pjroo33
Member
I would like to keep the R4s too, but my wife is really putting the pressure on me to sell some of the equipment. The $200 I paid for everything was "our" money, so she said I don't need to keep it all. I am definitely keeping the M6 and two M lenses though.
shyoon
Well-known
Focusing on a rangefinder is a cinch - just line the two images up in the viewfinder and that's it!
Congratulations on your find. Hopefully you'll love it as much as most of the members here love their cameras. Of course, if things don't work out, you're standing to make a very tidy profit on the sale of the camera and lenses.
Congratulations on your find. Hopefully you'll love it as much as most of the members here love their cameras. Of course, if things don't work out, you're standing to make a very tidy profit on the sale of the camera and lenses.
HuubL
hunter-gatherer
The institute of "yard sale" isn't common in Europe, but the name "Leica" is. The reason why deals like this here are as likely as little green men living on the moon.
Congrats with the find!
Congrats with the find!
palec
Well-known
Exactly
The last time I was in flea market a seller there wanted to buy camera on my neck (and later resell in stone shop with profit).
Congratulation to lucky find!
david.elliott
Well-known
rsosa
Established
I dont want to believe this, you stole that woman!! man... i always wanted something like this to happen, but nope, no luck
for god sake, keep everything, 200 bucks is no hurt!!!
for god sake, keep everything, 200 bucks is no hurt!!!
totally agree, pls admin delete this post!!
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pjroo33
Member
LOL... I suppose that is probably the case. I rarely see people walking around with Leica's, but always see Nikon's and Canon's.
I'm not a yard sale junkie, but I do go when I have the time. About a month ago I went to a yard sale in my area and foud someone selling a Scotty Cameron "La Costa" golf putter. I had never heard of a La Costa, but I know that Scotty Cameron putters are high quality and very collectible. They were only asking $5 for the putter so I bought it. Turns out the La Costa putter is a rare version with only 3000 being produced. They sell for about $300 -$500 at auction..
This has been my best year for yard sales... ever!
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tj01
Well-known
Thanks for the comforting words, but I'm still miserable
To the OP: congrats! And yes, you made an excellent deal (even if there's something that needs fixing -- like the shutter speeds being off -- it's still a screaming deal). Enjoy the camera and take lots of photos!
to tj01: you can look at it this way: there's few more miserable (at least to my mind) ways of spending time than picking through the mounds of unwanted junk and nearly-junk that makes up most yard sales. The hours spent doing that to find one deal of a lifetime constitute an opportunity cost far above paying retail for the camera in the first place
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Dead husband who lied to her about what he'd paid?
Live husband who ran off with his secretary?
Stolen cameras?
$200 for that lot is indeed a steal. I simply don't believe that they were 'her old cameras'.
Cheers,
R.
Live husband who ran off with his secretary?
Stolen cameras?
$200 for that lot is indeed a steal. I simply don't believe that they were 'her old cameras'.
Cheers,
R.
bobby_novatron
Photon Collector
Despite what others say, I love reading these stories. I think it's great when the camera gods smile upon us mere mortals and we get a break now and again. Congrats on your find! I'm very happy for you.
I agree -- definitely keep the M6. Absolutely beautiful machine. But I guess you have to find some kind of compromise with your wife about all this.
Slightly off-topic: a similar thing happened to me this Spring. Through word of mouth I heard of a retired fellow selling off his film gear (he wanted to migrate to digital). I bought his complete Pentax 67 kit (four beautiful SMC Takumar lenses, body, filters, nice Lowepro bag, batteries, etc.) and thirty rolls of 120 film, all for $500. Not $200 like your Leica deal, but still a great deal nonetheless.
I agree -- definitely keep the M6. Absolutely beautiful machine. But I guess you have to find some kind of compromise with your wife about all this.
Slightly off-topic: a similar thing happened to me this Spring. Through word of mouth I heard of a retired fellow selling off his film gear (he wanted to migrate to digital). I bought his complete Pentax 67 kit (four beautiful SMC Takumar lenses, body, filters, nice Lowepro bag, batteries, etc.) and thirty rolls of 120 film, all for $500. Not $200 like your Leica deal, but still a great deal nonetheless.
pjroo33
Member
Not only were they her old cameras.... they were in the bags and the bags had about a half inch of dust on them. She said she had intended to clean off the camera bags but I got to the sale before she had a chance. They must have been in her attic or somewhere with a lot of dust. I don't think she even had them stored in her closet.
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pjroo33
Member
Can anyone tell me if one othe these M lenses has better optics than the other?
Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 (I think it's version 3)
Elmarit-M 90mm f/2.8
Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 (I think it's version 3)
Elmarit-M 90mm f/2.8
tstermitz
Well-known
Wow!, you got over $5,000 of equipment for $200. I love a deal like anybody, but, personally, I'd feel a bit guilty about only $200 to the old lady. I wouldn't feel at all bad about 50% undervalued, and even if I paid 25% of value, I'm probably be okay. But I think if this happened to me, I'd sell the R, pay back the house money, take my wife to a super-nice restaurant, and drop the lady an envelope of another few hundred bucks.
I'm not saying you have to live by my conscience; that's just me.
I'm not necessarily all pure. Let's say there was no R-system to sell, just the M6 and two lenses with some CLA and repair. My morals are better when it's easier.
I'm not saying you have to live by my conscience; that's just me.
I'm not necessarily all pure. Let's say there was no R-system to sell, just the M6 and two lenses with some CLA and repair. My morals are better when it's easier.
cosmonaut
Well-known
I think you need to go back and give her some more money just out of pure shame.LOL
Keep the R4. I am thinking of getting an R camera, just can't make up my mind which one.
Keep the R4. I am thinking of getting an R camera, just can't make up my mind which one.
tstermitz
Well-known
When the seller doesn't have accurate information, they can make mistakes. This is unusual today with the internet a touch away, but even professionals like pawnshops can make pricing errors on thinly traded or specialty items. (APO vs Ver 3?) Since the M9 release, I've noticed a LOT less leica glass listed at KEH and Tamarkin, and they hardly have any summilux lenses. A seller on craigslist might have a hard time figuring out how to price their system, and I've been lucky enough on an well-priced M6 system to be happy.
Pentax 645 equipment is in a similar situation. All those wedding photographers are settled in on their D700s and digital workflow, and are finally trying to cash in their medium format film cameras. Prices have been very low over the past couple years. Bbut suddenly Pentax announced the 645D, and all the autofocus lenses have dried up at the big resellers. If you watch craigslist it appears that people are guessing prices from manual focus listings, which can get you 50% off if you are lucky.
Pentax 645 equipment is in a similar situation. All those wedding photographers are settled in on their D700s and digital workflow, and are finally trying to cash in their medium format film cameras. Prices have been very low over the past couple years. Bbut suddenly Pentax announced the 645D, and all the autofocus lenses have dried up at the big resellers. If you watch craigslist it appears that people are guessing prices from manual focus listings, which can get you 50% off if you are lucky.
pjroo33
Member
She wasn't some little old lady. She was probably in her mid 40's to mid 50's. I have a conscience and still can't say I feel bad about paying $200 for the equipment. She definitely knew it was Leica and it had value or she wouldn't have asked $200. When she bought it in the 80's or 90's, she or her husband must have paid full price for everything. She could have looked the value of everything up before she sold it at the yard sale. She knew how to use a computer because she listed her yard sale on the internet.
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Leigh Youdale
Well-known
I'd say to you - keep the gear, luxuriate in the deal, and to salve your conscience take her round some prints when you have some. She'd probably enjoy knowing the cameras had gone to a good home and were being appreciated.
i bought my Rolleiflex at about half what the seller was asking because it had been his father's camera (documentation to prove that) and he was keen for it to go to someone who would use it.
tstermitz
Well-known
@pjroo33 I'm not harshing on you at all; maybe if you had tried to talk her down to $100. Serious moral criticism belongs in a different arena, for example to racists and people who hate the poor...
My father sold off his film Nikons for a similarly low price, and he has no regrets as they had zero value to him, and some value to the guy who bought them.
My father sold off his film Nikons for a similarly low price, and he has no regrets as they had zero value to him, and some value to the guy who bought them.
