Newbie to Leica. Please don't flame.

[watzzup]

Hi,

I'm thinking of owning old leica camera's ...Some of the cheap ones have defects on them..and i'm sure it can be CLA'd.
My question is what is the most expensive part to be CLA?
Common scratches can be repainted , yes? Leatherette can be replaced at a cost ?
What about dings? Roughly how much is a complete overhaul? eg. on an M2 or M3.

Sorry i'm new to this and looking for information before i purchase and keeping my options open beside buy/sell here in clubsnap.

Thank you.

 

[NazgulKing]

Hi,

I'm thinking of owning old leica camera's ...Some of the cheap ones have defects on them..and i'm sure it can be CLA'd.
My question is what is the most expensive part to be CLA?
Common scratches can be repainted , yes? Leatherette can be replaced at a cost ?
What about dings? Roughly how much is a complete overhaul? eg. on an M2 or M3.

Sorry i'm new to this and looking for information before i purchase and keeping my options open beside buy/sell here in clubsnap.

Thank you.

Most painful problems with any of the old Ms, especially the M2 and M3, would be the deterioration of the cement that is used to glue the prisms together in the rangefinder itself. Everything else generally can be "fixed".

 

[newghost]

I just found out apparently the prism can even be fixed / rebuilt too... if you know where to go!

 

[watzzup]

I just found out apparently the prism can even be fixed / rebuilt too... if you know where to go!

Practically it's indestructible.
I spoke to Mr Tay also he didn't really wanna tell.

 

[NazgulKing]

Practically it's indestructible.
I spoke to Mr Tay also he didn't really wanna tell.

It can be fixed. But you would have to send it to someone abroad.

Actually, modern cement etc. is heck a lot more durable than what Leica used in those days. The only issue is whether you want to be a anal purist or something.

 

[Srono]

Everything can be fixed but at (high) cost. Generally buying working leica is cheaper than buying one with issue and fix. Otherwise, people will fix before selling, right? And the problem is you wont be sure it can be fixed completely. Some need part changed, some are too expensive to fix that's why people sell it away cheap. Good CLA will cost you at least 300sgd without parts.

Ebay is cheaper for not well-described items but then it is the so-called " high risk high return". You need some luck there. If you r new to leica, nothing better than get a working set locally with hand on testing.

 

[crispy12]

Generally I avoid ebay, I've had good luck with KEH in the past. Usually cheaper or the same price as clubsnap but need to know exactly what you're looking for. If it's defective, can have full refund (except shipping). Only problem is the shipping can be expensive if only some very cheap items (like lens hood, accessories etc).

I bought a Leica M6 for about $400 less than local market price, really barebones and user condition (box only had bubble wrap and camera body in plastic bag!) but all functions work 100% and rangefinder pristine so definitely worth it. On the other hand, I also bought a Canonet for $10 which was listed as defective. I guessed from the description that it was an easily fixed problem and bought it. Shutter jammed. Fixed it up in a day myself and turned out to be perfectly usable. So depends on your experience if you want to go that route.

 

[watzzup]

Generally I avoid ebay, I've had good luck with KEH in the past. Usually cheaper or the same price as clubsnap but need to know exactly what you're looking for. If it's defective, can have full refund (except shipping). Only problem is the shipping can be expensive if only some very cheap items (like lens hood, accessories etc).

I bought a Leica M6 for about $400 less than local market price, really barebones and user condition (box only had bubble wrap and camera body in plastic bag!) but all functions work 100% and rangefinder pristine so definitely worth it. On the other hand, I also bought a Canonet for $10 which was listed as defective. I guessed from the description that it was an easily fixed problem and bought it. Shutter jammed. Fixed it up in a day myself and turned out to be perfectly usable. So depends on your experience if you want to go that route.

Thank you for the advise. I'll check it out

 

[pixelbrain]

had to replace a broken shutter once, cost me $500.