M6 Classic or M5?

M6 Classic or M5?

  • M6 Classic

    Votes: 128 59.0%

  • M5

    Votes: 89 41.0%
  • Total voters
    217
Might as well add my two cents since my last comment here was over two years ago. I have owned all the M's up to the M7 except for the M5. Well, I got one Sherry had gone over about 18 months ago and it is now my favorite camera (on even numbered days). I also have a mint chrome M2 which Sherry had also gone over and it is my favorite camera on odd numbered days.

For travel photography and light weight, M2 with 35f2.8 C Biogon. For available darkness photography, M5 with 35f1.2 Nokton. Other lenses added as needed.
 
Why wasn't the M6TTL included in all these deliberations? That's my choice for a film M!

But, I have never actually held an M5 (at least not in a meaningful way), and my interest is piqued. I would never say "no" to one. Its still a Leica M (for those who just seem to hate it) and appears to be a quite functional camera for people who like to make images.

But, the M6TTL just hits all my buttions. Too bad my M6 Classic is currently a major basket case....I'd be looking to trade up.
 
I have owned every Leica film camera made except the MP/MA and M7 including the M6TTL. The M2 or M4 was always my favorite in classic models and the M6 was great (except for all the frame lines). About two years ago, I finally got my hands on an M5 which Sherry had gone over from stem to stern.

All I can say is WOW. The ergonomics just work with the shutter speed visible in the finder, the extra large shutter speed dial, and all the rest of it. It was the last film M to be made the way they should be. The finder is a bit cluttered compared to the M2 but it does not show anything that should not be there.

If you have a chance to shoot with one for a week, beware as you will soon own one. I speak from experience.
 
Erik van Straten said:
The M5 was a commercial failure, not a technical failure. Its market was destroyed by the stupid move from Leitz to introduce the CL. The CL was bought by many potential M5 buyers, but it was in fact an unreliable product from wich Minolta profited more than Leitz.


Erik.
Click to expand...

In my opinion, the Leica company was nearly killed by the Leicaflex, not the M5. They dumped a whole bunch of money into the flex line, and it never did that well. The Leicaflex SL was reportedly sold for less than the cost of production, expecting to make it up in lens sales. It's hard to recover your development costs that way.

When you really get down to cause, I think it's the Nikon F, and that Leitz was just not able to respond for a long time.

Back to on-topic. I voted for the M5. It's the only Leica M I've owned. I like the size, the semi-spot meter, and the viewfinder. Works well for me. I do fear it might be harder to find good repair. There are people who won't touch one, or the Leicaflex for that matter.
 
Will Don (DAG Camera Repair) still touch the M5? If so, I'm allowed to consider one. I would definitely have to have a 3-lug version. I have a CL and tried using the strap as intended and it was AWFUL. Whose idea was that?
 
johnwolf said:
Question for you M5 folks:

Is there a workaround to carry a 2-lug version horizontally, or is a 3-lug model required? Thanks.

John
Click to expand...

Not that I'm aware of. I prefer to carry cameras around my neck and one shoulder. Strap diagonal across chest, carried under one arm. So I haven't really tried to carry mine horizontally.
 
Indeed, the Leicaflex could not compete with Nikon and Canon, but in Germany the Leicaflex sold quite well, see the large stream of Leicaflexes from Germany on eBay. For Leitz the home market was very important, it still is.

What I wanted to say is that it was a stupid move from Leitz to invest in an inferior and cheap product, the CL, that was competative to their own top of the line M5.

Erik.
 
This old thread was what inspired me to buy an M5. Immediately I noticed the finder to be different than the mini bodies - M4 etc. I can actually focus a Noctilux with an M5 but needed a .85x M7 otherwise. Is my brain playing games? The size is a factor because I walk a lot when I travel at least 20,000 steps according to my app so prefer to keep gear small and light. I would relegate the M5 for special use only.
 
Hi,

The two lug CL works well if you like carrying cameras under a loose jacket or coat and don't want it to notice.

As for the CL vs M5 I reckon the price difference meant that they weren't competing, especially if the cost of lenses is taken into account.

Regards, David
 
It might depend on the type of repair. I suspect the shutter and rangefinder components are similar if not identical across most of the film models. However, it is my understanding that some components of the M6 Classic metering system are already unavailable.

Having said that, any film M should go for years of moderate use.
 
ktmrider said:
It might depend on the type of repair. I suspect the shutter and rangefinder components are similar if not identical across most of the film models. However, it is my understanding that some components of the M6 Classic metering system are already unavailable.

Having said that, any film M should go for years of moderate use.
Click to expand...

CRR are no longer servicing M5, CL or R4/5/6/7/8/9 mainly, they say, as a result of parts shortages.

Whether that's the position more generally is debatable but it does suggest future problems with keeping an M5 going.

Irrespective of that, my M6 Classic has been one of the best cameras I ever bought and so for me would be the obvious choice.
 
DAG services M5 cameras

DAG services M5 cameras

In response to a question above, Don Goldberg does service M5 cameras. He has one of mine now in for service (yes, I have two M5).

The M6 should continue to soldier on, as the meter is the only battery dependent item. It's the M6-TTL that no longer has any replacement circuit boards. The special TTL flash circuitry means that if the battery dies, or the circuit board dies, then the flash won't fire.

I learned this the hard way, when my M7 decided to die suddenly. All at once the meter LEDs flashed, and then went dark. I finished the pictures using the 1/125 and 1/60 mechanical speeds.
The flash 1/50 speed won't fire a flash without a working circuit.
New batteries (two sets) didn't revive it. It's at Leica USA in NJ getting sorted out.

The M7 failure, plus the failure of the Fuji 667 folder when I was in Canada (battery died, but not easy to find that size battery in Toronto): these events have made me favor my all mechanical cameras.

FWIW - in my view, the most reliable 35mm cameras are the Nikon professional series SLRs, from the F onwards. They never seem to fail.
 
M6 will be repairable for a long time.

I would stay away from special one off types. The whole inside is is different from other M cameras. CRISS battery adapter does not work properly in it . You are stuck with Wein cells or alkaline substitutes with very short life. Maybe possible to have it recalibrate for 1.5 volts.
 
I'm not stuck with Wein cells or alkalines. I own two M5 bodies, one with 75mm M6 frames. One has been converted to 1.5 volt silver oxides, and the other uses a converter made by a specialist in the Netherlands, also silver oxide. Both work fantastically.

I also shoot an M6 Classic. Both the M5 and M6 are great cameras.

Eventually almost everything will break down and be unrepairable, even the computers we are blogging on.

My advice is to shoot what you like. Life is short.

Cameraworks-uk now repairs M5s.

https://www.cameraworks-uk.com/price-list

Ronald M said:
M6 will be repairable for a long time.

I would stay away from special one off types. The whole inside is is different from other M cameras. CRISS battery adapter does not work properly in it . You are stuck with Wein cells or alkaline substitutes with very short life. Maybe possible to have it recalibrate for 1.5 volts.
Click to expand...
 
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