PeterMM1 Posted January 25, 2021 Share #1 Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I have an M2, M3 both in excellent condition and a mint Silver M6TTL with a black logo dot....:) I just don't care for the the red dot and also replaced the red dot on my M8. Unfortunately DAG said he has run out of black dot logos and can't get them anymore, but I digress.... I don't shoot film anymore. I love my original M Monochrom CCD and my M8 & M10. I don't need to sell anything but was wondering if I should just hold on the them. Is it likely that they will increase in value or is film dead? Edited January 25, 2021 by PeterMM1 grammar Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 25, 2021 Posted January 25, 2021 Hi PeterMM1, Take a look here Keep or Sell film Leicas. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Mr.Prime Posted January 25, 2021 Share #2 Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) my 2c: The resale value of film cameras has been on the up for the past few years, film now becoming popular with some younger folk, not unlike the vinyl revival. Not just 35mm gear either, I had to pay a lot more for a Rolleiflex TLR recently than I did a decade ago. It seems that both 35mm and 120 roll film are doing well, perhaps also some large format too. One never knows whether this revival is a ‘dead cow bounce’ but as you don’t need the money, they sure make great keep sakes. Edited January 25, 2021 by Mr.Prime 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BradS Posted January 25, 2021 Popular Post Share #3 Posted January 25, 2021 Film is dead. Send your film Leicas to me and I will dispose of them properly. 3 21 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterMM1 Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share #4 Posted January 25, 2021 30 minutes ago, Mr.Prime said: my 2c: The resale value of film cameras has been on the up for the past few years, film now becoming popular with some younger folk, not unlike the vinyl revival. Not just 35mm gear either, I had to pay a lot more for a Rolleiflex TLR recently than I did a decade ago. It seems that both 35mm and 120 roll film are doing well, perhaps also some large format too. One never knows whether this revival is a ‘dead cow bounce’ but as you don’t need the money, they sure make great keep sakes. I also have a couple Rolliflex cameras and I noticed that they are not appreciating as much as the 35mm Leica M2 & M3. Both the M2 & M3 have both just about doubled in price (according to eBay completed sales) over what I paid maybe 5 years ago or so...seems like a better investment than putting money in the bank. Also Leica glass seems to have been a good investment over the years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Barnack Posted January 25, 2021 Share #5 Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, PeterMM1 said: I have an M2, M3 both in excellent condition and a mint Silver M6TTL with a black logo dot....:)...I don't need to sell anything but was wondering if I should just hold on the them. Is it likely that they will increase in value or is film dead? @PeterMM1 I say keep your film Leicas, especially since you do not need the money that selling them would bring. Pre-owned film M camera prices/values have gone up over the years, not down. Regarding the "film is dead" shtick, I heard that for the first time in June of 1997. Now it's January, 2021 and B&H photo has 181 different versions of 35mm film for sale, while Freestyle Photo has 177 different versions of 35mm film for sale. Given those facts, it doesn't sound to me like film is dead. Yes, Fujifilm retired Pro 400 H ten days ago, which is a sad event for film shooters. However - some have forgotten that in November, 2019 Fuji also resurrected Acros 100 B&W and it is still with us. There's nothing wrong with having three film Leicas that you are not currently using. Having them at hand may well inspire you to get them out and use them again one day. Bottom line: Once your film M cameras are gone - they're gone. Sooner or later, you will likely regret it if you sell them. That has been my experience, at least. Edited January 25, 2021 by Herr Barnack 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenepresley Posted January 25, 2021 Share #6 Posted January 25, 2021 5 hours ago, Mr.Prime said: my 2c: The resale value of film cameras has been on the up for the past few years, film now becoming popular with some younger folk, not unlike the vinyl revival. Not just 35mm gear either, I had to pay a lot more for a Rolleiflex TLR recently than I did a decade ago. It seems that both 35mm and 120 roll film are doing well, perhaps also some large format too. One never knows whether this revival is a ‘dead cow bounce’ but as you don’t need the money, they sure make great keep sakes. c Cows might bounce less higher than cats. Your creative, poetic interpretation of a 'dead cat bounce' is one to remember. 1 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted January 25, 2021 Share #7 Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) 5 hours ago, PeterMM1 said: I have an M2, M3 both in excellent condition and a mint Silver M6TTL with a black logo dot....:) I just don't care for the the red dot and also replaced the red dot on my M8. Unfortunately DAG said he has run out of black dot logos and can't get them anymore, but I digress.... I don't shoot film anymore. I love my original M Monochrom CCD and my M8 & M10. I don't need to sell anything but was wondering if I should just hold on the them. Is it likely that they will increase in value or is film dead? It's easier to buy film and chemicals now than it ever was, and sure some types of film have been discontinued but others have come in their place. When Fuji stop production of a film it's because they are having to justify an older style of production line that requires vast quantities to be made. The success of Ilford and now Kodak has shown that smaller runs of film from more efficient production lines are the way forward. There are also European film manufacturers who have always been smaller producers and who make excellent film. So film is far from dead and it's use is rising especially among younger photographers. Which unfortunately means you can't use the perceived demise of film as a justification for getting rid of your film cameras, you'll need to think of another excuse. Edited January 25, 2021 by 250swb 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted January 25, 2021 Share #8 Posted January 25, 2021 6 hours ago, PeterMM1 said: I have an M2, M3 both in excellent condition and a mint Silver M6TTL with a black logo dot....:) I just don't care for the the red dot and also replaced the red dot on my M8. Unfortunately DAG said he has run out of black dot logos and can't get them anymore, but I digress.... I don't shoot film anymore. I love my original M Monochrom CCD and my M8 & M10. I don't need to sell anything but was wondering if I should just hold on the them. Is it likely that they will increase in value or is film dead? I would say sell them not because 'film is dead' but precisely because of the opposite! There are so many people getting into film nowadays that the price of good film cameras is constantly spiraling upwards - dizzyingly so, in the case of Leica cameras. So do film-enthusiasts a favor and don't sit on unused cameras - they should be out there being used, not gathering dust on a shelf. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mute-on Posted January 25, 2021 Share #9 Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) I never sell anything that I can’t replace new in a local store pretty much immediately. Once they stop making something, the supply will only shrink. All my Leica bodies and lenses fall into this category, except for my 28 Elmarit ASPH v2. I won’t be selling that either. However, as far as digital Leicas are concerned, they are glorified computers in the shape of a camera, and are essentially disposable. I only have film Leicas, though, so I dodged that bullet Mind you, I use all my Leicas. So no, don’t sell, unless you never intend to use them, then I agree with @plasticman Edited January 25, 2021 by Mute-on Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Markey Posted January 25, 2021 Share #10 Posted January 25, 2021 I too have three film M`s but I can`t bring myself to sell them. A `55 M3 double stroke ,`60 M2 and a `69 BP M4. The early two have doubled in price since I bought them so they aren`t costing me anything and I know i that if I did sell them I would not be inclined to replace them. They are all loaded and I pop off a few frames as and when . 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.noctilux Posted January 25, 2021 Share #11 Posted January 25, 2021 PeterMM1, I'd take it another way ... I'd ask my younger near or nearby neighbours or parents if they want to use Leica film M for free. You may have some M lenses to let them use also, as Leica without those fantastic lenses become useless. As me, if you don't need money, of course. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted January 25, 2021 Share #12 Posted January 25, 2021 Anything mechanical from a reputable house will holds it's value over time. The only challenges could be availability of supplies and electronics that will fail over time e.g. light meter. Everything else can be fixed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffz Posted January 25, 2021 Share #13 Posted January 25, 2021 What does your heart say to do? Follow your instincts it will be what you feel that counts. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nowhereman Posted January 25, 2021 Share #14 Posted January 25, 2021 @PeterMM1 - I don't have a collector's mentality and don't see a reason for keeping three film Leicas if you know that you never will use them. It's the never that's at issue, however. I had two M6s, one black (for B&W film) and one silver (for color film). I sold the silver one around 2006, when I thought I would never shoot film again. Now, keep in mind that I'm a nomad who moves annually between five months in the US and five in Thailand and the remaining two in Paris, which means that it's impractical for me to develop film myself. In 2016, I found an excellent little "handcraft" photo lab in Chiang Mai run by two young women who had studied photography at Chiang Mai University and fell in love with film photography. They introduced me to their ex-professor of photography who had opened a small photo lab in Bangkok, running a Kodak processing machine that he kept completely dust free. So, in 2016, I started shooting with my M6 film that I camera-scanned using a Leitz BEOON stand and a Focotar II lens: I had one BEOON in Thailand and another one in the States. At the end of the year, I bought an M3 from a Japanese store on eBay for $900: it was in great condition. I can't resist including a picture of it (again) with the Voigtlander 28/35 mini-finder that I had bought in the 1990s for $85, when it was still being produced. I shot film happily for about two years. Then, at the end of 2017, the ex-professor of photography in Bangkok died of sleep apnea and his lab closed down; and in 2019, when I got back to Chiang Mai in late-November, I found that the handcraft photo lab had also closed down: one of the owners had gone to work as an au pair in Stockholm earlier that year and the other closed down the lab after a doctor's lab tests and examination led a to prognosis of possible cancer and a recommendation that she stop dealing with film chemicals, as she had been hand-developing film to a such a great extent. With these two labs closed down, once again, I stopped shooting film. It's unlikely that I'll shoot film again, but can't get myself to sell the M3 and the M6, nor the two BEOONs because, who knows? — I may want to start shooting film again... Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ________________________Frog Leaping photobook Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ________________________ Frog Leaping photobook ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/317320-keep-or-sell-film-leicas/?do=findComment&comment=4125315'>More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted January 25, 2021 Share #15 Posted January 25, 2021 It is a dilemma many of us face at some point...sell unused and likely to remain unused gear or keep it for sentimental reasons, or believing it will appreciate in value at a rate exceeding other types of investable assets. I've wavered on this point, especially with some Leica gear and sometimes rebought what I sold a few years later and at a higher price. For me film died until I came across a few 100 ft. rolls of Plus-X in a garage sale, and I wanted back into film. In the next few weeks I'll be teaching a granddaughter how to use and develop film in a film body...perhaps she'll eventually want my Leica film gear too. Since you don't need the $, I'd suggest you keep the gear, occasionally exercise it to keep the lubricants spread, and reassess the issue in another 5 years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted January 25, 2021 Share #16 Posted January 25, 2021 1 hour ago, spydrxx said: For me film died until I came across a few 100 ft. rolls of Plus-X in a garage sale, and I wanted back into film. In the next few weeks I'll be teaching a granddaughter how to use and develop film in a film body...perhaps she'll eventually want my Leica film gear too. It's amazing that younger people so bound up by social media and digital stuff can embrace 'craft' almost as an antidote. Some film, some chemicals, a dev tank and a kitchen sink and magic can happen, or for older people all over again. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted January 25, 2021 Share #17 Posted January 25, 2021 If you really aren't going to use film again then sell the cameras. Let someone else enjoy them and avoid the risk of something going wrong with any of them through lack of use and then requiring an expensive CLA. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtoleica Posted January 25, 2021 Share #18 Posted January 25, 2021 I don't understand this at all. I shoot digital and film. When I have the time, a particular project or want to create a particular kind of image its always film. I have a freezer full of Tri-X, Fujichorme Velvia and Provia, and some colour neg ( Cinestill 800T is a favourite). For B&W I have a darkroom (with a Leica V35 Focomat) and I home develop B&W, C41 and E6 films. Its easy. Colour films I copy using a Sony A7R attached to an Olympus OM slide duplicator with 40mm Macro and bellows. I have some Olympus OM gear and an M7, alongs side an M10P and Q2. So really, current times are the best of all worlds. No, don't give up on your film cameras. 2 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Zapp Posted January 25, 2021 Share #19 Posted January 25, 2021 We need more off-screen time. There is an old and new cottage industry for film and for photochemistry, feeding from the legal estate of Kodak, Ilford, Agfa, Wolfen etc.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
P1505 Posted January 25, 2021 Share #20 Posted January 25, 2021 Sell them go on holiday. I can probably get black Leica dots made if enough people want them. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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