AShearer
Established
Or; how I changed my mind in mid-purchase.
I recently had the good fortune to be in NYC picking up my son, who had just finished his internship. What better to do than visit Tamarkin? For those who have never been there or aren't somehow aware of the shop, it's on the 19th floor of 215 Park Ave S. . It could be a dentist office. Definitely not a retail storefront. Virtually all of their business is mail order and net. But the shop is nice. They have a number of items on display as well as a small but very interesting exhibit of vintage gear.
The ability to handle the items I was looking to buy was a huge plus. I had already decided before leaving home to purchase an M7 and a wider lens. I owned an M6, 50/2 and 90/2.8. . The decision on a 35 ASPH/2 was easy. They had a couple in stock. I picked the one in better condition (mint)..done! On to the body. I looked at the five or six M7's they had. While I had it my head that I wanted a chrome, when I saw them, I was a little less sure. The chrome m7s were both ala-carte demos that had MP skins and tops. The lack of detail, engraving, nameplates etc. just turned me off. <purists attack here 🙂 The black M7's were all in exc or better shape and all seemed to work great. I was narrowing. Then I picked up a black MP. That was all she wrote. After a great deal of discussion and good advice from Craig about the fragile black enamel, I made the decision to go with the MP regardless. To me, the very slight extra size of the M7, and the electronics were slight turnoffs. The MP just grabbed me. It's truly perfect. This is neither an indictment of the M7 or an endorsement of the MP for anyone else. It just struck me that I changed my mind so quickly after handling the cameras. Overall, I made a great transaction with Craig and could not be happier. The MP I bought is a Leica Certified. It looks absolutely new, not a mark on it. I got a reasonable deal and after a week, I could not be happier with the decision.
Had I ordered the M7 by mail, I probably would be perfectly happy. But it's interesting how things turn when you have it all laid out in front of you. It was definitely worth the small side trip to lower Manhattan.
I recently had the good fortune to be in NYC picking up my son, who had just finished his internship. What better to do than visit Tamarkin? For those who have never been there or aren't somehow aware of the shop, it's on the 19th floor of 215 Park Ave S. . It could be a dentist office. Definitely not a retail storefront. Virtually all of their business is mail order and net. But the shop is nice. They have a number of items on display as well as a small but very interesting exhibit of vintage gear.
The ability to handle the items I was looking to buy was a huge plus. I had already decided before leaving home to purchase an M7 and a wider lens. I owned an M6, 50/2 and 90/2.8. . The decision on a 35 ASPH/2 was easy. They had a couple in stock. I picked the one in better condition (mint)..done! On to the body. I looked at the five or six M7's they had. While I had it my head that I wanted a chrome, when I saw them, I was a little less sure. The chrome m7s were both ala-carte demos that had MP skins and tops. The lack of detail, engraving, nameplates etc. just turned me off. <purists attack here 🙂 The black M7's were all in exc or better shape and all seemed to work great. I was narrowing. Then I picked up a black MP. That was all she wrote. After a great deal of discussion and good advice from Craig about the fragile black enamel, I made the decision to go with the MP regardless. To me, the very slight extra size of the M7, and the electronics were slight turnoffs. The MP just grabbed me. It's truly perfect. This is neither an indictment of the M7 or an endorsement of the MP for anyone else. It just struck me that I changed my mind so quickly after handling the cameras. Overall, I made a great transaction with Craig and could not be happier. The MP I bought is a Leica Certified. It looks absolutely new, not a mark on it. I got a reasonable deal and after a week, I could not be happier with the decision.
Had I ordered the M7 by mail, I probably would be perfectly happy. But it's interesting how things turn when you have it all laid out in front of you. It was definitely worth the small side trip to lower Manhattan.
