Leica M5... good choice?

From the same roll
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j.scooter said:
Thanks Dourbalistar!

This is my first foray into bulk loading and my first few rolls of the Xtreme 400. I am loving it!

I developed these in D76 1+1 for 18 mins per massive dev chart.
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Thanks for sharing the details, j.scooter! My friend also has the Voigtlander 35/1.2, and the M5 seems like a great counterbalance for that lens. ;)
 
Well I'm way late to the party here, nevertheless original owner of an M5 just had DAG do his thing and had the body re-skinned. It looks awesome and these cameras like any other piece of stellar engineering and design are timeless. At one point thought of selling but changed my mind and glad I did
 
Mhintlian said:
Well I'm way late to the party here, nevertheless original owner of an M5 just had DAG do his thing and had the body re-skinned. It looks awesome and these cameras like any other piece of stellar engineering and design are timeless. At one point thought of selling but changed my mind and glad I did
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Wow, an original owner, thanks for sharing! Do you know, from your serial number, approximately what year your M5 was manufactured?

In any case, welcome to the forum! Hope you can share some photos, recent or ones taken over the years. :)
 
bushwick1234 said:
There is no battery issue since you can use the Varta 1.5 Alkaline battery (Made in Germany!) that replaces the PX625 (original Mercury battery), on eBay for US$8.76 2pc package.
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Akshully there is no battery issue because any decent tech can update the meter to use modern 1.5 v cells.

Your meter reading will not be correct if you use 1.5 V w/o making the adjustment. Originally it uses 1.35V
 
Huss said:
Akshully there is no battery issue because any decent tech can update the meter to use modern 1.5 v cells.

Your meter reading will not be correct if you use 1.5 V w/o making the adjustment. Originally it uses 1.35V
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Right. And if you can't adjust your f-stops or iso-settings accordingly then go with the Wein MRB625 1.35V zinc-air battery at B&H available for 4.59 bucks.
 
rool said:
Yeah, I'm not thinking of the battery as a problem. Heard that a C.R.I.S adapter would do the job, right?
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Sometimes yes with some cameras. Sometimes not with others.

My little old Rollie 35, works fine. Same crisis adapter on the M5 would not fit the battery compartment, combo too tall.


Additionally it depends on the circuity of the meter and required current. The combo works full range on some cameras, on others it will not pass enough current for either high or low light whichever requires more current. I was never pleased with CRISIS on the M5.

Alkaline cells have a non linear discharge curve so they work when new, but do not supply enough power as they age.

Wein cells are expensive but work. Cover the air holes between photo sessions.

hearing aid cells of proper voltage work fine. Use O ring as spacer and cover those holes also. Way cheaper than Wein

Have someone adjust the meter for 1.5 volt battery.

I think Sherry has all the spares for M5 and CL ..

Basically the camera was a gem when new, but like all things thiey deteriorate with age.
 
Ronald M said:
Sometimes yes with some cameras. Sometimes not with others.

My little old Rollie 35, works fine. Same crisis adapter on the M5 would not fit the battery compartment, combo too tall.


Additionally it depends on the circuity of the meter and required current. The combo works full range on some cameras, on others it will not pass enough current for either high or low light whichever requires more current. I was never pleased with CRISIS on the M5.

Alkaline cells have a non linear discharge curve so they work when new, but do not supply enough power as they age.

Wein cells are expensive but work. Cover the air holes between photo sessions.

hearing aid cells of proper voltage work fine. Use O ring as spacer and cover those holes also. Way cheaper than Wein

Have someone adjust the meter for 1.5 volt battery.

I think Sherry has all the spares for M5 and CL ..
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The CRIS adapter works in my M5. The cover doesn't screw down fully, but close enough. I agree the alkaline cells are not ideal. But when Sherry does a conversion to 1.5 volts, she supplies an alkaline battery. I've had good luck with Wein cells, too (yes they are expensive; but not all that much).
 
CRIS adapter too thick? It probably has the originally specified 357 battery in it. Later the thinner 386 battery was specified to solve the problem. On my M5 the lid screws in completely using a 386 battery.
 
Leica M5, the big ugly, the orphan, the forgotten...etc.

For me, this M5 has a special place in my heart..:)




Leica M5. LTM Summicron 50mm f2 Coll. Fomapan 100. Rodinal 1+50
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Spavinaw said:
CRIS adapter too thick? It probably has the originally specified 357 battery in it. Later the thinner 386 battery was specified to solve the problem. On my M5 the lid screws in completely using a 386 battery.
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Oh, it isn't very far from screwing down fully. It's a very subtle difference, and not important. I did put the 386 on my Amazon list for future refence, though!
 
Always fun to share photos from this lovely camera. I just need to do a better job cleaning negs before scanning...

dWdGCZI.jpg

Biogon 35/2, TMY@200, Perceptol

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Biogon 35/2, FP4@100, HC110 dil. B

mISP8tf.jpg

Skopar-M 25/4, HP5@320, HC110 dil. B

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Skopar-M 25/4, Silvermax@100, Xtol stock

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(hey, that's me!) Canon 50/1.4, expired (ca. 2005) TMX@50, Rodinal 1+100 stand

Side note about the development: I've been a longtime TMY-only in 35mm and Xtol user; switched to HC-110 during grad school when I wasn't developing as frequently and wasn't thrilled with T-grain films in it. Got back into photography and experimentation when I had more time in the past year and trying lots of different films in different developers—SIlvermax, Delta 100, some old TMX from high school, and returning to FP4 and HP5, both of which I love in larger formats. The latter two really sing when given a little extra exposure, carefully metered, and souped in HC110, and I've grown to love them again. Haven't tried them in Rodinal or Perceptol yet. Really loved how the old TMX turned out in Rodinal.

Which leads me to the next point: that accursed semi-spot meter. I really love it in theory, but it took quite a long time to get used to it, and then re-learn it after a long stint shooting Nikon's matrix metering again. It's fairly simple, according to the instruction manual, the coverage is the next smallest frame line than the one you're using. I certainly had a habit of including too much sky, or metering off a light-skinned face and not placing skin tone on the proper zone, getting wildly underexposed images. Thought it was my developing for a while. On the plus side, the long match-needle scale gives a great indication of contrast ranges in a scene, much like contemporary Nikon/Canon SLRs, and I far prefer it to the under-ok-over LEDs of newer cameras.

As for the electronics: Mine was fortunate enough to be adjusted by Sherry by a previous owner, and she recommends the Varta replacement cells. She told me the trick to determining if it was adjusted or not is to load with a modern cell and activate the battery check by pulling the frame line preview to the left; an unadjusted camera won't have the meter needle swing all the way into the 'good battery' notch.

There is an old article from Camera Craftsman on the M5 that covers meter adjustment if anyone wants to try it themselves, or take it to someone. Link below:
http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.de/images/a/aa/TheCamera_Craftsman_Leica_M5.pdf

I personally haven't used an adapter, but have read of several who have; I suppose if the cap doesn't screw down entirely, there's no functional disadvantage.
 
j.scooter said:
Is this the metering arm?
It has happened twice both the first frame of the roll.
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I don't think so. If the metering arm is stuck, it's literally a dark shadow in the shape of the semaphore arm. Ask me how I know. :bang:

I don't have a scan handy since I usually don't even bother scanning the frame if I see it in the negative, but I've had it happen to me a few times. I'll see if I can dig up a frame as an example.
 
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