[Leica] Re: used camera grading

[Jim Brick <jim_brick@agilent.com>]

At 06:19 AM 11/13/00 -0800, D Dailey wrote:
>Anyone who sells a camera as mint, which has been used at all,
>is using the internet for mail fraud... a federal crime.
>Since Leica is certainly one of the premiere (if not THE premiere) lenses in 
>the world,
>"mint" should, in fact, be supported by this list to mean exactly the same 
>thing.
>Let's start a movement of improvement in this!
>"At Standard-"
>Dave

What you have described above is the LN designation, that is, all papers,
bags, and boxes, and no "sign" of ever being used.

MINT is no marks, scratches, dents, or other signs of use, basically a near
perfect specimen, length of use is immaterial.

ANY brand new lens and or camera that you buy from any dealer, could easily
have been on many cameras while customers look at them, look through the
camera, click click clikc, etc. They may have been handled dozens of times
since boxes are NOT sealed and showcase samples are not plentiful. No one
is going to lay out $1500 - $6000 for a lens and/or camera without the
ability to play with it extensively at the store or return it within a few
days if it is not what you want. This happens hundreds, perhaps thousands
of times daily. I do it as do all of my colleagues.

So that "band new" camera/lens that you buy from any dealer may well have
been fondled till the cows come home.

Cameras and lenses are a little different than stamps and coins.

The used camera industry (as well as the LUG) pretty much have the grading
system down pat. It's the eBay junkies that are off in another world.

Jim