LEICA M4-2 CAMERA W/ LEITZ SUMMITAR f/ 5cm 1:2 LENS + CAP SUPER CLEAN

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LEICA M4-2 (manufactured in Canada) with an older Summitar Leitz 5cm 1:2 lens Since I can assume the perspective buyer will be very knowledgeable of 35mm Leica camera and equipment, I will describe what I think of this camera and give you some background on how I base my opinions. I started shooting Nikon FTn and Nikon glass (Nikkor 55mm f/1.2) back in 1969 (Vietnam). I continued to shoot as a serious hobbyist until after the arrival of digital photography. I was a purist in my pursuit of Landscape art photography. I have owned and shot many camera systems, to include the Olympus bodies and Zuiko glass (back in the day). Then on to explore the pro bodies in the Canon line with FD lens (always keeping a couple of Nikon bodies and old fast glass around- ouch! still have a FM2n with a Nikkor 20mm around in a closet somewhere). I finally progressed to roll films. starting with twin lens stuff and then some Mamiya 635 cameras, Pentax and then finally on to Fuji leaf shutter cameras (hey! always looking for the super-wides in 645mm, 6x7 and 6x9. During these years I "played" with Nikon F4s, Canon EOS 1n bodies to hang some fast long glass onto. Through the years I bought many camera in pawn shops, garage sales or anywhere I could find interesting camera equipment. Never was a old leaf shutter enthusiast, and did not know that much about them. Never was much of a square format kind of guy and only bought a couple of Hassys. I had bought 2 old Leica camera in my travels from garage sales thinking I had "hit a home run".....NOPE...plain vanilla cameras of no real value... Suffice it to say, I am not a enthusiast of Leica range finders, but love their Bino's. I was a shooter and not a collector of camera equipment. Today, I am older and haven't been actively shooting art for many years...since film day actually. I have a Canon 40D and some left over glass, but don't shoot it much. I shoot a Canon SX40HS for point and shoot / travel, ect. I recently had to opportunity to purchased this Leica M4-2. It looks nearly unused....it is fantastically clean and unmolested. There is only one little rub mark on the front bottom rib-edge of the camera (slight rub mark). no dents, scratches....it is a gorgeous camera. Not knowing, I suspected that the lens was an older lens on the camera, that was included with the body. The lens is clean and I see no rub marks or any damage to the lens coating. I jumped on the purchase. The kid told me that his grandfather had not shot the camera much and had died leaving the camera for the young man. The camera was wrapped in cloth and then in a plastic bag. I set the camera to time at 1 second and fired it. It sounded like the shutter timed perfectly at 1 sec. I then set it to 1/15th and fired it again.....great!! The lens has no evidence of any major dust or junk within it. No oil on the blades (eight?). The lens stopped down just as it should when I tripped the shutter. Good! There was a roll of AGFA APX 100 (36) in the camera when I opened it. The interior of the camera is just plain mint. Everything worked perfectly and I rewound the film and removed it ( I am still thinking of having it developed). The film counter reset to zero as it should. A few weeks later I picked the camera up and "played" with it. I noticed that if I set the shutter speed to 1 second and trip the shutter, the shutter seems to time about right, but in successive tripping of the shutter, I discovered that the thing sometimes seems to trip at about a 60th of a second....dang it! I lay it down for a couple of days and then pick it up and trip the shutter still set a 1 second and it again seems to time at about the 1 second.......maybe 2 or 3 times....then it trips quickly at around the 60th sec. again...??? I am assuming that the camera simply needs a good servicing as it is likely very dry. (that is my guess...but I don't know - the camera seems too pristine to be suffering from damage. ?? Secondly, I "played with the lens adjustment - and I am disappointed at th... read more

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