Good deal on CL?

[John Henry]

The same fellow who sold me a Rollei 35 a couple of months ago has offered to sell me his "spare" Minolta CL with 40mm Rokkor lens. The camera looks to be in very fine condition [excellent++?]. The condition of the light meter is unknown because it apparently requires a special battery. Shutter seems to work at all speeds. A soft case is included. I think that $450 will make the kit my own. However, a bit of Googling tells me that problems with the meter are common with this camera and that repairs are expensive. There are reports of shutter failures, also expensive. I don't really need a meter but I am concerned with buying a camera that may require costly repairs. I really like compact cameras and I have been looking for a good Leica LTM but Im a bit disappointed with the squinty, no-eye-relief viewfinder on the Barnacks. The CL seems to have a much more user friendly VF. OTOH, maybe I should just buy a Bessa R and 35mm skopar kit for 400 bucks and be done with it. Or another Rollei 35. I don't need another camera but these little compact 35mm cameras are soooo appealing.

 

[Biggles]

The CL's viewfinder knocks a Barnack's into a cocked hat. I use mine with sunglasses all day long, and urban night shots have been easy for me, as well. But- the CL is nowhere near as robust as a Barnack or an M.

I adore mine because (1) it has an M-mount, (b) it's really, really small, and (iii) its meter's done the job for me, but to be honest, I've basically had nothing but problems with the two I've had. An assortment of problems. In my opinion, the CL is a fussy, friggy, lightweight 1970s English sportscar of a camera. It can be very rewarding, though, to a forewarned, tolerant owner. (Everything in my gallery to date was shot with a CL, and I had fun doing it. I also carried an Olympus Stylus with me everywhere I went, in case the CL crapped out right when the aliens landed to offload Elvis.)

$450 is not a bad price at all, considering it comes with a lens (and a decent lens, at that.) But you'll want to put newspapers down under its cubby-hole. And, while you're at it, maybe buy a few hundred of your favorite color of votive candle.

One man's story. Your mileage may vary.

 

[FrankS]

John, it's a very good price if the camera works properly. I would not buy it without testing it with a battery though.

 

[enochRoot]

biggles: what kind of problems have you had? i haven't had mine *that* long, but i haven't had one single problem. that said...i sold my M6 and M4, as i never used them anymore. the CL is what 35mm is all about to me! i take it everywhere with me!

john: a cleaning by DAG was $125. so if the camera is in good shape, and you just want to be *sure* about things...that would still be a decent price all told ($450 + $125). included in that fee was conversion so that the lightmeter could use the newer batteries, and it came back w/ one installed.

 

[JoeFriday]

understandable that you don't want to buy it without knowing its working condition.. the CL does have a history of problems.. nearly all are minor, but repairs are rarely cheap.. see if you can test it with a battery before buying

but even if it requires a CLA, it's a decent deal.. the lens alone, if in good optical condition, sells for about $250

 

[RML]

The 40mm is worth $250-350, depending whether it is a M-Rokkor or a Summicron.
The body is worth double or more than the remaining $200 if and when the meter is working properly. You really have to check that meter.
Sherry Krauter seems to be one of a few (the only one?) who does CL repairs on a regular basis, even repairing meters. You may have to add the price for such repairs to the tally.

Having said that, the CL is a really nice camera! I love it. My R-D1 takes first place but the Bessa R and the Cl have to fight it out. Both come in second. Last time I went to BEijing I only took the CL + 40/2 with me and never felt I needed more. It's small, compact, quiet, handles well, and the meter is very accurate. VF is bright and the M-Rokkor is as sharp as can be. I love it, I tell ya. 🙂

 

[RML]

BTW, the standard rubber hood that comes with the lens is quite good but deteriorates quite quickly after over 25 years. To replace it, be aware of the filter thread. The Leica lens has this Systems 5 (right?) thread, while the Minolta has a normal 40.5mm thread. For me this was a deciding factor to go with the Minolta M-Rokkor 40/2 instead of the Leica Summicron 40/2. They're both the same beast.

 

[taffer]

I haven't babied my CL more than any of my other RFs, well ok, maybe the Bessa T gets the hardest part of the treatment, and I haven't noticed any problems with it.

$450 if it's in excellent condition is a very good price, remember some 40 Rokkors are sold out there for $300, as many others say above.

 

[Frank Granovski]

If the body and the lens are pristine, that's a fantastic deal. I paid $799, I think, for the lesser Leica CL/'cron, and I thought I was getting a deal...until I noticed a terrible cloth shutter problem.

 

[John Henry]

Thanks for the feedback.I place a high priority on cameras that, once brought up to good working order, remain in GWO essentially forever. Maybe not very realistic but my benchmark for reliability and durability continues to be my decades-old Nikkormat FTn. Takes a lickin' an keeps on clickin' or something like that. Anyway, when I suggested to the current owner that there could be a problem with the light meter, he bristled as if I had impugned his personal integrity.So, that's the end of that. CL finis. just as well. I'm still mesmerised by the Leica LTMs.

 

[giellaleafapmu]

Hi,

I have a CL and it is a great camera, however, I confirm what the net says: the light meter is its weak point. In theory it requires a mercury battery but in my own experience you don't get wrong exposures if you use slightly different voltage. You can also buy a little adapter for maybe 15 US$ or use one of the new (and expensive) Veinn (modulo spelling) batteries.
In any case, I did break my CL's meter once (I used the camera in Canada at around -40C and it seems that the low temperature made the flexible cable in the swinging arm not so flexible anymore) and I could fix it for 120 Euros in Italy (yep, I do travel a lot!) including a complete CLA, so even if there are problems with the meter you can sometimes fix them for a reasonable amount of money. On the other hand I never had problems with the shutter, nor even in very low temperature or in the presence of very thin dust (I also used the camera in Mexico closed to the Paricutin vulcano).
To conclude, I would check the meter with any reasonable battery and if all is fine I would buy the camera. If something is wrong I would try to bargain a bit, just to get some money for the repairation or to buy a small clip-on meter (be aware that the old Leica's ones do not work very well on this camera becaues they are too long and partially occlude the shutter button, you can of course use them if you happen to have one but newer Voigtlanders are much more confortable).

My 2 cents...

Giella Lea Fapmu

 

[anselwannab]

To me the CL is the Ultimate Leica for "concealed carry" I can put it in my pocket of my pants or a jacket and forget its there. I bought my specifically to travel since a 20D and 17-40/4L takes too much room in a briefcase.