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vegas

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Hi again guys!
I have a little doubt that im sure u know about, im after a rangefinder leica and i'd like it to be with light meter built in, do the M2,3,4 have it, or is just the M6 and 7..? doest TTL mean a light meter built in..? which one of them would you recomend..?
I hope you can help me on this. Thanks in advance

Vegas.
 
M5 and later have built-in metering; but I'd also strongly suggest that you look at the horribly-named Zeiss Ikon and the current-generation Voigtlanders.
 
M-5 was the first with the meter, but it often not recomended because of size among other things. M6 is good, but many feel that M3 or M2 without the meter are the best.
 
I prefer Leicas without meters. I use a handheld meter. Once used to it, it's quite a freeing experience to use an all manual, non-electronic-anything camera.

Just my two cents. Best wishes finding a Leica that suits you.
 
cool thanks, and im aware of the new generations of voigtlanders, but many people complain about the strap screws, they are quite at the front of the camera and seems to tilt the camera lens up when hanging from soulder or neck, i find that really anoing. can u verify..? I also love its pancake lenses..
 
I agree with sleepyhead. Handheld meter is a very good way to go if you choose an earlier Leica. I use a 1951 IIIf as my main camera; it is so small that it would be silly to attach a meter to it (though you can, I think). You really should think about a M2 or M3--depending on what lens preferences you have. The advantage is in the finders. Best of luck!
 
vegas said:
cool thanks, and im aware of the new generations of voigtlanders, but many people complain about the strap screws, they are quite at the front of the camera and seems to tilt the camera lens up when hanging from soulder or neck, i find that really anoing. can u verify..? I also love its pancake lenses..
Click to expand...
This is true. They are also prone to going out of focus, arriving out of focus and generally causing mischief!
 
vegas said:
cool thanks, and im aware of the new generations of voigtlanders, but many people complain about the strap screws, they are quite at the front of the camera and seems to tilt the camera lens up when hanging from soulder or neck, i find that really anoing. can u verify..? I also love its pancake lenses..
Click to expand...

I believe that issue can be rectified by using either heavier lenses, or the voigtlander grip. Don't have any direct experience, just a few bits and pieces I picked up when going through the same process as you are currently.

My first rangefinder was an M6, so I could have the security of a built in meter, but to be honest, once I got over that fear, I found it opened up a world of M's to me, and have owned an M4, CL, and currently shoot with an M3. Using a small incident meter like my Sekonic twinmate to take incident readings as the light changes, I find very liberating.
 
The M6, M6TTL, M7, and MP have built in meters that use modern silicon photocells and modern batteries. The M5 used CdS photocells and mercury batteries that are not available. They can be modified by a repairman to accept modern batteries.

The M6 TTL differs from the regular M6 in that it has TTL flash metering, while the regular M6 only meters ambient light, not flash.
 
Jockos said:
This is true. They are also prone to going out of focus, arriving out of focus and generally causing mischief!
Click to expand...

Are they? I didn't know that. My R3A gave me a couple of years of fault-free service - its only shortcoming being a bad case of not-actually-a-Leica-itis.

Good fun with the trigger winder, too, and it solves the strap-hanging problem.
 
ruby.monkey said:
Are they? I didn't know that. My R3A gave me a couple of years of fault-free service - its only shortcoming being a bad case of not-actually-a-Leica-itis.
Click to expand...

My R2M didn't, and from what I've been reading online: it's a pretty common problem. I thought it was an ok camera though, until I got the M3 ;)
 
My R4A arrived able to focus just fine. I think it's easy to consider one's own experience to be the same as everybody else's.
 
Jockos said:
This is true. They are also prone to going out of focus, arriving out of focus and generally causing mischief!
Click to expand...
Not true, I have owned several Voigtlander RF's. Never had a problem with focus or anything else. The strap lug thing is no big deal. If that is deal breaker then IMHO you are not serious about photography. Having said that, any of the above mentioned RF's will suit the purpose. Just set your budget and pull the trigger. Good luck.
 
Jockos said:
My R2M didn't, and from what I've been reading online: it's a pretty common problem. I thought it was an ok camera though, until I got the M3 ;)
Click to expand...
Where are you hearing this? I am sorry about your personal experience but I have not seen any consensus here or anywhere else that Voigtlander RF's have "focus" problems. Curious to know where you are hearing this?
 
kshapero said:
Where are you hearing this?
Click to expand...

Mostly
the
Internet

Where are you not hearing this? It's not like it's one or two isolated incidents, someone with "insider information" claimed up to ten percent arrived out of alignment (I take this with a grain of salt though). There are tons of threads on how to fix the calibration, I'm guessing they have been created for a reason.
 
All RF's are prone to focus alignment problems, as that is the nature of the beast. Voigtlander's are no worse or better in this regard.
 
vegas said:
Hi again guys!
I have a little doubt that im sure u know about, im after a rangefinder leica and i'd like it to be with light meter built in, do the M2,3,4 have it, or is just the M6 and 7..? doest TTL mean a light meter built in..? which one of them would you recomend..?
I hope you can help me on this. Thanks in advance

Vegas.
Click to expand...
The Leica CL, M5, M6, M7, MP, and of course M8 and M9, are the Leica RF bodies which have TTL ambient light metering built in. The M6TTL, M7 and MP, amongst the film bodies, include through the lens flash metering with dedicated flash units.

For my favorite film M body I'm split between the M4-2, a meterless model, and the CL, which is the most compact M-mount Leica to date. I've used various of the Voigtländer bodies and the Zeiss Ikon ... they're all good, particularly the Zeiss Ikon, but I prefer the feel of the Leicas.

It's more a personal preference judgement than anything to do with quality or performance, although the Zeiss Ikon has theoretically the most accurate rangefinder and many people prefer its viewfinder, and the Leicas are arguably built just that tiny bit better. Mostly a toss up.
 
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