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Bought my first M3 but thinking of returning it


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I bought an M3 from a known camera seller that I have bought from in the past.  The camera arrived today but it has an issue with the rangefinder patch.  I tried to take a picture of it with my phone to show the issue.  It looks like cracks or spider webs on the range finder patch.  I assume the it is the beam splitter deteriorating.  How normal is this?  This was NOT listed in the product description.  I'm thinking of sending the camera back and looking for one that doesn't have this issue.   Is this something that can be resolved with a CLA?

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1 hour ago, mediumformula said:

 It also has someone's name scratched in the top plate.... that also wasn't mentioned in the description.  :wacko:

Were there any pictures of the camera supplied to you before you bought it?  I would think that the name in the top plate would have been obvious if there were.  Either way, I'd skip that dealer when looking to purchase camera gear in the future.

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1 hour ago, logan2z said:

Were there any pictures of the camera supplied to you before you bought it?  I would think that the name in the top plate would have been obvious if there were.  Either way, I'd skip that dealer when looking to purhase camera gear in the future.

There were pictures but the scratched in name is not visible in them. You can see it here.  It's cursive lettering.

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Edited by mediumformula
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6 hours ago, mediumformula said:

I know.  The one I bought dates to 1963.  I also have a Leica II that is 90 years old and doesn't have this issue.  I'm trying to determine if this is normal for an M3.  Thank you.

no its not normal. As others have said send it back. 

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1 hour ago, mediumformula said:

There were pictures but the scratched in name is not visible in them. You can see it here.  It's cursive lettering.

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That is a dealer I would avoid at all costs moving forward.

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There are still plenty of M3s around that have excellent viewfinders and honest wear (as opposed to abuse like carving a name in the top plate).  I would also highly recommend getting one with a recent CLA, or else with the price adjusted to cover a servicing (around $400) because if it hasn't had one recently, it will need it.   

Edited by DoubleE
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1 hour ago, DoubleE said:

There are still plenty of M3s around that have excellent viewfinders and honest wear (as opposed to abuse like carving a name in the top plate).  I would also highly recommend getting one with a recent CLA, or else with the price adjusted to cover a servicing (around $400) because if it hasn't had one recently, it will need it.   

Oddly, this camera was listed as having a CLA done in 2022....  That was part of the reason I bought it.   Anyway the camera is already in the mail back to the seller. 

Edited by mediumformula
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