Anybody want a black chrome Summar??

[colyn]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Leica-SM-50-2-B...nses?hash=item4141b0be3c&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

[Luddite Frank]

Is that a "real" Leitz lens, or a recent custom finish on a vintage example ?

 

[ZeissFan]

For a $1,000 from that overpricing "merchant?" No, thanks.

 

[colyn]

Is that a "real" Leitz lens, or a recent custom finish on a vintage example ?

It's a custom job...

 

[Mephiloco]

I don't know how kevincamera stays in business. Apparently he has good gear, but his prices are always ridiculous.

 

[david.elliott]

Well, he takes best offers on a lot of gear and apparently is willing to negotiate a little bit in price. Even so though, you really would pay a premium for his gear.

But if you look at his ebay feedback, from that alone he seems to sell a lot of stuff and at full price or close to it.

And on another note, his ratings confuse me. Little haze, some scratches etc means mint-.

:|

 

[Luddite Frank]

I'm curious about the finish... is this paint, or a "chemical" finish, like "Parkerizing" used on automotive fasteners... ?

Every Summar I have has major plating loss on the barrel; would not expect paint to hold-up there...

( PS: a friend posited that Leitz may have re-issued the Summar somewhere along the way ?)

LF

 

[grainhound]

I've bought a couple of things from Kevin. For example, I have a 35mm Summicron IV because 1] threads on RFF at the time rated it highly, and 2] Kevin had one with a cracked focusing tab, glued together by the previous owner, with perfect glass for about $200 less than the least expensive going price at that time on the usual auction site, or any other source I could find. I later got the focusing tab replaced by Gerry Smith, and my total outlay was less than the price I've seen almost anywhere. Kevin charges more for cosmetic condition than glass condition, maybe because he sells a lot to collectors. He also sells gear I haven't seen anywhere else.
He's expensive, but I regard a purchase from him as a kind of insurance. Based on my experiences, I get what I thought I was buying, in the condition he described, or better to my eye. That is not true of some other vendors; I won't buy from the usual auction site unless I know the vendor.

 

[colyn]

I'm curious about the finish... is this paint, or a "chemical" finish, like "Parkerizing" used on automotive fasteners... ?

It looks to be black anodized or black chromed..

 

[LeicaTom]

That`s not an original Leitz finish.....it`s custom made just like those guys in Poland who ruin good Leica`s when they gold plate them, real sad 🙁

This lens is`nt worth more than what it cost to plate it....... well we all know how crazy Kevin`s prices are, his website is always a good place to get estimates on what items are worth, you just look at his prices, cut them in half and then take another 25% to 40% off that price off and you have the TRUE value of whatever item your pricing. 😀 silly!

I`m pretty sure selling cameras is`nt his day job, or he`d had been out of business long ago......

Tom

 

[Simon Larbalestier]

I've bought quite a few lenses from Kevin in the past with lots of email communication
in between. He has some good quality kit.

 

[John Shriver]

If you want a used lens or camera now, and are willing to pay and not wait, and to be certain of quality, Kevin is clearly the place to go. But, to keep things in stock, you need to sell them for about twice the normal going price. I've seen the same thing in other collectible fields.

 

[Vince Lupo]

I've dealt with Kevin in the past, and have actually visited him in Los Angeles. He has really great quality stuff and he is a super guy, but I'll admit that I'm frequently blown away by a lot of his prices. I guess he's targeting a different segment of the market than where many of us are (at least where I am anyway!). That said, if he did have something I wanted and the price was decent, I would buy from him again.

 

[roundg]

I'm often blown away by his price. But several years ago, I bought a Minolta Mc Rokkok-x 58mm/F1.2 from him at a reasonable price and very decent shape. Very smooth transaction.

 

[Robert Hooper]

I have purchased from Kevin Cameras myself. He often has accessories I have only seen in Hove collectable books. Looking through his online store is pretty interesting. He is especially good at coming up with hard to find items like obscure lens hoods or caps. Of course, you pay for this service. He has certainly found himself a niche business.

Another interesting catalogue to look through is at Collectable Cameras. Again, they are on the expensive side, (though slightly less so), but are reputable like Kevin as well.