need to take the Image Unique ID and punch it into a HEX calculator and convert it to DEC. So take ONE shot with it, look at that shot with Adobe Bridge and find the IUID.

Normally there will be about 90 to 110 (+/-) shutter activation on a NEW camera.

 

Come again? What are those instructions to find the # of shutter activations? You lost me with the hex calculator.

 

All I'm saying, is it too much to expect that an item this costly and delicate come with some assurance that it has not been handled by some "yahoo" once it left the factory? Surely they can slap a seal on the box after it's final inspection in Solms. It's done everyday with other products costing a fraction of what the M8 does. I suspect that the reason they don't is to give the dealer the option of being able to open a box to show a potential customer the goods. A sealed box would be problematic and many dealers may not be in a position to keep on hand a unit just for show and tell purposes. Then, when it came time to sell that "demo" unit, they couldn't sell it as new with a seal broken.

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[Shootist]

Come again? What are those instructions to find the # of shutter activations? You lost me with the hex calculator.

 

All I'm saying, is it too much to expect that an item this costly and delicate come with some assurance that it has not been handled by some "yahoo" once it left the factory? Surely they can slap a seal on the box after it's final inspection in Solms. It's done everyday with other products costing a fraction of what the M8 does. I suspect that the reason they don't is to give the dealer the option of being able to open a box to show a potential customer the goods. A sealed box would be problematic and many dealers may not be in a position to keep on hand a unit just for show and tell purposes. Then, when it came time to sell that "demo" unit, they couldn't sell it as new with a seal broken.

 

If you are using PS CS3 and Bridge 2 look for the Image Unique ID in the Camera Data (EXIF) section

The IUID is a long run of 0 (zeros) with something like B2, 4C, D5 at the end of it. Open a scientific calculator, I use Windows and the Calc program built into it, set it to HEX, type in the last 2 characters from the IUID and then change the readout to DEC (Decimal). That will give you the total shutter activations the camera has had.

There has been reports of this being reset but I thing only the factory can do that. So even if it was a returned unit and went back to Leica and reset it is as good as new and as long as it comes with a full warranty it is NEW.

 

I have no respect for seals. I've bought electronics that were as fresh and new as a New Snowfall and died soon after turning them on.

I just want whatever I buy to work, not that I would pay for new if it was used.