Eight bids, two days left on this poor thing...

[SolaresLarrave]

I think somebody at Photo.net linked THIS AUCTION (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3868891151&category=30030) and called it "the poor man's Leica."

It's not a good thing... If it were a movie it'd be R-rated.

[That Guy]

OH MY GOD!!!

There are people actually bidding on this.

[FrankS]

It might not be as bad as it looks. The shutter still fires and the curtains are okay. Cosmetic damage. The lens looks crooked but if you look closely it's just the hood that's askew. I'd gamble $100 on it. Just needs a CLA and a little scrubbing. It's a grunge Leica. Anti-fashion statement. Not for fondling. For the photog who doesn't baby his camera. Recover it in Japanese gold.

[Gordon Coale]

So this is worth more than a good FED 2? Those Leica people! :)

[aizan]

i would've gotten it for the camera graveyard i just started, but class supplies just cut into my funds. argh, would have made a great addition.

[jan normandale]

I'd put it in a nice place over my desk along with a couple of other "maxed" thinks I have (bamboo fishing rods, old fishing reels)

I just think it looks very cool.

Jan

[jlw]

I'm sure some eBay vendors would have described this as "Minty"!

[RML]

I might just be tempted to put in a bid. :)

Like Frank says, this could be not so bad after all.

[RubenBlaedel]

If the seller had made up a story that it was recovered by troops and most likely had belonged to the famous photo journalist bla. bla. he would probably have made a fortune - perhaps firering a bullet trough it could help authenticate the story :-)
That a side - leica might be good but once metal is heated to this amount precision is gone - no way of knowing what curled what way.

[taffer]

Interesting note, I think somebody at PN mentioned this, look at the plastic parts on the body/lens. Frame illuminator window, red dot on lens, plastic tip on advance lever, this thing didn't get too much heat, otherwise all those parts would be completely melt down.

I'm even thinking of giving it a try :rolleyes:

[Brian Sweeney]

Richard Tillis is VERY honest; no made up stories. I wish he had brought it to the camera show last week, he probably would have sold it flat out to cover the price of his table. He sold me a VERY EARLY Nikon F2 with DP1 untested/asis/needs work for $75 AFTER I told him it was a pre-production model. A few hours of cleaning up, layer of-dirt off the mirror, new foam, focus screen, battery, and straigtening the rewind shaft it is now ready to use.

[Pherdinand]

this is crazy:) Thanks for the link!

[peter_n]

Amazing. I wonder where KEK would grade this on their famous scale (http://keh.com/faq/faq_grading.cfm). This is beyond UG that's for sure. UG--? :)

[Pherdinand]

Well, there are marks on the glass surfaces which certailny will influence image quality.

[SolaresLarrave]

Let's face it, the camera body isn't that far gone... If the shutter works, you'd probably need new curtains and a major cleaning and recalibration. The cosmetic aspect would be taken care of with paint (after cleaning the charred parts). But then, you're left with a body... and a bill that amounts what you would have paid for a "user" condition camera.

Now, the lenses are really goners. And that's sad... See the front element in the 'cron 50? And what about the 135?

BTW, I linked it because of the photos. I'm glad Brian knows the seller. At least my sixth sense was right, as I sensed he wasn't lying.

Any bidders here? :)

[RML]

Ya, I'm gonna bid on it. I have a few ideas for decorating the poor *******. :)

[pshinkaw]

I wonder what it smells like.

-Paul

[RML]

Paul, I'll let you know when I've won the bidding. :)

[Brian Sweeney]

Burned out cameras do not smell very good. Take some old plastic and drop it into the fireplace. wait for it to go out, then start sniffing.

My worst Ebay win: "I see no reason why this camera will not work"... Well, the insides were melted. No direct flame damage, and I actually got the lens working again. I got 1/2 of my money back.

The amazing thing is that I have seen salvageable Leica's go for not too much more than this one will wind up.

[iMacfan]

The price this is going for is starting to get stupid.

I thought that I might bid, not imagining that it would go much over $100, but it's now over $160 with a day and a half to go! - I paid not that much more recently for a perfectly working IIc and a Leica multiple VF - definitely the better buy!

A real shame, as it would have been an excellent _long_ term fix-up job, as it looks like the body is salvagable - with cameraleather.com it could have looked very good.

If any of you do win, I have spotted here on UK ebay a tray of Leica parts that looks like it could come in very handy for this job.

You are bidding on a well engineered doorstop, slightly singed odour...

David

[rover]

I wouldn't be surprised if the bidders on this don't actually buy the camera. Just bumping the price up to have a laugh. You can't blame the shop for trying to get a couple bucks for it, but seriously, why would anyone buy it?

[RML]

As iMacFan said, long-term restore job.
But no way I'm gonna pay $160 for it. I had a private limit of 100 euros AT THE MOST. I'm out.

[Brian Sweeney]

Well whoever gets this better not send it to Essex with the Online Estimate for repair! Someone who restores cameras, paints them, etc, has a ton of parts, sure. But this price is beyond what someone like that would pay. Anybody think it will break $300?

[taffer]

For 100 euros I'd have got it as well, but now it's clearly insane. One could consider how these 'famous' actions that get reference on one or two huge traffic forums (such as RFF :)) usually go out of the reasonable.

A Canon P would not only be completely unaffected, it would have put down the fire on its own, and then still have time to save the couple of lenses and the omnipresent little kitty.

[Brian Sweeney]

> A Canon P would not only be completely unaffected, it would have put down the fire on its own

OH Yes! I remember now! Gulliver used a Canon P to put out the fire in Lilliput.

I used my Canon F1 with the THORIUM GLASS 58mm F1.2 lens to melt the snow on my driveway. Pictures Coming.

[Pherdinand]

Originally posted by Brian Sweeney
[BI used my Canon F1 with the THORIUM GLASS 58mm F1.2 lens to melt the snow on my driveway. Pictures Coming. [/B]

LOL :)

[iMacfan]

This made $350! - That is crazy.:eek:

[RML]

Crazy! Restoring it will probably make it more costly than a used M3 is worth. Ah well, the seller had a sale, the buyer a deal. I hope both are happy.

[Pherdinand]

"Even if you have more sense than money, as a potential buyer you'll be competing with people who have more money than sense."

[Brian Sweeney]

Yup, it broke $300. Went for $350. Unbelievable. My M2 that needed the rewind gear was $430. This one will need a lot more work than the $180 repair and CLA that the M2 did!

The buyer is very reliable, based on his feedback. I bet Richard was not expecting so much on this one!

[peter_n]

It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy (Richard Tillis). But that is an unbelievable price! You do have to wonder. :eek:

The other day I picked up a 50mm/f4.5 Focotar lens for $127 on eBay. The same day another Focotar sold for $560. Yes it was a later version but if you do your homework the output of the two lenses is virtually indistinguishable at 16x20. :rolleyes:

[taffer]

My Canon P, 50/1.8, 135/4 and clip-on meter was $214. Very nice, works perfectly and I can even put down fires with it :)

Not sure if it will melt snow though...

[peter_n]

Nice Oscar! :D When did you buy it - very recently? Seems to be a buyers market right now! :)

[taffer]

A bit before Christmas, I think it had to be a superbowl evening or something. Was clearly described as a user though (curtain wrinkles, dent on corner, brightmarks) but the seller was very conservative on his description.

[JohnM]

$350 for that doorstop is amazing. I don't even want to guess how much it will cost to bring it back into working order if that is even possible.

The heat and fire was enough, but I have to imagine that this sucker also got doused pretty good when the fire was put out. It's a burner and a swimmer - egads.

[Solinar]

I'm sorry I didn't put in a last minute snipe on this one. It looks like a keeper.