How rainproof or water-resistant is a M film camera?

[kivis]

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If at all. My M-A has been caught in mild downpours with no ill effect. But really are the tolerances tight enough to handle anything worse?

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[250swb]

I've used M's in the rain (M2, M4-P, MP) but by being sensible and trying to keep the worst off. That however is when the main problem can happen with condensation inside the lens and viewfinder. So try not to cover it with a warm hand, don't put it under a coat when wet, etc., drop it into a camera bag instead, and but the bag in the boot of the car to keep it cool until you get home, then let the camera gradually get to room temperature. They have always dried out with seemingly no ill effects.

Edited November 17, 2023 by 250swb

[spydrxx]

My experience was always light drizzle - ok if promptly dried off. Avoid anything worse.

[VanDooglz]

I am not overly bothered protecting the camera from rain. I love the images I get when shooting in the rain. I suppose there's some kind of limit when water can cause permanent issues or get onto the film inside, but I have not reached it.

However, when I get home I place the camera in a dry cabinet configured with 40 degree humidity, and that's where it sits. I figured that 2-4 hours is just not enough time for water to do any kind of damage.

I cannot say, however, that I've been doing this for 40 years or whatever. My oldest Leica is the M6 TTL which I bought in 2018. Looks and feels like brand new.

[ktmrider2]

I have carried a film Leica on trips all over the world in all sorts of weather conditions.  I have never used a half case or worried overmuch about rain.  If it is raining, the camera is usually under the poncho or rain jacket and then it gets pulled out to take the photo.  I have never had a problem.  Now, f the rain is a deluge or super heavy thunderstorm I usually wait until the intensity drops off before pulling the camera out for a photo.  And I sometimes carry a large baggie if I think the camera needs protection while shooting.

And I can honestly say the same about all my cameras from the 1960's, 1970's and 1980,s.  The Nikon F and Canon F1 were famous as professional instruments that were never babied.  In fact, I was surprised  about the sensitivity of modern digital cameras to light rain.  Of course a digital camera is essentially a computer and I don't think I would take my Apple for a walk in the rain.

I carried my M4 for a month of monsoon season in Vietnam last year.  Granted, it was in a Billingham which is waterproof but hung by my side while motorcycling through the monsoon.  I would not have hesitated to pull it out and use it but the lighting was so terrible I did not even shoot a roll on film in 30 days.  I kept using my iPhone 11.  Take it and use it.  

Finally, you might find inspiration in some photos of LIFE photographers and the conditions they shot under.  I am thinking specifically of Larry Burroughs and Vietnam.  I think seeing photos of him working with a couple M2's and a Nikon F with 200mm will help give you confidence.  Or David Douglas Duncan shooting screw mount Leica's with Nikon lens at the Chosin Reservoir in 1950 with the Marines in temperatures of minus 10-40 degrees F.

Edited November 18, 2023 by ktmrider2

[105012]

A little light rain has never hurt my film M’s, usually I drop them into a pocket or slip them into a cover (I like the “Spring Roll” cover). 

Here is a picture of the above mentioned Larry Burrows (an extraordinarily talented photographer) with his beloved M3’s, three days before the end:

https://iphf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/larry-burrows-lang-vei-border-of-south-vietnam-and-laos-february-7-1971-this-photograph-by-roger-mattingly-was-one-of-the-last-taken-of-larry-burrows.jpeg

[otto.f]

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[Anbaric]

I'd suggest keeping a suitable plastic bag with your gear, which takes up hardly any space - no need for the camera to get wetter than necessary. Some people use shower caps. The Op/Tech Rainsleeve, available in various sizes, is a more sophisticated version of this idea:

https://www.optechusa.com/products/rainsleeve

[a.noctilux]

In my use,

- tropical rain = no pictures

only possible with some kind of shelter for photographer and gear, tissue or something to dry those drops

- in other countries's mild rain/snow, umbrella or shelter may be enough + tissue

...

good news, film Ms are not waterproof but "usable in rainy/snowy" days without fear.

[ktmrider2]

Now this is not a Leica M story but I think it would apply to them as well.  Back in December, 1971, I was on my first winter mountaineering trip in the Presidential Range in New Hampshire.  I think we hoped to do a five to seven day traverse and summit on Mount Washington if the weather gods smiled on us.  I was carrying two Nikon F's loaded with Kodachrome 25 if memory serves and sporting 24mm and 85mm lenses.  

Well, it was my first time on snowshoes and I fell several times during the day in the waist deep snow.  I know I landed on those Nikons a couple times.  That night it fell well below zero and the Nikon's were inoperable the next morning being coated with a layer of ice.  I put each one beneath my jacket and before we were packed and on the way, they were working fine and I think I still have some slides from that trip.  I don't think results with Leica M's would have been any different.  

Hope this eases your mind a bit.  Before they became pieces of jewelry, they were working cameras!  And I don't think the components used in their construction have changed all that much.  I know they have been to the South Pole and the summit of Everest!  Go shoot!

Edited November 20, 2023 by ktmrider2