I have recently developed a lust for the Leica M5 and I have read all I can about this camera from books, the Internet and from stroking the real thing in shops. What are your experience with the M5, and what are your reasons for getting or not getting this camera? Thanks in advance.

-- Hoyin (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), December 21, 2001

Answers

I suggest you contact Sherry Krauter at Golden Touch Camera Repair, tel:845-496-8834. She can tell you the serial numbers to seek and avoid. There is a difference in M5's , so this info source should be quite helpful. By the way, I have one and use it when we're taking auto trips and weight isn't a consideration. It's a joy to use but it's size and weight caused it to be a marketing flop. Also, see Stephen Gandy's web site. He has an informative write-up. Good luck.

-- George L. Doolittle (geodoolitt@aol.com), December 21, 2001.

My reason for not getting the M5 was, I use Leica M because it is compact and relatively lightweight. The M5 is neither. Add to that a meter display you can't read in the dark and the need to set 1-sec shutter speed via the selftimer and that's more than enough reasons for me not to want an M5. Basically it's got all the quirks of the M camera, plus a few more of its own, and less of the advantages.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), December 21, 2001.

I loved my M5, but at the time I was shooting Kodachrome. The meter would slip out of adjustment by 1/2 to 1 stop -- not enough to notice when shooting, but enought to ruin the slides. Also, it never quite had the right egronomic feel with its truncated ends. Used today for B&W or negative color, and with a hand grip I think it would be great!

-- Wulhimn (bmitch@home.com), December 21, 2001.

Hoyin

The M5 is great camera. With its built-in sensitive lightmeter, I'm surprising it wasn't more popular in its day. Also, it is the last hand-made Leitz Wetzlar camera. Subsequent Canadian and German models were fabricated using a significant amount of automation.

You probably know many of the down-sides: particularly, incompatibility of the metering system with collapsible lenses and lenses with deeply protruding rear elements (eg., 21/4.0, 21/3.4, early 28/2.8), which could bonk the light meter system unless the specially modified by the factory.

You may not know that the metering system (with a cadmium sulfide photocell on the end of a swinging arm) is relatively fragile, more so than that of the M6 and M6TTL. Also, its spectral sensitivity differs from that of the more modern silicon photodiode. And this camera is powered by a mercury battery (like the MR4 meter), which is outlawed in the USA. Either you'll have to find one of these batteries, or use a substitute.

On the plus side, the lightmeter has a narrower acceptance than that of the M6, useful for more selective metering. All things considered, I think the M5 is a great camera, and it is relatively cheaper because of the down-turn in the Leica market.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), December 21, 2001.

I've handled an M5, but don't own one. I generally liked the feel of it. I have large hands, so the size and shape didn't bother me. But when considering one to use, rather than collect, I would take into consideration that you can't actually do anything with it that you couldn't do with an M6, which can often be had for less money than a used M5. In addition to the limitations noted above, it hasn't got 28mm or 75mm framelines, if these are important or needed.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), December 21, 2001.

When the subject of the M5 comes up in at my camera store. The sales people start giggling. Never had they seen a Leica with so many troubles. Broken metering cells dangling by wires out the lens mount, cells coming unglued from the arm, etc. The bugs may be worked out now but it was not a successful camera at the time.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), December 21, 2001.

Hoyin, I broke in to the world of Leica about 5 months ago with a M5. I am a proffesional painter and traded a fella some labor and a little money for the camera. It needed alot of work which I knew going into it and I came out really good on the deal. I sent it off to Sherry and she is a magician! If you want to hear endless praises about the M5 talk to her. I have never even touched a M6 so I can't compare the two but what really intigues me is the sensitivity of the M5's meter. That little rascal is so dead on it is amazing. It is almost like having a spot meter at your disposal. It is so solid and well built it is a pure joy for me to use. I recently took my daughter to the American Girl Place on Michigan Ave. in downtown Chicago and took a pictur of a group of dolls hanholding @ 1/15 of a second and blew it up to 16x20 and am in disbelief! Now I have never used a M6 but this alone made me a believer. I wouldn't let this go for anything the M5 is here to stay. Have a Merry Christmas.

-- Michael Pry (vila@techheadnet.com), December 22, 2001.

Hoyin, I know from your previous threads your a CL/CLE user, going to M5 is surely going from one end of the size stakes to the other! But since you have been stroking the camera in stores (did the saleman look at you funny?)I guess you already seen the size. I like it because its different and quirky like the CL. Alot of people with big hands and like the size of Canon 7's can appreciate this camera. You wont really loose out on any Leica purchase, everything always appreciates in value.

-- Joel Matherson (joel_2000@hotmail.com), December 22, 2001.

I've owned several M-5's over the years. I'm now a real fan of the 28mm, and love the feel of the M-6. The only thing that really bugged me about the M-5 was in situations where I had to rewind in a hurry. I just couldn't get used to turning the crank "backwards" on the bottom of the camera. The thing I liked most were the framing indications of the metered area, giving the M-5 a truly practical (and sensible) spot-meter.

-- John Layton (john.layton@valley.net), December 22, 2001.

Thanks guys for your good advice. I'll e-mail Sherry Krauter for info. No Joel, the salesman didn't look at me funny, but I have a feeling that soon he's going to charge me for stroking his M5s! :-D

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), December 25, 2001.

I had my M5 for thirty years now. It never let me down and is a real joy to use. It is just a touch bigger then the other Leicas but feels real good in your hand. Has a bright finder with clear markings and I can change the shutter settings and know what I am doing - without removing my eye from the finder. When they make M6-s like that, I'll consider them.

-- George Sekely (sekely@rogers.com), December 27, 2001.

I have an M2 an M5 and an M6 Titanium and would trade them all for 2 new M5's. I find the M5 much more comptible to the way I use a camera. The only thimg I don't really like is the carry position. I have the orignal 2 lug and would prefer the conventional carry. I much prefer the metering and especially the position of the shutter speed wheel. Much handier to use.

-- Kenneth Ray (klray@webtv.net), February 09, 2002.