wlaidlaw Posted September 25, 2010 Share #21 Posted September 25, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) My M4 must be a very early one 1175047. Bought new from J Lizars in Aberdeen, Scotland on 3rd July 1967, the day after my 21st, which fell on a Sunday. In typical fashion (Scottish work ethic), my father bought me the body but I had to work all though my summer holidays as a welder at the Dounreay nuclear power station to buy a second hand V2 Summilux 50. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 25, 2010 Posted September 25, 2010 Hi wlaidlaw, Take a look here Help with M4 History. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
luigi bertolotti Posted September 25, 2010 Share #22 Posted September 25, 2010 My M4 must be a very early one 1175047. Bought new from J Lizars in Aberdeen, Scotland on 3rd July 1967, the day after my 21st, which fell on a Sunday. In typical fashion (Scottish work ethic), my father bought me the body but I had to work all though my summer holidays as a welder at the Dounreay nuclear power station to buy a second hand V2 Summilux 50. Wilson Your father ought to be a great man... that's the way !!! And... luckily you were Scottish and not from Naples : hard in Naples one can like to buy a camera that is the 47th of a certain model (M4 started at 1.175.001)... in the famous "Napolitan' smorfia" (characters tied to lottery's numbers) 47 is " 'o muorto che parla" (dead man talking - a notorious misfortune-bringing character for superstituous) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted September 25, 2010 Share #23 Posted September 25, 2010 47th Leica M4! That is amazing to me. What good fortune. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted September 25, 2010 Share #24 Posted September 25, 2010 47th Leica M4! That is amazing to me. What good fortune. Not in bad condition either. I have to admit, after a very poor experience with a Leicaflex in the late 1970's, to having transferred my affections to Contax for a long time, with various SLR's (139, RTS2 and RX), then G1 & 2, so the M4 sat unused for a long time. The last time we moved house in 1983, a whole box of stuff was stolen while in storage. Sadly the Summilux V2 lens was in that box. Wilson Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/130878-help-with-m4-history/?do=findComment&comment=1452066'>More sharing options...
Michael Geschlecht Posted September 25, 2010 Share #25 Posted September 25, 2010 Hello Everybody, The camera in the photo has the offset rewind on an M4 but it also has the vulcanite configuration of an M2. Possibly a prototype. Leitz often let professionals as well as staff people test prototypes during development. Summitar * is an example of a prototype in a hybrid form which shows up on occasion. Best Regards, Michael Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted September 25, 2010 Share #26 Posted September 25, 2010 Hello Everybody, The camera in the photo has the offset rewind on an M4 but it also has the vulcanite configuration of an M2. Possibly a prototype. Leitz often let professionals as well as staff people test prototypes during development. Summitar * is an example of a prototype in a hybrid form which shows up on occasion. Best Regards, Michael Michael, That is very interesting. A number of people have said "but your M4 has been recovered" and refuse to believe me when I tell them it has not. It had its first CLA of the RF last year, as it had become rather yellow and there is some fungus deterioration of the edges of the silvering on the RF prisms. The service technician, who is a friend, said not to touch anything else, as it was all working perfectly, with spot on shutter speeds and it would be a pity to break the wax seal on the mount, which is still intact. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Geschlecht Posted September 25, 2010 Share #27 Posted September 25, 2010 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello Wilson, Your friend was quite correct. Mechanical devices are like people: The less you take them apart and put them back together again the happier they are. Each time you service something part way thru its service life you irreperably shorten its total life as well as roll the Cosmic Dice. Rolling the Cosmic Dice being a separate matter. I wasn't talking about your camera. Nice camera. I was talking about the camera in the 1966 Beatles Concert. Look @ the vulcanite on yours @ 1 o'clock as per the axis of the lens from the front. Then look @ the one in the 1966 picture. It has your canted rewind though. Best Regards, Michael Edited September 25, 2010 by Michael Geschlecht Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zorki_2007 Posted October 2, 2016 Share #28 Posted October 2, 2016 There seem to have been more people with M4 Leica's at the concert! Two of them had also Leica's with a Visoflex and short tele. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted October 2, 2016 Share #29 Posted October 2, 2016 There seem to have been more people with M4 Leica's at the concert! Two of them had also Leica's with a Visoflex and short tele. And yet such subjects are impossible for people to cover today without stabilised fast AF lenses & 30,000 ISO... 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpattison Posted October 5, 2016 Share #30 Posted October 5, 2016 (edited) I still think it isn't an M4, the frame pre-selector doesn't have the black insert (the one on the movie clip on #19) John Edited October 5, 2016 by jpattison Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpattison Posted October 5, 2016 Share #31 Posted October 5, 2016 How does one get to see this clip? John Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Geschlecht Posted October 6, 2016 Share #32 Posted October 6, 2016 (edited) Hello John, As per your Post # 30, this Thread: I think that what you are looking at is not a frame selector but is: The chrome plated body of the camera without vulcanite filling the spandrel between 12 o'clock & 3 o'clock. On production M4's the vulcanite wraps around the lens mount entirely & fills the spandrel. On M1's, M2's & M3's the 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock spandrel surface is chrome plated. Best Regards, Michael Edited October 6, 2016 by Michael Geschlecht Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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