Thinking of buying a used M9; what should I look out for?

[white.elephant]

I'm considering buying a used M9. I 'm a rangefinder nut, and the prices have seemingly come down to 'reasonable.'

What gotchas exist for an M9? Bugs, foibles, etc., either with the mechanical parts or the sensor.

What should I be on the lookout for?

 

[Rob-F]

I'll be interested in this as well. I've thought of upgrading from my M8.2. Or not.

 

[kbg32]

Make sure there are no sensor issues. It would be hard to tell until you used it quite a bit. Usually a horizontal green line. At least that is what mine developed.

 

[Richard G]

I'd hang out for one in which the sensor has already been replaced under Leica's good will program.

 

[Monochrom]

TRy to get a well treated sample, with a good guarantee from the seller

Check Sensor flaws, scratches, dead pixels etc.

If all ok, go for it you´ll be delighted.

good luck!

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I'd buy it from a store, not from an individual, because the store should offer a warranty of some kind (even if it's for a limited time), whereas the individual doesn't have to (if the individual seller did, it would be the individual's decision and that's about it).

Dan Tamarkin comes to mind... I'd buy an M9 from him if he sold one used that I could afford.

Keep us posted! 🙂

 

[coelacanth]

I recently bought one. I looked for

• 6 months or more of warranty
• Warranty work will be done correctly
• No sensor problems (stripes, excessive dust/spots, etc)
•*Below $3500 mark
• NOT from individuals unless it has Leica CLA warranty (transferable)
• NOT 1st or close to 1st batch of M9 production (just to be on the safe side)
• Can return for refund if DOA

Originally I was concerning about the shutter actuations, but eventually I figured that as long as it's not crazy high or having no warranty, ether the problem will surface soon, or the shutter will survive a long time. There is no official life-span # by Leica, but it's been said that top-of-line focal plane metal shutter units can go 150k (Canon's one digit cams?). I have no particular sources to back this figure, but I shoot digital M (had M9-P and M8.2 in the past) like I shoot film M so I'll never rack up the shutter count that much myself.

Like film M, I felt buying one that has a recent health check and/or CLA will reduce the chance of further work needed in near future.

I ended up getting one from Leica Store Miami

• 2011 (2012?) production
• 20k shutter count
• Full kit with box and all included
• Excellent cosmetic condition with Giotto screen protector
• Leica CLA done including shutter cocking mechanism fix and sensor calibration and alignment
• Leica CLA 1 year warranty
• The fact that it's coming from a Leica Store
• Just listed

For $3.3k.

I've had it for a week, did one quick trip with it and shot about 100 frames. So far it's working perfectly.

Edit: according to the invoice, the shutter thing I listed above was "repair motor coupling" which sounds like a pretty routine thing in M8 and M9 CLA by Leica based on quick google search.

 

[iaeaix]

I recently bought one. I looked for

• 6 months or more of warranty
• Warranty work will be done correctly
• No sensor problems (stripes, excessive dust/spots, etc)
•*Below $3500 mark
• NOT from individuals unless it has Leica CLA warranty (transferable)
• NOT 1st or close to 1st batch of M9 production (just to be on the safe side)
• Can return for refund if DOA

Originally I was concerning about the shutter actuations, but eventually I figured that as long as it's not crazy high or having no warranty, ether the problem will surface soon, or the shutter will survive a long time. There is no official life-span # by Leica, but it's been said that top-of-line focal plane metal shutter units can go 150k (Canon's one digit cams?). I have no particular sources to back this figure, but I shoot digital M (had M9-P and M8.2 in the past) like I shoot film M so I'll never rack up the shutter count that much myself.

Like film M, I felt buying one that has a recent health check and/or CLA will reduce the chance of further work needed in near future.

I ended up getting one from Leica Store Miami

• 2011 (2012?) production
• 20k shutter count
• Full kit with box and all included
• Excellent cosmetic condition with Giotto screen protector
• Leica CLA done including shutter cocking mechanism fix and sensor calibration and alignment
• Leica CLA 1 year warranty
• The fact that it's coming from a Leica Store
• Just listed

For $3.3k.

I've had it for a week, did one quick trip with it and shot about 100 frames. So far it's working perfectly.

I'm about to pull the triger too, good the see this post. I did not know Leica Store sells used M9, at decent price. I may go to New York Leica Store to try my luck.

 

[uhoh7]

Mine had something like 5k clicks, I found it on getdpi, and called the guy. He had sent it to Leica, and it had new sensor, calibration, etc. It's a 2011. (I think). When I received it there was no way to really tell it was not new 🙂

I paid 3500 for that one, but I see similar ones now for around 32 or 3300.

I love it🙂

 

[rivercityrocker]

I bought my M9-P from a working pro on eBay. Came with a receipt of a recent Leica calibration. Had over 10K actucations, but I've put 17K on it since I got it last year. Paid $4K. Best money I ever spent.

These cameras are as prone to failure as the interwebs would have you believe.

 

[nameBrandon]

I bought my M9-P from a working pro on eBay. Came with a receipt of a recent Leica calibration. Had over 10K actucations, but I've put 17K on it since I got it last year. Paid $4K. Best money I ever spent.

These cameras are as prone to failure as the interwebs would have you believe.

Are, or are not?

 

[Pioneer]

In my opinion no digital camera is ever as prone to problems as you are led to believe on the internet. As Mark Twain is reported to have said; "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." The difficulty is that, if they do fail, it is usually expensive to repair.

Obviously a sample of one is not much better than a sample of none, but I purchased my M9 used on Amazon.com almost two years ago and it continues to chug along faithfully.

To be completely truthful, I have picked up as many digital cameras on the used market as I have new, and they all continue to work just fine.

 

[Clark.EE]

Get one with "Fuji" or "Nikon" written on it somewhere if you want it to work properly for any length of time!
Sorry, couldnt resist it......................

 

[ricnak]

Well Clark. EE.

I picked my rolleiflex after a service this week. The business is also the official Nikon service centre for this part of the woods. I was there for 5 minutes for both the drop off and pick up. Both times there was a line of people extending out the door after me. Lots of problem Nikons out there also.

I recently purchased a Nikon DF and I have had an M9 for several years. I will let you know which one carks it first...

 

[Clark.EE]

Loved my M8.
But... No AF, nice to have now & again when sitting in a puddle is out of the question.
There was always a nagging doubt in the back of my mind that the Leica could or would throw another Whitey.


I am off to pick up my first roll of Film from my Robot IIa.
Will post results elsewhere (if they are worth posting!)

 

[Tom Niblick]

As already mentioned, look for one with a replaced sensor. Mine is on its way back to me with a new sensor. THANK YOU LEICA! And no, it is not for sale... from my cold dead hands... but my sensor developed crud which would not come clean. And one of my clients had the same problem. Interestingly, he never took his 35 Summicron off his M9 because it is his only Leica mount lens. So something internal is causing this problem. So yes, get a guarantee. You might need it.

Otherwise, my M9 has performed flawlessly for almost 5 years now. I'd say it is the best camera I've ever owned but, now that I have a Leica S2, I'd call it a tie for first place.

 

[Johann Espiritu]

My M9 suffered from a "sensor peeling" issue which Solms replaced for free, as it was still under warranty. The entire sensor and related components were replaced with new ones. So if you can get one with at least some sort of warranty, then it would be good.

(It might have been just me, but it seemed that the high ISO performance improved afterwards.)

 

[rich_]

Sensor Peeling

Sensor Peeling

Hi there,

I sold my M9-P yesterday to a Leica dealer in HK. I thought that they'd shoot photos, blow up on the screen etc. But, surprisingly, what they were most worried about and spent a good ten minutes cleaning & checking, was the sensor and its peeling. Thankfully my model didn't have that symptom.

Good luck with your search. If you're ever in HK then you will find M9s everywhere on sale! The HKD is weak against the UKP, which is great for UK buyers.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Pioneer]

Mine is on its way back as the "sale" appears to have fallen through. I guess I will just settle in and use it till it dies. Then I will send it to Leica and get if fixed up and just continue using it.

I must have picked up a good one. I get it professionally cleaned annually and so far it hasn't developed any problems with the sensor.

 

[Rob-F]

Mine is on its way back as the "sale" appears to have fallen through. I guess I will just settle in and use it till it dies. Then I will send it to Leica and get if fixed up and just continue using it.

I must have picked up a good one. I get it professionally cleaned annually and so far it hasn't developed any problems with the sensor.

I imagine you'll be glad to have it back. I was ecstatic when a buyer sent back my 15mm f/3.5 Nikkor, after telling me all that he found wrong with it.