Is this good price for M6 classic?

ywenz

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I'm contemplating my first Leica, in the form of a mint condition M6 classic black. Only comes with body cap and strap. For $1200 cash. Some photographer locally is selling it.

What do you guys think?
 
If you can knock a hundred bucks off that, you've got it made. If it happens to be a .85 VF, grab it at $1200!
 
you can do a search through 'bay's "completed auctions" and see what the going rate has been recently.. and it seems to be in the $1100-1200 range, so that's a fair price.. of course you have the advantage of not paying shipping and getting to check it out before buying
 
thanks, and when inspecting the camera, would you recommend going thru a roll of film and taking it to the 1hour lab, or should i be able to tell just be the sounds of the shutter and comparing the meter against my Sekonic?
 
It's not a bad price, but it would be a price I would pay from a photo store that would have some money back warranty should there be a problem with the camera. Cash is untraceable, unless he gives you an invoice or a receipt. Something to consider.
 
Frank beat me to it... Yes, there are some "classic" M6 in 0.85 VF magnification... and they're highly priced because they didn't make too many of them.

ywenz... that'd be a nice price for an M6TTL. The plain-vanilla M6 is going now for a bit less... and, as Gabriel pointed out, a bit of a risk without any kind of warranty. Hmmm... how well do you know this photographer guy?

Now... if you have a chance to "borrow" it, burn a roll of film and check it, don't be too concerned about the meter. Look for signs of light leaks instead.

And good luck! :)
 
JoeFriday said:
were any classics made with .85 mag??

About 3,000 left the factory with the .85 finder, although there was an after market refit offered to current M6 owners which allowed the .85 finder to be added.
 
If it is in mint condition, that is a good price. Used Leica prices are up a bit lately, due to the price increases of the new models.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
If it is in mint condition, that is a good price. Used Leica prices are up a bit lately, due to the price increases of the new models.

That and the fact that you can get nothing but a .72 finder if you're buying a la carte. No more chrome lenses being produced either... sigh.
 
First of all, "mint" means in the original plastic case, cardboard box, instruction manual etc. etc. What you describe is at best mint minus (the real mint minus, not "ebay mint minus" which is everything from mint minus on down). $1200 isn't a bad price if the camera will not need an overhaul ($300) in the near future. Lacking recourse in the way of a warranty, I would definitely get it checked out, or at least shoot some slide film at all shutter speeds.
 
If you are going to get a chance to test it, use slide film. This way you will know if the meter or shutter is dead on as opposed to negatives which has a larger latitude to poor exposure.

Eric
 
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