Having trouble finding an MP

Anita, I bought a mint Leica MP in black paint within your named budget in a camera shop in Shanghai just two days ago.

I have chosen between 3 BP bodies and one chrome body available.
They all seem to hover around 20.000 RMB.
As you described though, some have already marks or slightly loose preview levers and alike, which doesn't seem, to be reflected in the price at all.

I chose mine as the only real mint one from the lot.

Second hand Leica MP 2003 are not difficult to find in Shanghai.
Only prices vary I saw them as low as 18000 RMB a year ago (and didn't buy one), but also as high as 24000 RMB in same condition not so long ago.

Hong Kong is another place, to pick up a second hand MP from the shops.
Leica cameras are very popular on the Chinese emerging market, but prices do reflect that (when the M9 was introduced to the market, they went as high as 7.000 EUR, which is 1.500 EUR over MSRP !!!).

Good luck with your hunt for one. I would not buy a second hand MP, declared as mint from anyone except a reputable Leica dealer unseen over the internet.
Many declare everything as "mint" or even "new" !!!

I always choose from several identical items and buy the one in best conditions.
Customer service in Shanghai is still a uncommon term, which is quite different to Hong Kong in my experience.
When I picked up the MP form the shop, I had to argue, to get an original Leica quick release shoulder strap with it!
This just doesn't happen in Hong Kong, which I very much prefer, to buying in China mainland.

The offering is so thin to a very high demand in China, than many dealers just poker high and forget all manners. You don't want? Than another one will come and take it!
 
That's one expensive LED, Anita. Not sure I understand the center light issue and its correlation to your color blindness.

What's different between a center light showing, vs. two lights showing at the same time ?

Also, have you looked into the M6 TTL ?

Just wondering ... good luck with your search.
 
Wow, thanks for the knowledge everyone. It's nice to gather as many tips as possible before making a big purchase. I wish I had the luxury of hand picking from several used models. That is the smart way to go! Unfortunately here in Oklahoma, I don't have many options for used fine photo equipment!

Thank you for alerting me to the .58, but I'm looking for a .72 minimum.

In regards to the center exposure confirmation, the third light will provide me with an unmistakable confirmation of the meters interpretation of perfect exposure. The same brightness red arrow confirmation on the m6 is not distinguishable enough for my red compromised eyes. It take a lot of focus and time to differentiate whether or not that are exactly the same. I've missed many a shot staring at those danged arrows! I know, I know, get an m3!
 
anitasanger said:
I really appreciate the advice jja. In many ways, I like the m6 better. However, I'm colorblind and have trouble differentiating 1/2 stop over/under exposure with the red arrows. I'm hoping the middle confirmation light will help me!
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Anita, it is only the M6 non-TTL that lacks a center LED. The M6 TTL has one. And its finder can be upgraded. That said, if an MP is in the budget, and the price is right, go for it. I have both, and I like the MP a little better. I like the rewind better, for one thing. I keep my MP BP in a Luigi case, which protects from excessive paint wear.
 
Ah, I didn't realize that the TTL had the central LED. That is very nice to know. However, I really have my heart set on an MP and I'm afraid if I don't get one, I'll continue wanting one. It was the first Leica I ever saw. :)
 
Turtle said:
If you want a 0.58 Chrome I have one for sale in the classifieds here within your budget...
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Is it still available? I'm an eyeglass wearer who uses wide angle lenses (35 and 28) on my chrome 0.72 MP. So if Luke liked my perfect chrome MP enough to get it, I could get your 0.58 MP...
 
Anita, thank you for sharing your experience regarding the meter display with compromised eyes. I was never aware of such an issue and now the middle confirmation point does make more sense to me ;-)

I always liked the very, very simplistic meter display of my M6 classic, especially the "glowing" of the under/over arrows and miss this aspect a bit in the MP.

For everything else though, I can testify, you will love the MP over the M6 - it feels more substantial, more "tight", it indeed has a much improved viewfinder over the M6 classic (both my M6 and MP have a 0.72 finder).

My new MP though is obviously not yet run in, as it feels not as smooth, as the old M6.

Go for the MP, if budget allows - it really seems like what many have already written about it: a once in a life time for a life time camera.
 
As somebody who has used and owned all of the metered Leica RF cameras (CL, M5, M6, M6TTL, M7, MP), I would suggest to look also into the M7 with MP-style VF and optical reader DX. Prices for these cameras have come quite a lot and the AE of the M7 is very very good. The standard M7 are not black-painted and need batteries for the shutter to work but as picture taking machines a better choice over the MP.
 
maddoc said:
As somebody who has used and owned all of the metered Leica RF cameras (CL, M5, M6, M6TTL, M7, MP), I would suggest to look also into the M7 with MP-style VF and optical reader DX. Prices for these cameras have come quite a lot and the AE of the M7 is very very good. The standard M7 are not black-painted and need batteries for the shutter to work but as picture taking machines a better choice over the MP.
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I agree completely. There are plenty of M7's out there. They are awesome picture making machines. I have one and put in an order for a black painted ala carte M7.
 
memphis said:
just a quick medical FYI : Women can not be color blind - these genes only manifest in men - so, it's another issue
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You're actually wrong. Though it's very uncommon for women to exhibit the type of colorblindness that is common among men, it certainly does happen. Some of the rarer types of colorblindness do not discriminate between men and women. I think .5% of women or so show some form of colorblindness, which is not insignificant.
 
Not only are women rarely color blind, they rarely suffer from MINT MP lust, a really advanced stage of GAS .... :)

Anita/Luke, whats the story behind your RFF id ? Curious minds want to know ....
 
In college I started a punk rock band called Anita's Anger. If one were to inquire even more, I would disclose that: My favourite book as a child was Judy Blume's Superfudge. In the book, the protagonist has a best friend who's dad is a painter. The bitter and divorced artist painted an abstract rendition of his wife titled Anita's Anger. I always thought it sounded neat. Nevertheless, it makes for a quasi-confusing webforum username.
 
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