2nd market perpective for M8

hi! I am temted to get a second hand m8. However, in case I'll have to sell it back for a reason or another, i am

curious to know

if the M8 will keep a good value on the 2nd (3rd?) hand market in the next 6 to 12 months.

Also, by the way, could someone tell me if the color cast problem has been fixed by a firmware, or if one must

still use special filters ? thank you

Used M8 cameras continue to drop in price, just check completed auctions on Ebay...nobody can predict the future prices. I would suspect as technology marches on, that digital Leicas, just like other manufacturer's digital cameras will be worth less and less in the aftermarket. From what I read on the Leica website, special filters continue to be the solution to the color cast...of course it is irrelevant if you are working in B&W.

 

If you want one, get it and don't worry about future prices. Take pictures.

Regardless of what clothes you dress a digital camera in, it's still a digital camera, and will continue to drop in price.

Unless, of course, Leica doesn't make an M9, in which case it will become a cult camera for which folks are willing to pay

any price. Only time will tell.

hi -- my guess is that any M9 is far in the future. however, i have heard from a very reliable source that epson, against all the odds, WILL produce a RD2. it should appear in early 2010. even so, there will continue to be strong demand for M8s as the only leica branded, true leica-quality M lens platform. as such, it is likely to defy the typical rules regarding used prices for digicams. i would buy one noe with relative confidence that it will hold its value for at least a few years.

 

and, at the end of the day, as long as you are using it to take lots of pics, and you re happy with the quality, does it really matter how much of your investment you recover?

 

and yes, the banding has been cured & there is a filter solution for the IR issue.

 

take care, roger

The Epson RD-1, although several years old, discontinued, 6mp, 1.5-crop, and known with problemic rangefinder and, less frequently, shutter, and very poor service and support, it still sells for above $1500 US, and will perhaps do so until the price of secondhand Leica M8 lowers below $2000. I can't imagine the price of secondhand M8 will lower that far until there is an M9, and then a lot will depend on what improvements are featured in the M9, and what it will cost. I would better spend my mind to predict the stock market and possibly make some real investment, meantime buy a demonstration M8 if that is what the heart wants. What will stop me cold from buying a purely secondhand M8 is the risk of repair cost, without a warranty.

Here in the UK, a used M8 has just sold on the auction site for GBP 1850 including the remainder (half) of its two year warranty (Item #190230163605).

 

One auction sale doesn't tell the whole story but it does seem that used M8 prices are dropping significantly, at least here in the UK. Previous auction sales have been around the GBP 2300 to 2400 level. The price of a new Leica M8 is GBP 3299.00 including taxes, although most Leica authorised dealers offer a small discount.