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Best Film M

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gberger

gberger

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"... and don't worry where to put the removed batteries from MP  :) .""

 

I put them into a receptacle in my ML-grip.  But, I do have to carry a coin to take off the battery cover on the MP, and to open the battery receptacle in the ML-Grip.

 

(Wonder if Leica sells a special tool to remove the MP's battery cover??)   :unsure:

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honcho
honcho

That would explain perfectly why no one in the entire history of photography was ever able to make a worthwhile image with a wide angle lens on film, then.   Thank you for clearing that up.

wattsy
wattsy

I'm with a.noctilux. I've owned two MPs (one of them simultaneously with an M-A so I was able to directly compare) and I wouldn't swap either of my M-A bodies (even the light-leaky one) for an MP. Tak

Graham (G4FUJ)
Graham (G4FUJ)

The best is the one you have your hands on to take photos right now...

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pico

pico

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Posted (edited)

(Wonder if Leica sells a special tool to remove the MP's battery cover??)   :unsure:

 

Thanks for the image of a Leica coin, a stamped out slug costing too much.

FWIW, I actually have one. Gosh, is my face red! :)

Edited by pico
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wattsy

wattsy

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If I want to use a light meter for aperture and shutter speed settings (a la the MA), I just remove the batteries and pretend it's an  M-A.

What bother me is the not complete lines in 35 field and even 50 field not complete.

I'm with a.noctilux. I've owned two MPs (one of them simultaneously with an M-A so I was able to directly compare) and I wouldn't swap either of my M-A bodies (even the light-leaky one) for an MP. Taking the batteries out of an MP really doesn't make it the same as an M-A. It is not just the uncluttered viewfinder with complete frames and virtually non-existent 75 and 135 frames (which is how I like it) but also the more responsive shutter release with its shorter travel. Ergonomically, the M-A is the most refined small format photographic tool you can currently buy new - it has everything you need and absolutely nothing you don't.

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gberger

gberger

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I've handled the real thing (the M-A, in the DC Leica Store for more than just a quickie) and stand by my original post. To me, the frame lines are  a slight problem, but then, I balance the frame line issue against having to spend $4500+ for an M-A.   The frame line issue wins out.  

 

Having owned an M4 for years, If I didn't already have an MP, I'd spring for the M-A.

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michaelwj

michaelwj

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I've handled the real thing (the M-A, in the DC Leica Store for more than just a quickie) and stand by my original post. To me, the frame lines are a slight problem, but then, I balance the frame line issue against having to spend $4500+ for an M-A. The frame line issue wins out.

 

Having owned an M4 for years, If I didn't already have an MP, I'd spring for the M-A.

Of course the MP is actually more expensive than the M-A. So I suppose if you were just going to remove the batteries from an MP, you should have bought an M-A. Used prices are similar for both models.

Your argument seems to be solely based on already owning an MP. I could make the same argument such as, why would I spend $X on an MP when I can just buy a light meter for $200 and use my M2?

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gberger

gberger

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Michael, 

 

Not necessarily.

 

I bought my a la carte MP in 2012, and the M-A did not come out until a couple of years later. 

 

I can use my MP, complete with the electronics, as designed to be used, or I can take out the batteries and uses it as pseudo M-A (or like my older M4)

 

If I'm too lazy to take out the batteries, I just use a Sekonic 308 to set shutter speed and aperture, and use the MP as if it was either an M4 or an M-A. :rolleyes:

 

Two for the price of one.

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vhfreund

vhfreund

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I have my M-A since February 2016 and shot 80 rolls with it although I have the M 246. No flaws until now and my Mono is unemployed at the time being. I once had the M6TTL and in my opinion the M-A is way better. I simply love it.

 

Cheers Theodor

Edited by vhfreund
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a.noctilux

a.noctilux

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Today, I remember that my M5 has not been used for a while.

 

Just take it out and today I changed my mind :p the best M IS my M5, for today.

The viewfinder is what is made for photographer, just enough informations to build a GOOD picture: no flare, shutter speed show, meter needle to know under/over exposure, spot for "metering area", no secondary framelines, ISO/ASA/DIN seen on top (like M10 -_- ), and more.

 

This M5 is confortable in my hand, plenty room to handle with assurance and pleasure, everything is smooth.

Forgot that this has an adjustable self-timer too, in case of no cable release for low shutter speed.

 

The shutter is so quiet that I wonder if it has fired, but winding is so smooth that matter confirm the superior mechanic of M5.

 

:) I'am happy to have choice of fine Ms.

Edited by a.noctilux
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TRIago

TRIago

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Posted

Best film M, in my opinion, will always be the M6. You pay way less, the camera will keep on going forever and it delivers just as good as the others. And if you don't like the light meter, just remove the batteries.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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IkarusJohn

IkarusJohn

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For me, the best Leica film M is the M-A.

 

No battery, latest optical viewfinder, purely mechanical.  Yes, it's missing a meter, but to be honest if I'm prepared to take the time to shoot with film, taking a quick incident reading with a meter or relying on sunny 16 is enough.  The whole point of shooting film, for me, is simplicity, and the M-A is the essence of simplicity.

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steveBK

steveBK

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Posted

M5-er here

Owned M2, M3, M6, M8, M240. Plus IIIc, IIIf, VC Bessas and Epson RD1.

 

All that said - for a film metered M, its a steal.

Also like that it displays selected shutter speed clearly.

 

And I for one actually like the strap lugs.

They don't stick out into the webbing of my right hand like every other M ever.

Plus side hanging the vertical way is kinda slick.

 

But please don't buy them and push the prices up :-)

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oldwino

oldwino

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I've owned a M4, M5, M6, M7 and MP. I've kept the M6 and MP. I still think, from a purist's standpoint, the best overall is proabably the M4. Great build, great viewfinder - they did everything right.

 

Luckily, I'm not a purist, and I've come to enjoy having a meter in the camera.

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pico

pico

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M4. It is the best of the M bodies, the culmination of all the Ms before it.

Hand-fitted, reliable after all these years.

 

I do not consider the M-A because I do not own one and do not comment without experience,

however an M4 after a CLA is far more cost effective.

.

Edited by pico
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01af

01af

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... an M4 after a clean-lube-adjust is far more cost-effective.

Yeah, but the M4 has no 28 mm and no 75 mm frame lines. Where does that leave my fine Summicron-M 28 mm Asph and Summilux-M 75 mm lenses?

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sblitz

sblitz

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Yeah, but the M4 has no 28 mm and no 75 mm frame lines. Where does that leave my fine Summicron-M 28 mm Asph and Summilux-M 75 mm lenses?

 

you could by an MA to complement :-) ..... I have shot my M4 with my 28 and 75, the whole view is essentially 28, so you have that (can you really see outside the 28mm frame lines in the later cameras?) and for the 75 I just kind of guess making sure what I want is definitely well inside the 50mm frame lines. Haven't missed anything important with that method. Had the M6 but couldn't stand the flaring, which doesn't exist on the M4 or, for that matter, the MA (or later MP and M7 but I don't own those). Just to pollute this thread a bit, I just picked up a R6.2, feels like Leicas SLR equivalent of an M4 or M6 more accurately since it has TTL metering. All manual, having some fun with it.

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pico

pico

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Yeah, but the M4 has no 28 mm and no 75 mm frame lines. Where does that leave my fine Summicron-M 28 mm Asph and Summilux-M 75 mm lenses?

 

You could downgrade and get an M4-P which also accommodates a Leicavit and motor wind, or get back to the end of the line. No soup for you!

Edited by pico
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