Why can't i find worn out Ms?

Keep an eye on the eBay auctions done by the drop-off auction storefronts, charities, etc. I was very lucky and spotted an M3 described in the title as having rangefinder separation. It looked just plain grubby, but I suspected that it had belonged to a heavy smoker and might not be that bad mechanically. Since the serial number was above 1,100,000 -- by which time Leitz is said to have sorted out some of the problems with the adhesives in the rangefinder -- I even had hope that the "rangefinder separation" might just be grime. Bidding didn't go very high and I won the auction at $355.

So far it looks like my guesses were good (knock on wood). The camera smelled like an old ashtray when I got it, but the exterior has cleaned up nicely. The advance and shutter work well. The rangefinder is indeed very dim and misaligned, but it doesn't black out as it would with separation. I'm optimistic that a cleaning, lube and adjustment and minor service (about $300) will make it a good user. That would bring the total to about $650, which isn't bad at all for a solid M3.

Good luck and happy hunting!

P.S. Keh's website seems to be down. I haven't gotten through to it all day.
 
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CameraQuest said:
probably because you haven't asked Tom A.

Stephen
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He already teased us with knowledge of his 14 M2s, and he isn't selling. You know the saying, "He with the most toys wins." I am thinking Tom may be in the lead.
 
Thanks for the good suggestions, guys!
Many of them are in the US, and I'm in Italy. There's the ocean between us. So do you think that with taxes, custom fees and other stuff I would pay an eventual camera as a new M7? 🙁
 
laptoprob said:
My recently bought was so beat up I decided to paint it black and get grey leather on her. Now she looks nice with the chrome controls. The viewfinder was hazy and the selftimer is still iffy, but all is relatively well now. For 130 euros and some DIY not bad I guess.
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wow! that's the kind of deal I'm looking for!!!
but I think I'm not so lucky...
 
Patients will pay off vin, keep an eye out and be ready, but don't feel rushed to jump on the first camera that comes up. Keep reading and learning while you wait and when you do buy, you will feel more knowledgeable and confident in your purchase, you will know you got the "right one."
 
rover said:
It was up last night for me. I went shopping (window shopping) after reading this thread.
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False alarm on my part, it seems. Keh comes up fine on the Windows machine, never appears on the Linux box I just upgraded (to SuSE 10.2). The upgrade also installed Firefox 2, and my guess is that it can't handle the Active Server Pages (a Microsoft "standard") that Keh uses. I remember having to loosen some of my security settings to get it to work on Firefox 1.

Thanks for the note, Rover. I wouldn't have thought to try another machine. Now I can do some window shopping too!
 
-vin-

Do send an email to Tom A., like the head bartender suggested.

He has the largest M2 collection out there ....

Roland.
 
mjflory said:
False alarm on my part, it seems. Keh comes up fine on the Windows machine, never appears on the Linux box I just upgraded (to SuSE 10.2). The upgrade also installed Firefox 2, and my guess is that it can't handle the Active Server Pages (a Microsoft "standard") that Keh uses. I remember having to loosen some of my security settings to get it to work on Firefox 1.

Thanks for the note, Rover. I wouldn't have thought to try another machine. Now I can do some window shopping too!
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That's weird because I can never seem to load up KEH on my linux box either at work (maybe at home? I can't recall), but it always works fine on my Windows boxes. I know it has nothing to do with Firefox 2, since that's the browser I use on both OS's.
 
ferider said:
-vin-

Do send an email to Tom A., like the head bartender suggested.

He has the largest M2 collection out there ....

Roland.
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I've sent him a pm. let's see if he answers...
bartender, a mojito, please! 🙂
 
great deal?

great deal?

-vin- said:
wow! that's the kind of deal I'm looking for!!!
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There is one now on marktplaats.nl, stuck at 150 euros. Probably the seller wants more. I can try to get it for you if you want. What's the maximum?
search marktplaats for: Leica m2 uit 1961 met gebruikssporen
that means Leica M2 from 1962 with signs of use. Not a lot of useful info in the rest of the text.

good luck!
 
jkelly said:
I picked up my beater M3 (with perfect mechanics and optics) on Ebay a little over a year ago for $380. Just be patient.
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I picked up a non-working M3 at an estate sale a couple of months ago for $15. Sent it out to DAG for overhaul..$290

When I get it back I'll have a $305 M3
 
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