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Oops, I did it again...


bill

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So, there I am, minding my own business, just popped into town to do some Christmas shopping, when I hear the siren call of this little beauty sitting in the window of London Camera Exchange.

 

Now, I used to have a DR Summicron years ago. It was my first Summicron, and I have regretted selling it for many a long year. When I saw this one, on a nice M2 I went in and asked. They were on at £499 the pair, and I asked if they would split. No, came the answer - it's difficult to shift bodies on their own, and they had priced to sell. But I don't need another M body, say I. In the end, we compromised. £450 the pair. As I was paying the manager disappeared into the back and came back first with an IROOA hood (pictured) then with an apparently unused brown leather Leitz neck-strap and threw them in. I popped a roll in immediately and had a play around. Here is one of the first results:

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/people/40403-does-matter-anymore.html

 

I honestly intended to come straight home and put the M2 on eBay... Really I did... I only wanted that Summicron...

 

But.

 

That clear and uncluttered viewfinder...

 

The buttery-smooth wind on...

 

The polite cough of the shutter...

 

Both lens and body date from 1960. I don't know, but I should imagine they were bought from new as a pair. They are both in remarkably good condition; no brassing, no dings, even the flash socket covers are in place.

 

Seems a shame to break them up after all these years...

 

So I have stuck a Luigi strap on it, and just spent the last two hours putting a whole bunch of other stuff on eBay :D

 

On the whole I think I've got a bargain. I've looked at DR, M2 and IROOA prices on eBay and it certainly looks that way.

 

Watch this space. My IIIc has a younger brother...

 

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Regards,

 

Bill

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x

Thanks chaps.

 

No, Andy, the goggles are removable. They are only useful for close focus (hence the "DR" or "Dual Range") prefix. These lenses are beautifully made, but prices have started to climb since the M8 crowd have "discovered" them. Nine times out of ten I won't carry them, but the close-focus capability can have it's uses :D

 

I shall give the new arrivals a bit more of a workout over Christmas, when I have some more time.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

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Bill,

 

How do you get these bargains!

 

As you know I added an M2 to my collection this year, it compliments the lllf nicely - I mostly use it for 35 & now 90mm lenses and keep the lllf for the 5cm Elmar and 25mm Skopar.

 

I think you already have an M7 (?) in which case the M2 also can act as a 'battery reserve'.

 

You can't possibly sell it, but let me know if you do!

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James I am fortunate enough to have built up a relationship with the manager of LCE in Guildford. I go past every couple of weeks and always take a look at what they have in the window. They have an active secondhand business - one of the few shops for mile around that still do - and they do get some interesting stuff in. At the moment, for instance, they also have a IIc factory converted to IIf, a 135mm f4 and a 90mm f4 in bayonet mount, as well as a Hexar AF Stereo... Worth seeing just for the novelty value! This is the same shop I bought my IIIc from, and I will no doubt put more business their way - which is a good reason why I usually manage to get a discount :D

 

You are right about my M7, of course. It still gets use, but far less since the "newcomers".

 

Regards,

 

Bill

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I honestly intended to come straight home and put the M2 on eBay... Really I did... I only wanted that Summicron...

 

Congratulations BIll - an early Christmas present. If you ever do get the urge to move it on please remember some of us have been looking for an M2 for a while :)

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  • 4 weeks later...

And here, after some delay, are some results.

 

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#1 and #4 are with the DR Summicron. 2, 3 and 5 are with a 90mm Collapsible Elmar I picked up for a song on Saturday :rolleyes:

 

Regards,

 

Bill

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Nice shots Bill, particularly the clock with the dark sky. The Elmar performs very well too. Is it the same as a 'normal' 90 f4?

 

I had a dual range Summicron on my M3, I didn't realise that it was seen as a 'special' lens. Wish I had the lens now! (the M3 and Summicron were traded against the R3 and 50 Summicron).

 

So, I take it that the M2's a keeper? ;)

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So, I take it that the M2's a keeper? ;)

 

Yes, Dammit!!! :p

 

Yes, I think the 90 collapsible is the same formulation (but I stand to be corrected). I strolled around on Saturday looking for one. There were some ugly examples to be seen (it seems to suffer badly from hyperactive front element cleaning sickness) and I found this one in RG Lewis. They knocked off £70, and threw in a neoprene Zing case for my M2 & lens, so I think I got a bargain. :cool: The 90 collapsible goes well with the M2, as it is contemporary.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

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>> Bill

 

 

With this splendid customer-biography you ought to become a member of the LEICA Historical Society instantly. With the help of some collegues there you could (probably) even save some money for more LEICA- keepers.

 

But maybe not, sounds like you got some VERY good deals ... Keep going and enjoy.

 

Very fine photos by the way ! Thx for sharing.

 

 

 

Best

 

_________________________________________

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Now go put and buy an M8, bring it home, and sell it on ebay - but keep the boxes so you can have somewhere safe to store your M2 /50 DR.....

 

LoL!

 

But I wouldn't want to devalue them...:D

 

Regards,

 

Bill

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Nice shots Bill, particularly the clock with the dark sky. The Elmar performs very well too. Is it the same as a 'normal' 90 f4?

 

I had a dual range Summicron on my M3, I didn't realise that it was seen as a 'special' lens. Wish I had the lens now! (the M3 and Summicron were traded against the R3 and 50 Summicron).

 

So, I take it that the M2's a keeper? ;)

 

Yes the collapsible Elmar 90 has the same lens design of the fixed mount version, but NOT of the very last, which has a 3 elements design (all the previous version of the Elmar 90 had the typical Elmar 4 glasses design); the last Elmar 90 (3 elem.) is usually regarded as the better (it exists also in SM version, rare) , but the top performer of the long series of "90 f4" is again a 4 glasses design... the Elmar-C for CL (and also the current collapsible Macro Elmar, of course...)

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Luigi, thanks for that. I bought the collapsible because I think it "feels" right with the M2. Interestingly, it was the least ugly of 6 I looked at, on Saturday. Although I'm not saying I couldn't get discount off the others I looked at, it was also one of the cheapest! The Classic Camera has one that looks like it has been cleaned with a brillo pad that is on for £150 more than I paid for mine...!

 

Regards,

 

Bill

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Luigi, thanks for that. I bought the collapsible because I think it "feels" right with the M2. Interestingly, it was the least ugly of 6 I looked at, on Saturday. Although I'm not saying I couldn't get discount off the others I looked at, it was also one of the cheapest! The Classic Camera has one that looks like it has been cleaned with a brillo pad that is on for £150 more than I paid for mine...!

 

Regards,

 

Bill

 

The £150 is for the shop fittings!

 

Gerry

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