First photos from new (old) M4

[dirtystylus]

Some shots from my first roll with a newly-cleaned M4 and 50/2 Summicron which I acquired (quite by accident) during a recent visit to North Carolina. My wife and I were visiting an elderly couple who were old family friends, and while talking to both of them the man noticed the Bessa I was shooting with and asked me if I had any interest in an old Leica. He pulled out the M4 from his basement and told me he rarely used it nowadays (the roll that was loaded was from 1997!) and despite my resolute promise to avoid any new camera purchases this year I couldn't resist.

Most of these were taken during a walkabout in parts of Brooklyn. I'm shooting this after a year shooting exclusively with the aforementioned Bessa R2a/Zeiss 35/2 combo (see http://shutter.dirtystylus.com for the results of that project), and it's a nice changeup. Except for the annoying infinity lock on the lens, that is.

So far I'm shooting meterless, guessing at the exposure, but if anybody has any suggestions as to a good meter for the accessory shoe, I'm listening (any input from users of the VC Meter II would be much appreciated).

-Mark

 

[Trius]

What a great acquisition; and wow, I really like that second shot! New one/one/one/one project? 😉

 

[back alley]

that second shot is great.

welcome to the forum, btw.
and nice camera...

 

[Rich Silfver]

Welcome and some nice shots there.
As far as meter goes I've always liked the Sekonic L-308B (now there is an 'S' version out that has some more features but still the same small size).

 

[leica M2 fan]

I use the VC ll meter on my M2 and have found it to be right on accurate for the ASA's I've used over the past year. It's very small and unobtrusive.
It's very easy to use and read, just make sure you transfer the readings to the camera ! At first I checked all the readings with my Sekonic L-428 but after I realized it was accurate, now I just use it and only use the Sekonic for incident readings. I'm sure you'll enjoy it ,too.

 

[leica M2 fan]

I also really like the second shot.

 

[ChrisN]

Nice photos! Yep - the VC-II meter works well, and fits well on the M4.

 

[dirtystylus]

That second shot was one of those happy accidents - I was waiting for my wife to finish browsing in a gourmet food shop, noticed the light against the green wall, and just snapped the picture without really thinking about it. It turned out to be the one real keeper in the roll. And to think I almost left the camera at home that day!

Thanks for the light meter suggestions (and for the photo of the VC-II mounted on the M4, Chris - I was wondering how much bulk it added to the camera and it's a lot smaller than I had thought). Truth be told I'm not missing the meter much in day-to-day shooting, only in weird lighting conditions where it's nice to get a reading off different areas and mentally adjust.

I wish I could commit to another one/one/one/one project like I did with the Bessa, but I seem to be attracting old cameras left and right - since buying the Bessa I've received my dad's old Spotmatic, the M4, and a Zeiss Ikon Contina III that arrived just last week from my uncle-in-law. And all of them begging to be taken out to shoot...

 

[dcsang]

Welcome aboard 🙂

Mmmmmm.... M4...mmmmmmm

Probably the best M camera ever made - bulletproof some would say.. not that you'd want to try shooting it with bullets of any sort but you get the idea 😀

I concur wrt the VC II meter - it's small and works just dandy - I use it with my 2 M's and my IIIc.

Cheers
Dave

 

[boarini2003]

Some shots from my first roll with a newly-cleaned M4 and 50/2 Summicron which I acquired (quite by accident) during a recent visit to North Carolina. My wife and I were visiting an elderly couple who were old family friends, and while talking to both of them the man noticed the Bessa I was shooting with and asked me if I had any interest in an old Leica. He pulled out the M4 from his basement and told me he rarely used it nowadays (the roll that was loaded was from 1997!) and despite my resolute promise to avoid any new camera purchases this year I couldn't resist.



-Mark

You are so lucky! Nice shots by the way. Question: The M4, despite being 0.72, does not have the 28mm framelines?

 

[dirtystylus]

Thanks. I do feel mighty lucky - when the guy who sold it to me set it on the table and I saw it was an M4 I had to fight hard to keep calm.

It has framelines for 35/135, 50, and 90. There's not much space outside the 35 frame (compared to my Bessa R2A) so I don't know if you could even get away with using the full viewfinder to approximate a 28.

 

[ywenz]

Use a hand held meter. All of those hotshoe meters really messes up the beautiful shape of the Leica M body, IMO..

 

[Rafael]

Welcome to the forum Mark! Allow me to join the chorus of applause for your second shot. It is very cool. And congratulations on acquiring the M4. I love mine. I hope that yours brings you much pleasure and many great images.

 

[Oh Two]

Well, you've got the feel for it instantly, and I liked all three. What's better than a M4? Why two M4's of course!

 

[existrandom]

congrats!

i was using mine the other day covering a protest against the war happening in Lebanon and got bitterly scorned by one of the press reporter at the occaison, " you are NOT a reporter!" he kept saying

yes i am not a reporter, but i do pictures and write stories and post on forums and media centre; and all the work are done by a M4 with a canon 35 or a summicron-c; the combo have been reliable and always give no fuss, i know exactly how it behaves, that's very important!

and the RF/finder is wonderful in low light situation

i am sure you will enjoy it very much!!

ps i use guesstimate and occationally a hand-held meter when i am in doubt; it proves to have worked fine, as i often bracket as well ;-)

 

[terrafirmanada]

Looks good, I am also drawn to that second shot. Way to go! Sounds like you got a great deal. I use full frame for my 28 on my M2 - I think they are the same magnification. I also use a handheld, which I mostly leave at home. I think there is an art in the guess.

 

[dirtystylus]

Good to know about using the full frame for a 28.

After about two weeks shooting with the M4, I can definitely see why people hold the model in such high esteem. The viewfinder is definitely great - bright and clear. And that quiet 'thunk' of the shutter - not as quiet as my old Canonet, perhaps, but I love how it seems to disappear easily into ambient noise.

Carrying it around I also realized that people seem to really love the look of old chrome cameras. I've gotten more than a few comments on my 'pretty camera' even from people who have no idea what a Leica is. Imagine that - actual chrome instead of painted plastic.

As for the lens, I'm finding the 50 'cron a nice change after using nothing but a 35 for a year - the ability to control objects and people exiting and entering the frame is even more pronounced.

 

[amateriat]

Welcome, and a "howdy" from a fellow Brooklynite. 🙂

Judging from the three images, you did a pretty good "guesstimate" on the metering. The VC II meter isn't a bad choice, but if you're mostly working with negative film (b/w or color), I think taking the occasional reading with a decent handheld meter will work just as well, if not potentially better in terms of finer interpretation of lighting conditions.

And, yes, that second image is certainly worthy of a nice print. You and that M4 are at the beginning of a "beautiful friendship". Enjoy.


- Barrett

 

[dirtystylus]

Thanks, Barrett. Looking over that first roll there were about 10 frames that I underexposed, and even those my lab was able to salvage for 4x6s. I think I just need to err on the side of overexposure next time. Print film tends to cover a few stops' worth of sins, anyway. It'll be interesting to see the results of the second roll, which was shot mostly indoors.

I think that the M4 is going to be my last RF film body (I know, I know, famous last words - but the Bessa covers my need for an AE-capable body so thankfully I don't feel the need to look for a used M7). I do fear that it may have acted as a gateway drug to the Leica world, however, making me suddenly curious about that upcoming digital M they've promised to release this year.

 

[ChrisN]

Don't forget the VC-II meter also work fine as a hand-held meter; mine spends most of its time in my shirt pocket, fastened to a piece of cord tied around its foot.