Unique M5 prototype!

[gvaliquette]

I found this rather unusual item advertised for sale on e-Bay. I did not even know such an animal existed!

Leica M5 automatic - prototype with compur shutter - (eBay item 370009071916 end time Jan-03-08 07:43:32 PST)

However, it is not cheap

Guy

[jc_braconi]

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-...tems-sale.html

[luigi bertolotti]

... a very exaggerated evaluation, for me...

[andybarton]

Buy it now - $203,000

[luigi bertolotti]

Originally Posted by andybarton

Buy it now - $203,000

I'll buy it... LATER....

[marknorton]

There's one born every minute, so they say, so the seller might just strike lucky.

Ludicrous.

[earleygallery]

Would it be cheeky to offer a round 200K ?

[luigi bertolotti]

My budget, damn, is 199500 $ ... I don't dare to make such a cheap offer..

[Canfred]

I find shipping costs a little expensive, have to give it a miss.

[Irishimage]

Plus VAT at 19%..: mad: well thats me ruled out of the bidding then..

[tummydoc]

It will be interesting to see how this goes. The concensus in the camera collecting world is that the halcyon days of Leica-collecting are past, witness the closure of Christie's open camera auctions. Whether there is still any interest in paying six figures for even such a rarity as this, should be very telling. I know I wouldn't pay more than a twentieth of their asking price.

[gvaliquette]

The real question is: Can it take photographs? How does the M5 meter cell on that swinging arm get a reading through the Compur shutter?

Guy

[luigi bertolotti]

Originally Posted by jc_braconi

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-...tems-sale.html

Well, JC... apart the joking on this cheap price... it's really an interesting item : have you some infos about ? I remeber to have read (and seen pics) of the M4 Prototyp with M5-look, but didn't know of this... I noticed some oddities :

- Big Selenium meter: I suppose it is not an "auto exposure camera" in proper sense, but a "meter coupled" one... don't see how the time could be automatically set with an "unpowered" body.

- Ok the Compur... but the time ring extends from 1/2000 to 30' !!! I guess it's only for metering purpose... never saw a Compur with such capabilities, and, btw, the "real" M5 had also a time scale that extended to long exposure times, even if the shutter did the usual 1- 1/1000 (or maybe 1/2 ? I confuse with CL, maybe...)

- It appears that the time setting ring is mechanically separated from the lens-shutter assembly, coupled to it with a proper bayonet ... but.. HOW to activate the RF with this ring in the middle ? Unclear in the pics... the lens appears to have a RF cam... and seems to be a brass mechanism inside the body that could be reached by the lens cam... maybe the tried to use this in lieu of the usual and simple "RF roller".

- There is that strange "folding lever"... I guess it's some mechanism to be able to change the f/stop-time couple without changing the EV... Zeiss used this system on several of its cameras (Contina, Contaflex "auto"...)

- The body shape is different from both the classic Ms and the future M5... the curved rear resembles the Leicaflex body... and the back seems to open completely (see the two "sliding levers" at left), so the bottom has a standard-centered tripod screw mount.

- Two small windows on front... ok one for the RF... I suppose the second is to illuminate something displayed in the VF, probably the meter reading and the exposure set; Such a system would mean a VF/RF assembly of terrible complication... not strange this prototype has remained at this stage...

I'd never throw away the money they speak of (neither 1/10 of it, for myself... ), but I would be VERY pleased if I could have it in my hands for some minutes... pity it's in Hong Kong...

[Philippe D.]

Would any one give twenty bucks (or 19,99) away for that, at a garage sale ?

[earleygallery]

Originally Posted by Philippe D.

Would any one give twenty bucks (or 19,99) away for that, at a garage sale ?

Probably not. They'd assume it was a Russian fake!

[jc_braconi]

Luigi,
People from the new management in Leica/Leitz need some fresh money so they open the museum doors and give Boris Jamchtchik the exclusivity for selling this museum pieces
Photo Arsenal
they are in Germany, the Hong Kong place is for attracting collectors from Asia
Leica has a lot of prototype, this one for M5 is not the only one ( I mean in the M5 studies ). I know I have a lot of pictures of them ( in some place)
Cheers
JC

[jhild]

Is Leica is in such a desperate need of fresh money they have to sell their history? I hope
they aren´t. Apart from this the dealer is a questionable person to say the least and the
19% VAT story which is practised by many dealers ( ...item for export, German buyers
have to pay 19% more) is just a rip off so I stay away. Of course I will never be in a position
to spend such a lot of money for a camera, I wouldn´t be surprised if a rich Chinese is
the new owner...

Just my ...cents

Jo

[xjr]

It has no historical,practical or even curiosity value...it is a wreckage in which they were propably testing the meter. Will offer £50-00 to include carriage and they pay the import duty as well. Ludicrous !!!

[jc_braconi]

and what do you think about a piece of wood at € 8000.00
Photo Arsenal

[gvaliquette]

Originally Posted by luigi bertolotti

- Big Selenium meter: I suppose it is not an "auto exposure camera" in proper sense, but a "meter coupled" one... don't see how the time could be automatically set with an "unpowered" body.

Luigi:

The selenium cell does generate a current without a battery, so it conceivably could power the automatism. However, I do not know if it would generate enough power to actuate electro-mechanical couplings.

Guy