Most Maligned Leica M Model

Most Maligned Leica M Model

  • M3

    Votes: 11 1.8%

  • M2

    Votes: 3 0.5%

  • M4

    Votes: 3 0.5%

  • M4-2

    Votes: 65 10.5%

  • M4-P

    Votes: 15 2.4%

  • M5

    Votes: 303 48.9%

  • M6

    Votes: 7 1.1%

  • M6 TTL

    Votes: 12 1.9%

  • M7

    Votes: 20 3.2%

  • MP (new and original)

    Votes: 11 1.8%

  • M8

    Votes: 146 23.6%

  • M9

    Votes: 23 3.7%
  • Total voters
    619
I understand the spirit of this poll, but what I don't understand is how one can vote against a camera they have never owned or probably never had their hands on. I read a lot of negative information about the M8 for years.....and I was halfway to believing what I read, but when I decided to try a digital Leica I bought an M8 and I have yet to pick up my D700 or D200 since. The results the M8 is capable of producing can be stunning.
 
Are we supposed to vote for what WE hate the most or for what we think everybody hates the most?
 
ZivcoPhoto said:
I understand the spirit of this poll, but what I don't understand is how one can vote against a camera they have never owned or probably never had their hands on. I read a lot of negative information about the M8 for years.....and I was halfway to believing what I read, but when I decided to try a digital Leica I bought an M8 and I have yet to pick up my D700 or D200 since. The results the M8 is capable of producing can be stunning.
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Oh dear! Look, this is an internet forum, and bringing reality and the truth into it will only confuse people who want their prejudices confirmed. It's like politics...

Regards, David
 
ZivcoPhoto said:
I understand the spirit of this poll, but what I don't understand is how one can vote against a camera they have never owned or probably never had their hands on. I read a lot of negative information about the M8 for years.....and I was halfway to believing what I read, but when I decided to try a digital Leica I bought an M8 and I have yet to pick up my D700 or D200 since. The results the M8 is capable of producing can be stunning.
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It's true I hear a lot about what the M8 can and can't do, needs special
UV filters, can't go high on the ISO, noisy and blah,blah,blah so I purchased
one and I love. There's fellow Leica fans that I know who own a M5 and
love them, so it's what you like.
 
After reading many positive posts here about the M5 I finally bought one, a late 3 lug. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it not for the size but seems the shutter release travel is not as instantaneous as other M's? I feel there is an extra step of pushing the meter arm out of the way.
 
I would say the most maligned would be the M5 because it was just too ahead of its time and it didn't look like a Leica M body and the made in Canada M4-2 even though that particular model was the camera that saved Leica after the M5 episode.

My M4-2 is a reliable shooter, wish I had 28mm frame lines in the finder but hey, first world problems.
 
Rayt said:
After reading many positive posts here about the M5 I finally bought one, a late 3 lug. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it not for the size but seems the shutter release travel is not as instantaneous as other M's? I feel there is an extra step of pushing the meter arm out of the way.
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Mine sort of has this. I can see what you mean. When I got my M4 after having my M5 I had to get used to the shutter travel on the M4.

However, this isnt really a reason to hate it. I actually like it for longer exposures. as you depress the shutter button and the arm moves away on the M5 you can see the meter reading moving with it. Its a great visual reference to find the exact release point if you are shooting <1/15.
 
Roger Hicks said:
...For 'maligned' -- in other words, 'attacked unjustly' (usually by those who hadn't tried it) -- the M8 must surely be the winner.

Cheers,

R.
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Unjustly? Leica was caught with their pants around their ankles by the digital revolution. Within the limitations of a rangefinder camera, the M6/M6TTL/M7 were fully capable, professional cameras compared to contemporary film SLR's; the M8 was nothing of the sort. It was maligned quite fairly by professionals who wanted it to work, but were let down by its idiosyncrasies.

It's still a lovely camera for those who have the luxury of shooting on their own time (and under ideal light) but that's not a luxury most working professionals have.
 
I voted M5 because so many criticize it. I have one chrome 3 lug and one black 2 lug. I like em, particularly the meter - its metering that relates to its frame lines is a wonderful piece of design.
 
Having only ever owned the M6, M8 and M9, please put logic to one side as I make mention of cameras I've never even held :)

My vote goes for the M4-2. It's based solely upon the impression that the dislike of this model is pure snobbery.

The M5 was such a departure and, whilst beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it's an odd looking duck and with a new layout to the old M bodies I can understand this being a reason for people not being keen.

Snobbery over engravings, lack of vulcanite covering and where the damn things were made have always left me perplexed. Fine if you can and wish to go for another model, but the regular bashing for the fact it wore the wrong school tie seems daft to me.

The M8, whilst perhaps not deserving of the bashing it got, was inevitably going to receive some punishing critiques simply for being even more electronic than the M7 ;)
 
Vincent G.: If you've ever shot with an M7, you'll quickly realize that it is the fastest handling and most versatile of all the film M cameras. I've have the M2, M3, M5, and M7. The M7 is by far my favorite.
 
Robert Lai said:
Vincent G.: If you've ever shot with an M7, you'll quickly realize that it is the fastest handling and most versatile of all the film M cameras. I've have the M2, M3, M5, and M7. The M7 is by far my favorite.
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Robert, I love my M7 and I totally agree with you. I also have a M2 and M3. I have used the M4, M4-P and M6. But somehow the M7 receives lots of unjustly criticisms by many in RFF. There was a recent thread about the value of M6 vs M7 and some of the comments in that thread makes me roll my eyes. If I had blindly believed some of the negative comments and opinions in RFF about the M7, I would not have found a M camera I really love.

By the way, my interpretation of the word "maligned" is the similar to Roger's. Maligned is not hate but unjustly attacked.

But as always, whatever camera and lens one uses is a matter of choice. It is personal and centers on whether one can live with the pros and cons of that choice.
 
Vincent.G said:
Robert, I love my M7 and I totally agree with you. I also have a M2 and M3. I have used the M4, M4-P and M6. But somehow the M7 receives lots of unjustly criticisms by many in RFF. There was a recent thread about the value of M6 vs M7 and some of the comments in that thread makes me roll my eyes. If I had blindly believed some of the negative comments and opinions in RFF about the M7, I would not have found a M camera I really love.

By the way, my interpretation of the word "maligned" is the similar to Roger's. Maligned is not hate but unjustly attacked.

But as always, whatever camera and lens one uses is a matter of choice. It is personal and centers on whether one can live with the pros and cons of that choice.
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I love my recently acquired M7. I also shoot with a bunch of other Ms and the M7 is the quietest, especially with slow shutter speeds as there is no mechanical run on noise.
I am glad that many seem to prefer the ancient zinc M6 because I was able to get a near mint built from brass M7 for just a couple o bux more!
:D
 
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