[LRFlex] Finding bargains before the 'collectors' do...
- From: "steverose108" <steverose108@xxxxxxx>
- To: <leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 10:27:14 -0700
Well, all these stories are certainly encouraging. With luck one may get a
boon on the auction sites or even around town. I try to take good care of
folks in my auctions and generally have good karma in return... anyway we'll
see. I just paid $200 for the modern, second model- with box and paperwork-
35mm f/2 Summicron, a Chinese fellow in Denmark sold it cheap because it has
a dented filter ring/lens hood from being swung against something, something
pretty dense I would think. Like the Queen Mary. Still it looked pretty
nice and I have straightened out filter rings before....Supposedly the glass
is great and it takes photos fine. We'll see, it should be here in about a
week I would rather have a nice new one but.... and this allows me to enter
the rarified atmosphere of Leica SLRs at last without selling off one of my
teenagers (not much of a market for them anyway, too argumentative...) Of
course all you Leica enthusiasts must know the thrill of anticpation waiting
to see what the lens will be like...
Can someone please send me some links to pages where you or others have
Leica (RF would be interesting but mostly SLR lenses)
photos posted? I like to have a look and see what each is capable of? I have
pretty much given up on hunting on photo.sig, their search-by-lens etc. type
process is abysmally slow, and often just goes off into limbo. I would like
to see other photos made by the 35mm f/2 in particular as well as the
Summitar 50 (LTM of course). I have a beautiful and richly coated one with
what I think may be a pretty late serial number (near 80,xxxx) that seems
pretty nice and am considering keeping it but would like to see some other
photos particularly those done on color, or hear of your impressions of
it...
By the way, here's a tip, don't overlook garage or estate sales at
retirement communities, not just the regular housing areas....this is a
wonderful place to find European cameras of all types as many of these
fellows were in the service in '50s-60s postwar occupation abroad. Some of
these homes are run by churches for retired clergy or missionaries who came
back to the land of their birth for retirement, after a lifetime abroad, and
most seem to have been avid photogs with a taste for good equiptment, from
what I have seen. Most of these were just used for family use, not worn out
in professional use.
I bought a wonderful complete Rolleiflex set at one point that had all the
filters,gadgets etc. one could hope for at $100 last year, the steely-eyed
seller telling me he was firm on the price and not to attempt to bargain. I
certainly don't see similar quality items at the average garage sale, camera
store, pawn shops, etc so don't waste your time there. I am patiently
waiting for my mint M2 set to be there one Saturday morning, someday for
$75...
Now the darn Rollei mirrored lens cap alone brings $70 at auctions. Who is
buying this stuff at those prices? Collectors, not users, esp. from Asian
countries with a higher standard of living than that in the good ol' USA
here.
I may at some point get another lens or so, but I am thinking that the 35mm
will be a fine regular lens to keep on the camera. We all 'see' the world a
little different and I actually usually keep a 28 on as my 'normal' lens, I
confess to a weakness of trying to cram as much as possible into a picture.
Mostly take architectural/travel photos so this is not really inappropriate.
I went to China couple summers ago with a full kit of lenses (not Leica,
unfortunately, but OK Japanese SLR stuff) and found after shooting maybe 10
rolls of Ilford Delta 400 pro, that I had the 28mm on about 98% of the time.
So, from now on, I try to sit on my hands when I have the urge to buy other
focal lengths....Find that owning a 50 is a poor investment as I never use
it... the 1.4's generally have significant barrel distortion (Don't know
about the Leica version, I would assume it is a good as such a lens can be
made)... most mfgrs. F/2 is their best, most corrected 50 and we might as
well have the 35 f/2 on then, no?
I would like an 80 as you describe for the rare times I want something
longer than a wide angle, I like the way this somewhat longer lens makes
things pop out of the background in a way that often makes even mundane
things interesting. Yet when we go to 105s or 135s there is too much
compression, OK at times but not something I want constantly.
----- Original Message -----
From: <keith.r.edwards@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 6:26 AM
Subject: [LRFlex] Re: And I owe it all to Leica...
> It was said:
>
> >>But, due to the price, Leica owners tend to be 'of an age'. It's price
> >> prevents, in most cases, it's being the camera of choice for the
college
> >> student. Most of us have worked hard, to earn the price of the cameras
> >we love.
>
> This reminded me of the happy time when I bought my first Leica (Leicaflex
> SL). I was 19 at the time at University and the photoshop had an SL body
> in the window for £250 marked down to £199. It had a gouge out round the
> tripod mount where it had been fitted to a tripod and screwed in much too
> hard. It seemed to fire on all speeds so I decided to 'make an offer' as
> an impoverished student would and got it 'sold as seen' for £140 cash -
> it still works today! Of couse I didn't have a lens at this stage;-) but
> I managed to pick up a 2 cam 135mm lens a month or so for about £75 or so
> (3 cam were all the rage) and got started taking pictures of people.
> The collection has grown over the years with the R6 fitted with 80mm being
> the usual kit.
>
> Best regards
> Keith
>
> __________________________________________________________________
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