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I love my M4


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That is a very nice looking M4 indeed! I am currently saving for one....so though I can't claim to love a M4 yet, someday I hope I will have one that I love to use. The only modification I will do to my yet-to-be found and purchased M4, involves switching the M4 advance, preview and self-timer levers to the all-metal M2/3 style levers.

 

Here's an example of what I am saying...

 

 

398718971_d9401d775b_z.jpg?zz=1

Leica M4 + 35mm Summicron by Huub L, on Flickr

Edited by thomasw_
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My entire Leica gear - and I love it!

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

My beloved M4 (MDa).

It turns out that a few of the last M4's made in 1975 were actually built on MDa bodies.

Have the data strip insert,

The production of this variation is less than 200 cameras!

 

Regards.

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My beloved M4 (MDa).

It turns out that a few of the last M4's made in 1975 were actually built on MDa bodies.

Have the data strip insert,

The production of this variation is less than 200 cameras!

 

Regards.

 

...super duper camera, josephgalilee - I want one. But I am totally lost on the "Have the data strip insert" bit. There is obviously a huge slice of this story that has gone past me. Care to expand?

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The two descriptions of this MDa do not seem to match. Cameraquest shows a body without selftimer, while Josephgalilee's camera does have one. The latter one seems to be black chrome, while black enamel is paint, yes? And one is made in Canada, the other in Germany. From a batch this size I would not expect it to be manufactured in two different places.

 

Rob

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The two descriptions of this MDa do not seem to match. Cameraquest shows a body without selftimer, while Josephgalilee's camera does have one. The latter one seems to be black chrome, while black enamel is paint, yes? And one is made in Canada, the other in Germany. From a batch this size I would not expect it to be manufactured in two different places.

 

Rob

 

 

...Rob, sounds to me like you are asking, "Do all M4 (MDa) cameras come without a self-timer?"

 

My experience from all things Leica from that particularly eventful period suggests that the answer could be "yes", "no" or "maybe". This thinking applies to the country of manufacture as well. Let's see what the experts have to say.

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"The two descriptions of this MDa do not seem to match. Cameraquest shows a body without selftimer, while Josephgalilee's camera does have one. The latter one seems to be black chrome, while black enamel is paint, yes? And one is made in Canada, the other in Germany. From a batch this size I would not expect it to be manufactured in two different places."

First all, the M4 show in the Cameraquest article isn't black enamel one, because #1414964 is the 1975 penultimate batch, and the last lots are all black chrome camera. My item is previous batch ever of 1975 "Leitz Camera gravur". Variations are the history of Leitz brand, so the self-timer insert is part of the last M4 "golden age". If you watch the M4 of Cameraquest article have the screw that cover vertical alignment hole, in silver chrome, like the lug for the strap. All M4 black chrome have the black paint lug. Many parts are different probably because at the end of a production as important as that of the M4, they put together parts to complete the camera assembly. At the same time he was in a transitional situation where succeeding the Wild Heerbrugge, Switzerland, so they were ready to make cuts to production, remember the plastic 12012 finder for 21mm objectives? This mean that the little variations as said on article: "...that Leica did in fact do many things which were undocumented outside the factory."

Standard version in Leitz history is sometimes distorted by unexpected variations and never officially disclosed. But that's the beauty of the brand Leitz. But today, Leica Camera, like other major brands do not ever surprise us with unexpected variations, it's all industrially approved, all as Orwell said. What a bore modern industry. Leitz facilities instead was a mixture of fine craftsmanship and technology industry, where the man's work you could also check in changes and variations, out of monotonous and repetitive programming of the industrial mass production.

 

Cheers folks.

Kind regards

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi everyone! the M4 is my favourite classic M without the metering. Although I use my M6 more, but I love my M4 too :-)) Well, actually I love all of my M leicas:o...it's hard to choose since they're all beautiful and work perfectly. :D:D:D(if that's oke).

 

Fluidr / Beta Photography's photos and videos

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I love my M4 so much I accidentally dropped it into the ocean. Big repair estimate.

 

Yes, I read about that in the other thread - very unlucky. Still, if you do have the work done the M4 will be given a thorough overhaul and you'll be sorted for many years (assuming you don't drop it into the sea again;)).

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