Rangefinder Camera - Any recommendation ?

[Rolleiflexible]

I'm a total noob regarding Leicas, or rangefinders in general from before 1960. I emailed KEH yesterday afternoon with a couple questions regarding one of their "Bargain" Leicas. I asked how the "slow" shutter speeds were, I asked if there were any markings or engravings "non-leica" such as owner's names etc., I asked if the rangefinder was weak or looked good.

Were those OK questions, or were they dumb? I hope KEH responds soon, I hate companies that don't respond to email.

KEH generally is not in a position to respond to
questions about individual cameras for sale, at
least if you call them with questions. The cameras
are stored in a place not accessible by the sales
staff. On the other hand, their descriptions of
their cameras have been reliable in my experience.

Sanders

[Bender]

ok, thanks Rollei. That saved me from waiting forever for a reply that probably won't ever come. I guess I'll order a Leica and therefore can form my own opinion of KEH.

[jolefler]

The other option, that I've used is to phone them. The sales staff can have a camera sent to them from the warehouse, so they can have it in hand when they speak to you. It does involve a day of time and call-backs, though. I've done this before on their suggestion.

Jo

[Bender]

actually, they replied to my email shortly after I posted my last post. However, they did not specifically answer my questions. They gave a generic response something like "the camera is old and has wear...". Ok, well thanks for that info, ha ha.
Adorama has a good selection of Leicas right now. I'm tempted to go for a IIIc with a condition of "E".

EDIT: ok, just bought a post-war IIIc from Adorama in "E" condition.

[nemo999]

Just out of interest:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LEICA-DRP-Erns...6.c0.m14#_self
Some poor soul paid £151 for this, despite it screaming "Basket case!" at the top of its voice. It's a Leica IIc, I assume made during World War II, since the chrome has worn so badly, it's bound to need a CLA, the internal components are likely to be heavily worn because of inferior materials used, and the lens is full of haze and mold! The worst Leica I have ever seen on e-bay.