My new m4 - was it a good deal?

[netzspannung]

Ahoy, brothers.
The leica gods are haunting me. Having got rid of the m4-2 half a year ago, I now come to my nearby camera shop and walk out with nothing else than this - see pic. Paid 1k for M4+35/2- literally grabbed the thing off the hands of some guy who came with the intention to get rid of it. Impulse buy, you know 😉
The slow speeds are well and truly shot - nothing works below 1/15
The lens seems to be 1st generation 8 element, slightly hazy inside.
No pics yet - rushing to the store to get some Rodinal 🙂
Seems like a deal to me? Or what do you think?

 

[rogue_designer]

very good deal. especially with the lens.

Even with the cost of a full CLA, you're well ahead.

I'm envious.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I also am envious. It looks very nice, haze and slow speeds aside. CLA both items and you'll still be coming out ahead by a decent margin, methinks.

 

[CameraQuest]

which version of Summicron is that? serial number?

Stephen

 

[netzspannung]

which version of Summicron is that? serial number?

Stephen

Stephen, it is nr 2195931. Seems 1st version to me, at least it definitely has an infinity lock at the focus tab. According to some people here, 1st version has a "collectible" status, I wonder if it's true? Am i better off selling this for good than using it ? 🙂 And yeah, it's Wetzlar, not Canada, even says "Lens made in Germany", on the focus ring

 

[Chris101]

If you can make pictures with it, then yeah, it's a good camera. Once you do, you will be able to tell if the condition of the lens is going to be a problem. If it is, and you can sell it to a collector who won't be shooting with it, in return for enough money to buy a better lens to shoot with, then go for it if that is your goal.

ps, be careful with the rodinal, it'll burn your cuticles like nothing else!

 

[erikhaugsby]

That lens alone was worth the price! You my friend, are very lucky indeed.
Now send both the lens and body to Sherry Krauter for CLAs and you will be as close to Classic M4 nirvana as is possible.

 

[netzspannung]

If you can make pictures with it

I am probably overstating my abilities, but I had this on my mind, yeah. My idea of fun. Oh, never mind.

ps, be careful with the rodinal, it'll burn your cuticles like nothing else!

Won't change it for anything . Love the grain & contrast. D-76 is boring & more fussy (to me)

 

[netzspannung]

That lens alone was worth the price! You my friend, are very lucky indeed.
.

Nice to hear that. Maybe I should take that as a compensation for crashing my car last week. Luck is really a changing thing.
BTW, when I entered the shop, there was nothing much interesting on the shelves. So I almost went home, and midway I fought with the thought, of you know, maybe buying that PJ-trashed-to-hell Nikkor 24mm , and then maybe I should, you know, have a second look - so I returned 5 mins later (which I never do), and there was that man coming to sell the thing. Talk about leica mystique

 

[Harry Lime]

If that is the first version of the 2/35 Summicron, the lens alone is worth more than $1000. Most M4 bodies go for about $1000 and up.

Send it to DAG, Sherry etc for a CLA. It's probably just gummed up from old age.

http://www.lhsa.org/repair.html

 

[JNewell]

You'll come out nicely even after having both CLAed.