Evergreen States
Francine Pierre Saget (they/them)
The thing about the Ikon ZM is that, while Zeiss will still service it, some of the parts are no longer available, even for well-known failure points like the beam splitter of the rangefinder separating. It looks like a marvelous camera and I would love to have either an Ikon ZM or a Konica Hexar RF, but one of your chief criteria is repairability and I would only trust a Leica M for that.
Building off of Slumgullion's comments about the M6, the M6TTL specifically has the shutter release system pass through the metering circuit board so whenever that goes, you don't just lose the meter but the operability of the shutter itself. The 2021 M6 has different electrical components for the meter from the original M6 and from the M6TTL that are likely to have service support for years to come. But that's much more expensive than your budget can accommodate and you said you don't care about having a meter anyway. I reiterate my recommendation for the M2.
Building off of Slumgullion's comments about the M6, the M6TTL specifically has the shutter release system pass through the metering circuit board so whenever that goes, you don't just lose the meter but the operability of the shutter itself. The 2021 M6 has different electrical components for the meter from the original M6 and from the M6TTL that are likely to have service support for years to come. But that's much more expensive than your budget can accommodate and you said you don't care about having a meter anyway. I reiterate my recommendation for the M2.
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Evergreen States
Francine Pierre Saget (they/them)
One thing to be aware of is that you can have frame lines of a Leica masked out by a technician if you find them distracting. So if you ended up getting an M4 or M5 and found the 135mm frame lines distracting when shooting with a 35mm lens, you don't have to live with them. The process is reversible too. Leica Ms from the M4 on have the quick load pronged spool. I have an M3 which, like the M2, doesn't have this quick load spool. While it's more convoluted to load than a swing door 135 camera - needlessly so in my opinion - I do think the difficulty is overstated by some. I was able to get the hang of it by my second roll of film and so far have yet to load a roll improperly.
Slumgullion
Well-known
While, this is true, you can have whatever framelines blocked out, one of the mostly brilliant elements of the M5 is that the 135 framelines indicate the 'spot' meter area for the 35 framelines...so they're not purely visual clutter like they are on other M's.
das
Well-known
I would consider either the Konica Hexar RF or the Leica M7. After one or both of those, you will probably not ever be tempted by any other M-mount rangefinder (maybe the M3 or Bessa R4, because they both do something different). 
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.Out to Lunch
Ventor
Could you share the source of this information? Cheers, OtL
Evergreen States
Francine Pierre Saget (they/them)
That sounds quite lovely. I'd love to have an M5 if I had the money. The more I read about it the more impressed I am with the thought that was put into it.
Evergreen States
Francine Pierre Saget (they/them)
It was @Slumgullion in another thread here on RFF recounting his repair experience. I could be misremembering the exact problem with the rangefinder mechanism, however.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
Thanks! I bought two of them 15 years ago and I'll write to Zeiss and share their feedback once received.
Slumgullion
Well-known
I had mine serviced in Oberkochen two years ago. At that time they still had parts. Turn around and price were relatively reasonable.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
A good friend has (maybe had at this point, I'm not sure) a Zeiss Ikon ZM. It's a lovely camera in many ways, but when his needed service, finding someone to do it was very difficult and, finally, sending it to Zeiss took almost a year to get the repair done. Also, when he put it on the market, the resale value was virtually nil. For these reasons, I'd not be inclined to buy one.
Yes, some bits for the older M6 metering circuitry are long unavailable (I remember one of my camera tech friends telling me about that about ten years ago).
I'm a little confused by your statements about the M6TTL shutter release ... What do you mean by "the M6TTL specifically has the shutter release system pass through the metering circuit board so whenever that goes, you don't just lose the meter but the operability of the shutter itself"? As far as I'm aware, the shutter release mechanism triggers the metering circuit to turn on and off, but operates entirely mechanically otherwise. If releasing the shutter was dependent upon the metering circuitry, if you remove the battery from the camera, the shutter should be inoperative. This is not the case: I just tested. Remove the battery and the shutter release operates the shutter at every shutter setting, and the shutter times are as the setting indicates (as far as a visual inspection and auditory feedback can determine...). Is there something else that you're referring to?
I don't expect that the M6 metering circuitry, or the M6TTL circuitry, are particular fragile or destined for demise in the near future on a camera that hasn't been abused or allowed to have internal corrosion damage the electronics (typically by sitting for years with a leaky battery sitting in them, or in a humid environment).
The M6 build is akin to the M4-2 and M4-P as well as the later models ... which isn't quite the "hand made and every part shimmed to tolerance" of the M3, M2, M4 but a simpler to assemble, built-by-components approach (which was one of the reasons Leica was able to continue producing Leica M cameras at a profit in 1978...). They're all quite robust: my M4-2, from the first series M4-2 builds, is supposed to be "terrible" according to some, but the only thing wrong with mine is that the shutter brake has been slowly degrading such that 1/500 varies by .1EV across the frame and 1/1000 varies by .3EV across the frame. It's been like that for the past dozen years that I've owned it ... the viewfinder was full of sock-drawer dust when I bought it in 2012 and needed cleaning, and my tech told me the camera showed no signs of ever having been taken apart before at that point. He's the one who discovered the shutter brake wear, and I've verified it myself several times since with a shutter tester.
So... In the end, I don't know. I've owned quite a few Leica Ms since 1972, only a couple bought new, and have only very rarely had to have any service done on any of them. In my experience, they're not particularly fragile: they're robust and work for very long stretches with nothing but a little care in handling. Get one in good shape, nearly any one of them, and you have a camera that can be used for decades with little other than an occasional CLA (like every mechanical camera needs ...). And, by and large, there are enough skilled techs and spare parts around to keep any of them going for a very very long time.
G
Re: M6 meters, here is the word from DAG regarding differences between the M6 and M6 TTL:
rangefinderforum.com
And from two years ago, no parts availability:
rangefinderforum.com
I spoke with Alan Starkie (cameraworks-uk) and he mentioned at the time they were looking into doing their own M6 replacement circuit. It doesn't appear that has happened.
Leicas - Which are fixable? M's R's Digital
Its a bitter pill when you buy your dream Leica, the one you have dreamed about for years, only to find out later its not fixable for lack of parts. Let us share and compare Leica repairs here so that we can all become INFORMED CONSUMERS! No one in the US that I know of works on Leica R...
rangefinderforum.com
And from two years ago, no parts availability:
Leica M6 light meter stopped working
Hey there, my light meter all of a sudden stopped working. I am using my M6 regularly. Today I put a new film in and when I pulled the advance lever and half pressed the shutter, the red dots indicating over- or underexposure didn’t appear. I even put in a new battery but nothing. Do you guy‘s...
rangefinderforum.com
I spoke with Alan Starkie (cameraworks-uk) and he mentioned at the time they were looking into doing their own M6 replacement circuit. It doesn't appear that has happened.
tortellini_man
Established
thank you for all of the helpful comments
perhaps i will see what M2 or M4 variant is available used+serviced from blue moon camera next time i am in portland so that i can see it in person prior to buying
perhaps i will see what M2 or M4 variant is available used+serviced from blue moon camera next time i am in portland so that i can see it in person prior to buying
Godfrey
somewhat colored
So, if I read that correctly, DAG can still work on these cameras (M6 classic and M6TTL). If the parts are good, he can do anything. If the parts are now bad, as of 2022 the parts are no longer available. But an M6TTL board going bad is very very low likelihood, older M6 classics a bit more likely.Re: M6 meters, here is the word from DAG regarding differences between the M6 and M6 TTL:
Leicas - Which are fixable? M's R's Digital
Its a bitter pill when you buy your dream Leica, the one you have dreamed about for years, only to find out later its not fixable for lack of parts. Let us share and compare Leica repairs here so that we can all become INFORMED CONSUMERS! No one in the US that I know of works on Leica R...
And from two years ago, no parts availability:
Leica M6 light meter stopped working
Hey there, my light meter all of a sudden stopped working. I am using my M6 regularly. Today I put a new film in and when I pulled the advance lever and half pressed the shutter, the red dots indicating over- or underexposure didn’t appear. I even put in a new battery but nothing. Do you guy‘s...
I spoke with Alan Starkie (cameraworks-uk) and he mentioned at the time they were looking into doing their own M6 replacement circuit. It doesn't appear that has happened.
The difference in reliability of the metering control board is sensible, considering that the M6 classic was a 1984 design, which I know changed once or twice over the years, and the M6TTL was an all-new design made from 1998 to 2002. That's a big eternity in the time scale of consumer electronics. I have other 1990s electronic products of a similar nature, all of which are still working just fine (light meters, electronic instruments, etc etc).
Tamarkin.com lists four M2s and one M4 in your price range. I would call and ask about them. They have been absolutely super to work with, their uses sales carry a 14 day "no questions asked" return policy, and a 6-month warranty. All of their used cameras are serviced and tested before being listed, I believe, but call and ask them for the details.
G
Evergreen States
Francine Pierre Saget (they/them)
When I was in Portland last month, Pro Photo Supply had an M2 in the used cabinet but it was pretty beat up, at least cosmetically. They want $1495 for it here. Their return window for problems with used gear is a paltry 14 days. I haven't been to Blue Moon yet, as St. Johns has always been out of the way from where I've needed to be when I was in town.
Edit: Blue Moon has an M2 for $2400 and an M4-2 that was serviced by Advance Camera back in May for $1950. They both come with a 6 month warranty.
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Evergreen States
Francine Pierre Saget (they/them)
I heard it a while ago but don't have the source handy. I can hunt for it and report back.
Tamarkin is tops!
I bought my pretty much perfect M4 from keh a few months ago. Essentially unused, perfect in every way, cosmetically and viewfinder. needed speeds adjusted. $1100 + service. DAG did the work, six months warranty
I bought my pretty much perfect M4 from keh a few months ago. Essentially unused, perfect in every way, cosmetically and viewfinder. needed speeds adjusted. $1100 + service. DAG did the work, six months warranty
Out to Lunch
Ventor
Virtually nil? Between 20 June and 5 September, twelve Zeiss-Ikon ZM's were sold on eBay. Prices ranged from $1,600 to $2,400 with an average selling price of $1,855.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
That's what he told me. It has been a few years since we spoke about it ... He lives on the Isle of Man and I'm in California. It's been several years since I could visit there, for various reasons, and discussing a camera isn't exactly what we've spent our telephone and email time on. Maybe the market for them has improved a lot, I don't know. Markets do change over time.
But I don't trust them from a service and parts support perspective.
G
Out to Lunch
Ventor
I contacted Zeiss this morning asking about their Zeiss-Ikon ZM service, available parts, and turnaround time. I'll post their reply once received.
I enjoyed the ZM I had a few years ago. They are lighter in weight, easy loading with a flip open back, and have a great viewfinder, no flare issues. Used, they were a bit cheaper than the M6 back in 2010 or so; that is still the case today as they’ve more than doubled in sale price since then, looking at ebay.