loquax ludens
Well-known
The idea of buying an MP has been growing and gradually solidifying in my mind over the past few weeks. I don't need another camera. I just want it. I've wanted an MP since they came out in 2003, but I couldn't spend the money then. Now they cost more than ever, but such is life; the dollar is also worth less now than it was then.
I was especially attracted to the hammer tone model at first, and I swore I would someday have one. But now I'm more attracted to the silver chrome model. It has a classic look that reminds me of my IIIc. Anyway I'm a camera user, not a collector, and it seems that the hammer tone cameras are more the collectible sort.
The black MP is pretty nice looking too, albeit a bit intense, but frankly I'm more interested in getting a used MP in top condition for a good price than I am about the color. The color and finish are of secondary importance.
I would like to find an MP that is like new, as mint as possible, but costing a good bit less than a brand new one. The new ones seem to be priced pretty consistently at about $5000. Good looking used ones on ebay seem to be in the low $3k range.
I have some questions to help me get started on my MP quest. I greatly appreciate any guidance that any of you might offer.
In case I missed it, are there any sources of new MPs for less than $4995? It's a long shot, I know.
Are there other good sources of used MPs besides ebay?
Aside from the normal concerns about ebay buying, about which I'm very familiar, are there particular things to watch out for when buying a used MP? For example, are there particular serial number boundaries at which important improvements were made? Did Leica fix the loose top problem I have read about? Where is the serial number boundary for that? I have read that they changed the ISO dial and made it less apt to be turned accidentally at some point. Also the DIN numbers were removed from the ISO dial, but that is a change that is unimportant to me since I only care about the ASA numbers.
I'm an eyeglass wearer, but even with correction, my eyesight is not all that great. I have trouble focusing some of my cameras. I do just fine with my Bessa R in just about any light. It has a .68 magnification viewfinder if I recall correctly. But I can only focus my IIIc in good light. I know that many people say that the .58 viewfinder is better for eyeglass wearers, but I'm afraid in my case it would make the image inside the frame lines too small and compound my focusing difficulty. And I wonder if focal length preference factors in to the equation.
I tend to prefer portraits and intimate shots in the 35mm format. Consequently, I most often choose the 50mm to 90mm range with a 35mm RF, and 50 to 200 with a 35mm SLR. I frequently use a 35mm with my Bessa R, but that's only because that's the lens that came with it. I like a 50mm better.
So, does the focal length preference factor into the viewfinder magnification choice? From the viewfinder pictures on the Leica web site, I think a .72 or .85 will be easier for me to focus with my preferred 50mm to 135mm focal length range, despite the fact that I wear eyeglasses.
If I end up with .72, which is the viewfinder found on the vast majority of used MPs, do you think I would run into problems being an eyeglass wearer trying to focus 50mm to 90mm lenses, and occasionally 35mm? Would an external top-mounted viewfinder enable me to see the frame lines for 35mm to 21mm lenses better?
Those are my starting questions. The viewfinder magnification question, in particular, has got me stopped dead in my tracks right now. I don't want to end up with a viewfinder I won't be comfortable with. And btw, I have no idea where I could possibly go to try out all three in person. I doubt there are any camera dealers in my area that would stock one of each. My guess is that if I could find one at a camera store, it would be a .72.
I was especially attracted to the hammer tone model at first, and I swore I would someday have one. But now I'm more attracted to the silver chrome model. It has a classic look that reminds me of my IIIc. Anyway I'm a camera user, not a collector, and it seems that the hammer tone cameras are more the collectible sort.
The black MP is pretty nice looking too, albeit a bit intense, but frankly I'm more interested in getting a used MP in top condition for a good price than I am about the color. The color and finish are of secondary importance.
I would like to find an MP that is like new, as mint as possible, but costing a good bit less than a brand new one. The new ones seem to be priced pretty consistently at about $5000. Good looking used ones on ebay seem to be in the low $3k range.
I have some questions to help me get started on my MP quest. I greatly appreciate any guidance that any of you might offer.
In case I missed it, are there any sources of new MPs for less than $4995? It's a long shot, I know.
Are there other good sources of used MPs besides ebay?
Aside from the normal concerns about ebay buying, about which I'm very familiar, are there particular things to watch out for when buying a used MP? For example, are there particular serial number boundaries at which important improvements were made? Did Leica fix the loose top problem I have read about? Where is the serial number boundary for that? I have read that they changed the ISO dial and made it less apt to be turned accidentally at some point. Also the DIN numbers were removed from the ISO dial, but that is a change that is unimportant to me since I only care about the ASA numbers.
I'm an eyeglass wearer, but even with correction, my eyesight is not all that great. I have trouble focusing some of my cameras. I do just fine with my Bessa R in just about any light. It has a .68 magnification viewfinder if I recall correctly. But I can only focus my IIIc in good light. I know that many people say that the .58 viewfinder is better for eyeglass wearers, but I'm afraid in my case it would make the image inside the frame lines too small and compound my focusing difficulty. And I wonder if focal length preference factors in to the equation.
I tend to prefer portraits and intimate shots in the 35mm format. Consequently, I most often choose the 50mm to 90mm range with a 35mm RF, and 50 to 200 with a 35mm SLR. I frequently use a 35mm with my Bessa R, but that's only because that's the lens that came with it. I like a 50mm better.
So, does the focal length preference factor into the viewfinder magnification choice? From the viewfinder pictures on the Leica web site, I think a .72 or .85 will be easier for me to focus with my preferred 50mm to 135mm focal length range, despite the fact that I wear eyeglasses.
If I end up with .72, which is the viewfinder found on the vast majority of used MPs, do you think I would run into problems being an eyeglass wearer trying to focus 50mm to 90mm lenses, and occasionally 35mm? Would an external top-mounted viewfinder enable me to see the frame lines for 35mm to 21mm lenses better?
Those are my starting questions. The viewfinder magnification question, in particular, has got me stopped dead in my tracks right now. I don't want to end up with a viewfinder I won't be comfortable with. And btw, I have no idea where I could possibly go to try out all three in person. I doubt there are any camera dealers in my area that would stock one of each. My guess is that if I could find one at a camera store, it would be a .72.
