Buying a Leica M240 brand new

[LeicaTL35]

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Hello,

Now I am abroad and by chance I came across a brand new unopened Leica M240 in a local dealer.
It is a bargain, in a good price for about 4500 euros.
First I was tempted to buy it but after a while, buying a 10 year old camera kinda scared me. 
What would you do? Any recommendations are wellcome.

Btw, I have SL2 and Leica M6TTL already.
I can not afford Leica M11, in order to be able to buy an M11, I will have to trade in SL2.

[HuntingSand]

4500 Euros is not a bargain for a 240 (even if it is the P version). You can probably find the M10 for that price point now, or almost at least. I owned the 240, and wasn't too thrilled with its DNG files. It was more reliable than my M9, though, so I wouldn't worry too much about its age.

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[kivis]

It probably is worth 4500 Euros but the second you shoot one exposure it's worth will drop by half. Still I love mine and feel no need to upgrade.

[frame-it]

47 minutes ago, LeicaTL35 said:

Hello,

Now I am abroad and by chance I came across a brand new unopened Leica M240 in a local dealer.
It is a bargain, in a good price for about 4500 euros.
First I was tempted to buy it but after a while, buying a 10 year old camera kinda scared me. 
What would you do? Any recommendations are wellcome.

Btw, I have SL2 and Leica M6TTL already.
I can not afford Leica M11, in order to be able to buy an M11, I will have to trade in SL2.

if you mention which country you're in right now, maybe people can give more advice

[strangeboy]

I'm sure buying "brand new" sounds attractive, but functionally speaking, it won't perform any better than a pre-owned 240 that's been well maintained. That'll cost you about 2900€. Or, you might look into a pre-owned M10, about equal to the cost of that new 240.

[Jon Schick]

If you are convinced this is a camera you'll be keeping for a long time and it comes with a full guarantee, then it might be worth considering but, if you're dipping your toes into Leica water and might consider an upgrade in the next couple of years, it may be better to consider a good secondhand example that somebody else has taken the deflationary hit on.

[plaidshirts]

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For that price, I'd buy a gently used M10, which are flooding the market with M11 out now.

In fact, you could probably find a good bundle with extra batteries and accessories.

[SergioV]

I bought the M-P second hand in very good condition with a second battery, the handgrip and the Olympus viewfinder for about 2300 euros two months ago.

[Jean-Michel]

I own film Ms, M9, M-P and recently purchased a SL2. It may be a novelty, but I find using the SL2 with my M lenses to be really satisfactory. I will probably sell the M9 to help pay for an L lens. Will keep the M-P. Although I have used M cameras since 1968, I am not at all sure that  today i would buy an M if I already owned a SL2. 

I would also wonder an awful lots to why dealer would still have an unopened M-P after all those years. The M-P is a fine camera, but...

[Al Brown]

A bargain would be 2500 euros (or maybe 3000 for a brand new camera).

[pgh]

8 hours ago, Jean-Michel said:

I own film Ms, M9, M-P and recently purchased a SL2. It may be a novelty, but I find using the SL2 with my M lenses to be really satisfactory. I will probably sell the M9 to help pay for an L lens. Will keep the M-P. Although I have used M cameras since 1968, I am not at all sure that  today i would buy an M if I already owned a SL2. 

I would also wonder an awful lots to why dealer would still have an unopened M-P after all those years. The M-P is a fine camera, but...

It's not a novelty. The M lenses on an SL2 are great, and the combo is barely heavier or larger than an M - so that in many situations it's actually not really a big deal. I use both on assignment work but prefer the SL2 to my M10 for most situations. I keep the M10 when that little bit of size/weight difference matters really. That, nostalgia, and I do enjoy the RF way of seeing the world. Though it's not as accurate.  

The M240 is fine, the sensor isn't great, but the quoted price is far, far from a deal. In my opinion it's very rarely worth buying just about any Leica stuff new anyways. 

[LeicaTL35]

Thank you for all your answers, guys.
It really helped a lot about my decision. For now, I will keep on using what I already have. After a while I might regret buying M240. 
I really enjoy RF experience a lot.
For street photography, which is I am interested in, my M6TTL feels more discreet and more fun. That’s why even if the SL2 a great camera, I wanted a digital M.

In a nutshell, as everyone mentioned, a second hand M10 camera in good condition is a better option. It still is a good camera even today. 

On the other hand, buying a Leica Q2, which is with my favorite focal length, is another option.

But still, I am not ready for trading in my beloved Leica SL2, just to be able to buy an M11.

 

[Olaf_ZG]

I managed to buy a new m10 for slightly more, so as others said, it is not such a bargain.

[MJB]

If you want a discreet companion to your SL for street work, a CL would seem like an obvious choice. You could buy a good used copy for less than half of that NOS M245. You could use both the M and SL lenses you already own.  Plus it’s smaller, lighter, and performs better. In terms of IQ alone, I personally don’t think any M older than the M10 makes sense over the CL.