Re: [Leica] Deals we shouldn't oughta have made

[Vick Ko <vick.ko@sympatico.ca>]

Okay - so here it goes.  This is so stupid (and self revealing) that I wish I
could send it anonymously.

In '77 I must have accummulated two M3's, an M4, an M5 with Noctilux.

I sold or gave away most of the cameras but this story is about the M5.
From '77 to '83, I didn't use this stuff, and by then, I had landed a job as
a lens designer at Leitz Canada, in Midland.  I was surrounded by Leica
bits and pieces.

I left in '86, and my only remaining item was the M5.  I took it to a camera
store to sell on consignment, and they called me telling me that the shutter
had jammed, and that it might cost me $300 to fix.

I took the camera back, and thought - hey - let's take off a few screws and
see for myself.  I mean, I used to look over the assembly drawings at Leitz.
Well, a few screws too many, and I no longer cared if the thing ever got
re-assembled, and it all got put into a box (actually, maybe even the M5 box
itself).

That was a lifetime ago, and now, I am re-assembling that mini-collection,
at what I consider are frightening prices.

..."don't ever give me a set of instrument screwdrivers again"...



"Henning J. Wulff" wrote:

> At 7:42 PM -0700 6/23/00, Doug Herr wrote:
> >On Fri, 23 June 2000, "Walter Levy" wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> In the spirit of the recent "Stupid photography mistakes" thread, I suggest
> >> this "Deals we shouldn't oughta have made" and I'll offer my sad tale of woe
> >> (or is that woeful tale of sadness?)  Sold a lovely IIIg with 5cm
> >> collapsible Elmar(?) for $400 in the 80s.  The guy who bought it sent his
> >> wife in while he waited in the car (probably for a quick getaway!)  She
> >> plunked down the cash, grabbed the camera and was off like a shot.  $400...
> >> sheesh!
> >>
> >> Anybody else want to step up to the plate?
> >>
> >> - Walter
> >
> >Here's another, but it's a deal I should have made.  While browning
> >through the local ad paper I came across an ad describing an "old German
> >camera with 3 lenses, $300".  My curiosity got the best of me and I called.
> >
> >The owner wasn't sure what kind of camera it was, it had been her mother's
> >and had hardly ever been used.  She then looked at the camera and said it
> >some script on the top of it said "Leica" and in another place was
> >engraved "M3".  Once I picked my jaw up from the floor I tried to imagine
> >how I could come up with $300, really quick.  Unfortunately I was more
> >broke than I'd ever wanted to be and it was a choice between the camera
> >and starving the kids for a month.
> >
>
> So did your kids recover without too many ill effects? ;-)
>
>    *            Henning J. Wulff
>   /|\      Wulff Photography & Design
>  /###\   mailto:henningw@archiphoto.com
>  |[ ]|     http://www.archiphoto.com