Every new Leica M lens I've bought has come with front and rear caps and a lens shade. It really gets to me to see each piece sold separately, especially the hoods for 21 and 28 mm and the rare lenses. I guess it's none of my business, but it really gets to me!

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), June 18, 2001

Answers

I am assuming you are referring to used dealers. I do not feel that one can blame for trying to get as much profit they can. That is the way business works.

Cheers,

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), June 18, 2001.

KEH was the first place I experienced this-even 20 years ago they split everything up. I was interested in a Rolleiflex, and was told "want the lens cap to go with that Rollei? That's an extra $50.00". I know the logic behind it,(more profit) KEH is still the most extreme at doing this.

Not all the sellers do things that way,(KOH's camera usually has caps and hoods with the lenses still) but many do with Leica equipment. Part of the problem is how much Leica accesories cost if you want to buy them by themselves--a silly hood cost more than some lenses for other cameras. What I hate is when stuff that totally belongs together-small stuff-is split up. I had to buy the case for the eyes for the DR Summicron for $20.00 extra if I wanted it.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), June 18, 2001.

...so you like your M3 with baseplate and backdoor.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), June 19, 2001.

Believe me, it's not just dealers who are greedy--there's more than enough around for everyone. Remember, dealers are drawn from the same pool of humanity as the rest of us, and represent a pretty accurate cross-section.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), June 19, 2001.