Big Battle: M5 vs M6

[Huss]

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From an ergonomics point of view, the one thing I like more on the regular shape Ms is the VF eyepiece is closer to the edge.  To me it is more natural to use.  With  my M5 I am aware that it is further to the right.  It's not a big deal, and you get used to it real quick, but I would have preferred if it was in the same location as the other Ms.

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[Pyrogallol]

If you are left handed/eyed then all Leicas have the viewfinder on the wrong end of the camera.

I think all manufactured goods should have to be made in both left and right handed versions. I am sure computer aided design and manufacturing can produce mirror imaged designs. That would be 10-15% of production. Equality legislation falls down in this area.

Edited February 24, 2023 by Pyrogallol

[Anbaric]

ChatGPT, imagine a big battle between two giant robots, one inspired by the Leica M6, and one by the M5.

As an AI language model, I don't have the capability to imagine things, but I can describe a hypothetical battle between two giant robots inspired by the Leica M6 and M5 cameras.

The Leica M6-inspired robot would be designed with a focus on speed and precision. It would have a sleek and streamlined appearance, with a lightweight frame and agile movements that reflect the M6's reputation as a compact and versatile camera. This robot would prioritize fast and accurate attacks, using rapid-fire lasers and other advanced weapons to strike with deadly precision.

The Leica M5-inspired robot, on the other hand, would be built to withstand heavy firepower and deliver devastating blows. Its design would be more robust and rugged, reflecting the M5's reputation for durability and reliability. This robot would prioritize power and defense, using heavy plasma cannons and other advanced weaponry to overpower its opponents.

As the two robots faced off, the M6-inspired robot would dart around the battlefield, using its speed and agility to evade the M5-inspired robot's attacks and strike at its weak points. The M5-inspired robot would move more slowly but deliberately, using its heavy firepower and advanced defense mechanisms to weather the M6-inspired robot's attacks and deliver crushing blows.

The outcome of this hypothetical battle would depend on a range of factors, including the specific capabilities of each robot and the skill of their pilots. However, it would certainly be a thrilling spectacle to watch these two giant robots inspired by Leica cameras clash in an epic battle, with the M6-inspired robot darting and weaving, and the M5-inspired robot delivering heavy, crushing blows.

[Huss]

3 hours ago, Pyrogallol said:

If you are left handed/eyed then all Leicas have the viewfinder on the wrong end of the camera.

I think all manufactured goods should have to be made in both left and right handed versions. I am sure computer aided design and manufacturing can produce mirror imaged designs. That would be 10-15% of production. Equality legislation falls down in this area.

And that's why SLRs are the worst.  They are only designed for a cyclops to use.  But equality legislation forgot about the rest of us left and right eye users.

[Anbaric]

3 hours ago, Pyrogallol said:

If you are left handed/eyed then all Leicas have the viewfinder on the wrong end of the camera.

I think all manufactured goods should have to be made in both left and right handed versions. I am sure computer aided design and manufacturing can produce mirror imaged designs. That would be 10-15% of production. Equality legislation falls down in this area.

As a left-eyed shooter, I don't really mind the position of the eyepiece, and having the camera braced against my face is a pretty good way of steadying it. The real offenders are cameras like my Nikon FM, where the shutter won't unlock and the meter won't operate unless the wind-on lever is in the stand-off position, where it risks digging you in the other eye. I should probably look out for the early variant of the FM, where the lock is a ring around the shutter release (though you still need to pull out the wind-on lever to activate the meter).

[Pyrogallol]

I have just put a film through an old Exakta Varex which has a left hand wind and release, the release button is on the front left, meaning you hold the camera in the right hand to focus and operate the shutter with the left hand. We are so conditioned by the right hand world that that feels strange.

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[Lux50]

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I bought my 3 lug M5 and 50/1.4 Summilux new in July 1974 while working at an authorized Leica dealer. Great combination. I think I will only part with it when I am laying in the box and they are shoveling dirt on my face.😏

[roydonian]

For the first 18 months that I owned it, my M6 spent more time under repair at Leica than it did with me, and some years later needed yet another trip there to get light leaks fixed. I got tired of struggling with the rangefinder flare problem, and can recall sitting in a bar in London with several other M6 users, and discovering that there was no direction in which our cameras could be pointed without the rangefinder patch becoming unuseable.

Eventually I bought an M5, and until I converted to digital used a Leicaflex SL2 loaded with 100ASA slide film and the M5 loaded with 400ASA slide film. They were sufficiently similar in terms of handling that it was easy to swap from one to the other as necessary.

[rsh]

The choice of one’s favorite M is both personal and subjective.