Leica Digilux 2 for professional photojournalistic use - page 4
By: Thorsten Overgaard

Buying a second-hand Leica Digilux 2:

As of August 2010 - six years after the Leica Digilux 2 was originally introduced - eBay prices has been reported as high as 1,900$, though I would call those prices extreme. New price of the camera was 1,799$ - 1,850$ (1,299£ in the UK) when introduced in 2004.

A friend of mine bought one off eBay for 400 € in September 2010, and another friend in Bruxelles, Fabio, bought one off eBay for 478 €. Fabio was so kind to send me this overview over recent eBay biddings:

eBay prices for Leica Digilux 2 as of September-October 2010:
23 bids		898$		Leica Digilux 2
8 bids		798$		Leica Digilux 2
40 bids		482£		Leica Digilux 2
18 bids		577$		Leica Digilux 2
0 bids		550€		Leica Digilux 2
0 bids		449€		Leica Digilux 2
18 bids		478€		Leica Digilux 2
7 bids		368£		Leica Digilux 2
18 bids		363£		Leica Digilux 2
16 bids		403€		Leica Digilux 2

eBay, in my opinion, is not the place to find rare gems for low prices. Given the principle that everyone who looks for that item bids the price up, the price will end in that range which just one person of say 10 bidders, are willing to pay. And bidding under the impression that each time you place your own bid, somebody else value this item even more (hence they must know something you don't) you must bid even higher. And so it goes that the prices goes up and up.
Without being an expert on these matters, I can only suggest to wait till last minute to bid. Why start bidding up the price several days in advance?
And while waiting for the perfect eBay deal, check the other market places for second-hand Leica Digilux 2 cameras:
Red Dot Cameras in London, PopFlash Photo, The Leica User Forum, Steve Huff Photography, GetDPI.com Forums, photo.net, Meister in Berlin and Hamburg, B&H Second Hand and local classifieds online and on print. Some sellers are very aware of the buzz around this camera why they have set a high price, others think of their used Leica Digilux 2 as any other old digital camera (with a red dot though).

While waiting for the right deal on the Leica Digilux 2, enjoy the details of the camera in this soundless video:

What to look for?
If the sensor has been replaced or not is really not the matter. If you want to know, ask the seller or ask Leica Camera AG via the e-mail to customer service if this serial number has a renewed sensor. If not, it just means that if/when it fails, Leica Camera AG will replace it for free.
The cosmetics of the camera is of cause of interest but won't change the image quality. But cosmetic qualities such as if the rubber has loosened or the dials are moving uneven if of course of interest.
Third party or Panasonic batteries and chargers exist and are inexpensive (a multicharger for the Digilux 2 batteries will cost 20€), so if there is one or two batteries is not a deal-breaker.
Extra 2GB SD-cards are of interest (as these has to be non-SDHC), and so the real intersting question is if there is something unique about the extras: Is there a UV filter or perhaps ND filters (No Density filter for photographing in strong sun), or perhaps the very rare macro lens in the package? These are the interesting things, because these are the really expensive or even un-obtainable items.

The original lens strap of the Leica Digilux 2 is a mess, so don't bother if it is there or not. In any case, go look for an original Leica M9 strap (simple design of nylon), or treat your self and the Digilux 2 with a Leica M a la carte leather strap, or an A&A leather strap (see the Leica M9 article about these).

Whatever goes for the Leica M8 and Leica M9 goes for the Leica Digilux 2 ... many people will anyways think that the Leica Digilux 2 around your neck is the new Leica M9. See the article "Sexy Stuff for the Worlds most Sexy Camera" for more of that. (The sexy red thing above is available from Leitax.com in Spain for just 40€ PayPal, or from PopFlash in the US for 75$)

Roy Burton has made an interesting video "LEICA DIGILUX 2. How to buy second hand" available on YouTube about buying the Leica Digilux 2:

I've never seen the documentation Roy mentions in the video (for replacement of sensor). Leica Camera AG has those things on record why you can always e-mail or phone their Customer Service department (which also means; don't hurry to the computer to ask them to send you that documentation. It's not necessasary to have).

Finding out the actual shutter counts on a Digilux 2

1a. Insert a fully charged battery.
1b. Insert a SD card and take a few picutres.
1c. Turn the camera "Off."

2. Set the mode dial to "Single picture".

3. Simultaneously; press the "Flash" button (the small button on the right top of the camera)
and "Up" on the cross key: Turn the power "On" while you hold these two down.

4. Simultaneously; press the "Flash", "Menu" and "Left" on the cross key. This will bring you to an error code memory screen.

5. Simultaneously; press "Flash", "Menu" and "Left" again. This will bring you an overview on the screen showing:
VER 1.0B : 001D (or similar Firmware version).
NO.: S010XXXXXXXXXX (a 12-digit number with a "S" prefix, most likely a motherboard serial number).
PWRCNT: XXXX (the number of times the camera has been turned on, "Power On Count").
SHTCNT: XXXX (the number of times shutter fired, "Shutter Count").
STBCNT: XXX (the number of times flash fired, "Strobe Count").

6. Turn "Off" the power.

Good luck with it - and more to follow I guess!