Looking for beautiful M2

[malfaris]

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Hi Everyone 

I am looking for beautiful M2 in very good condition, bought one as described at eBay only to find out it had some annoying spots in the rangefinder .

now I am searching again I found one that fit my needs however it’s more than the market value around 2000$ . The last one I bought was 1600$ and many thought I paid more than I should.

if 2k is a lot where to you recommend I look for reliable place to buy one?

to be honest one thing I like buying from the Japanese is they lower the shipping price to avoid huge fees from customs, and since they are using reliable carriers like fedex , DHL and UPS I don’t worry about insurance value .

plus they are great at returning no questions asked.

would appreciate your advice 

Edited June 10, 2024 by malfaris

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[250swb]

At the moment buying from a dealer can be both cheaper than inflated eBay prices and give you a warranty. Buying from Japan is pretty reliable in terms of quick delivery, generally many of the sellers are good at describing the cameras or lenses, but there's even more of a problem with fungus and haze than many other places. It's interesting that you mention it because I've never paid taxes on cameras or lenses from Japan but there's always likely to be the first time, and the first time for finding fungus. But the way things are with the hype over old film cameras at the moment I'd try to find something close to home first.

[spydrxx]

I've bought from Japanese companies and individuals for almost 19 years without problems until my most recent purchase of a 50/2 Summicron, 1999 special edition in LTM, which arrived with discernable fungus on the inside of a rear element, not visible in the Ebay photos. When I contacted the seller, he refused to pay for it to be cleaned, but I could return it for a full refund. Given its scarcity and the price I paid, I used my own money to have it cleaned by DAG. For the first time in 19 years I left negative feedback describing the issue and recommending others to not trust the seller. Of course he apologized, but nothing more to compensate for his poor description. I haven't soured on Japanese sellers though, the good ones tend to conservatively rate their gear and provide excellent service.

[malfaris]

6 hours ago, 250swb said:

At the moment buying from a dealer can be both cheaper than inflated eBay prices and give you a warranty. Buying from Japan is pretty reliable in terms of quick delivery, generally many of the sellers are good at describing the cameras or lenses, but there's even more of a problem with fungus and haze than many other places. It's interesting that you mention it because I've never paid taxes on cameras or lenses from Japan but there's always likely to be the first time, and the first time for finding fungus. But the way things are with the hype over old film cameras at the moment I'd try to find something close to home first.

You are right bought one but from Austria that looks like new only to find it have spots on the focusing despite seller say rangefinder in good condition , also mint m5 with not fungus only to find huge fungus in the RF patch . Where I live it’s hard to find used film camera especially leicas

[malfaris]

50 minutes ago, spydrxx said:

I've bought from Japanese companies and individuals for almost 19 years without problems until my most recent purchase of a 50/2 Summicron, 1999 special edition in LTM, which arrived with discernable fungus on the inside of a rear element, not visible in the Ebay photos. When I contacted the seller, he refused to pay for it to be cleaned, but I could return it for a full refund. Given its scarcity and the price I paid, I used my own money to have it cleaned by DAG. For the first time in 19 years I left negative feedback describing the issue and recommending others to not trust the seller. Of course he apologized, but nothing more to compensate for his poor description. I haven't soured on Japanese sellers though, the good ones tend to conservatively rate their gear and provide excellent service.

Yea mostly good for me too but I always went with 100% review, I risk it few times with 98% but after making sure it’s nothing serious.

One question when you write negative review won’t you risk him writing you negative review, having full positive reviews yet low number 71 I  don’t want to risk it.

[stvn66]

If a negative review is unjustified, they will remove it. I have had this happen a few times from sellers.

[johnwolf]

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Personally, I would not be concerned about a few hundred $ difference, and would consider that over what I assume will be years of ownership enjoyment. Tamarkin has three now. I got mine there and recommend them. Good return policy and six-month warranty. Igor also has a couple. 

These are very old devices, and I feel your odds of getting a good one are better with a reputable dealer.

John

[spydrxx]

8 hours ago, malfaris said:

Yea mostly good for me too but I always went with 100% review, I risk it few times with 98% but after making sure it’s nothing serious.

One question when you write negative review won’t you risk him writing you negative review, having full positive reviews yet low number 71 I  don’t want to risk it.

I felt the risk was worth it, I have nearly 1000 positive ones. Most people can come to their own conclusion when they read the details in my review. The seller didn't leave me a negative or neutral one, he left me a positive.

[malfaris]

Thank you all for the inputs,found great one I hope from seller 100% good reviews from Australia. The camera looks nice.

[johnwolf]

Good to hear. Hope all goes well with the purchase. Share some pics in the film M thread.

John

[Fotoklaus]

To my experience the cameras which are almost unused and look great often need an overhaul. 

So if it should work perfect and look perfect those costs should be added, anyway. 

The cameras are 60 years old now. It is almost impossible to find a pristine one in perfect working condotion with a clean rangefinder.

Edited June 14, 2024 by Fotoklaus