Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/09/08

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re: [Leica] New or used M6?
From: thomas boehm <toboehm@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 05:27:32 -0700 (PDT)

- ---Tommy Olsson  wrote:
> Now I wonder if a
> used M6 in good condition is a good buy or is it better to wait,
save some
> more money and get a new one? 

hello tommy,

i'm also one of the "younger" leica-users - i use a M6 since one and a
half year; and i'm absolutely happy with it - the 35 mm summicron is
the main lens. for tele-work, i prefer my "old" nikon f4 (i would like
the R8 for that, as long as i watch the LUG - but the money....;-)

to your question: a leica is more than other cameras build to last for
years & generations! so, a good second-hand M6 can serve you a very
long time; maybe you can safe about 30 to 40 % price compared to a new
one - but second-hand, they are hardly realy "cheap" as i watched here
in austria. if you have time, as you say, you could look arround for a
nice "occasion"... maybe you meet some nice person, who wants to give
away his "old" M6 for the comming M6-TTL...

on the other side: a new camera is a new camera - with warranty! my M6
needed a service after about 3/4 years of use - and i was happy, that
this was a case of warranty and i did'nt have to pay an expensive
cleaning (of the shutter,  that did'nt work at low temperatures &
short exposures).

another thing to mention can be, that you can "write off" the purchase
of a new camera from income-taxes, if you use it professionaly.

 anyway, i would say, that a used leica is a lesser risk to buy than
lots of other cameras... if you can trust the seller, i see no problem.

some good leica-shops give a period off warranty also for theyr used
equipement.

maybe, steven gandys great side can help you more for your decision:
http://www.cameraquest.com/mguide.htm
notice, what he writed (some time ago) about the big leica-rebattes
for new M6s in the USA... i did'nt see such great rebattes here in
austria, but maybe in sweden...

an other great site (if you don't know yet) is the one of the swede
hans pahlen - with some words about used leicas...:
http://www.komvux.skola.mark.se/hp635.htm
maybe you can contact hans pahlen personaly.

have luck!

thomas böhm
imst, austria










_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com