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Just like to add that one of the attractions of a rangefinder, for me, is that it requires input and a little skill. I have to focus, I have to adjust my aperture and shutter. A meter, at least for me, provides a function that I'd rather do on my own.  You'll be surprised at how quickly you can become adept at Sunny 16. How automatic it becomes. I find that I now prefer setting even my digital Ms manually.  

 

In really weird light, if you don't trust your eye, the iPhone apps mentioned above are a great solution.   Happy shooting with your new toy.

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I have an M3, M4, M5 and an M6.

I like the M5 over M6 for a metered Leica and the M3 over M4 for a non-metered one, but for different reasons.

Even though I don't have particularly big hands, the M5 is a better tool with a better meter and design. Not prettier, mind you, but better laid out to take photos.

With the M3, even though the M4 is more practical with the quick load spool and the modern rewind knob, the M3 makes up for it in the "cool" department.

So, if you want a Leica purely for function, I'd suggest the M5.

For form, the M3.

If I had to choose one  it would be the iconic M3. It was my first Leica M and will be my last.

BTW, I also have a Pentax MX. Another great combination of form and function.

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"...Pentax MX. Another great combination of form and function." that's right! I love my MX. It's smaller than the M3/M4 and with the 1.4/50mm a great every day cam.

Nevertheless I prefer my M4. Really cool and stylish camera with (for me) excellent usability! - and, btw.: An exposure meter is completely over-estimated ;-)

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Watch and wait for the right moment. 

 

I just bought my first Leica two days ago, a 1997 M6. I got it for less than the cost of an M5, but waited and scoured local classified sites until it popped! 

 

I don't own a lens though, and probably can't afford a good lens for a while. But I'm one step closer to shooting Leica!

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I just bought my first Leica two days ago, a 1997 M6. I got it for less than the cost of an M5, but waited and scoured local classified sites until it popped! 

 

I don't own a lens though, and probably can't afford a good lens for a while. But I'm one step closer to shooting Leica!

 

Good man!

That's how I started my Leica trail, with an M6, waiting for a suitable lens to appear :)

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Excellent choice, the M5. I have shot with that model only a little (my friend's) but I like the needle meter readout very much, both because of its ease-of-use and its unobtrusiveness. The LEDs on my TTL are a bit bright sometimes, I find, and can detract from what is going on in the VF. Regardless, either meter is very accurate and having a meter will help with exposure. I don't mind going meterless, and I sometimes do, but I prefer having a reliable meter. As I see it, getting accurate exposures is not a competition, even though there is a certain pleasure in nailing it without a meter (and some bragging rights, too). 

 

best

Philip

 

 

M5 is a cheaper way to get into Leica I think than an M4 though ...

 

Meter, nice construction, cheaper. That is why is under consideration ... 

 

As i said its all a matter of timing, price and condition ... 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thank you all for the advice. Processing all these ... And searcing the web for a good deal.

 

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L21 using Tapatalk

 

Are you still looking?

 

Watch and wait for the right moment. 

 

I just bought my first Leica two days ago, a 1997 M6. I got it for less than the cost of an M5, but waited and scoured local classified sites until it popped! 

 

I don't own a lens though, and probably can't afford a good lens for a while. But I'm one step closer to shooting Leica!

 

Excellent and welcome to the Leica Owners Club.

Patience is a virtue and does allow one to savour the moment of the purchase.

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Are you still looking?

 

 

Excellent and welcome to the Leica Owners Club.

Patience is a virtue and does allow one to savour the moment of the purchase.

Always looking. But at the moment I can't find a good deal. Everything is sold at market price. People are knowledgeable and it seems a Leica M is a cash parking item. U don't lose your money so u just park them

 

 

Waiting to find a good deal.

 

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L21 using Tapatalk

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  • 3 months later...

Kupepe,

 

Yes, hard to find sometimes the thing you want... Film M are still very popular.

 

At least you can still practice with the Pentax. With a good lens (like a 50mm 1.4 SMC-A), this small body can be also a very nice tool to shoot with. But not range finder.... 

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"[Film is] cheap, there are many frames, it'll tend to be a broad variety of subjects/situations, better to get something before the moment is over, than to agonise about perfect exposure."

 

This is reminiscent of the advice given by Mr. Matheson in his classic book, "The Leica Way."

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Proper exposure in B&W is a moving target IMHO because of the latitude of modern B&W films...and in many cases also with older films as manufacturers often were conservative in their declaration of the proper iso. Also, one has to take into consideration the developer one anticipates using, as some effectively increase or decrease the density of the negative at the stated iso.

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  • 1 month later...

" I really could not understand why people would find it hard at start to go from digital to film. It's 3 knobs and a button. " I have to wonder why they make cameras so complicated these days, more options get added in a marketing strategy of more options makes it easier or more versatile. 

The very first pictures to the latest PhaseOne have only had Focus, emulsion/sensor speed, then shutter to aperture combination to deal with, thats it nothing else is significant.

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Always looking. But at the moment I can't find a good deal. Everything is sold at market price. People are knowledgeable and it seems a Leica M is a cash parking item. U don't lose your money so u just park them

 

 

Waiting to find a good deal.

 

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L21 using Tapatalk

Don't forget eBay as an option. I've found some very good deals on cameras and lenses from sellers that have inherited them. Rare for sure but it does happen.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry for the lost of your father...

On this example I accidentally have lens wide open (f1.5) and film is one of the tricky ones (Pan F).

 

Let the light be with you.

This is a very nice shot, Ko.Fe. If it is an accident, it is a good one!
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Kupepe - If you want to know how you would go at non-metered vs metered, why not try shooting the Pentax without referring to the meter? One way is to shoot Sunny 16, and bracket, then review the results to understand how far to go either way in order to get the results that you want.

There is no right or wrong - only what works for you.

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