I love my M5

[Don Flynn]

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On 11/17/2025 at 1:21 PM, TomB_tx said:

In a moment of weakness I picked up a 2nd M5 - this one is silver chrome 2nd production batch, (1971) so durability is suspect. However it seems to be in great shape and all checks out - finishing a test roll now, It does show slight trace of RF separation, but that's OK - still is a joy to use and focus. The Battery cap is somewhat scarred, so I bought an $8 plastic replacement from Etsy that works well, and has stronger knurling on the edge so it can be tightened and removed without a coin, Light meters on both read identically with 386 cells in CRIS-type diode adapters, and closely match my reference meter. I've used the black VC Nokton 50 Asph ltm version on my black M5 for years with excellent results, and its larger size works well on the M5. I had bought a silver copy of it years ago, so it no has a home. I keep the black M5 in a MrZhou half case and think the added thickness feels "right" on the longer M5 body, so I ordered another for the new silver M5.

Hope that keeps my GAS at bay for a while...

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I do think chrome Leica's look "classy"

[TomB_tx]

On 11/17/2025 at 12:21 PM, TomB_tx said:

In a moment of weakness I picked up a 2nd M5 - this one is silver chrome 2nd production batch, (1971) so durability is suspect. However it seems to be in great shape and all checks out - finishing a test roll now, It does show slight trace of RF separation, but that's OK - still is a joy to use and focus. The Battery cap is somewhat scarred, so I bought an $8 plastic replacement from Etsy that works well, and has stronger knurling on the edge so it can be tightened and removed without a coin, Light meters on both read identically with 386 cells in CRIS-type diode adapters, and closely match my reference meter. I've used the black VC Nokton 50 Asph ltm version on my black M5 for years with excellent results, and its larger size works well on the M5. I had bought a silver copy of it years ago, so it no has a home. I keep the black M5 in a MrZhou half case and think the added thickness feels "right" on the longer M5 body, so I ordered another for the new silver M5.

Hope that keeps my GAS at bay for a while...

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

I just processed a test roll from the 1971 Silver M5 - Just Arista 400 B&W, shot over the range of lighting conditions and shutter speeds from 1/15 - 1/1000 and focus from MFD to distant. Everything is working perfectly, so I won't bother with a CLA. The M5 has a very sensitive meter reading a small spot of the view, which should make it ideal for low light and uneven lit scenes. One weakness however is that the meter needle readout area is illuminated by the small strip window on the front edge over the VF, and in dim uneven lighting it may leave the meter readout dim and hard to read. But I sure enjoyed using it and getting the results I hoped for.