The Beauty And The Beast - M5 meets MP

[Bully]

Hello friends!

After purchasing a misaligned CL a few weeks ago i gave it back and took the chance to catch the big brother of it, the legendary M5.
I took a few pictures with it and i have to say, i am completely impressed!

What a great camera to use, and the best: it looks really great. Yes folks, it is elegant!

Bully

 

[Damaso]

Let's see some photos of the two...

 

[Vickko]

Yes, the M5 is a beautiful and elegant camera. Match needle metering, with very good visual indication of +/- exposure (not stupid glaring LED's), very nice ergonomics for medium to large hands, stunningly well balanced for a Noctilux, and reputation of the highest of Leitz craftsmanship.

It is a shame that it was never made in black paint.

Vick

 

[rolleistef]

it was... and it's even nicer!

 

[Bully]

Hi,
thanks for your replies.

I´ve got difficulties with uploading an image of the two.

Any help is welcome!

 

[venchka]

The beauty and the beast, hey? Since the M5 is the beauty....

Just funning. Welcome aboard. The hardest thing I found about the first M5 I bought: Paying for the second M5 I bought.

Enjoy!

 

[maddoc]

Yes, the M5 is a beautiful and elegant camera. Match needle metering, with very good visual indication of +/- exposure (not stupid glaring LED's), very nice ergonomics for medium to large hands, stunningly well balanced for a Noctilux, and reputation of the highest of Leitz craftsmanship.

It is a shame that it was never made in black paint.

Vick

The M5 should be well balanced with the Noctilux 🙂 If it only would work with the Super-Angulon-M (without modification of the lens) ... 😱

 

[Vincenzo Maielli]

My M5 is a very cool camera, that i use in combination with my MP.
Ciao.
Vincenzo

 

[Tuolumne]

LHSA MP3 on left with 35mm Summilux; M5 on right with "The Beast". Both with black Luigi cases.

/T

 

[HenningW]

There were/are some nice things about the M5; the shutter speed dial and the readout were really good. The flappy arm which sometimes rid itself of the photocell and the rewind weren't that good. At the time the M5 came out the Fuji films didn't have the lugs in the bottom of the spool, so they couldn't be used in the camera.

They soon fixed the stupid vertical hang of the camera, or at least gave you a choice. The initial configuration made it very difficult to use multiple cameras. Multiple M5's _really _ didn't work as they constantly got in each other's way, and an M5 alongside an M4 didn't work that well either, since the feel and layout were too different and the strap thing made it worse.

All in all, it wasn't a thoroughly thought out and tested product. I went back to M4's.

Henning

 

[giellaleafapmu]

They soon fixed the stupid vertical hang of the camera,
Henning

Funny how things people don't like become instantly "stupid". One of the things I like best about the M5 is the vertical hang...

GLF

 

[irq506]

Yeah I much prefer a vertical hang camera. But I guess its what you are used to. Just seems more logical to me to have the hardware hang that way.

 

[Flinor]

M5 was my first M. It was followed by an M3, 4P, 6, CL, CLE. They're all gone but I still have the M5. It's a 3 lug but I carry it on the end lugs.
I should have kept the CLE also, but we all make mistakes sometime.

 

[HenningW]

Funny how things people don't like become instantly "stupid". One of the things I like best about the M5 is the vertical hang...

GLF

Please read the rest of the post. The problem lies with using multiple cameras. Try using a couple or three M5's at the same time. That's when the concept of 'stupid' arises.

Henning

 

[sepiareverb]

And the extra lug is easily added when you get a CLA should you be st... st.. stifled(!) without it.
😀

 

[venchka]

Virtually every P&S camera in the 80s & 90s had the strap threaded through one end of the camera.

I suppose in a perfect world, a 4 lug M5 would be perfect. One hanging from each shoulder oriented so that it came up to your eye the right way and one around your neck in the middle. Hmmmmmmmmmm...reason enough to buy a 3rd M5 & send it to Sherry? 28-50-85 always at the ready?????????

 

[Tuolumne]

Luigi makes (made?) a case that would let the camera with only two lugs hang in the "normal" horizontal fashion. I have one and it works great, although my M5 has 3 lugs.

/T

 

[venchka]

Leica also made an everyready case that does the same thing. Bigfoot lives in one. Someday I'll find another one for Bubba.

 

[Bully]

Here is a photo of my new M5 side by side with the MP!

 

[venchka]

Educated guess: Bigfoot AND Bubba cost me less than the MP. Leftover money devoted to Konica optics.