Thinking of an M2

januaryman

"Flim? You want flim?"
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I've been debating with myself about getting an M2 after getting a GAS attack the last few weeks. If I were to pick one up, what would I expect to pay for a decent one, and where would I look?
 
Here.

I sold a nearly mint one here for $850 a couple of weeks ago, complete with quick-load kit. Keep your eyes open and money in your paypal account. Around here, if you snooze you lose. 😀
 
JM, I got my user grade one for 360 dollars which included the 50/2 Nikkor, the 35mm J12, the 50mm I-10, and the 85mm J9 all with appropriate Leitz screwmount adapters.

I told myself I was going to purchase an M4 and budget about 1100 dollars to do so in order to get a nice one. Well, I was just sitting at work one day and a stranger on Flickr who liked my photos tipped me off on the M2 when he saw it at the store. I'm really greatful!

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It's got a ding up at the top corner of the viewfinder, but otherwise it's near perfect.

I wasn't in the market, but had to act quickly when I found it at an antique store. So far I'm loving it 😉

I imagine if I threw the body on ebay, it'd sell for about 550 dollars.
 
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Here!!!

Here!!!

.....where would I look?

The first place I would look is here, the second place is here and the third would be here. You have a much better chance to get an honest appraisal of the condition here than anywhere else. There are a few other places I would trust, CameraQuest (Stephen), PopFlash.Photo (Tony), Woodmere Camera (Richard).

B2 (;->
 
LOL!!! Have I contributed to this GAS attack, Jim? 😱🙄😀

The suggestions above make sense and there are some really good prices on user M2s now. I monitored ebay sales, KEH, and Classifieds here for about six months. I put an upper limit of $600.00 on what I was willing to spend based on the market for good user bodies, nearly missed some ebay auctions for under that, and finally pounced when I saw a good user for under $550 (from KEH; their "Bargain" grade cameras can be excellent buys!). Obviously, a lot depends on condition, whether it's button or lever rewind, and whether it needs a CLA or not. Mine did not need a CLA, and the body has no dents or dings.

One additional suggestion: Youxin Ye occasionally sells M2s on ebay which have been CLA'd and in some instances re-covered. Youxin is a great guy to deal w/, and I would pay a little more for one of his m2s.

Good luck w/ your GAS attack, and post pictures when you land one! 🙂
 
Thanks all - I did see the one in the classified, but that ding in the viewfinder window really bothers me - I guess I'll wait and see what shows up in the future. I was hoping $600 would be enough, but I may have underestimated.
 
i heard good things about keh. and i think they have good prices - look at their bgn cameras - i think they have m4-2 and m2 for 650$ now.
 
Remember that a good CLA costs about 300 dollars + the wait.

So if you find one that's been worked over correctly, it's something to consider.

Mine could benefit from getting worked on, so suddenly that'll eat up a lot of money.
 
Youxin Ye charges under $100 for a CLA, and he doesn't have a three-month wait.

I would personally avoid a camera with a dent by the finder window as all the expensive parts are under there. Too many clean old Leicas out there without dents, just be patient.
 
You wanna know how I got my Bessa R2A and 50mm Heliar Classic?

For months, I was trying to esnipe Leica M2 bodies on ebay, sometimes bidding up to 750 dollars for nice models. After never winning item after item, one night after losing an M4-P auction on ebay I caught the R2A. Out of frustration I just bid on it and won it at a good price. The same seller had the Heliar Classic ending a minute later and I had to make a snap decision, and I also won it at a good price.

If you'd asked me an hour earlier if I wanted an R2A and the 50mm Heliar, I'd have said, "No." However, low prices + frustration make a guy do weird things at 1 a.m. on a Wednesday night on ebay.

Hahaha... GAS sets in and ebay is like Rolaids.

After that purchase, my Leica desires were snuffed out. I was totally not even looking at them for several months when I got notification about the M2.

If you're patient, you'll wind up with a deal. If you've got the GAS, crazy things can happen 😉
 
Youxin Ye charges under $100 for a CLA, and he doesn't have a three-month wait.

I would personally avoid a camera with a dent by the finder window as all the expensive parts are under there. Too many clean old Leicas out there without dents, just be patient.

Thanks, Kevin -- I had that feeling about the dent, too. Should I pick up an M2 in need of a CLA, how would I reach Youxin Ye, please?
 
Good luck finding an M2 Jim. $600 is a reasonable purchase goal if your patient (I'm not which is why I paid more). Sorry if my latest acquisition has any part in this GAS. 🙂
 
Firstly, you MUST buy an M2 if you feel the urge. Your life will never be the same again 😀

Anyway, I sought long and hard, and the cheapest M2 I could find in the Netherlands (and a bit beyond) was 380 Euros. Could also get an M4-P or M4-2 for that money, but they didn't look nearly as good as the M2.

And boy did it need a CLA. 200 more Euros. (Why is Youxin Ye so cheap?!?). My M2 is definitely a user, quite a few meter scratches on the top plate, wear on the strap lugs. But it feels and works woooooonderfully.

Do it!
 
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