p.2 #1 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
Cloud75 wrote:
@panos.v@ maybe what I really need is to get in the clinical trials for the GAS vaccine
There are quite a few Leica M owners on FM who live in the Portland area. Maybe you can meet up w them and see if you can check out their cameras?
So you have an idea.
p.2 #2 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
I did a few meetups in Chicago through RFF: https://rangefinderforum.com/
The concentration of film shooters, and RF shooters in particular, makes for good vibes.
p.2 #4 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
I’ve shot a friend’s m10 monochrom, and it’s great. Pretty sure I’m into it, but I think the move is to get my own m camera and put some rolls through.
If you guys do a photo walk, I’m down to join. I go out at night for long exposures now and then.
p.2 #5 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
Cloud75 wrote:
I’ve shot a friend’s m10 monochrom, and it’s great. Pretty sure I’m into it, but I think the move is to get my own m camera and put some rolls through.
If you guys do a photo walk, I’m down to join. I go out at night for long exposures now and then.
The thing that is great about a film M, is it is a real monochrom camera. And also a real color camera. Just depends on what sensors you load. Plus you get a new sensor for every shot!
p.2 #6 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
In my opinion, the M5 and the M7 are best metered film M's. The M5 can still be had somewhat cheaply and the meter is basically perfect (it's a spot-ish meter and the area that is being metered is shown in the viewfinder...along with a match needle system...super intuitive).
It's also the most attractive M. I am not joking. No one can change my mind.
p.2 #7 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
Cloud75 wrote:
I’ve shot a friend’s m10 monochrom, and it’s great. Pretty sure I’m into it, but I think the move is to get my own m camera and put some rolls through.
Before you buy anything, I'd say go shoot some film without using a built-in meter. Use sunny 16 and a phone app, and see how quickly you get your bearings and if you like the process of working with a meterless camera. You can always add the accessory meters like you're talking about, but I think that would probably lead to you just getting a metered M later on if you're always leaning on it. I think you'd want to find value in the lack of a meter and not just look at it as something to work around.
p.2 #8 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
My wife is a human lightmeter. We would guess the passing EV during our walks, and she edged me out. Kinda impressive since I've used Sunny 16 since the early 1970s with my 6x6 folder.
p.2 #9 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
I just bought an M4 along with the Voigtlander VC Speed Meter II. It works really well with the M4. I have had several M6's and M8 and later an M9 as well as a Leica Q, though it's probably about 8-10 years away from Leica. I like the simplicity of the M4 and the badge less front, no big red circle or Leica text on the front of the camera so it seems more stealth to me.
So far I've shot 4 rolls of film but I only had one roll developed as yet. It's fun to shoot film again, though it sure has gotten expensive. Last time I was shooting film most were $3-$5 a roll, now It's more like $15-18 a roll (and I remember when it was $1-$2 roll).
p.2 #10 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
Being a poor HS student, I was spooling my own 35mm cassettes from a 100' roll of Pan F in the 70s. From Google I calculate a price of 40 cents per 36-exp cassette. Ain't inflation great?
p.2 #11 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
_jim_ wrote:
In my opinion, the M5 and the M7 are best metered film M's. The M5 can still be had somewhat cheaply and the meter is basically perfect (it's a spot-ish meter and the area that is being metered is shown in the viewfinder...along with a match needle system...super intuitive).
It's also the most attractive M. I am not joking. No one can change my mind.
I completely agree. The M5 is arguably the greatest camera ever made. And I am completely unbiased even though I own one.
The same could be said for my M7.
Ultimately which is greatest would depend on which one I am selling.
p.s. no Leica M camera - film or digital - has as much exposure information in the VF when in manual mode. The M5 not only has match needle metering, but also displays the shutter speed.
The M11? Only a couple of arrows and a dot in manual mode.
p.2 #12 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
Extremely interested to check out an M5. I see that they're intended for 1.35v batteries... do modern 1.5v throw off the metering? Also one of the whole reasons I'm interested is low light snaps with friends, so an unlit meter display might make that tricky.
p.2 #13 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
Cloud75 wrote:
Extremely interested to check out an M5. I see that they're intended for 1.35v batteries... do modern 1.5v throw off the metering? Also one of the whole reasons I'm interested is low light snaps with friends, so an unlit meter display might make that tricky.
If you got an M5, you'd want to send it to DAG so he can adjust the voltage for modern batteries (plus a CLA is always a good idea for old cameras). I had Jadon at Red Dot Repair take care of mine locally...but he has now shuttered.
If you are really interested in low light, handheld photography, I'd suggest the M7. The shutter readout in the finder is very clear, large and bright. The shutter release and action is very smooth. That being said, low light handheld photography is gonna be a crap shoot with any film camera. Sure, it's hard to see when the M5 is telling you a 1/4 sec, but how often can you hold a camera steady for that length of time? You just set it to whatever slow speed it says and hope for the best.
p.2 #14 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
_jim_ wrote:
Sure, it's hard to see when the M5 is telling you a 1/4 sec, but how often can you hold a camera steady for that length of time? You just set it to whatever slow speed it says and hope for the best.
My biggest challenge in low light is focusing; I find it really hard to see the rangefinder patch, and most times I just resort to scale focusing but since I have to use a wider aperture it means I rarely nail focus in low light.
p.2 #15 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
Does anyone else think the M5 is the clunkiest and chunkiest looking Leica M of all time? If you see a line up of Leica M cameras the M5 looks like a monster compared to all the other M cameras.
p.2 #16 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
treacle wrote:
Does anyone else think the M5 is the clunkiest and chunkiest looking Leica M of all time? If you see a line up of Leica M cameras the M5 looks like a monster compared to all the other M cameras.
The M5 is the most awesome, manly M camera ever made.
If you check it out you will see the superior design features. The rewind lever is underneath the body and recessed so it is protected from damage in case of a drop. I’ve seem film Ms w damaged rewind mechanism from being dropped - especially those with canted knobs like the M6, M4, M7 etc.
The Zeiss Ikon ZM and Minolta CLE copied that design.
The shutter speed dial is oversized and overhangs the front so you can easily turn it with one finger with the camera to the eye. A design so great even the mighty Nikon FG copied it….. (note to self, find a better example)
And of course, the VF shows the most complete exposure info out of any M camera while in manual mode.
Now to be fair - the dislikes… one really for me. The VF eyepiece is further away from the left corner than any other M camera. You get used to it super quick - and would not even notice it if you never used another M - but I prefer the positioning on regular Ms.
p.2 #17 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
Cloud75 wrote:
Extremely interested to check out an M5. I see that they're intended for 1.35v batteries... do modern 1.5v throw off the metering? Also one of the whole reasons I'm interested is low light snaps with friends, so an unlit meter display might make that tricky.
Super easy to get the voltage adjusted to work w modern batteries. DAG did mine - note after Sherry Krautner from Golden Touch charged me to do mine but didn’t….
Jim already plugged DAG.
p.2 #18 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
bjhurley wrote:
My biggest challenge in low light is focusing; I find it really hard to see the rangefinder patch, and most times I just resort to scale focusing but since I have to use a wider aperture it means I rarely nail focus in low light.
For a while, Don Goldberg made a shoe mounted, battery powered gizmo that would light up the frame line window making them easier to see. There may still be some floating around but they're not listed on his site anymore.
p.2 #19 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
treacle wrote:
Does anyone else think the M5 is the clunkiest and chunkiest looking Leica M of all time? If you see a line up of Leica M cameras the M5 looks like a monster compared to all the other M cameras.
It is definitely the largest. And the squarest. The font choices and applications are quite tasteful (compared to, say, an M4-P). As Huss pointed out - it is, in many ways, the most usable in its ergonomics. There is a certain brutalism to its looks...which can be divisive. I understand why people don't find it appealing...I just don't agree with them. It's incredibly functional and sexy.
p.2 #20 · Looking to try a leica rangefinder. meter or no?
Well I’ve been thrown into real analysis paralysis here. _jim_’s take is right. The m5 is rad as hell. The m7 feels and looks awesome, and probably a ttl m6 would be excellent too.
Now I gotta make it through the maze of getting one for not bonkers money while also avoiding the various collectible pokemon editions. If anyone has strong recs on sellers, love to hear them.
