> So you LX users, no winks ;-) this time, are you really satisfied > with your LX? Did you have to invest much money in the repair?
Frantisek, I doubt anyone can promise you that the camera you buy will be free or not from trouble. I think that any camera of a certain age requires maintenance and upkeep. It sounds like the LX you are stalking (!) will definitely need a Cleaning Lubrication and Adjustment, and within that CLA, there may well be things that need sorting that will add to the price of the CLA. That said, once done, there is no reason at all why a CLA'd LX should not go on for many years providing trouble-free operation. I bought mine from a PDMLer in France, and it had recently had a full CLA, one of the reasons I bought that one. However, I was fully expecting to have to have to pay for a CLA for any other LX out there of uncertain history. If the LX is a good price, is in good condition cosmetically, then a CLA will simply ad a good level of functionality to the camera. Sure, a CLA may show up a few failings, but once repaired, it will suddenly become a very usable, seriously capable machine, with build quality easily on a par with the very best photographic equipment ever made. Let me quickly recount my experience in buying a Leica from eBay, you may find it enlightening. I wanted a rangefinder with a built-in light meter, I wanted the best quality lens that could go on a rangefinder. I couldn't afford an M6, or even the certain earlier version (is it M4-P?), AND a lens. I *could* afford a Leica CL (Minolta built to Leitz design), and Summicron 40 mm lens. They're not as available as the M cameras, although a few come up on eBay. I found one advertised as working, in reasonable condition, history unknown. I hesitated, squirming and wrestling with thoughts of 'would it be okay mechanically?', 'would it break and cost megabucks?', and 'would I regret it?' In the end, I used the Buy-It-Now on eBay and took the plunge, fearing the worst. After all it was advertised as working. It *must* work, and in emails, the seller said it was. So at least it should work, but for how long? It duly arrived, and indeed seemed to work, except for the light meter, which didn't. At all. The rest if it seemed fine, except for a slight dent. I sent it to a chap I found near Hereford who repairs Leicas, and he did the CLA on it, and found numerous problems that he repaired, not least of which the meter. He completely stripped it down, and rebuilt it from scratch - including the lens. The camera cost me $500 odd on eBay, I got stung for import duty of another $150, and the CLA/repairs another $300. Which is a bit more than I would have paid from a dealer here in the UK, over the counter. But you know what? That little camera is now worth much more to me than the $950 I spent on it. I now know what that little camera has been through - I *know* that it is in perfect working order, that it will now function probably to the day I depart this mortal coil and exit to that great focal plane in the sky. And believe me - that is worth *much* more than $950 to me. I simply wouldn't sell it now. Not after seeing a friend's M6 cameras - too big. What I have is the satisfaction of knowing that the tool I use for a specific task is fully capable of functioning in the way that not only promotes confidence, but inspires me as well. If that little Leica had been an LX, I am positive that the feelings would have been identical. In my case, someone I trusted had had the work done already. In your case, you will have all the satisfaction I mentioned above, if you get your LX, and go through the process. You ask if 'you are really satisfied with your LX'. I have no hesitation at all in saying yes, I am completely satisfied with my LX, except that I now want another one to keep the first company! And an MZ-D. And a SMC 15 3.5, and.... LOL! I do hope this helps, Frantisek. Good light to you, and good luck in your decision. Cotty PS - ;-) _______________________________________________________ Personal email traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] MacAds traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Check out the UK Macintosh ads http://www.macads.co.uk - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
