I am no trader, but I've been through so much gear that my fiance thinks I am. But going through so much gear has taught me how to seek and find the "Ultimate" deal when buying. So far with Leica I have been fortunate to come across two fantastic deals, allowing me to get into the Leica range with "financial ease".

Firstly, I traded my Nikon gear for a Leica setup, including a M6 and a Summilux 35/1.4 Apsherical (first edition), where the lens cost me US$1200. I then traded that lens for a current version Summilux 35/1.4 Asph, APO Summicron 90/2 Asph with a 1.25X Magnifier and Leica filter (All new-straight swap).

Secondly, I recently purchased a Summicron 50/2 (current version) for only US$300, with case in very good condition.

So a little wit, combined with a couple of strokes of luck have lead to owning a fantastic kit, even though I am having trouble getting along with the Summicron 90 (focusing). I am very fortunate.

So tell me about your fantastic stories of luck in finding Leica gear (please no dealers).

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), April 18, 2002

Answers

Sorry, "relatively financial ease".

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), April 18, 2002.

I remember once when I bought a 75/1.5 Summilux for $49.95. Good deal. I did get a good deal on a Nikon F w/3 lenses and a M2 w/35/50 DR/90 mm with filters, cases,finders, etc. All for $1400. The Nikon F was serial # 6404372 with a tick mark 50mm lens. Ebayed the Nikon for $1275.

-- chris a williams (LeicaChris@worldnet.att.net), April 18, 2002.

A Summilux 75/1.4 for only $49.95? I'll offer you $50.00 for it???...if not, will you take $100- that's more than 100% profit you know!!!

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), April 18, 2002.

My Elmar-C 90mm f4 for 132 dollars was the bomb deal I ever got. I use it quite a bit so it's not a museum piece by far :)

I want a free Leica however. May it drop from the sky!

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), April 19, 2002.

Well Kristian, I can't profess to having the luck you've experienced but I consider myself lucky in the sense that I am now where I want to be in terms of gear purchases (35-50-75-90) and feel no overwhelming desire to swap or trade any of it. Also, with my current project all of the gear sees good use (35/75 for low-light shots, 50/90 daytime street). It would be nice to have a third user body though. One thing that I've really lucked out on is film. $2.79 CDN for 1 roll of Agfa APX100 (or 400). Can't beat that. Also, I've really lucked out in finding innovative individuals who are enthusiastic about my project. Many hands make light work.

Regards, (and I hope that you and Erlina have come to a mutually amiable compromise).

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), April 19, 2002.

Hi Kristian,

The best deal I got on a Leica occurred late last year. I went to Camera Action in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne ( being a Melbournite you will know where this is . I was dropping off a roll of film for development when I saw a gentleman trying to sell a Leica to the store for cash. I noticed it was an M2 he was tryng to sell. It was in excellent condition. It had a few scrathes here and there but the vulcanite was in pefect condition.

Camera Action offered him $450 AUD. He rejected it. He said he wanted $500 AUD. They wouldn't offer it to him so I did. A great M2 for $500 AUD or the equivalent of $250US. A ripper deal

It is a great camera. The second best Leica M ever made following the M3.

Regards,

Tony Salce

-- Tony Salce (NadinaTony@bigpond.com), April 19, 2002.

As far as deals go: As my main film I prefer to shoot the 'consumer' Agfa CT-100 which costs me (incl. development !) right now about EUR 2/roll for 27 slides. which is a bit less than 2 $. Unfortunately I do not find the time to make extensive use of it ...
Every piece of gear I have in contrast to that is quite expensive ...

-- Kai Blanke (kai.blanke@iname.com), April 19, 2002.

Best deal was my DS M3 w/50 f2. Worked in a camera store at one time, guy walked in with it as a trade for an AE1. Owner of the store hated Leica but offered him 200. The guy accepted the offer the owner turned around and sold it to me for 250. Still use and love it.

-- Andy Wagner (awagner@core.com), April 19, 2002.

I bought a DS M3 with 50mm Summirit, 400mm f5 Telyt with Visoflex 1 at a pawn shop for $150.00 when I was in college. I didn't know what Leica was at that time, but I knew it was a well constructed camera plus I had to get it away from the pawn shop. The owner was putting his finger on the Telyt's mirror. I quickly raised the cash and bought the set up. I sold it all about five years ago for $1500.00.

I probably wouldn't have sold it if the Summirit wouldn't have been such a crappy lens. No contrast at all.

-- Chad Hahn (thehahns@cornhusker.net), April 19, 2002.

While traveling on assignment once, a lawyer I met in a bar gave me a Canon 135mm/3.5 rangefinder lens, w/case and finder. He had collected it in part-payment from some long-gone client, and it was gathering dust in his office. Fixed the dented filter ring, found an M-adapter, and 20 years later, I still have it, and still use it.

-- Mark Sampson (MSampson45@aol.com), April 19, 2002.

Not Leica, but still ...

210/5.6 Emil Busch Rathenow Nicola Perscheid @ $42, tax included, from a junk shop.

100/6.3 Zeiss Luminar @ $25 from a dealer at, of all the unlikely places, a camera show.

100/6.3 and 50/3.5 Reichert Neupolars @ $28 delivered purchased through, of all the improbable venues, eBay.

45/4.5 CZ Jena Mikrotar @ $10 at another camera show.

I'll probably never see finds like that again.

-- Dan Fromm (76266.333@compuserve.com), April 19, 2002.

This is quite recent:

An amateur who contributes here, Ned Learned, bought by mistake a 24mm/2.8 R reflex, new. He agreed to sell it to me for a very reasonable sum.

Then a few days later, I found a lovely 35mm/F2 R serie for 350 Euros, bought it. Then I could trade in a battered 35mm/F2 I had before against a 90mm F/2 Canadian, a bit battered but with Elpro III attachement.

And I receive a check at the end of these transactions.

Of course, trading in means loosing, here the dealer take 20%. However, at the end of the day, I have a lovely gear for my R7 without spending money in excess. Xavier

-- Xavier d'Alfort (hot_billexf@hotmail.com), April 19, 2002.

Once searched high and low for a good price on a Nikon FE2 second-hand, looking in camera shops on my travels around the U.S. and Canada. Could only find them in the $400-450 range. Then one day I went to my local camera store in Florence, South Carolina to pick up a roll of film, and there on the shelf was a nice FE2 for $150, and a pair of FE's at $160 and $175 -- they obviously did not know their true worth, since the FE2 is the later and more valuable camera. I bought the FE2 and later regretted not buying the FE's at the same time.

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), April 19, 2002.

Best deals were mint m3 with 50mm DR $700.00 right before prices escalated...Recently late 3.5 Rollie ex+ twin 5 element 28,000+ $150.00...and the best...12x20 Korona with Dagor ...$600.00!!!

-- Emile de Leon (knightpeople@msn.com), April 19, 2002.