Only when the owner dies or loses interest do the cameras make a brief public appearance on the auction block before vanishing into yet another private collection. Locked away in glass cases or vaults, these historically fascinating cameras and accessories are rarely seen again by anyone but their owners and a small circle of friends. Second, to the dismay of Leica enthusiasts everywhere, the vast majority of Leica equipment bought by collectors on either side of the Pacific quickly disappears into the black hole of private collections. It's getting very difficult for ordinary photographers to afford Leica equipment, even well-used cameras and lenses in less than mint condition. First, rising prices have devastated Leica users. So great is the hunger for mint equipment that collectors are widening their search to include other classic 35mm rangefinder cameras of the pre-SLR era, such as copies of Leicas and the famous Nikon, Canon, and Contax cameras of the 1930s, '40s, '50s, and early '60s.Д«ut all this rabid collecting has had two unfortunate effects. Brokerage houses have sprung up to satisfy this demand by purchasing large lots of cameras in the U.S. dollar has encouraged foreign collectorsВ—particularly the JapaneseВ—to buy Leicas in America at comparatively bargain-basement prices. At the same time, the erosion of the U.S. Since about the mid-1980s, avid collectors have been snatching up Leica equipment at a feverish pace, forcing prices to skyrocket. Leica collecting has never been more popular than it is today.

An Amazing Leica Collection An Amazing Leica Collection

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