Old Leica pricing

[tedd]

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Hi gang,

I sold my M6 one year ago to fund an M-E240. I much prefer this camera and don't at all regret it, though I do miss dev and print from time to time. I still have an old Canon but it just isn't the same. With this in mind, I thought I'd have a look on eBay for an old M2. I like the idea of the M2 as it's as classic as it gets and they were around $500 AUD last time I'd looked. Well, now they're $2k! I know that we don't have a crystal ball, but is this price sustainable? Will we see them drop back down to where they used to be or will prices just continue to go up? 

Keen to hear your thoughts (and if anyone has an old M2 that they don't know the value of hit me up).

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[andrew01]

I have seen clean M2s and M3s for around 800 Euros.  It might be worth buying from a dealer in Europe or US and paying the import taxes.  It would still be cheaper than 2k aus.  Prices are definitely going up.  I have noticed that this is not just for Leicas but for all desirable film cameras.  Maybe its because of covid and lock down.  

[plaidshirts]

I also had some good luck the last few years: an M4 for $350 and an M3 Rigid Summicron combo for $1k.

I can’t see prices coming down to those levels again but surely there will be smaller peaks and valleys like the stock market even if the overall trend is up.

I’m keeping my Leica GAS fund liquid, however, just in case some deals happen to come my way 😜. 

[logan2z]

3 hours ago, plaidshirts said:

I also had some good luck the last few years: an M4 for $350

I'd say that's superb luck!  I bought my M4 a few years ago and paid considerably more for it - and thought I paid a reasonable price.

[GeoffC]

I have a clutch of M3s I'm thinking of selling. I think the resurgence of film, and the lack of new affordable film cameras, has driven the price up together with high prices for good digital gear. For a buyer dealers are not only safer than ebay etc but also cheaper.

[nitroplait]

I have bought as many cameras and lenses during Covid lock-down as I did the 10 years proceeding it. Around 8 camera bodies and 10 lenses entered my home this past year.

It does not take too many other likeminded to make an impact in the market.

If I and my fellow accomplishes were the reason for the price hike, you can look forward to better prices in the future. I am certainly not going to maintain this addiction.

However, I think that the market was already behaving illogical prior to Covid, so who knows.

[Mute-on]

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Frankly, I don’t see them coming down in price.  I think something happened while I was distracted over the last few years ... cars, watches, cameras all just went up hugely in price. The fact is anything really worth having for its quality or originality is probably not being made any longer, and it seems many in the market have realised that and are prepared to pay. Unfortunately, Leica M2, 3, 4 all fall into that category (M-A is 3x the price, but not 3x the camera). 

Mind you, $2k AUD is not out of line for a nice example. Camera Exchange in Melbourne has one for less, now (or did recently). I’d rather that than gamble on eBay. 

Good luck!

Edited March 21, 2021 by Mute-on

[BradS]

some thoughts...

• Leica still sell two excellent film cameras...the MP and M-A. The price of any comparable used (non-exotic, special edition) Leica M film camera will always be bounded above by the price of these two brand new cameras. For example, it would be irrational for the price of a used M6 to exceed the price of a new MP.
• Prices are still determined by supply and demand. The demand for film and film cameras has been and continues to steadily increase but the supply of film cameras in particular is decreasing as old cameras die (or are "fixed" by arrogant morons who DiY) and are removed from useful circulation. Therefore, prices of film cameras have and may very well  continue to increase.
• Other than Leica and a few plastic toy cameras no new small format cameras are being made by anybody, anywhere and Leica do not seem too interested in producing sufficient quantities to come anywhere near meeting demand...nor, unfortunately, do they seem to be able to reliably produce the small quantities that they do.

Edited March 21, 2021 by BradS

[RayD28]

I've seen some user grade M-As go for a little over $3,000.  I don't think film Ms will decrease in price, especially ones in decent condition.  

[tedd]

Only two years ago there was an excellent condition M2 with Elmar 3.5 and Leicameter on Gumtree here in Tas for $1400 AUD. It was up for around 6 months and I couldn't believe when it finally sold it was so overpriced! Looking back, makes it hard to stomach current pricing. At least an M2 should be a lifer, I was always worried my M6 was going to have the electronics fail (it did twice in the time I had it).

I've somehow got two 50mm v5 Cron's currently, so might see if Camera Exchange would be interested in a trade. Cheers! 

[RayD28]

Good luck!  

[tedd]

I've sent through details/pics on a few Leica lenses I have not doing anything to Camera Exchange to see what they can do. Hopefully they are reasonably fair in what they offer, keeping in mind they have to add tax and still make a profit. The M2 they have listed says the 'self-time fully functional however doesn't lock.' Does anyone have any idea what that could mean? I don't want to barrage the salesman with questions before getting an estimated quote back on my gear! 

[wizard]

It might refer to the fact that once you have fully wound the self-timer, it should 'lock', waiting for it to be released by pushing the self-timer's start button. If it doesn't lock, that could mean it starts running by itself whenever it is being wound.

[johntobias]

M4-2 is the current bargain body, well that and the CL ,   a good M4-2 should be just sub $1000 us   great camera too...I only sold mine to help fund my MP

 

[Mute-on]

22 hours ago, tedd said:

I've sent through details/pics on a few Leica lenses I have not doing anything to Camera Exchange to see what they can do. Hopefully they are reasonably fair in what they offer, keeping in mind they have to add tax and still make a profit. The M2 they have listed says the 'self-time fully functional however doesn't lock.' Does anyone have any idea what that could mean? I don't want to barrage the salesman with questions before getting an estimated quote back on my gear! 

If you inspect the photos of the M2 top plate carefully, you may see a depression near the rewind knob.  That’s what I see, but it’s hard to confirm in photos.  

They had a much nicer M2 recently, but it was just over $2k AUD. It still sold very quickly, so that gives you an indication of the local market. You may want to bide your time and keep looking .... 

Edited March 23, 2021 by Mute-on

[cboy]

On 3/22/2021 at 1:22 AM, BradS said:

some thoughts...

• Leica still sell two excellent film cameras...the MP and M-A

I remember when the M-A was released in 2014 it was 5k+ aud new ....now it 6k+ aud. 😯

Glad i got my gear early....

[tommonego@gmail.com]

I sold 2 non working M2 (also needed recovering) for $400, the buyer had the shutters fixed and the cameras recovered for about $400 apiece, he got a good deal. But I think I would buy from a dealer, cameras are generally in better condition, from a indepentent seller you may end up paying for a CLA or shutter job. 

[Danner]

I bought a pristine M6 classic with box, strap and all for under US$1200 in Jan. 2017.  Pretty sure I could get more than $2500 today.  Although, I would not sell it.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[colint544]

All the classic M film cameras have rocketed in value lately. The M6 especially. As others have pointed out, there's a resurgence of interest in film, but virtually nobody is making film cameras.

Reminds me of Mark Twain's response when asked what to buy - 'Buy land, they're not making that any more'.

[tedd]

I'm sure that no one has been losing any sleep over this, but I'm happy to say that I now have an M2 on the way from Germany! It's an early (#935 xxx) button rewind model with no self-timer, which is what I wanted from an aesthetics standpoint and hopefully can make work. $1600 AUD (about 1000 Euro), well over double what these were two years ago but this time I won't be silly enough to sell. 

I'm now going down the hot-shoe light meter hole as I sold my Sekonic 308 with my Rolleiflex 12 months back..