Wildcolugoman Posted February 23, 2023 Share #1 Posted February 23, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) Could be controversial here. Not sure if it's been covered before (heck I'm new to forums and relatively new to Leica). Open to discussion to those privileged ones who have used both M5 and M6 before. If you had only 1 to keep, which would it be.... and why? ding ding... let the battle begin! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 23, 2023 Posted February 23, 2023 Hi Wildcolugoman, Take a look here Big Battle: M5 vs M6. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
spydrxx Posted February 23, 2023 Share #2 Posted February 23, 2023 Never owned a M5, only an M6. I wouldn't own the M6 again. Compared to much better M2, M3, and M4 cluttered viewfinder, larger size Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frame-it Posted February 23, 2023 Share #3 Posted February 23, 2023 sell both and get a M3J Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikep996 Posted February 23, 2023 Share #4 Posted February 23, 2023 Original M6, not even a moment's consideration for me (over all other Leica Ms). But, as the old saying goes, opinions are like A$$wholes - everybody has one. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knipsknecht Posted February 23, 2023 Share #5 Posted February 23, 2023 Concerning looks the M6 wins easily, concerning usability the M5 takes it all. And I prefer the M7 over both😁! 4 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradS Posted February 23, 2023 Share #6 Posted February 23, 2023 I have M2, M4, M5 and M6 and If I had to choose just one it would be a very easy choice - the M6 without question. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OR120 Posted February 23, 2023 Share #7 Posted February 23, 2023 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) Went down this road several times - both nice cameras. The M5 was love at first site. Had a couple of M5's - always 3-lug. For me - the best handling M body ever made. If I ever shoot film again I would buy another 3-lug M5. Wonderful cameras built like a tank and I was using them on a daily basis for work. I still have some bricks of film downstairs, maybe someday. And, always M5 in black. Edited February 23, 2023 by OR120 sp 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huss Posted February 23, 2023 Share #8 Posted February 23, 2023 The one advantage that the M5 has over any other Leica - film or digital - is the way the meter readout works. In every other metered Leica, you have the center dot (correct exposure) and the two arrows pointing inwards which can indicate up to one stop over or underexposure. Even on digital Ms. Of course the classic M6 is worse as it only has the two arrows. But the M5 has the swinging needle so you can set the spot meter at a target, get that reading, then move the camera around the scene watching the needle move, so you can tell exactly the exposure value differences across the entire scene compare to where you took your initial reading. W/o having to change any setting. It is very sweet. 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock Posted February 23, 2023 Share #9 Posted February 23, 2023 28 minutes ago, Huss said: The one advantage that the M5 has over any other Leica - film or digital - is the way the meter readout works. In every other metered Leica, you have the center dot (correct exposure) and the two arrows pointing inwards which can indicate up to one stop over or underexposure. Even on digital Ms. Of course the classic M6 is worse as it only has the two arrows. But the M5 has the swinging needle so you can set the spot meter at a target, get that reading, then move the camera around the scene watching the needle move, so you can tell exactly the exposure value differences across the entire scene compare to where you took your initial reading. W/o having to change any setting. It is very sweet. I agree with that, it is a great metering system. However, as we have seen over the years, the M5 is a Marmite camera so for everyone who loves it there will be someone who hates it. The answer to the OP's question "If you had only 1 to keep, which would it be?" is surely the one you love. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted February 23, 2023 Share #10 Posted February 23, 2023 I have both M5 & M6. I ignored the M5 when it came out due to people bad-mouthing its size and different shape, so I stayed with my M4. Then in the late 1970s found a nice used CL & 40 Summicron, and loved the meter - I was used to selective area from my Leicaflex SL. In 1985 I got an M6 and it became my main camera. Around 2010 I found a 3-lug M5 (50year), and the more I used it the better I liked it. I love the spot meter, and the size/shape is fine. While I prefer the M5 small spot meter for surveying lighting og scenes, I prefer the M6 dual LED readout in the finder as the fastest to use, and the meter pattern is good for most subjects. I'll keep both until one dies, then be happy with the remaining one. I do use the M6 more as a companion to my M9/10. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted February 23, 2023 Share #11 Posted February 23, 2023 If you look in the wiki here you can see the relative numbers of both cameras produced. Which should tell you something. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colint544 Posted February 23, 2023 Share #12 Posted February 23, 2023 (edited) I owned an early Wetzlar era M6 from 1998 to 2014 when, on something of a whim, I gave it to my girlfriend and got an M5. I prefer the M5. For me, the ergonomics are more intuitive, it feels better in the hand, and the rangefinder patch doesn't white out like the M6 one sometimes did. The metering system is much more 'zen' without those blazing red arrows in the viewfinder. The film rewind system has a superior design, and is much faster. The M5 has a self-timer, the M6 does not. The M5 has real and grippy vulcanite, the M6 does not. The strap lugs on the M5 are big and strong, and cannot wear through or unscrew with heavy use. A small thing this, but I also like the shot counter on the M5, which has white numerals on a black background. Someone once described the M5 as 'more car engine than Swiss watch', and I think that sums it up. It's not for everyone, and it's certainly not as pretty as a traditional M camera, but it feels like a machine that a lot of thought went into. I'd call it 1-0 to the M5. Edited February 23, 2023 by colint544 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
madNbad Posted February 23, 2023 Share #13 Posted February 23, 2023 17 minutes ago, colint544 said: It's not for everyone, and it's certainly not as pretty as a traditional M camera, but it feels like a machine that a lot of thought went into. I'd call it 1-0 to the M5. That’s because a lot of thought did go into it. It was designed not only to include a meter but to build a camera that could compete with the ever evolving SLRs from Japan. It arrived at just the wrong time. The Nikon F2 and the Canon F1 were coming to the market and zoom lenses were becoming acceptable. Not to mention Leitz pouring money into the SL system and undercutting M5 sales with the CL. The M5, like the M6 TTL was an attempt to move the Leica rangefinder camera forward but couldn’t quite convince the buying public. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plaidshirts Posted February 23, 2023 Share #14 Posted February 23, 2023 I've had both. If it were the only Leica body, no other analog or digital, I would have kept my M5 as it did everything I needed it to do and there wasn't a standard M to body-shame it. But since I did have others, it only made sense to hang on to the M6, keeping form and substance more consistent. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huss Posted February 23, 2023 Share #15 Posted February 23, 2023 The thing with which is 'better' is they both are great. And it comes down which one do you like more? It becomes a personal opinion. And the way to tell is to handle both. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ko.Fe. Posted February 23, 2023 Share #16 Posted February 23, 2023 4 hours ago, Wildcolugoman said: Could be controversial here. Not sure if it's been covered before (heck I'm new to forums and relatively new to Leica). Open to discussion to those privileged ones who have used both M5 and M6 before. If you had only 1 to keep, which would it be.... and why? ding ding... let the battle begin! You are failing into the same hole as many have these days. While with little practice and due to film overexposure forgiveness, no build in meter is needed. All you need is working light meter application on the phone, this will help you to become as master of exposure by simple WYSIWYG. Get M2 with known service, use history and enjoy it as your first Leica. It could be just one for many years to come. Between 2015 and 2022 I used M4-2 as my main camera. Hundreds of film meters annually, hundreds of prints and at some point I stopped metering because everything was already metered. Again, if not sure, stay on overexposing side, it will be no problem. Start with so called S16 outdoors. It is very easy to guess. And with practice you will do it indoors, but free metering app is always with you, since it is on the phone. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colint544 Posted February 23, 2023 Share #17 Posted February 23, 2023 38 minutes ago, madNbad said: That’s because a lot of thought did go into it. It was designed not only to include a meter but to build a camera that could compete with the ever evolving SLRs from Japan. It arrived at just the wrong time. The Nikon F2 and the Canon F1 were coming to the market and zoom lenses were becoming acceptable. Not to mention Leitz pouring money into the SL system and undercutting M5 sales with the CL. The M5, like the M6 TTL was an attempt to move the Leica rangefinder camera forward but couldn’t quite convince the buying public. Yep! When you use an M5, you can really appreciate the thought that went into the design. Leica were taking on Nikon et al, and they weren't messing about. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danner Posted February 23, 2023 Share #18 Posted February 23, 2023 This question was settled by the market in the 1980's. The M6 won, hands down. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted February 23, 2023 Share #19 Posted February 23, 2023 (edited) 22 minutes ago, colint544 said: Yep! When you use an M5, you can really appreciate the thought that went into the design. Leica were taking on Nikon et al, and they weren't messing about. Nevertheless it was a commercial failure. I remember working in a camera shop in London whilst I was a student. We had one in stock (~1980 and I have some thought that it might well have been a new one, even then) which simply didn't sell. I'm not sure whether it had sold by the time I left a few years later. There simply wasn't any interest in it. Pity because I am sure that you are right about its thoughtful design, but it was the wrong shape and had fierce competition (the Pentax MX was around and was a diminutive SLR showing what could be produced). Wrong design at the wrong time unfortunately. Edited February 23, 2023 by pgk 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Brown Posted February 23, 2023 Share #20 Posted February 23, 2023 (edited) M5, the Edsel/New Coke/Playboy without nudity of Leica M cameras. Edited February 23, 2023 by Al Brown 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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