LocalHero1953 Posted February 23, 2023 Share #21 Posted February 23, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) But...but....but..... Leica users are serious photographers.......they see beyond the superficial. They're not shallow. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 23, 2023 Posted February 23, 2023 Hi LocalHero1953, Take a look here Big Battle: M5 vs M6. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
colint544 Posted February 23, 2023 Share #22 Posted February 23, 2023 22 minutes ago, pgk said: 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. Even today, the M5 seems to still be the cheapest used M film camera. I do understand the reasons why it failed in the marketplace. And it looks, to my eyes, ungainly from some angles, but there is also a brutal charm to it. It was definitely designed to be used as a picture-making machine, and it has a real quality feel to it. 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
madNbad Posted February 23, 2023 Share #23 Posted February 23, 2023 20 minutes ago, Al Brown said: M5, the Edsel/New Coke/Playboy without nudity of Leica M cameras. That pretty much nails it. Thank you for the summation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colint544 Posted February 23, 2023 Share #24 Posted February 23, 2023 Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/368184-big-battle-m5-vs-m6/?do=findComment&comment=4697900'>More sharing options...
250swb Posted February 23, 2023 Share #25 Posted February 23, 2023 Ugly puppy or cute puppy, which do you adopt? It’s a complicated question. The best thing to do is stop thinking about it and delay any decision, then when/if the idea crops up again maybe in a month or so you’ll have filtered it all subliminally and know what to choose. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmrider2 Posted February 23, 2023 Share #26 Posted February 23, 2023 I loved using the M5 I purchased from Sherry. Everything was corrected (light meter voltage, CLAed etc). It uses the same viewfinder as the M4 so flare is not an issue and the big shutter speed dial is great. Many here don't realize it was the result of over 10 years of R&D by Leica. I suspect it did not sell well as it was expensive, not the classical size and shape of a Leica M, and the Leica CL was being sold at the same time for one half the price. If you are looking for a great camera, it would be on my short list. 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGodParticle/Hari Posted February 23, 2023 Share #27 Posted February 23, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) M5 over M6 Classic - easy decision. I’m not a big fan of the annoyingly small shutter speed dial and the generous overhanging dial on the M5 was love at first sight for me. And the metering needle as others have already pointed out M5 vs M6 TTL is a more difficult choice in my opinion 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huss Posted February 23, 2023 Share #28 Posted February 23, 2023 The one thing I find really attractive about the M5 is the fact that it IS so different than other Ms. Is it better? No - the best one is the one you want to use. Whichever one that is. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted February 23, 2023 Share #29 Posted February 23, 2023 3 hours ago, colint544 said: ...it looks, to my eyes, ungainly from some angles, but there is also a brutal charm to it.... Thank you, Colin; you have said what I have been thinking ever since I first read the OP but never managed to put into words. In my youth I never warmed to the M5 when it was released. Having had a Barnack in my mid-teens the jump in physical form to the M2 a few years later (1980) came as a bit of a shock. To go from the M2 to the M5 would have been one step too far regardless of how good I knew the camera to be. Nowadays I'm far less narrow-minded and, always having had an interest in 'The Black Sheep of the Family', have thought about obtaining an M5 all these years later. Interestingly one of the regular UK dealers posted a Satin-Chrome 3-Lug newly-advertised just a few days ago and it has already been sold. Perhaps things are changing? Philip. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamj Posted February 24, 2023 Share #30 Posted February 24, 2023 1 hour ago, pippy said: Interestingly one of the regular UK dealers posted a Satin-Chrome 3-Lug newly-advertised just a few days ago and it has already been sold. Perhaps things are changing? Philip. I think they have changed and not recently either. Two M5s each sold in about a week at Tamarkin almost a year ago. It's no longer the cheapest M series camera, to be fair it is the cheapest M series camera with a rangefinder but an M1 or an MD will cost less. It is only two to three hundred dollars less expensive than an M3 of the same condition from a dealer, although to be fair, the M3 is usually less expensive than an M2 of the same condition. The renaissance is dated to the 1990s when Japanese collectors started showing an interest. I think if you don't mind the size and shape of the Nikon F or the Canon F1 you can hardly object to an M5. That's a personal opinion :). 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin T-M Posted February 24, 2023 Share #31 Posted February 24, 2023 No battle to consider M5 is a crap and M6 is not a M4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huss Posted February 24, 2023 Share #32 Posted February 24, 2023 2 hours ago, Martin T-M said: No battle to consider M5 is a crap and M6 is not a M4 Sounds like someone needs a hug. 1 1 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpitt Posted February 24, 2023 Share #33 Posted February 24, 2023 (edited) 11 hours ago, pgk said: If you look in the wiki here you can see the relative numbers of both cameras produced. Which should tell you something. Yes, but if you look at the period in which it was produced, this was probably the worst timing ever. Fierce competition from maturing reflex systems. Heavy inflation and crisis. Not good at all for luxury goods. I am not sure about the pricing relative to the camera before that, but to have any chance of profit on this state of the art body, I think it needed a very steep price increase. When I heard rumors of Leica producing the M6 again, I thought it would be used as an entry level film RF because it should be a little bit simpeler to produce than the MP. Of course they did not! I can only guess, but if the M6 needs to cost $5000+ today, the M5 (new) would need to cost almost double that to have the same margin. Fierce competition from CL. And no model in between to 'upgrade' from. If they would have marketed the M5 as the top model with M6 as slimmed down model in the middle, and CL as entry level, it might have even increased M5 sales. I think, it was too much a all or nothing deal between the CL and M5, with the M5 looking totally overpriced. 10 hours ago, Danner said: This question was settled by the market in the 1980's. The M6 won, hands down. The market is not always right in picking out the best quality. Actually, I found the market is always only partially right. You could also say it was settled by Leica management. Changing strategy from a superior, full featured product strategy to the slimmed down, more profitable 'just enough' and 'only essentials' strategy they practice to this day. That does not mean that if I can choose between a Rolls from the 70s and a VW from the 80s, I would pick the VW. I am in the M5 camp. Apart from size and weight (which is relative compared to bulky DSLR and mirrorless today) I see no area where the M6 is superior to the M5. Of course looks is maybe one area the M6 will win, but if it is your only camera as the OP asked, looks would be the last thing I consider. Edited February 24, 2023 by dpitt 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcolugoman Posted February 24, 2023 Author Share #34 Posted February 24, 2023 Apart from the (expected) pitch invasions, the M5 is coming on very strongly against the M6. The M6 tried to 'attack' with economics and production periods, but the M5 just seems to have the passionate 'oomph' factor. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skahde Posted February 24, 2023 Share #35 Posted February 24, 2023 The point a leica had going for it to me always was outstanding optics in the most compact, high-quality package feasible, I think anything smaller starts compromising on exchangebility of lenses or lens-quality. The M6 meets both criteria, the M5 quite a bit less. This settled the debate at least for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted February 24, 2023 Share #36 Posted February 24, 2023 Body size was also a concern for Leica when the M3 was introduced, as it was much bigger than the IIIf. So they hedged their bets and continued the III development with the IIIg. But there were enough advantages to the M over any other camera that the M took over. The M5 was slightly larger than the M4 (but add an MR4 meter to the M4 and compare!) - but the competing SLRs offered so much the M series looked dated at that time. Look at the complaints about the M9 size, where the difference was slight, but very tactile on body thickness. The M5 feels thin in comparison. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anbaric Posted February 24, 2023 Share #37 Posted February 24, 2023 17 hours ago, colint544 said: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 'Yes, we could cut a corner here and there, a minor concession on "this" part and on "that" feature, and "this little nick will never be noticed"' is hopefully not the philosophy of the M6 reissue pressure plate team. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anbaric Posted February 24, 2023 Share #38 Posted February 24, 2023 16 hours ago, ktmrider2 said: I loved using the M5 I purchased from Sherry. Everything was corrected (light meter voltage, CLAed etc). It uses the same viewfinder as the M4 so flare is not an issue and the big shutter speed dial is great. Many here don't realize it was the result of over 10 years of R&D by Leica. I suspect it did not sell well as it was expensive, not the classical size and shape of a Leica M, and the Leica CL was being sold at the same time for one half the price. 10 years of R&D, but only 25 minutes of customer research, perhaps? Let's hope someone on YouTube or Instragram doesn't 'discover' the M5 and hype what are currently quite reasonable prices into the stratosphere! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
L0071 Posted February 24, 2023 Share #39 Posted February 24, 2023 23 hours 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. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
L0071 Posted February 24, 2023 Share #40 Posted February 24, 2023 Just now, L0071 said: My experience with the M5 it always has everything figured point it at a subject light is measured , click... not the Basterd Camera after all... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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