Would You Buy an MP Hammertone in LN Condition

[oscroft]

There are a lot of currently undervalued stocks out there, real estate is going for a song in many parts of the country ~ THOSE are investments. Take the money and buy your wife a gorgeous new dress, a couple of pair of expensive shoes, perhaps a nice necklace, then take her away for a weekend, pop open a bottle of champaign, and enjoy the dividends. The Leica MP won't smile at you when you fondle it.

Pick up a beat to crap M2 if you actually ever decide to take some pictures. Leica M2's know how to make great pictures.

That's one of the best posts I've read here 😀

 

[Roger Hicks]

Dream camera to use? Buy it.

Investment? Buy it.

But don't try to mix the two...

Cheers,

R.

 

[jplomley]

Cheers for all the feedback folks. Did not intend to initiate controversy, just acquire a bit of feedback on whether the asking price was fair. My intent is to use the camera once in a while, perhaps half a dozen rolls a year, but keep it mainly as a piece of craftsmanship that one day may appreciate in value. But would I re-sell it? I suppose that is the risk. My wife thinks that once acquired, I won't be able to part with it.

~ Jeff

 

[pphuang]

35 cron ASPH goes for $1500 (US) used, thus the camera would cost you $3500. Your paying $1000 premium for the hammertone?

Personally, I like the look (no accounting for tastes, right 😀) and bought a used one from the classifieds at a great price a few years back. I have heard stories about chipping, etc., but can tell you from personal experience that the finish is extremely durable. And even if you get marks on it, that knarly finish hides them real well 😀. I have used the heck out of mine, and it still looks untouched.

The hammertone cron asph has a different body style and different markings than the standard cron asph, and also comes with the hammertone hood. They are limited edition, and are difficult to find used. I've always thought it would be nice to have the matched lens, but the few times that they appear, they get snatched up pretty quickly at prices much higher than what I woud like to pay. Obviously, whether you like the look is a different matter, but if you are selling one for $1500, I would gladly take it off your hands! 😀

A brand spanking new standard MP + Cron Asph will run you $6500-$7000, so 5K for a mint set is not unreasonable, regardless of whether it ultimately holds its value as a "collectible."

 

[ray*j*gun]

Please don't buy cameras as an investment I have been watching Barret Jackson this weekend and it sickening to see those cars going to early graves as "investments". Also this is a buyers market for most real investments if tats what you want.

Ray

 

[cmogi10]

Does anyone have some high quality pictures of this MP?
I've seen a couple bad pictures and assumed I didn't like the look but now I'm curious.

Edit: Alright I found a bunch of pictures on google.
It looks cool. If I had that kind of disposable income I would consider it. Until then my beat up black paint MP will do everything I need and more.

But it, use it, it will make you happy.

 

[Steve Hoffman]

Does anyone have some high quality pictures of this MP?
I've seen a couple bad pictures and assumed I didn't like the look but now I'm curious.

Edit: Alright I found a bunch of pictures on google.
It looks cool. If I had that kind of disposable income I would consider it. Until then my beat up black paint MP will do everything I need and more.

But it, use it, it will make you happy.

I have a few, lemme look..

 

[Steve Hoffman]

To contrast the above, here is a shot of an ORIGINAL 1964 Hammertone M. I'd say they match pretty well..

 

[cmogi10]

Alright it does look pretty damn cool.
I'm still a sucker for black paint though 🙂

 

[jplomley]

It is cool, very cool. I just don't know, in the current economic climate 1K is a lot of money right now, but then I realize this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

[KM-25]

Last June, Photographer Clay Harmon put his virtually unused Black Paint MP-3 LHSA kit on the RFF classifieds for 5K. I had remembered seeing that kit on B&H for 8 grand and thinking only if I win the lottery..

http://220.133.217.187/A002/005/LEICA/MM77/Leica Camera AG - Photography - MP 3 LHSA Edition.htm

So I PM'd him and put my name in the hat, first in line. I then thought about it, would I use it? Would I keep it in a humidor?

I payed him, pulled out the body, lens, shade and Leicavit from the pretty red box and put the new rig in my gear closet, the box is buried in storage.

I use it, nearly every day. There were only 375 sets made, the chrome's can still be found here and there, but the black paints are rare.

I am proud to say my kit is getting used, daily.

 

[cmogi10]

Last June, Photographer Clay Harmon put his virtually unused Black Paint MP-3 LHSA kit on the RFF classifieds for 5K. I had remembered seeing that kit on B&H for 8 grand and thinking only if I win the lottery..

http://220.133.217.187/A002/005/LEICA/MM77/Leica Camera AG - Photography - MP 3 LHSA Edition.htm

So I PM'd him and put my name in the hat, first in line. I then thought about it, would I use it? Would I keep it in a humidor?

I payed him, pulled out the body, lens, shade and Leicavit from the pretty red box and put the new rig in my gear closet, the box is buried in storage.

I use it, nearly every day. There were only 375 sets made, the chrome's can still be found here and there, but the black paints are rare.

I am proud to say my kit is getting used, daily.

Badass 😎
Use it like it's made to be used.

 

[pphuang]

Ok, here are some shots of my "UGLY" camera 😀. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

This thing gets tossed around pretty vigorously - the finish is really amazing...

 

[Al Kaplan]

Maybe recovering the camera would spiff it up a bit? These two would look great on a grey body:

http://cameraleather.com/colors/red_lizard.htm

http://cameraleather.com/colors/b&wcobra_snake.htm

 

[MikeL]

I'm still waiting for mine. I saw a Hammertone MP on Craigslist for $1900. The seller said he was from S.F. and was out of the country, but I could send him the money through Western Union and he would ship it very promptly. It's been a year but I can't wait until it arrives!


😉

 

[cmogi10]

Maybe recovering the camera would spiff it up a bit? These two would look great on a grey body:

http://cameraleather.com/colors/red_lizard.htm

http://cameraleather.com/colors/b&wcobra_snake.htm

😱
A'm I the only one who finds those completely hideous?

 

[cmogi10]

Alright good! 😀


The more pictures I see of these Hammertone MP's the more I like it.

I kind of want a Hammertone Leicavit for my BP MP

 

[Al Kaplan]

Keith, "extracting the urine", I like that expression. I was just trying to get Google to locate some pix of my 1961 VW Microbus with the flowers painted all over it. Now THAT would be a lot nicer than grey hammertone. But no luck. I'll try another attack later with different key words.

 

[aizan]

Alright good! 😀


The more pictures I see of these Hammertone MP's the more I like it.

I kind of want a Hammertone Leicavit for my BP MP

shintaro, if he's still around, could repaint your mp with a more neutral hammertone. the lhsa is a little greenish. i think he did a grey-blue hammertone m2 for mr. gandy.

 

[CameraQuest]

The Leica MP hammertone finish actually factually started out as a copy of Shintaro's incredibly well done hammertone finishes. (I own Shintaro IIIg and M2 hammertones, they are BEAUTIFUL)

Tom A submitted to Leica as a sample to match, a Shintaro hammertone Leica M body to match up for the LHSA hammertone MP.

Apparently the Leica guy was a bit color blind. He got the color a bit too green in the Leica LHSA hammertone.

Still, the LHSA Hammertone MP is one of Leica's most beautiful and desirable MP cameras. I do in fact own one as a personal camera.

Stephen