What can I buy with $1K ?

[amarkin]

I?d like to buy a Leica. I have $1000 to spend on a camera, body only. Used or

new anything which is of a good quality is acceptable. What can I buy from Leica

with $1000?

 

Thanks

[rj]

I got a very good m3 dual stroke camera with a less than stellar collapsible cron for 600 bucks a few years back. I have had a CLA done to it and it has performed extremely good for me. I have added lenses for it of course. I bet you could pick up a good m3 with a good 50 for less than 1k.

 

I just sold a minty leica m6ttl with a .72 finder for $1100.00 on ebay and have seen them go for less than that, some for more too.

[john_shriver]

New Leica M bodies start at $3500, maybe less for grey market (no US Passport warranty).

 

If you don't need a light meter in the body, user M2, M3, and M4 cameras can be found for $400 or so. They won't be pretty, and the vulcanite will be falling off, but after a few hundred more for a clean/lube/adjust, they will have the same great viewfinder/rangefinder as any M series Leica.

 

You might be able to find a used M6 for around $1000, but have no budget left for any repairs.

 

Or, a new Zeiss Ikon rangefinder is $1499, and has an excellent viewfinder as well.

 

You need to be more careful buying an M3, since that viewfinder is a bit more fragile, there are places where the optical cement can be failing. If you plan to use a 35mm lens, the M2 or M4 are probably a better choice, since the M3 is really best for 50, 90, and 135mm lenses.

[kevin m.]

Popflash has the Zeiss Ikon for as little as $1240

 

http://www.popflash.com/item.cfm?id=%24%24%2E6D%5E%20%20%20%0A

 

For $1,000, I'd pick up a used VC R2A or R3A for under $500 and spend the rest on a lens.

[andrew robertson]

You could get a Hexar RF or a Hexar AF, plus a Fuji Natura Black.

[paul_neuthaler]

You can get a mint M4-P for under $1K

[tom_levidiotis]

A perfectly decent M-6, or, for less, a perfectly decent M-4. You say "body only," so you are all set. I would venture a guess that $1000 should get a person a decent M-4 plus a fine VC lens. You cannot do better; and, in a sense, you are better off with one lens, at least until you are confortable with RF practice.

[Bill Blackwell Images]

An M3 could easily be had for $1,000 (or less).

 

http://www.popflash.com/item.cfm?id=%24%24%5ENE%5F%20%20%20%0A

[jkelly04]

I bought my whole Leica kit for less than $1000. 2 bodies (M3 $380 and IIIa $129), and 3 lenses (Summitar $190, Elmar 9cm $100, Summar $50). Add in an SBOOI finder, a couple of straps and various filters, and I spent a total of about $1000.

[jtk]

Get a IIIC or IIIF with a couple of lenses and Voigtlander viewfinders.

[SCL]

Check prices on eBay for a pretty good estimate of what $1k will buy.

[nolan_ross]

My favorite is the M6 classic. I think you could get one for that price. On the other hand you can get a Nikon N8008s on ebay for about $40.00. A 50mm f1.8 AIS for about $40.00. Pictures will look the same..That leaves $920.00 for your savings account...

[mark_amos]

While an excellent condition M3 has got to be more of a keeper than a Voigtlander body of any type, I would think, unless you have a lot of experience using a handheld meter, that you would want an excellent condition metered body as new as possible, but not necessarily new. Look at cameraquest.com for info on the latest Voigtlander bodies new for $500 to $600, but at $1000, you are at the threshold of a pretty good M6, and I'd take an excellent 10 year old M6 over any of the Voigtlanders, unless you feel you must have aperture priority.

 

Then I would think you'd want a normal lens, but you didn't say how much more you could spend on that or whether you would tend toward a wide angle normal (35, and only maybe a 28) or the normal normal of 50mm, or whether you'd place a priority on fast aperture or lens/package size. I'd suggest medium size and fast $400 for new VC 50 1.5, or excellent and super compact but not fast for Leica Elmar 50 2.8 latest version used for $550.

 

Frankly, if I was trying to maximize the budget and flexibility of what I was going to buy with the desire to explore manual focus range finder style photography with an affinity for classic Leica imagery also wanting to be fairly certain that what I bought was in good working order at a good price with the idea that I would never buy any more stuff (which is a silly notion, so this would not be my purchase because I know I'd buy more) I would suggest you get a Voigtlander R3a new from Cameraquest and a Lecia 40 f2 summicron used in Ex or Ex+ condition from KEH, both together for just barely under the $1000 you have for just a body. You would have a true normal versatile focal length, great classic combination of sharpness and bokeh in a very small relatively fast lens, plus a new body with aperture priority plus a 1:1 finder, presumably with some kind of warranty. This would be an awesome one camera, one lens little set up on a budget. However, if you want to buy more stuff later, I really would not get this combo.

[mark_amos]

By the way, Nolan's comments are true, if obstinate and oversimplified, so you should think about that, although I stand by my advice.

[35mmdelux]

M6 Classic.

[vinay_patel]

"I?d like to buy a Leica. I have $1000 to spend on a camera, body only. Used or new anything which is of a good quality is acceptable."

 

Well you can forget about new unless you buy it from one of those trustworthy eBay sellers in Beijing or Chechnya :-) Used, $1000 will get you just about anything other than an M7 or MP, maybe M6TTL is stretching it. Certainly an M6-Classic or anything prior. What will vary is the condition. My sentimental pick would be an M4, but probably the smartest pick for a user would be an M6 Classic. Are you planning on ever getting a lens, or just the body?

[nolan_ross]

The only thing I might add is an older Leica will need a good service so purchasing something for about $750.00+cost of service might be the task at hand from my obstinate and oversimplified point of view. And that's it for photo.net for me..Good luck to you all..

[mark_amos]

"And that's it for photo.net for me."

 

Hey Nolan, wait a minute. I'm the one that called your comment obstinate and oversimplified, because I think it was, but I made a point to support it because it has an important truth in it. However, Alex, the question poster, didn't ask how to get equipment with the potential for excellent photographs for under $100. He clearly said he wanted to get a Leica.

 

I agree that it can be disturbing to see people wanting to dive into buying expensive Leica equipment when they have little understanding of photographic principles or an understanding of the worthwhile alternatives, but I don't know Alex, and it is a bit presumptuous to assume that he falls into that category. Maybe I should have called your comments brusque and condescending instead. You can easily dismiss what I am saying by concluding that "I don't get it, and Alex doesn't get it," but I do get it, and Alex may also.

 

I say genuinely that I apologize if my words were ill-chosen, but you definitely seem grumpy and apparently too tired to dialogue. Best wishes.

[nolan_ross]

My experience with photo.net has been that each time I post something then somebody like you immediately comes back with name calling, insults and rude behavior. My post did not warrant any of that. It was merely a suggestion that for $80.00 you can buy a camera that is very capable. It is not beautiful to hold and see such as a M6 Leica but it will turn out great 35mm images and all the while the $920.00 in the bank can be held on to and added to until a Leica in beautiful shape is affordable. Maybe people consider that, obstinate and all the other names you have called me but I think it's just good advice. Anyway I am leaving now and will not respond again. Good luck to you all.

[mark_amos]

I certainly did not intend to be rude, but perhaps only frank, like you. In looking at what I wrote, perhaps it was unfriendly. I apologize without further qualification.

[al_kaplan1]

Hand held meters require no great experience for getting great exposures. Get one with the white dome for reading incident light. Read the LIGHT, not the scene. Then you don't have to concern yourself with finding something "average" to read off of, or figure exposure compensation for light or dark subjects.

[vic_.]

Alex, Are you in Australia? If so, then you might thave to revise your price estimates, because AUS$1000 will not get you much in terms of Leica gear.