Huck Finn
Well-known
anselwannab said:
I've never bought a used camera. I've bought used lenses, but never a used camera. I'va always felt that there's little that can go wrong mechanically with a lens but a lot that can go wrong mechanically with a the moving parts of a camera. Dante Stella has an article on his website to the same effect, so I know that I'm not the only one who feels this way.
When buying used - especially on the internet, which is where the major savings are available - there are the inherent problems of the inknown history of the camera, the unreliability of the seller's description, the possible (if not likely) additional cost of a CLA, & the lack of a warranty unless you're buying from a reputable dealer, in which case it's probably a short term warranty. Some people are comfortable with such a purchase; others like me are not.
Peter is absolutely right that for the same money, you can probably buy an M6 in very good condition. It seems to me that what the Zeiss Ikon is all about is that it is offering the consumer a choice. In the past, my only option for that money was the minty Leica; now there is a high quality alternative new for the same price. When peo;e compare, there may be features on the ZI that they like better - like the longer baseline or the the ZI viewfinder or the AE. Some may even prefer the lighter weight of the ZI.
More choices normally energize a market, so this is a good thing for the rangefinder market as long as the ZI QC program has avoided the reliability issues of the Konica Hexar RF. Of course, sometime within the next year you'll also be able to buy a used ZI for even less, providing even more choice.
Huck
phototone
Well-known
The only cameras I HAVE purchased new, are digital ones. And that is only because I needed the newest technology for my business. All my film cameras, from 35mm up to 8x10 were purchased used, and I have lots of cameras. I am not afraid to "go inside" and fix things, though.
JohnL
Very confused
Still don't see any available from anwhere ... 
Huck Finn
Well-known
John, they're available from Dr. Joseph Yao. He can be reached at joseph@yao.com. Other dealers with whom I've spoken expect to be reciving them by the end of thid week.
Huck
Huck