The prices that people want for their M9's...

I would not mind an M9. I think they're very nice. But the prices that some people think they can get for their cameras is just incredible.

 

One listing: M9-P, LNIB, AU$7,499 OBO. Okay I get it, it's virtually mint and it is an M9-P. But I can buy an M10 for less than that. And the M10 is a better camera in (almost) every way.

 

Another listing: M9, corroded cover glass, otherwise EX, US$2,500 OBO. That translates to AU$3,600 or so. An M240 isn't that much more - maybe $1,000 more at most.

 

At this point, if your M9 has corrosion, get it fixed, or put it up for auction. Not for my sake - I don't want your faulty camera. But for yours, because getting angsty about what you think you should get vs what the open market will give you, is not conducive to good economy or healthy sleep patterns.

Outside the culinary field "mint" means "not for me!"...

I envision my Leica dealership (which I haven't hit in person, yet) as a mixture of 1/3 black sherif and 2/3 nice young folks in clean white coats, realigning sellers with reality.

 

It can be tempting to cut out middlemen. But on the early buyer side, defined by buying one, before you piggy banked five, it will be nerve wrecking.

Do as you like. I can't get rid of the feeling that the private "Leica" market is among the last places where I 'd like to spend. (Which of course excludes cases where people are dumping old toys on me.)

Just as a mint comes in a wrapper so should a camera described as such. Like new means you gently used it for a hundred or less shots and any other camera in great shape can be no better that “excellent. All the mints I see at auctions are bargain mostly.

There can be a large discrepancy between asking and selling price. Survey the latter for a more accurate result.

Anything can be asked, but few such are sold.

 

On eBay, as said, check the box for SOLD when searching. The rest is of interest only to psychologists.

There can be a large discrepancy between asking and selling price. Survey the latter for a more accurate result.

Of course, that is correct. My point is that people really think their M9's are worth more than M10's. It's delusional.

Lots of way overpriced classic/modern Leica M equipment on eBay, a large portion of which are often far-East sellers; prices with no roots in common sense-territory, but it doesn't seem to matter.

 

They must draw in some poor sap or two with more money than sense, otherwise it'd seem to be financial stupidity to continue listing at over-inflated prices.

"But the prices that some people think they can get for their cameras is just incredible" Karin.

 

Yes, but they have the magical CCD sensor. Funny really what folks will pay for magical things.

 

Talking of funny...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUTy_a6TlKQ

"But the prices that some people think they can get for their cameras is just incredible" Karin.

 

Yes, but they have the magical CCD sensor. Funny really what folks will pay for magical things.

 

Talking of funny...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUTy_a6TlKQ

 

Just brilliant.

Of course, that is correct. My point is that people really think their M9's are worth more than M10's. It's delusional.

It's worth more to me.

 

I would not trade my M9 for an M10. The M9 has the last generation full-frame (24x36) CCD made. Same with the M Monochrom- would not trade it. Both have the CCD with BG-55 cover glass.

The M10 uses front-side illuminated CMOS. Loses collection efficiency and larger non-uniformity correction is required.

The M11 forgot to put a Light Meter into the camera, rely on sensor-on for metering.

Besides, the uncompressed DNG of the M9 and M Monochrom is much easier to read in from disk when writing your own code. Probably not why most people stick with the M9 and M Monochrom, but a big reason for me.

 

A quick check on Ebay Sold listings indicate that you can pick up an M9 with new sensor for about $3000. One with a shutter count under 7000 went for $3400.

 

So- in the 12 years that I've owned mine, price has fallen 50% from what I paid new.

Edited July 12, 2022 by Brian

In spite of how inflated I think many of the prices are, the fact remains that in many cases somebody is actually paying those prices (as per SOLD data), which means that is what the market thinks the items are worth (similar to other markets, such as financial ones or real estate). Of course the markets are going to constantly reevaluate the values of items, and some will go up and some will go down based on supply and demand, but we shouldn't act too surprised by price fluctuations.

DigiKey sold the KAF-18500 for over $4000 up until production ceased. Someone using the CCD in a piece of scientific equipment could easily buy a camera with the new rev of the CCD in it for spare parts.

A quick check on Ebay Sold listings indicate that you can pick up an M9 with new sensor for about $3000. One with a shutter count under 7000 went for $3400.

 

So- in the 12 years that I've owned mine, price has fallen 50% from what I paid new.

$3,000 is way too much. Having said that... I contributed a piece to Steve Huff's website that discussed how the M9 held its price much, much better than any pro DSLR could ever hope to. That was several years ago. I can't find that piece now but the point is that it's still valid.

In Jan 2010 I paid $2500 for an M8 with 400 clicks that had been bought 4 months before, had a spare battery and Leica half case. I could probably get $1500 for it now. It has a zero-defect sensor, I use it in button-dance Raw mode. Never given a problem in use.

 

The price of classic lenses have shot way up. I paid $70 for a Summicron collapsible before the M8 came out, $70 for a Canon 50/1.5, $70 for a 1934 Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm F1.5, $125 for a Summarit 5cm F1.5, the list goes on. I'd be happy to find them at those prices again, will not happen. A forum friend told me the 1934 5cm F1.5 Sonnar was going for ~$1,000. Limited commodity that is in demand. Same with the M9 and M Monochrom with CCD using BG-55 glass.

Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm f/2 – 0.7m MFD w/ Air-Feel Brass Focus Stick – Single Coated 1937

 

 

Skyllaney has made a business out of converting lenses to Leica Mount.

 

 

I refer people to them when asked about Sonnars.

 

 

5cm F2 Sonnar, Converted to Leica Mount by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

 

I sold this one for $200 to a friend two years ago, about what I had into the parts. You can't find good ones for that price anymore. Each of these conversion took 8 hours or more, take apart the Sonnar, clean it all, take apart the J-8, clean and lube, then assemble and test on the Leica. I know why Skyllaney charges what they do.

 

 

I could pick up an M11 if I wanted one. I just don't. The M9 and M Monochrom work the way I want them to. I use classic glass, but also have a new set of Voigtlander Noktons and the APO Lanthar 50/2. I have some 125 lenses in Leica LTM and M-Mount. Buying another M9 for $3K would be my choice over a newer camera.

Let us walk in the real world. Hand in hand together.

 

I have a Leica M8/M9 they are special cameras but are no longer supported by Leica, When they go" tit arse", which my M9 has, now a vase on the shelf,. little else.

 

I also have a Leica M240 which is no way inferior but still supported by Leica.

 

Wake up and stop believing in fairy tales.

Edited July 16, 2022 by Allen Herbert

Leica M240

 

A Zeiss ZM lens is a another level to those old times lenses.

 

Technology moves on.

Technology moves on.

Not so fast. Sometimes, old technology is superior. Sometimes.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiQcWjzR_V0

(1:17)

 

In addition to that, I should point out that I'd happily use an M9 today, but not at the prices that people are paying. No thanks.

Let us walk in the real world. Hand in hand together.

 

I have a Leica M8/M9 they are special cameras but are no longer supported by Leica, When they go" tit arse", which my M9 has, now a vase on the shelf,. little else.

 

I also have a Leica M240 which is no way inferior but still supported by Leica.

 

Wake up and stop believing in fairy tales.

Leica no longer has replacement sensors, manufacturer discontinued productions.

Leica will still service the M9. If the CCD dies, it cannot be fixed.

 

My oldest Digital SLR is 30 years old, and still works. DCS200ir. The M8 still works, the Nikon E3 (25 years old) still works. SO- MTBF is a statistic that has been pretty good to me.

 

Warm November day by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

1934 5cm F1.5 Sonnar, on the M9.

 

sonnar_1607_1 by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

I also have the ZM Sonnar 50/1.5. And a 1932 5cm F1.5 from the test batch of the first 100 made. Paid twice for that one what the ZM C-Sonnar goes for.

 

Thought about an M240 since I have the Olympus EVF. It stored DNG files as Big-Endian. I prefer little Endian.

 

I've worked with Digital Imagers since 1981. The 80s for me, when they were in the Research Lab. I've been writing image processing code for that long.

The Carl Zeiss Jena lenses were good enough that at the beginning the Wessis imported them too. I remember the days when people avoided Jena because of their political hue ( to the benefit of us willing to overlook that 'defect')

 

Even Carl Zeiss in the Ukraine (as it later became) were usually superb.

Also would not sell my M Monochrom.

 

 

1936 5cm F1.5 Sonnar, wide-open. Optimized for the color filter.

Of course there have been many advances in photography since the 1930s.

Autofocus lenses that are far faster, easier, and more precise than using an Optical Rangefinder built into a Leica.

Prices on Film Leica bodies has shot through the roof. I bought my M3DS with 5cm F2 Rigid Summicron and 135/4.5 Hektor-M for under $1K less than 20 years ago. M3 made the Month that I was born.

Yet here we all are, living a fairy tale of using Rangefinder cameras and Lenses. Obsolete Technology, obsolete for decades.

Hey, Karim ,cool fridge . Are you still using it? Perhaps you are struggling to get the parts for it being of a superior technology.;))

 

Brain, big thanks for your contribution, and a bigger thanks for your photos-enjoyed.

 

However, would you really encourage a friend to buy a M9/M8 neither supported by Leica.? And the parts of the camera they may support now, well, "tick tock goes the clock." Of course they might not need any maintenance till the end of time, but maybe not. I suppose if you have buckets of gold coin it does not matter. However, some don't,; most folks, who we are suggesting to gamble have limited funs. And lets be honest Leica are not really the best at electronics. Think M8 sensor/M9 sensor.

 

I enjoy my Leica X Vario and Leica 113 but I'm too scared to find out if they are still supported., My Leica X1,well, the electronics failed, and my black M9 looks very nice on the shelf.

 

And, yes ,I enjoy my old lenses just love the character of many of them .However, we are in the digital age and modern lenses are designed within digital parameters to offer superior performance.

Edited July 19, 2022 by Allen Herbert