toyotmr2 Posted July 3, 2024 Share #1 Posted July 3, 2024 Advertisement (gone after registration) My M5 is starting to show some symptoms of rangefinder separation and I wanted to know if Leica still repairs or swaps those parts today. I hear a lot about sherry or Dag camera repairs, but they are situated in the USA and seem to be fully occupied already. Thanks for any input given! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 3, 2024 Posted July 3, 2024 Hi toyotmr2, Take a look here Does Leica themselves still repair separated rangefinders in the Leica M5?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted July 3, 2024 Share #2 Posted July 3, 2024 Maybe, but you are better off with one of the reputed independents. Even if Leica should do the repair, the wait will be interminable. And the bill astronomical. Try Will van Manen Kamera Service in the Netherlands. He recently reglued the prism in my M9M -not the simplest of repairs- within a couple of weeks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyotmr2 Posted July 3, 2024 Author Share #3 Posted July 3, 2024 That's fantastic news. I've been feeling quite anxious about M5 repairs in general and rangefinder separation in particular after browsing the web for a few hours today. Judging from a variety of forums and reddit alike, many people make it seem like a death sentence for the camera since there are close to no people willing to work with an M5 nowadays. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyotmr2 Posted July 3, 2024 Author Share #4 Posted July 3, 2024 17 minutes ago, jaapv said: Maybe, but you are better off with one of the reputed independents. Even if Leica should do the repair, the wait will be interminable. And the bill astronomical. Try Will van Manen Kamera Service in the Netherlands. He recently reglued the prism in my M9M -not the simplest of repairs- within a couple of weeks. Sadly, they state on their website that they will not service M5 bodies. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted July 3, 2024 Share #5 Posted July 3, 2024 1 hour ago, toyotmr2 said: That's fantastic news. I've been feeling quite anxious about M5 repairs in general and rangefinder separation in particular after browsing the web for a few hours today. Judging from a variety of forums and reddit alike, many people make it seem like a death sentence for the camera since there are close to no people willing to work with an M5 nowadays. Oh, it will be no problem with Will and Cathy. Just give them a call: https://kamera-service.info/en/welcome/ Tell them Jaap recommended them. And don’t believe all the bollocks on the Internet. It is all smoke and bubbles. Just come here and get sane answers. 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitroplait Posted July 3, 2024 Share #6 Posted July 3, 2024 4 hours ago, jaapv said: Oh, it will be no problem with Will and Cathy. Just give them a call: https://kamera-service.info/en/welcome/ Tell them Jaap recommended them. And don’t believe all the bollocks on the Internet. It is all smoke and bubbles. Just come here and get sane answers. So why do they write that they don’t work on M5 on the very front of their home page? We should not believe them, but rather what you say? Talk about bollokcks and smoke! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted July 3, 2024 Share #7 Posted July 3, 2024 Advertisement (gone after registration) You're right; I never saw that, but I suspect that this applies to the specific light metering mechanism; the rangefinder is not significantly different from the M4-2. Will and Cathy can think out of the box. They don't repair digital M cameras, but they do perform mechanical repairs on them. It never does harm to ask; I'll give Will a call tomorrow and inquire. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyotmr2 Posted July 3, 2024 Author Share #8 Posted July 3, 2024 vor 2 Stunden schrieb jaapv: You're right; I never saw that, but I suspect that this applies to the specific light metering mechanism; the rangefinder is not significantly different from the M4-2. Will and Cathy can think out of the box. They don't repair digital M cameras, but they do perform mechanical repairs on them. It never does harm to ask; I'll give Will a call tomorrow and inquire. Thank you so, so much! This means a lot to me. I‘m very grateful and very much looking forward to what Will has to say on the topic. You are a lifesaver! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitroplait Posted July 4, 2024 Share #9 Posted July 4, 2024 I have used Will/Cathy in the past, but a few years back they seemed to consolidate from working on a variety of quality cameras like Rolleiflex, Hasselblad etc, to only servicing Leica - and even so with several exceptions. When I contacted them after the change regarding a specific relatively simple task I know they did competently and routinely in the past, the answer I received gave me the impression that I should take their service list on the website literally. I hope OP can have his M5 fixed, and as @jaapv notes, a Leica finder is a Leica finder (more or less) so maybe they'll make an exception? If not, the Collector & Historica section of this forum has sticky with repair resources and experiences. If reading the thread from the latest post and backwards @toyotmr2 may find inspiration on techs practising in the EU he can contact. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted July 4, 2024 Share #10 Posted July 4, 2024 I just spoke to Cathy for quite a while. This M5 is basically irreparable as the camera has been built in such a manner that the whole exposure system complicates all parts of the camera including the rangefinder ( the shutter speed linkage is over the rangefinder which in itself is a close relative of the M4-2) and viewfinder and mostly needs non-existent spare parts when rebuilding. . On top of that the prism has a high breakage risk should it need to be separated and the silvering will be in bad condition as well; It is also likely that other parts like the shutter would need an overhaul if the rangefinder is at a stage that it delaminates. Nor could she recommend a colleague who might undertake the repair. So I feel for the OP, but the camera is best kept as-is as a memento to his friend. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsh Posted July 4, 2024 Share #11 Posted July 4, 2024 You might want to check with Sherry Krauter. She purchased the remaining stock of M5 spare parts a few years back so she may be able to help you. You could also check with Don Goldberg (DAG Camera). 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyotmr2 Posted July 4, 2024 Author Share #12 Posted July 4, 2024 (edited) vor einer Stunde schrieb jaapv: I just spoke to Cathy for quite a while. This M5 is basically irreparable as the camera has been built in such a manner that the whole exposure system complicates all parts of the camera including the rangefinder ( the shutter speed linkage is over the rangefinder which in itself is a close relative of the M4-2) and viewfinder and mostly needs non-existent spare parts when rebuilding. . On top of that the prism has a high breakage risk should it need to be separated and the silvering will be in bad condition as well; It is also likely that other parts like the shutter would need an overhaul if the rangefinder is at a stage that it delaminates. Nor could she recommend a colleague who might undertake the repair. So I feel for the OP, but the camera is best kept as-is as a memento to his friend. Thank you so, so much for inquiring about this issue. The answer is not what I was hoping to hear, but absolutely expected. So the rest of the internet is right, it is basically just Sherry Krauter and Don Goldberg who are still working on those cameras, so I will write both of them an email and hope for the best. I will keep this thread updated about how it goes. It would be a shame if nobody was able to repair the camera since I have never had so much fun taking pictures in my life, coming from the Canon F-1 New system. Again, thank you for helping me out, you are all really kind people! Edited July 4, 2024 by toyotmr2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsh Posted July 4, 2024 Share #13 Posted July 4, 2024 (edited) I use both and they do great work. The M5 was is/was Sherry’s favorite M. Edited July 4, 2024 by rsh 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyotmr2 Posted July 4, 2024 Author Share #14 Posted July 4, 2024 (edited) I've read that DAG is the way to go for rangefinder separation repairs on the M5 and have already written him an email. Should he decline I will of course give Sherry a try and hope for the best! Edited July 4, 2024 by toyotmr2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsh Posted July 4, 2024 Share #15 Posted July 4, 2024 Good luck! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyotmr2 Posted July 4, 2024 Author Share #16 Posted July 4, 2024 Thank you so much! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyotmr2 Posted July 5, 2024 Author Share #17 Posted July 5, 2024 (edited) So I exchanged a couple of emails with Don from DAG Camera Repair yesterday. He said he could overhaul the camera. The only thing he could not repair, reason being a lack of spare parts, is (you guessed it) the rangefinder separation issue. I quote "Since there's no Leica camera gods to pray to there's no way of doing anything to those separation lines." He also said that he had seen far worse separation lines and since the camera is at least 50 years old at this point chances are it would not get any worse. He was incredibly kind and helpful, but it looks like I have to get accustomed to those little "lightning strike" marks in my rangefinder patch and just hope the problem does not get any worse. I will try to contact Sherry in the coming days and hope for the best! Still, everyone I talked about in this community has been extremely kind and helpful, so thank you all once again. Edited July 5, 2024 by toyotmr2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrogallol Posted July 5, 2024 Share #18 Posted July 5, 2024 Occasionally I think about buying an M5. But this discussion about rangefinder problems together with other posts about irreparable shutter rollers puts me off, pity. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted July 5, 2024 Share #19 Posted July 5, 2024 Luckily I bought my used M5 maybe a decade ago without hearing about all the problem. It needed meter work & CLA so I sent it to DAG. Took a while to get it back (a year or so - told him no rush) but it has been and continues to be fine, so I'll just enjoy it. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69xchange Posted July 6, 2024 Share #20 Posted July 6, 2024 22 hours ago, TomB_tx said: Luckily I bought my used M5 maybe a decade ago without hearing about all the problem. It needed meter work & CLA so I sent it to DAG. Took a while to get it back (a year or so - told him no rush) but it has been and continues to be fine, so I'll just enjoy it. You never tell DAG “no rush” if you want it back within a few months, otherwise he’ll take “no rush” seriously. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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