RE: [Leica] collectors and used Leica rareness.....

["B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

....I suspect that the major influence
> is due to users.... I base that somewhat on the following
>
> In the issue of Shutterbug that I surveyed...
>
> The M4-2 was the rarest of the M models I counted...  out of the 336 M
> cameras I found, there were over 100 M-3's, M-4's came in second, M-2's
> third, M-6's a close 4th, M-5's 5th, M4-P's  slightly edging out the
> M-4-2's last with around 15 or so of each.   Several of the M4-2's were
> the Chrome versions with collector prices.   If someone wants the
> specifics I can find the tally sheet. There are more M cameras out there
> among the Shutterbug  dealers as several don't list all of the cameras
> they have in stock.
>
> Except for the M-5,  the user cameras M-6, M4-P and M4-2 are far harder
> to find than the collectible ones.

Hi Duane - I suspect we're both right.:-) The reason there are so few
"users" is that so many people treat their Leicas like newborn babes,
protecting them from the slightest hint of wear in the bizarre belief that
if it says Leica, it will be collectable. I was appalled when I bought my M6
and the dealer had a heart attack because he saw me immediately pull the
plastic off the bottom and I handed him back all the packaging except for
the white plastic box. (Hey, I was buying a camera to use, not an art object
to ogle ). It's not that the users drive up prices, its that there so few
"users" because people take such good care of the equipment. Go into any
camera store with a decent stock of "previously" owned equipment and compare
it to the N or C equipment of similar vintage. The N or C stuff will be
"USED," while much of the Leica stuff looks pristine. That has far more to
do with how the equipment has been treated than it does the quality of the
equipment. (I have a black Nikon F - no meter - from about 1972 that I
bought used for $225. It's got lots of brassing, some dings and dents, but
after a recent CLA it works like it did the day it left the factory.)

Again, I don't fault collectors for collecting, but I think we have to
acknowledge that the fact that Leicas are often treated like Object d'art by
their owners has a lot to do with keeping the prices high. Which brings me
back to a post that got me in trouble about six months ago, something about
many Leicas being purchased by those who are terrifically skilled at
cleaning teeth  - or helping people sleep in operating rooms - but are  more
interested in the name plate on their cameras than in the quality of photos
produced - but I certainly don't want to go THERE again. :-)

(And I know that some of you are both medical and dental practitioners and
far better photographers than I...:-))