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I love my M4-P !!

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in Leica M-A / M7 / MP and Film M

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20 hours ago, a.noctilux said:

Zinc ?

@OThomashow you know it's zinc ?

just curious.

Never seen M4-P bubble like some M6.

For me mine is brass.

Scrap that, on further research it’s brass top.  I read in one of the website, can’t remember which one that the zinc top M4-P started at serial number 1610…, so I assumed I had a zinc top with my serial number being 1619… but mine has the recessed view finder, indicating a brass top.

Same look as my M4-P: https://www.cameraquest.com/jpg5/LeicaM4P70_02.jpg

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stratherb
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Please dont laugh ! ;-) Yes, I was young, yes, I had a beard ;-) ... long time ago....I visited Magnum to present some pics in Paris

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Here's my girl, replaced the leatherette with a kit from Aki Asahi, and just got my voigtlander 35/2.5 in today. "she's a beaut Clark"

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mikemix
mikemix

Now with my newly purchased 35/1.4 summilux pre asph. from Canada.

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hansvons

hansvons

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This was inevitable. I got my first M. While most of you have multiple Ms, there has been a time when you picked up your first M. I thought of sharing this same experience as a short blast from the past;).  And, most importantly, giving the M4-P finally its dedicated thread, which I feel she deserves badly (yes, the M4-P is a she).

Below are a few images shot cheaply with the phone for the lack of a proper camera at the moment. (And if you wonder why's there the velcro, the answer is grip.)

Ok. So why the M4-P?

I started my journey with Leica three years ago with an SL2-S I bought for reportage assignments and little videos. With the camera came the formidable but bulky 24-90 and a set of R primes for video. As time passed, I stumbled across a project requiring B&W photos. I figured that digital B&W isn't the real stuff and started shooting film again (and home souping it with great delight). For that project, I bought a pair of R6 fitted with the already available R primes. Over the last three years, I learned that I'm still the 35mm and 50mm guy and don't need any other lens for my stories. So I figured the 24-90 zoom could go. I also figured that the SL2-S and the R6 with the R-primes have a considerably larger footprint than an M and the SL2-S would have with M lenses. Reducing gear to the max and having a clean shelf satisfies me, so I ebay-ed extra stuff, the said zoom lens and one of the R6. Plus, I was curious about what a range finder could do for me.

Leica's new M6 was outside my budget, and so was the MP or the MA. A used M6 isn't cheap either when in excellent working order; the meter may die at some point, and repairing it isn't easy, if not impossible. So, I opted for the M6's older sister, the M4-P, as it's basically an M6 without the meter. And it's Canadian, a country I really like (as I'm German, I already have tons of German stuff around me).

With the M4-P (recently CLA-ed), I bought a 35mm SummicronM ASPH freshly serviced by Leica. Why this relatively modern lens, you may ask? For a starter, I like sharp lenses for B&W. Also, I want to use the Summicron as my daily 35mm on the SL2-S, including landscapes at f 5,6 upwards. For moody imagery, I have plenty of choices with my R primes.

How was my first encounter with the M4-P's range finder? As a ground glass guy, I never felt the urge to try out a range finder. But now I did. It took me a second to understand the genius behind that system and another second to master it entirely (which is a blatant lie). But truth be told, it's easier to focus than traditionally (or the modern way really) with a focusing screen. 

The bad news is that this starts a long, costly journey.

 

 

 

 

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madNbad

madNbad

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There’s a thread about M4-2/M4-P flash blocks and how easy it is to pull out the PC socket by accident. I bought a M4-2 from another member and when he owned it, one of the plugs caught on his jacket and pulled the socket out. The plastic Leica used for the blocks is fairly brittle but it was necessary when they included a hot shoe with the M4-2. You can easily avoid the problem by removing the plugs.

The Summicron is a good choice and makes for a compact package, enjoy!

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hepcat

hepcat

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The keeper I never should have let go of.  Deep regrets on this one.

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LocalHero1953

LocalHero1953

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Congratulations! My first M was a M3 in 1981, shortly to be replaced by a M2 when I realised that my life centres around 35mm. I now have a M4 (which I really wanted when I bought the M2/3, but couldn't afford one). As of this year I also have a new MP, for which I should feel guilty but I don't: the difference in rewind knob and wind-on lever is really, really significant😉. I keep a Summilux-M 35 pre-asph on one and and a Summilux-M 50 pre-asph on the other (which I might swap for an Elmarit-M 28 asph). B&W in one and colour in the other.

They are a joy to use!

Edited by LocalHero1953
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AndreasG

AndreasG

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The M4-P was my first M-Leica, which I bought second hand in 1985 together with a new Summicron 2/50. Both work still very well, never any defect or repair, but sooner or later the camera needs a CLA, because the viewfinder shows some fog inside.

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hansvons

hansvons

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33 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Congratulations!

You are an M warhorse. And I totally trust your assessment that an old-school wind-on lever and the old rewind knob are a matter of life-and-death ;).

Thanks for your kind words. I fully embrace that special feeling of being a member of an extraordinary club. I actually visited today one of the most hipster film shops in the universe to complement my M4-P with a faux Burberry strap. It's located in Berlin P-Berg. Can't get more analogue. 

 

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hepcat

hepcat

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1 hour ago, hansvons said:

One can only learn. Thanks!

I knew better.  My first M was an M3 in 1974 which I promptly traded back in for an M2.  Over the years I've had an M4-2, the M4-P I posted, a couple more M3s, and a couple of M4s.   I sold the M4-P (as well as my M8 and M9P) because I just couldn't see the focusing patch well enough to critically focus any more, and I switched to Leica R and Leicaflex bodies and lenses.  I recently had a conversation with a friend who'd reminded me of the significant differences in the M3 finder and suggested I might be able to focus one.   I fell into an M3 deal (posted in other threads) I just couldn't pass up, and indeed I can easily focus the 0.95 finder in the M3.  So my "new" 1957 M3 DS will be my "keeper."

M3 thread here

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hepcat

hepcat

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14 hours ago, Michael Geschlecht said:

Hello Hepcat,

M3's have a 0.91X range/viewfinder. Not quite 0.95X, but close enough.

Enjoy.

Best Regards,

Michael

Ooops... thanks...  I stand corrected.  But the bottom line, numbers notwithstanding, is that the magnification is such that I can still see it!  😉

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Graham (G4FUJ)

Graham (G4FUJ)

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On 4/15/2023 at 10:06 AM, Graham (G4FUJ) said:

My M4-P is in the I love my M4 thread (somewhere). :)

Actually, after a search mine is posted (#242) in the original M4-P thread.  This thread is a second to one already running!

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/56943-i-love-my-m4-p/page/13/#comment-4200546

 

Edited by Graham (G4FUJ)
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alphonse2501

alphonse2501

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https://i.imgur.com/PZLk8U0.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/dw85c2r.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/XBjVYpQ.jpg

Its unassailable fact that brass gears on M4 and earlier models are smoothly.

However I feel the steel gears in M4-P has similar resistance like Olympus OM-1. 

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