Leica M5 lightmeter

[crow]

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Alex,

it will be a while for :)16.

How ever I am on page 18 and haven't got an explanation as to what's going to happen while metering vertically. Of course I believe you and the manual saying I should meter horizontally, but what happens when metering vertically:

The meter shows wrong exposure,

doesn't work at all,

or something bad may happen to the aperture diagonal needle in the viewfinder, hence damaging the metering process/mechanism?

I know about keeping my M5 with the film knob un pressured, just like I am supposed to with my CL. Not entirely new to CDS metering.

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[xalo]

No strong idea what exactly happens; sure is, the meter doesn't indicate the proper exposure in the vertical position. My (uneducated) guess is that the light force moving the meter needle may be countered by gravity. No harm is done to the meter when holding the camera vertically — as you know, it is metering all the time, as soon as one winds on.

(I just try to imagine the engineers designing the M5, with strap lugs for vertical carrying and a meter that self-destructs in this position Hopefully, programmed obsolescence was not part of the terms of reference...)

 

Alexander

[crow]

Yea,

however you can find things that work on other camera stuff in the same peculiar way,

for example in the darkroom for the el lens to focus you have to go all the way to f2.8, where as to expose the image on the paper you stop down at 8 or 11-having previously focused at 2.8.

I love the analog character of both the M5 and the CL.

I also like my OM4, different, but love it.

Love them all as if they where individual children, a good parent loves all his children alike, however different they are. Actually this is what makes it interesting, the fact they differ.

[crow]

I ment that it is peculiar if you have to hold the M5 horizontally to meter, then turn vertically to compose and press the shutter, Peculiar, and kind of slow. Compared to an SLR that is. The distinct character of the Leica compensates for the extra time.

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Crow,

 

Actually, once you get used to doing it it doesn't take that much more time.

 

Also: Since the camera/lens combination is often more manuverable & conceptually less complex than many SLRs: It may actually take the same or less time once you get used to doing it.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[crow]

Thanks Mike.

[asiafish]

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Not sure why you would want to buy a faulty M5 to repair it as it will probably be more sensible to buy a working one to start with.

 

If you have seen a faulty one for a bargain price, buy it and get a new handheld digital meter, which will be better than a repaired M5 meter in any case.

 

More accurate or fully featured yes, more convenient no way. NOTHING is more convenient than through the lens and coupled to ISO, shutter speed and aperture. Also there are other reasons besides metering to choose the M5. It handles differently than other Ms, and many would say better. The shutter speed is displayed in the viewfinder and the dial protrudes over the front of the camera for easy setting with the camera at eye level. It also balances well with longer or heavier lenses.