So why is the M5 unpopular?

[Lord Fluff]

I recently posted a question as to which Leica to buy - the consensus was M6 (I'd like a meter built in for one thing). Some M2/M3 loyalists chipped in - but no-one recommended the M5. Is there a good reason why?

 

[Avotius]

The m6 right now in leica land is probably the best buy for money when it comes to build in meter, if I remember right the m5's meter and battery have to be recalibrated for modern batteries or something like that. Also people think the M5 is ugly, not all people, but many.

 

[brianbek]

The size.

The M5 is bigger and heavier than the other models. I have one myself and it works well. You can change the shutter speed without moving your finger from the shutter. And the lightmeter works splendid.

But the size. I am myself in the market for an M6 or 7, because that size just fells more right for me compared to the M5.

If you can find one try it on for size, you might like it. And the prize is lower than an M6 I think.

The only problem with it is that the lightmeter is getting difficult to replace.

/Brian

 

[waileong]

BUFF. Sums it up.

 

[Marc-A.]

Also people think the M5 is ugly, not all people, but many.

Indeed, I do. If I had liney to make such a choice, I would rather buy a M4 instead of a M5, even if the M5 has a built-in meter; or a M6 rather than a M5. It's probably silly, but this is how I feel, so I contribute to making this camera unpopular 😱

 

[maddoc]

I don't like the M5 for it's design, size and weight. But ... for heavy lenses like the Summilux 75mm and Noctilux the weight can be an advantage and the spot-metering too.

 

[Spider67]

I read a while ago that the M5 was so unpopular that it's now something like a collectors item thus being expensive compared with other M-Leicas. Is this close to the truce or just collector-lore?

 

[Ronald M]

Just too big and it does not feel right. It works well, but I sold mine anyway.

 

[mr_phillip]

I read a while ago that the M5 was so unpopular that it's now something like a collectors item thus being expensive compared with other M-Leicas. Is this close to the truce or just collector-lore?

The M5 didn't sell well in the day, partly because Leica's user-base have always been a conservative bunch and the M5 was just too 'different', and partly because the CL was much cheaper and cannibalized the M5s sales.

This makes the M5 one of the less common M models on the market (although hardly a true rarity) and that means that the price has gone up. Here in the UK a good M5 will often cost you as much as an M6, if not more.

Personally I think the M5 is kinda ugly, but in a characterful way that I like – sorta ugly-beautiful in a '70s way. There's no doubt that the M6 is the better user though, especially given the closeness of the prices these days.

 

[zoz63]

Well I love my M5 but I love my M6 just a little more.
cheers

 

[MikeCassidy]

Because it not a M3.

 

[leif e]

Well, I got one through a deal, sold it because I needed the money. (Hope you´ve received it by now, Kevin!😀 ). Had I been able to, I´d have kept it - no doubt. It´s big, yes, but so are my hands! It balances and handles beautifully. The shutter release was a bit low (took at least five exposures to get used to 😉 ), but ooooh so smooth and precise. Leica perfection. Loved it.
I would definitely consider one again - if more worn and cheaper, that is.

leif e

 

[kevin m]

There's no doubt that the M6 is the better user though...

In what way?

I had an M6 that I replaced with a pair of TTL's, and I'd never go back to that dime-sized shutter speed dial, given a choice. The TTL is much easier to adjust on the fly without removing your eye from the finder. It seems the M5 had that right in the first place.

And it's not here yet, Leif. Still sitting at customs in JFK. Thank You Homleland Security! 🙄 🙁

 

[J J Kapsberger]

Because it not a M3.

I think that might be it. The M5 simply wasn't what the Leica users, a rather blinkered lot, thought an M body should be, namely, a reincarnation of the M3. They blinded themselves to the great design the M5 is. Ergonomically (holding the camera to your eye and adjusting the exposure setting) it beats the M6 anyday. The M5's follow-the-needle metering and the shutter speed dial work beautifully together.

 

[venchka]

Maybe because I got tired

Maybe because I got tired

Terrible. Horrible. No good. Very bad.

😱 🙂 😀 😎

Perhaps, after typing "M5" in several "what Leica should I buy?" threads, and reading the descriptive words above, I gave up mentioning the M5. You must decide for yourself.

A bit of background: In the late 60s I lusted for an M4. I bought Nikon F gear instead. When the M5 ads hit the magazines, I lusted for one of them. I bought MF gear instead.

Fast forward to 2006. I decided that I had waited long enough. It was time to finally treat myself to a Leica. I went to a local shop where I handled 3 M bodies: DS M3, M5, and M4-P. In a very few minutes I was hooked. The M5 felt and worked perfectly in my hands. I suppose it helps that since 1975 I had been using a Canon EF SLR body with exactly the same shutter speed dial/shutter release/film advance as the M5. Shortly thereafter I bought my first M5, Bigfoot. 😎 Later in 2006 I bought a second M5, Bigfoot's cousin Bubba. 😀

You either love the M5 and use it a lot. Or you hate it and never go near one.

In addition to the CL, Leica was still making M4 bodies after the M5 was introduced. At the time there was barely enough demand to justify one rangefinder body. Leica decided to halt rangefinder production all together. The M5 was not entirely to blame.

The M5 has ZERO battery problems. Several options exist.
1. Scourer the earth for original mercury button cell batteries. I have 7.
2. Use Wein cell zinc air batteries.
3. Use one of the adpaters that takes new batteries.
4. Have the camera recalibrated for new batteries.

Option 1 & 2 seem to work the best for me.

Enjoy!

 

[Benjamin Marks]

I think it was unpopular in its day for the reasons stated above. The Leica engineers had a hard time fitting 1970's electronics in the traditional M chassis. Electronics have not, in my experience, been Leica's strong suit. However, I think with the passage of time, the real strengths of the M5 have become apparent. The meter is just wonderful -- almost like having a spot meter in an M body, the RF patch does not flare the way that the M6 RF patch can . . . ergonomics tend to be pretty personal -- I have never met a camera I couldn't get along with. There are other things to consider (no rapidwinder or motor capability, the battery issue).

I recently bought one from an RFF member and have been enjoying it tremendously. Having said this, the M6 is a great deal in today's used market. I think the best advice is to try to get your hands on one and see how it feels to you.

Best,

Ben Marks

 

[Dogman]

"I had an M6 that I replaced with a pair of TTL's, and I'd never go back to that dime-sized shutter speed dial, given a choice."

And some of us hate the wafer-sized, bass-ackward shutter speed dial on the TTL cameras.

Personal preferences vary--and that's good. People disliked the M5 mainly due to it being a bigger-than-Leica camera with controls that were not Leica-like. It wasn't a bad camera, it was just different from what people were used to. Unfortunately for Leica, there were more people who disliked the M5 than those who liked it. So it went away.

 

[mr_phillip]

In what way?

I had an M6 that I replaced with a pair of TTL's, and I'd never go back to that dime-sized shutter speed dial, given a choice. The TTL is much easier to adjust on the fly without removing your eye from the finder. It seems the M5 had that right in the first place.

And it's not here yet, Leif. Still sitting at customs in JFK. Thank You Homleland Security! 🙄 🙁

Dude, the TTL is still an M6 – I didn't make any special reference to the 'classic' over the TTL.

For what it's worth, by better user I meant more modern meter with greater sensitivity, greater availability of parts meaning cheaper and easier maintenance, easier to locate accessories (cases etc.). That type of stuff, all of which applies both to TTL and 'classic' versions.

 

[Damaso]

I have two TTLs and I am itching to get an M5, mostly for fun but I am tempted by the cool shutter dial and rocking rewind (ever try to rewind an M6 with gloves in Vienna in January, not fun, let me tell you...)

 

[kevin m]

And some of us hate the wafer-sized, bass-ackward shutter speed dial on the TTL cameras.

You mean the one that's easy to reach while in use and that logically and correctly moves the same direction as the meter lights in the viewfinder. 😉

But nevermind, the TTL has been deemed "ugly," too, (...an extra 2mm! Ow, my tender sensibilities! ) by the same bunch that doomed the M5.

What Leica owners hate more than anything else is a break with tradition, which is why the company continuously teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. Tough choice between pandering to an affluent, but aging user group and trying something new that might not sell, I suppose.