M10-r second hand

[wolan]

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Hi 

I am about to buy a Leica M10-R second hand without guarantee for a good price.

Apart from looking at the usual things (sensor, viewfinder etc), is there anything specific to this camera that I’d better double check?

Thank you 🙏 

[Henners]

Nothing that springs to mind, sensor dust is the only thing I could think of really. You may already know but just in case: You can test this by putting the lens on the smallest aperture like f16 and pointing it up at a clear sky and taking a photo, then reviewing the photo on the back of the camera, checking for any obvious black blobs.

Most cameras will probably have some very faint ones that aren't really noticeable unless you're really scouting for them but if you see larger black solid blobs then the sensor either needs a quick blow with some air or it needs swabbing. Not a massive deal really and wouldn't put me off from buying unless it was really dirty as it's a simple and common maintenance item, but just something to look for. 

I guess you could check far and close focus, make sure the rangefinder part works as expected by taking pics at infinity and making sure the rangefinder overlays correctly at infinity, and also take a photo as close as you can and make sure what you had focused on is what is in focus on the photo taken (do this at f1.4 or f2 of course). Also make sure it's actually an M10-R and not an M10 by checking the hot shoe and making sure it has M10-R on it, I'm clutching at straws now though.  

Also, check curtain to make sure there's no burn marks on it from being left pointing towards the sun with a lens on.

Check all accessories that came with originally are in the box. Stuff like charger, all cables etc.

Edited January 16 by Henners

[darylgo]

I know you didn't ask but I feel that it must be said.  Leica's and especially M's have marginal electronics requiring restarts etc.  I would be reluctant to purchase a body without a warranty and a reputable dealer that will accept returns.  It will be more costly but you will not be left with a potentially faulty camera that will call Leica Repair "Home" for the next few months and the added $$$. 

Specific to your question:  I like to check that the focus is accurate with the lens I place on it.    

[M Street Photographer]

I would test exactly as described above. Also the SD card slot by taking the card out and in again several times to see if it clicks into place properly or if it just comes out. First of all, get the serial number and clarify in Wetzlar whether the camera is ok and not a stolen product. If the seller doesn't give you the serial number, hands off!

Furthermore, I join @darylgoan. Take a look at the new price of an M 10 R. A used one can hardly be found here for less than 6,000.00. If you're significantly below that, I'd be very suspicious. You can occasionally get one from dealers with a 1-year used guarantee from 6,500 euros. I also bought mine from a dealer because the risk of a hidden or undetected defect when testing is too great for me.

[dpitt]

Does it come with original papers? Factory warranty? If so, the warranty is transferable to new users.

Ask for the serial number and check this to make sure it is not stolen:

https://www.lenstag.com/stolen/leica-registry

You could also contact Leica and ask if this serial has been in for repairs recently. 

Edited January 17 by dpitt

[M Street Photographer]

vor 6 Minuten schrieb dpitt:

Does it come with original papers? Factory warranty? If so, the warranty is transferable to new users.

Ask for the serial number and check this to make sure it is not stolen:

https://www.lenstag.com/stolen/leica-registry

You could also contact Leica and ask if this serial has been in for repairs recently. 

It has already been said. The list is not very helpful, @wolan wants to buy an M10R, there is not one in the list.

[Adam Bonn]

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It's a little tricky this suggestion as I think some problems are perhaps more user expectation...

Anyway my point is this, some folks complain that the shot to shot times on their M10R is sluggish (not continuous shooting, just how quickly you can press the shutter), I tested this on mine (using manual exposure settings) and it could fire as fast as I could press the button until the buffer slowed.

Might be worth checking...

Also, and there's some debate about the accuracy of this tool but if you haven't already download Leica Sync from https://transienteye.com/software/ (mac only)

Establish a wifi connect to your prospective M10/p/d/r and one of the things it claims to tell you is the total number of images taken... whether or not this info is accurate is open to debate but it can't hurt to get a numerical value to compare to your general sense of the camera's condition

 

[wolan]

Hi, if I look at the Leica Online store in Zurich there are 3 M10-R, what's the difference between the black one with the logo and the black one "lackiert", without the red dot? There is a not irrelevant price difference. 

 

Thanks

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[Herr Barnack]

On 1/16/2023 at 12:24 PM, darylgo said:

I know you didn't ask but I feel that it must be said.  Leica's and especially M's have marginal electronics requiring restarts etc.  I would be reluctant to purchase a body without a warranty and a reputable dealer that will accept returns.  It will be more costly but you will not be left with a potentially faulty camera that will call Leica Repair "Home" for the next few months and the added $$$. 

Specific to your question:  I like to check that the focus is accurate with the lens I place on it.    

I would not characterize the M10R as such.  Or the M10M or the M-P 240.

The M11 is perhaps another matter, although there are a lot of happy M11 owner/users in the Leicaverse.

Edited January 17 by Herr Barnack

[darylgo]

2 hours ago, Herr Barnack said:

I would not characterize the M10R as such.  Or the M10M or the M-P 240.

The M11 is perhaps another matter, although there are a lot of happy M11 owner/users in the Leicaverse.

HB, perhaps I make them sound worse than they are.  I have great luck with my M's, never knowing when they will freeze up, they do on occasion.  In comparison to my Canon, Nikon and the Leica SL the M is not as trouble-free.  

[Herr Barnack]

1 hour ago, darylgo said:

HB, perhaps I make them sound worse than they are.  I have great luck with my M's, never knowing when they will freeze up, they do on occasion.  In comparison to my Canon, Nikon and the Leica SL the M is not as trouble-free.  

Understood. 

My M240 would freeze sometimes - I think it was due to the smaller buffer size than that of my M-P 240.  My M-P 240 would not freeze, but with Lexar SD cards I would get corrupted files.  Switching to SanDisk SD cards resolved that problem. 

My M10M and Q2 have been trouble free so far.

[Ouroboros]

On 1/16/2023 at 4:26 PM, wolan said:

Hi 

I am about to buy a Leica M10-R second hand without guarantee for a good price.

Apart from looking at the usual things (sensor, viewfinder etc), is there anything specific to this camera that I’d better double check?

Thank you 🙏 

M10-R is a nice digital M that retains some of the traditional character of the M series with a 40mp sensor that falls into a sweet spot of high resolution without being unnecessarily over-blown.  You may find you need a spare battery or two depending on how and where you use it. 

Make sure it comes with a charger, the rangefinder is correctly aligned, the shutter runs correctly and the sensor is clean.

If the price is right for you and the condition of the camera is good enough with no obvious faults or damage and it works as it should, buy it.   

[Alberti]

I saw the advice to check with a lens - if the RF is aligned.

Well, don't.

You have to learn how to use it. The sensor is really sharp. The higher pixels count could make motion blur. It takes some time. My M240-P was sharp - maybe because I had a special Photokina example that was double checked in the factory. Now my M10-R is super sharp. It took mee weeks to learn it.

- [In the beginning the new users of M10-R and certainly the M11 complained about shaking camera's, never about shaking hands. In the past JaapV had a nice tutorial how to prevent camera shake, but it was from the M8/M9 time]

- the iso setting makes a lot of difference in apparent sharpness. If you want to appreciate it, I advise to keep it under 400A.

[Adam Bonn]

If the rangefinder patch can't perfectly align a star or the moon or a very, very, VERY far away telegraph pole/radio mast/pylon when the lens is at infinity then something is askew and you'll need live view to get a proper focus with the lens, always best to try with two different lenses and -if there's a problem- the fix might be as simple as tweaking the RF cam with a 2mm allen key (possibly called a hex key on the other side of the pond) but not really something you'll want to do with the camera you just bought

You can be as steady as a granite statue, but if the part of the camera that indicates focus is out of tolerance then you won't get properly in focus photos.

(I mean one might get lucky and the miss-calibration matches the focus shift or the field curvature or something or perhaps f8 is what one uses for everything... but really IMHO the RF needs to be accurate)

 

[Henners]

FYI: I have an M10-R up for sale on the forums. It's a silver one in case you're interested. I'm based in the UK but thought it's worth letting you know. I've just reduced the price, it's only listed here for the time being.

 

Edited January 20 by Henners

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[wolan]

Thank you everybody for your tipps and recommendations.

I have pulled the trigger. I have bought an almost new M10-R with hand grip and 2 batteries and 1 month guarantee from the shop for 6300 CHF.

Now it got even better later, as apparently the previous owner, who decided to switch to Fuji, never registered the camera. I did it and now I look basically as the first owner. Besides that, after registering I got an 12-moth extension of the guarantee from Leica.

I think a good deal overall.

Cheers.

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[M Street Photographer]

Congratulations, a very good decision, you will not regret it. Also the price is very good and with guarantee !
Have fun getting to know each other. I'm already looking forward to your photos.