Things come. Things go. Sometimes things seem like a good idea and turn out to be not such a good idea, but we learn.
I bought the Leica M9, not quite a year ago. During that time, I’ve taken 4,567 photos with it. Most of those that Pedro’s wedding and in Australia. Other than that, I’ve not used it all that much. This year, I’ve taken 133 photos with it. Not many.
So, why don’t I use it that much? Well, I did, of course, when I first got it. Of course, it was fun. It was new. It was the only full-frame camera that I had, AND, my D300 was broken. After using for nearly year, I see that it doesn’t quite fit my style of photography. I’m not taking as many street shots as I thought that I would and, therefore, it sits largely unused. To my way of thinking, this is a big waste of money that could be utilized elsewhere, put towards something that I want to do, or perhaps a more useful camera, perhaps an upgrade to a full-frame Nikon and a lens or two. Who knows. I’ve had a secret yearning for that D700 since it was released and I’ve not given into it … yet! 
Then again, I may just hold on to the money and use it for travel.
At any rate, as is the case with digital cameras, even the vaunted Leica brand, they devalue. I was talking to Adorama, and they said that they would pay about 70% of full retail if the camera is in excellent shape, which mine is. A quick calculation of that gives me about $4900, plus whatever they will give me for the 50 mm Summicron lens and the extra battery. So, I may come away with close to $6,000. Yeah, it’s certainly less than I paid, but certainly better than having it sit, gathering dust, and depreciating even more.
I’ve received the shipping label from Adorama. They will receive the camera, evaluate all that I sent them, give me a price. I can accept or reject. If I accept, they will direct deposit the amount to me. If I reject, well, I just need to pay for return shipping.
It was interesting while I had it. Having a rangefinder was something that I wanted to do, and I did it. It took a while to figure out that it just didn’t fit my style. The camera was a great camera, having wonderful image quality, but … just not for me.
Related Posts :
I got a call from Adorama and the deal is done. They made me an offer that I could have refused, ...
I usually take my Canon S90 on my walks. Let's face it, it is easy to carry. The other day, I d ...
Yep. I have it now. Out with the new, in with the old … wait … that sounds backwards. :) The L ...
Wow…I didn’t see this one coming.
I was guessing the D300 was next on the list.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but this will mean no Leica’s in the Lester arsenal…!!??
Yep. You got the count correct, 0 Leicas.
I really like the D300. The Leica is a cool camera for someone who would use it a lot. That someone is not me, so I say goodbye to it! I’m going to box it this afternoon, send it to NY, to Adorama, and see what they say. If the number is too low, I’ll sell it elsewhere.
Oh, and I like to keep you guessing!
Your post today caused me gasp for air, clutching my throat and almost falling off the stool at the coffee shop. Had everyone around me worried for a minute but once they saw I was breathing again they relaxed. I didn’t see this coming either. But it does make sense. I’ve sold equipment after evaluating how much I use it. Case in point was my Nikon 85mm f1.8. Why keep it on the shelf and collect dust when we are not using it? That is a good chunk of money to play with and pretty sure you will use it in a good way. I know you have some traveling planned for the coming year.
Monte Stevens recently posted..The Paint Is Gone
Well, Monte, I’m certainly glad that you were able to regain your equilibrium and not fall off of the stool! Every once in a while, I like to throw a curve ball, just to shake thing up. LOL I just couldn’t bring myself to keep this thing on the sidelines and not use it. The D300 has 32,000+ shots on it and it’s been offline for about 8 months, solid. So, let’s just call it 32,000 shots in about 2 years, and a couple of months. It gets well used. So, it has been shipped off and I should know an offer in a couple of days.
Based on their rating system, it rates a “D”, according to the description. “D” is the closest thing to “New”, higher the Ex+ – Shows no sign of wear. This baby is clean.
Paul, like many I was surprised by this post…not so much that your selling it but more that it didn’t fit as well as you thought. I certainly applaud your ability to reach that decision and carry through on it.
I personally have trouble sometimes turning loose of equipment…even if I don’t use it much. There’s always that thought that I might use it. Still got my old Olympus OM-1…no I don’t think I’ll ever use it again.
This “hoarding” pattern may change this year as I see camera upgrades in my near future which will include saying goodbye to some older “friends.”
Earl recently posted..Renovate it – they will come
Earl, it was something that I was thinking about for a long time, actually. Probably a few months. I kept wrestling with it and wondered why I was holding on to it. It’s just a camera. Finally, today I made the call, got the UPS shipping label, and sent it packing to NYC. It was nice to have a chance to look at it, use it, see if it was for me, and make a decision. Anymore, I don’t worry about ‘sunk costs’. I’ll just consider that part, rental.
Besides, I’m still lusting after that D700 for some reason. I need to come to terms with that.
I read somewhere that the D700 is going to be $500 off soon Paul. I know they are trying to clear whatever inventory is remaining – I think it is not going to be made anymore. Something about regulations in Japan changing that prohibits something in the batteries.
Mark recently posted..So many megapixels ago
Hey, Mark: That sounds like my kind of deal.
I didn’t hear about that, but I remember reading something about new battery regulations in Japan. I think that I read about it when reading about the D800. I saw on your blog that you’ve pre-ordered the D800. I think that camera fits your style perfectly, who knows, maybe mine too, if I ever figure out what my style is. 
I’ll join the list of the “surprised” but do understand your decision, if perhaps for different reasons. I have personally been weighing the cost vs. image quality question – not with a Leica, mind you, but with other choices – and keep coming back to the idea that the additional investment is “worth it.”. But if, as you say, the M9 just doesn’t suit your style, and especially if you’re not using it, then it makes a pretty expensive nick-nack on your shelf.
Tom Dills recently posted..A Little R&R
Yep. I can find much less expensive dust catchers, Tom!
It’s too bad you feel the need to sell the M9, but i don’t detect any regret in buying it. I hope you get a decent deal from Adorama. They have been very fair to me in the past. Good luck and I know you’ll put the proceeds to good use.
Ken: I don’t have any regrets at all about buying it. It was fun to use and useful to know that I wasn’t really interested in using a rangefinder all that much. It was a fantastic camera for the wedding, but not for much of the other types of photography that I enjoy, such as landscapes, macro, portraits, and sports. So, it had limited value, for me.
You didn’t post much being made with it, so I figured you simply didn’t use it. It’s a good choice to sell the gear since it has to be bad to your soul keeping things that gives you bad vibes every time you look at it.
Ove recently posted..052
You understand, perfectly Ove. It bothered me to have such a item just sitting around, greatly underutilized. I didn’t have bad vibes, per se, just thought that if I wasn’t going to make use of it, I might as well get rid of it … clear out the clutter, so to speak.
I’ve been in your position too. I thought I needed a field camera and purchased a beautiful brand new Ebony and three top drawer Schneider lenses; the outfit just didn’t suit my style, I wasn’t productive with it and ended up selling it when I finally accepted that I’d gone down a blind alley. Truth is, I’ve learnt more from my GF1 and 20mm lens than I have with any other camera I’ve owned and I’ve had a few!
Colin Griffiths recently posted..Beggars Lane Tree
Agree, Colin. You can only learn from a camera if you use it, and to use it frequently, it’s got to be able to do what you want/need it to do.
A little late, but so what? All we have is time, right? I can’t express surprise, since I’m fairly new on your blog, but like others, I understand your thought process. Holding on to a $9K paperweight seems pointless, and if you end up wth $6k from the deal, that can buy a lot of new equipment that’ll be used (hopefully!)
John – Visual Notebook recently posted..Another from the Colorado Railroad Meetup
Well, not quite 9K, but close, it seems, when you include the price of the lens, etc. In rethinking what they will probably offer me, which is 70% of retail (used), I’m looking to come away with perhaps mid to upper $4,000. I think that used M9′s are selling for somewhere between $5,500 and $6,000. Mine was in superior shape, not a single scratch, mar, abrasion, or anything. That would give me $4200 for the camera, tops, and then the lens, maybe somewhere between $500 – $700. All told, somewhere between $4,000 and $4900, is my guess.
In looking at eBay, I could sell it for a little more than that, but then, I’ve become quite tired of eBay. It’s now heavily weighted on the side of the buyer, so I’m not selling there anymore. You cannot even leave negative feedback on a buyer anymore. It’s only positive, or none at all.
I got an email today saying that they had received my shipment and I can expect to hear from them in 4 – 6 business days, or less. I had expected that I would hear sooner than that, but that was my guess.
I’m glad to be selling it, though. Someone else might actually use it. In all, I suppose, it was an expensive rental, coming out to about $225/month, not too bad, considering that LensRentals.com rents the same camera for $955/month.
To be honest, I’m not that much surprised. You seem to have been quite enthusiastic to get your “real” tool of the trade (D300) back from repair, so I was assuming that you’re going to focus on that one quite a bit in the near future. And then it’s just a small step to the next logical conclusion…
Thomas recently posted..The end of the world… and a new toy.
I am only mildly surprised. That comes from having long been a reader of your blog. I am onto your pattern with your photography. Naturally, I only wish that I could be as adventurous as you are regarding camera equipment. I feel certain that this spirit feeds your storehouse of knowledge and that you have taken something away from you Leica “fling” besides a pile of wonderful photos. I hope you are pleasantly surprised by the figure from Adorama.
Anita Jesse recently posted..Hanging Pictures
Please! Oh, please! Oh, please tell me what it is!!!
Easy. Completely unpredictable. With the exception of the certainty that another change is always just around the corner. Keeps you fresh, growing, and always interesting.
Anita Jesse recently posted..Hanging Pictures
I reckon you are correct, Ms. Anita.
Interesting
I just consider selling the D300. Well, let’s see how the OM-D behaves, but if it’s as I expect it to be, I’ll trade the D300 and one or two lenses (85/1.8 and Sigme 50/1.4 for instance) for a Panasonic 7-14. Ultra-wide is the only thing that I need for MFT. Sire, the Sigma 8-16 is even wider, but I could live with that.
I hope
Andreas Manessinger recently posted..1974 – Straight Lines