Fair warning...this is probably going to be a bit long and 'rambly'. Please forgive.
So....after a long period of not shooting, I am finally getting back into the hobby. I snagged what I feel to be a pretty decent deal on a D700, battery grip, and a couple of lenses. Initial tests are 1000% positive. This is by far the closest I have come to shooting 35mm chrome since I stepped into the digital pool. I love the output and performance of the camera. I have zero desire to upgrade this body to a newer generation.
But I was having a discussion with my wife (amazingly we actually talk about camera gear), recalling what piece of equipment had been HER favorite. She was never really enamored with DSLR's, and she now shoots on her IPhone. I was certain she was going to say the F2a we used for several years was her fave...but she didn't. Instead she named the Leica M6. Now I once owned a brand new M6 and a 50mm lens for a short period of time about 20 years ago. She shot with it maybe twice. I stupidly traded it in on a Canon DSLR and have not had the funds to dip back into the Leica pool again.
I was shocked she named the M6, but in retrospect, I loved that camera too. It had the build quality of a professional tool. Like something you would find in your optometrist's office. It was so quiet....the little 'shhk' of the shutter. Glorious...but hideously expensive ecosystem. It reminded me of my Hasselblad...but just more like the James Bond version. Percentage-wise, I had the greatest number of 'keepers' from the M6 of any film camera I ever used.
This brings us to today.
I don't follow Leica announcements or evolutions...there is little point...I cannot afford them, and I don't really enjoy owning cameras that I get OCD about. If I own a camera, I want to USE it...not collect it on a shelf. Just my hangup.
So fast forward to last week. After our discussion, I hopped on ebay and Amazon just to see what the current going rate for Leicas was. There has been only one model that piqued my interest in the past decade, and that was the M Monochrom. What a cool idea, I thought, that Leica would just fly in the face of everything and make a PURE Black and White digital camera that functioned just like a M!
So I looked up M Monochrom on Amazon....
And my heart withheld services for several beats. I saw something that defied logic and any expectation I could have imagined. I estimated that the Monochrom would be somewhere between 4 and 8 thousand dollars. I remember when they were introduced they were right at 8k.
In front of me was a product page, on Amazon, offering a brand NEW, unused Leica M Monochrom (first generation...released circa 2012....Leica updated the camera to the Type 246, 2nd gen but this was a 1st gen for sale) for the price of...............
$246.00 USD. NEW.
WHAT???? This was an $8000.00 camera new!!! Eight Thousand Dollars.
I literally had a minor panic attack. My mind was racing. Surely this was a typo? If it was a typo, would they have to honor it? So many questions...but I convinced myself if I didn't act fast it would be gone in seconds and my fear of losing out overtook. There was only 1 available.
I pressed 'Buy'.
So convinced I was that the seller would renege on the deal, I started researching whether they were obligated or not to sell me the item once they noticed their mistake. I waited over the weekend for Monday morning, and the (in my mind) inevitable "Seller has cancelled this order and issued you a refund" message. I wasn't going to push it. It would be unreasonable to expect them to follow through on this.
No cancellation message came.
Later that day, I received a notification the item had shipped. Shipped???? really????
So I am still in shock. The M Monochrom is scheduled for delivery tomorrow.
But....and there is always a "but" in my experience. I started to research this camera. Oh no.... Sensor problems. A recall... Majority of M9's and Monochroms affected. Oof.
This is why the thing was so cheap. It is a Leica turd that has been rendered undesirable by both Leica and the Leica community.
The hopeful ray of sunshine:
Leica offered, at one time, free replacement of the offending sensor.......hooray! but alas...this offer has expired. Boo! I spoke with a very nice and helpful lady at Leica US repairs who said if my serial number was new enough, they could still take care of the sensor issue for me...otherwise, it is going to cost me around 1600 bucks to replace the sensor. Oh and BTW, neither Amazon nor the third party I bought it from are Authorized Leica dealers.....
So....I am faced with a dilemma and these appear to be my options:
1. If the Leica arrives (and it is actually a Leica and not some scam....like....they didn't just send me some PICTURES of a Leica or something), I can send it off and have the sensor replaced. Then try to sell it on ebay. The only activations it will have will be the ones from the Leica repair facility. This model appears to be going for around $3000 currently with a replaced sensor. Since mine will be basically 'as new' I should be able to get a similar price. This will give me about a 1200 dollar profit on the purchase, and a great story.
2. I can send it off, repair it, and keep it. With a fresh CLA and new sensor, it will basically be a new, two-generation old Monochrom. It will still do the things that Leica enthusiasts loved it for when it was released. The only problem is then I have to find glass for it. I figure I will end up spending around $2700 for the whole shebang....(I would probably buy a Zeiss 35mm lens instead of the Leica lens). Still cheaper than the body alone if purchased from a dealer....and I will know the exact condition of the body. I was not planning on a 3k outlay right now...but this is part of the decision.
3. I can sell it *as is* with full disclosure that the sensor will likely need to be replaced at a cost of approx $1600.00 (excluding tax and shipping). I don't even know what kind of price to put on it....But I figure I could make at least a little bit on it, and then I wouldn't have to go through the repair process.
So here I am, and this is my interesting story. What would you do?
Just to show I'm not kidding on this...here is the order. (vital info scrubbed to protect the innocent):
So....after a long period of not shooting, I am finally getting back into the hobby. I snagged what I feel to be a pretty decent deal on a D700, battery grip, and a couple of lenses. Initial tests are 1000% positive. This is by far the closest I have come to shooting 35mm chrome since I stepped into the digital pool. I love the output and performance of the camera. I have zero desire to upgrade this body to a newer generation.
But I was having a discussion with my wife (amazingly we actually talk about camera gear), recalling what piece of equipment had been HER favorite. She was never really enamored with DSLR's, and she now shoots on her IPhone. I was certain she was going to say the F2a we used for several years was her fave...but she didn't. Instead she named the Leica M6. Now I once owned a brand new M6 and a 50mm lens for a short period of time about 20 years ago. She shot with it maybe twice. I stupidly traded it in on a Canon DSLR and have not had the funds to dip back into the Leica pool again.
I was shocked she named the M6, but in retrospect, I loved that camera too. It had the build quality of a professional tool. Like something you would find in your optometrist's office. It was so quiet....the little 'shhk' of the shutter. Glorious...but hideously expensive ecosystem. It reminded me of my Hasselblad...but just more like the James Bond version. Percentage-wise, I had the greatest number of 'keepers' from the M6 of any film camera I ever used.
This brings us to today.
I don't follow Leica announcements or evolutions...there is little point...I cannot afford them, and I don't really enjoy owning cameras that I get OCD about. If I own a camera, I want to USE it...not collect it on a shelf. Just my hangup.
So fast forward to last week. After our discussion, I hopped on ebay and Amazon just to see what the current going rate for Leicas was. There has been only one model that piqued my interest in the past decade, and that was the M Monochrom. What a cool idea, I thought, that Leica would just fly in the face of everything and make a PURE Black and White digital camera that functioned just like a M!
So I looked up M Monochrom on Amazon....
And my heart withheld services for several beats. I saw something that defied logic and any expectation I could have imagined. I estimated that the Monochrom would be somewhere between 4 and 8 thousand dollars. I remember when they were introduced they were right at 8k.
In front of me was a product page, on Amazon, offering a brand NEW, unused Leica M Monochrom (first generation...released circa 2012....Leica updated the camera to the Type 246, 2nd gen but this was a 1st gen for sale) for the price of...............
$246.00 USD. NEW.
WHAT???? This was an $8000.00 camera new!!! Eight Thousand Dollars.
I literally had a minor panic attack. My mind was racing. Surely this was a typo? If it was a typo, would they have to honor it? So many questions...but I convinced myself if I didn't act fast it would be gone in seconds and my fear of losing out overtook. There was only 1 available.
I pressed 'Buy'.
So convinced I was that the seller would renege on the deal, I started researching whether they were obligated or not to sell me the item once they noticed their mistake. I waited over the weekend for Monday morning, and the (in my mind) inevitable "Seller has cancelled this order and issued you a refund" message. I wasn't going to push it. It would be unreasonable to expect them to follow through on this.
No cancellation message came.
Later that day, I received a notification the item had shipped. Shipped???? really????
So I am still in shock. The M Monochrom is scheduled for delivery tomorrow.
But....and there is always a "but" in my experience. I started to research this camera. Oh no.... Sensor problems. A recall... Majority of M9's and Monochroms affected. Oof.
This is why the thing was so cheap. It is a Leica turd that has been rendered undesirable by both Leica and the Leica community.
The hopeful ray of sunshine:
Leica offered, at one time, free replacement of the offending sensor.......hooray! but alas...this offer has expired. Boo! I spoke with a very nice and helpful lady at Leica US repairs who said if my serial number was new enough, they could still take care of the sensor issue for me...otherwise, it is going to cost me around 1600 bucks to replace the sensor. Oh and BTW, neither Amazon nor the third party I bought it from are Authorized Leica dealers.....
So....I am faced with a dilemma and these appear to be my options:
1. If the Leica arrives (and it is actually a Leica and not some scam....like....they didn't just send me some PICTURES of a Leica or something), I can send it off and have the sensor replaced. Then try to sell it on ebay. The only activations it will have will be the ones from the Leica repair facility. This model appears to be going for around $3000 currently with a replaced sensor. Since mine will be basically 'as new' I should be able to get a similar price. This will give me about a 1200 dollar profit on the purchase, and a great story.
2. I can send it off, repair it, and keep it. With a fresh CLA and new sensor, it will basically be a new, two-generation old Monochrom. It will still do the things that Leica enthusiasts loved it for when it was released. The only problem is then I have to find glass for it. I figure I will end up spending around $2700 for the whole shebang....(I would probably buy a Zeiss 35mm lens instead of the Leica lens). Still cheaper than the body alone if purchased from a dealer....and I will know the exact condition of the body. I was not planning on a 3k outlay right now...but this is part of the decision.
3. I can sell it *as is* with full disclosure that the sensor will likely need to be replaced at a cost of approx $1600.00 (excluding tax and shipping). I don't even know what kind of price to put on it....But I figure I could make at least a little bit on it, and then I wouldn't have to go through the repair process.
So here I am, and this is my interesting story. What would you do?
Just to show I'm not kidding on this...here is the order. (vital info scrubbed to protect the innocent):