How do you typically upgrade your Leica gear?

[thegman]

I don't own Leicas any more, but when I did, I traded them the same as anything else. Probably sell before I buy, but not always.

I tend to prefer to buy from a dealer, as it's easier to solve problems if I got a faulty one, which I did, but only once.

I think most dealers have gotten real these days, they need to be price competitive with eBay, so generally, I'd prefer to buy from a dealer.

Some cameras are a bit more unusual though, and you take what you can get.

I think the Leica market is the same as any other, just the prices can be more sometimes. Sometimes prices on some items will seem to rise a bit, and some will fall a bit. It's just the nature of any market, if a Nocticronalux pre-WORLDCUP or whatever gets a few mentions on the popular sites, demand will rise. But then some bits will be ignored because they're not fast enough, brass-coloured enough etc. and prices will drop.

If you're looking to 'build a system', i.e. keep what you buy, you can afford to pay a bit more (as the cost is spread over years, and you won't miss $100 in 5 years time), and take your time over what bits you want to add to your system.

 

[Berth]

I don't do any of the things in the poll.

What I did was switch from a Leica R6 fixed focal length system to a two zoom lens Canon EOS-3 system. A bit later I switched to digital by buying the Canon EOS 20D, and added a 10-12mm zoom. Film was in my past. From there I upgraded to the 5D2, while adding another 2 lenses, one zoom, one not. All set?

Well....no. In January of this year I went back to film by buying a Leica MP, with two fixed focal length lenses, a 28mm & a 50mm. Finished?

Ah...negatory. I've now added the Leica M-E, to be delivered this week.

And I'm going to put all that Canon kit up for sale.


Seems logical to me. 🙄


EDITED

 

[______]

I believe you mean fixed focal length lenses.

 

[rluka]

Not Leica, but I look for a classified for new gear I want and then sell mine to get at least big part of the fund.
Not going to buy new camera unless I get a deal on mine first.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I have owned (in this order) an M2, M4, CL, IIIf, M8, M4-P, IIIf, M9.
I still have only the M4 which I consider the greatest 35mm rangefinder (and sometimes the greatest 35mm camera) ever made. If you ask me, there isn't an upgrade from a Leica M4.

During that interim period I bought the camera I wanted, used it and then maybe sold another camera. In the end, I sold all the Leica except that M4 because Leica doesn't make a better camera, nor have they. Pair an M4 with a Nikon F2 and there's no 35mm shoot you can't tackle.

Phil Forrest

 

[LazyHammock]

My first Leica-compatible rangefinder was a Bessa R. Great camera but too light and plasticky for me. I sold it and then bought the following (selling each before, or shortly after, acquiring the next:

M4-P
M6
MP

I then made the silly mistake of buying an M3. I'm a 50mm fan and I have no need of any other Leica. I had it serviced by DAG and it is one of two cameras I will never sell (the other being a Rolleiflex 2.8C).

Having said that, if I win the lottery I'd buy a Monochrom.

Nick

 

[Roger Hicks]

Surely if you want to take pictures with a Leica, and have only one Leica, you CAN'T sell before you buy or you'd have no Leica to take pictures with. If you're not taking pictures, you're collecting, at which point "upgrade" is an odd concept. Would it mean rarer? Or shinier? Or what?

Cheers,

R.

 

[kshapero]

I have an M3. What's to upgrade?

 

[zuiko85]

What means this word "upgrade" you speak of?

I've only ever had 1 Leica, a M4-2, and just spent $200 to get it fixed. That was my "upgrade". The next upgrade will be to seek a 50mm lens I can afford. That will probably be a Canon 50 f1.8. That will complete my lens options, 21mm, 35mm, 50mm and 90mm. I just cannot see, at this time, spending the $600 to $1200 for a serviceable 50 f2 Leica lens.

(If I was going to spend that much I'd just buy one of the remaning 50 f2 Nickel Heliars from Cameraquest.)

 

[hepcat]

What upgrade? All of the film M bodies do exactly the same thing. Some have a meter or slightly different finder, but they're all essentially the same functionally. The M4-P is probably the best value in Leica film bodies right now, which is why I have one. It was in excellent condition, and cheap. I salivate over the black paint MP, but truth to tell, it can't make any better image than my M4-P can.

The digi-Ms are a good value if you already have a stable of M-mount lenses. And even with the lenses, there are perhaps, different "looks" that they provide, but above that there are really only larger or smaller apertures to be had. So, I'm not sure what you can "upgrade." At least in the M system you really only trade one set of features for another, and all have their value.

 

[jsrockit]

Pair an M4 with a Nikon F2 and there's no 35mm shoot you can't tackle.

I may have to agree with you on both of these... even though I don't use them these days, they may be the pinnacle for all manual mechanical 35mm cameras.

 

[kiemchacsu]

I've had a full set of summicrons now (35 50 90 holy trinity) and they are purfekt for me. Having said that, I sometimes think that i may want a lux.

 

[kentchung]

How would one upgrade from a Leica M3 and a 50mm Summicron?

To an older M3 with an older 50mm Summicron/lux. 😛

 

[Godfrey]

When you buy a new Leica camera, do you typically sell your old camera first before buying the new one?

Or do you typically trade your camera with the dealer that is selling you the new Leica camera or lens?

Which of the two strategies above (independent trading in the first option or dealer-driven trading in the second option) has resulted in the best pay off for you?

I am asking about Leica products because I am just starting to build my Leica system and and I am pretty confused about this market ...thanks for your guidance through your answers

It depends on how much money you have to work with, and how much you're willing to be out of pocket.

Generally speaking, I buy used gear. That means buy what I am interested in, make sure it works for me, and then decide whether to keep the stuff I already had or sell it to recoup some of the money.

I'd like to buy a new Leica M lens soon, however. I know exactly what I want now, and what it will replace. The cost of these things is such that I don't really want to be out of pocket that much cash (I never use credit ...) so I'll sell the things it will replace first.

I've only traded with a dealer on very rare occasion. They need to make a profit on the deal, which means they generally cannot offer what a private buyer can for a fair trade price on the gear. You can sell the same gear in a private sale at a better price while still giving the buyer a better price than could be had at a dealer. On the other hand, I've bought used gear from dealers often because they are easier to deal with for returns and exchanges if there is a problem with the gear, new or used.

G

 

[HuubL]

I only sell one when I get a third one of the same type, vintage, color, and even then....
That said, I have a just CLA'd (Will van Manen) M4 that I'm considering selling as I have two others already...

 

[KM-25]

At one point I had 4 M bodies, have owned M3, M6, M6TTL, M8, M9 and the rarefied MP3 kit in black paint. Since 2011, I have had just the M3 and a 50 and really that is all I need. So in terms of upgrades, I went through 50mm lenses like Paris Hilton does shoes and finally sucked it up and bought a near-new 50mm 1.4 Asph in chrome for it this week. I also bought a *sick* little CV 35mm 2.5 in chrome for it and LOVE it using the camera with a piece of gaffer's tape over the VF window.

I don't upgrade much, just my Nikon and X100 bodies as new ones come out, my Leica, Hasselblad and 4x5 systems are pretty much perfection, have zero interest in digi-Leicas...

 

[hepcat]

In the end, I sold all the Leica except that M4 because Leica doesn't make a better camera, nor have they....

Pair an M4 with a Nikon F2 and there's no 35mm shoot you can't tackle.

Phil Forrest

Phil, I'll call your M4/F2 combo and raise you a Hassy 500/501CM. With an M4 and a 501CM there isn't any shoot you can't tackle, period. 😉

 

[pete hogan]

I had a good, longtime, user M2. Traded a very nice DR Summicron for a very nice IIf and had Youxin Ye do a CLA and correct the shutter capping and RF clouding. Gave the M2 and 90 to our daughter. Barnack is the best (film) upgrade. Opinion.

 

[redhawk]

I'm also (re-)building my M system so all I've been doing is buying. 😀

When I got an M system for the first time, I got a great deal on a body (M6) and lens (35/2 IV) from a private seller on Craigslist. Once you get a body or bodies you like then it becomes more about lenses. That first lens I got after that was a 50/2 III. Then I tried some CV glass: the 50/1.1 and 28/2. Those were the first to go.

This time around I had a much better idea of what I wanted both for bodies and lenses and I was able to find what I was looking for at very fair prices. In the past I would typically sell some stuff that didn't get use to finance new lenses or accessories. What I have now is the result of over 20 years of that distillation process.

 

[Lauffray]

So far I've bought cameras and lenses from various places, though now I pay close attention because I've been shafted by random border fees. I've also sold to various places.
I typically buy before I sell if I see a good bargain I don't want to miss, and I usually am able to sell the old one within a month