Yesterday I had my first opportunity to handle an M6 (non-TTL) in a shop, all I can say now is IT'S GORGEOUS, and really has that feel. I really decided I want it, and came to the conclusion I'll happily divide from my highly-efficient-beloved F100 (which serves me quite well, I just can't justify it anymore, no sports, no wildlife, no macro). In case you're curious, this is the kind of shoots I do: http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=145130 (some of you may remeber it) As a side note, people on this forum are highly responsible for this accident... Now the question, I can only afford a beaten body, this one in particular has just a dent on the top plate, at the level of the hot shoe, in front of it. I checked the rangefinder for vertical and horizontal alignment and it's ok. I also checked shutter speeds, they seem appropriate relatively to each other, but a tad slow (the 1s was IMO more a 1.5-2s). The price is horrible, but gear is obscenely expensive here in Italy: €1400! Is there something I should be particularly suspicious about, other then shutter and vf adjustment? It comes with a full 6months warranty from the italian official importer (Polyphoto). Also, I would have liked to start with a recent summicron 50, but in my price range I could more easily fit a collapsible summicron. Is it much worse than more recent versions? I have to admit it's lovely when retracted and has a nice retro' stile, but I found the infinity lock extremely annoying, it was hard to focus on not-so-infinite objects (say, 20m) just for the lock. I'm going to look for other M6 bodies to compare but as a starting point I'd appreciate a lot your input. Thank you very much.

-- Antonio Carrus (antoniocarrus@yahoo.it), December 19, 2001

Answers

Eu1400($US1,260) sound a lot to me for the M6 you describe.Have a good look around and try Ebay, where for less than $1,500 you can pick up a new one from the UK.

-- David Seaman (Lincolnshire,England) (david@leicam.freeserve.co.uk), December 19, 2001.

That collapsable summicron is a 1950's design lens. Get something more recent and you will be happier. You should be able to get a current or next to latest design summicron for about $500 US. If that is too much, go for one of those cosina/voigtlander screw mount 50mm lenses, which I think are only about $350 US new, and quite sharp.

Get your camera from someone reputable! Ebay is a real roll of the dice, IMO. I find the best deals are from repair people, who seem to always have a camera or two for sale (and the cameras have always just received a CLA, as an added benefit). The camera you looked at is not a good deal if the slow speeds are sticking. You would need to budget another $200 or so for a CLA. As the other fellow pointed out, for this money you might as well buy an M6 new. Good luck!

-- Bob (bobkramer@coopercarry.com), December 19, 2001.

Antonio, have you tried Luigi Crescenzi at

www.leicatime.com

He is one of Europe's largest used Leica dealers, with quite a large stock and very reputable. I have dealt with him. His item descriptions are scrupulously honest, and prices are honest too.

in Rome: PHONE # ++3906 4425 1212 (ANSWERING MACHINE, TOO) and ++39 337 747633

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), December 19, 2001.

Thank you very much for your advice. Having never dealt with ebay I'm a little concerned about it. And I recognize the price is quite high for this sample, but alas it's in line with the majority of used cameras dealers here (Milan). Grazie Mani, I've just written to Mr. Crescenzi hoping to find something more acceptable.

As for the collapsible, I've done a research on this forum just to conclude it's not such a great lens (as it should, since it's going to be my only lens for both BW and slides for a looong time!)

Thank you again for the valuable help.

-- Antonio Carrus (antoniocarrus@yahoo.it), December 19, 2001.

Antonio:

I went on your page and liked all of them. Your lady model is very cute (photo "and now?" or 405254), er if you could convey to her the opinion...

Back to the tech. I'm a R user so my opinion counts for nothing.

Just the usual, look for the dents, ask for the service history (as for a car...). Ebay? Yes usually less expensive but you have collectors with $$$$ and you can expect them to raise methodically the auction.

Try the monthly magazine of your country. Here, it is possible to find very good deals in "Chasseur d'Images" from people short of a few €€€€, selling their gear. However, I would rate better those deals than "Ex-demo" deals.

Time to break the piggy bank?

What about a Konica? For the type of photo you show us, it's a serious alternative.

Ciao. Xavier.

-- Xavier d'Alfort (hot_billexf@hotmail.com), December 19, 2001.

Hi Antonio,

For the US$1500 you could get a brand new M6 TTL if you buy from Hong Kong dealers. Also a brand new 50 Summicron costs US$600. I've tried Tin Cheung Camera Co. and New Sankyo and had bought many gear from them with total satisfaction. Their prices are very competitive even though I included the shipping fees. Their items are brand new with manufacturer's warranty, i.e. you need to return the cameras/lenses to Leica in Germany for repairs if needed. It's still a better buy than getting a beaten used body!

-- Fred Lee (leefred@cadvision.com), December 19, 2001.