zeiss ikon or leica M5 ?

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maraboutflash
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Hello,
I must say that I have a lot of zeiss products from the golden 50's era.
I own the fabulours 5 mm 1,5 and the portrait lens that fit to contax IIa and IIIa.
I have bought an adaptor to go on leica mount....
But now I do not know:
Leica M5 or the zeiss ikon ?
The old lenses with the adaptor would it be easier to take picture with Leica M5 or Zeiss ??
Thanks for answers.
 
Why the M5 over an M6? Just a question, nothing more. We just don't have many conversations about the M5.

I would pick the ZI by the way to answer your question.
 
Why M5 ?

Why M5 ?

M5 is the only Leica with meter that I could pay.
Would the ZI black suffer less than the white one on the long term ?
 
I would go with the zeiss ikon myself, although I see a lot of user m6's going on ebay froa bout 900 dollars and the better condition ones in the 11-12 range, which is how much you would pay for a ZI anyway. In the end I would go for the ZI though.
 
M5!

M5!

I am biased. I own 2 M5s. We do talk about the M5 here. That's how I fell under the spell of the M5. It also handles exactly like my Canon EF. I have never used the ZI. I do really really like the M5. If you can buy a good M5 for less than an equal quality M6 I would still buy the M5. Actually, I think I paid a little more than an M6 for the first M5 because it is PERFECT! The second cost a little lass than the M6 because it wasn't perfect. Very good but not perfect.

You must handle both the ZI and M5 to know which you prefer.
 
I've never owned but have used the M5 and have never liked it. I have 2 MP's, M6 classic, M2, M3 and a ZI. Buy the ZI no question. There's no competition from the M5 and I feel the ZI is a better camera than the M6. I've shot M's profesionally for nearly forty years and love them but the ZI is a fantastic camera in all respects. If I started over today I would certainly think about buying ZI's over the M's. The VF / RF of the ZI is superior to Leicas. The VF is much easier to see the entire area with glasses, it's extremely bright, the frames are better in my opinion and the RF patch is equal to the Leica. I find the longer base and higher magnification of the ZI easier to focus acurately then my 2 .85x MP's. There's very little if anything that I can say negative about the ZI. Certainly the M's are fantastic but I feel the ZI is equal in the real world. Some argue the ZI won't last 50 years but only time will tell. How many people will even care in fifty years and for the price of a new MP or M7 you can buy two ZI's with change to spare. Thinking about it the only negative for me with the ZI is the lack of 75mm frame. Big deal for most shooters!!! Go for the ZI.
 
This could be your camera!
M5 with 1950's Zeiss Sonnar Option 50mm 1.5 and Contax to Leica adapter.
The best of both worlds!
 

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I chose the ZI because it provides AE, is reasonably priced, & has a viewfinder with useable 28 mm framelines even though I wear glasses.
 
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To Eugene,
You really put the finger on the reasons for hesitating: M5 (last Leica pre-modern camera) and zeiss 50 mm 1,5 (best lens ever)....
Have you taken pictures with this combination ?
 
David Murphy said:
The new Zeiss Ikon rangefinder (I think that's what you mean) is a battery dependent camera. This is viewed as a big negative by many, including myself.
Click to expand...
Not to mention that it's also a film-dependent camera! What if you forget to watch how many pictures you have taken, and to take a spare roll? You might be unable to take pictures!

Philipp
 
rxmd said:
Not to mention that it's also a film-dependent camera! What if you forget to watch how many pictures you have taken, and to take a spare roll? You might be unable to take pictures!

Philipp
Click to expand...

Quite. It is nice that the MP/M6 is not battery dependent as there is less to go wrong (mechanicals rather than mechanicals and electronics), but it certainly is not that important. Most comes down to feel and function. The Z1 has aperture priority etc and I am sure is different to use tompared to an M6. If some automation is important the Z1 wins hands down. If this is not important to you and you want something that has proven its robustness many times over, an M makes sense. I personally love the feel of the M, it fits my hads just right and I know it will last. I dont wear glasses and love the 0.72 finder on my MP. I went for an MP, but would not have reservations about a ZM; looks like a great camera.

I would say pick a few up and put them to your eye. See where your fingers fall, then decide. I dont know anything about teh M5 specifically, but a used M5 brings up the issues of whether it will need a CLA etc compared to knowing you will get a new warrantied Z1. If ZM, go for Black - the silver looks too bright to me.
 
As far as battery dependent, no big deal. A battery is about one cubic centimeter in size and is very easy to carry an extra. They're easy to find and generally can be found at any drug store.

Keep in mind the M5 is now an old camera with old technology in the meter especially. The old desigh swing out meter cell on the M5 and CL have been a source of problems over the years. The flash sync is 1/50 on the M5 and 1/125 on the ZI. This can be a big deal for some. The electronic timed shutter speeds are much much more accurate than a mechanically timed shutter. In AE the shutter speeds go from 8 seconds to 1/2000. The VF is much better on the ZI and the RF is more accurate. The ZI is lighter being magnesium than the M5. The metal shutter in the ZI will not burn if the lens is pointed into the sun. The rubber cloth shutter in the M's will be develope holes very quickly and requires an expensive shutter curtain replacement. Since the M5 is now thirty years old you can expect atleast a CLA or potential repairs due to age related problems.

I don't think many on this forum will ever shoot enough film to wear out a ZI or any other camera for that matter. There's no question that the M is rugged. In less than ten years shooting i shot over 10,000 rolls through my three M's. I never had a problem relating to the quantity of film shot. I feel from using the ZI now that it will stand up to this kind of use or come very close to it. Most of these metal shutters are rated at 250,000 frames or more. To give an idea of how good the vertical shutters are, Canon uses them in their cameras and under the heaviest of PJ use they rarely give any problems. My current 1DsII has about 60,000 actuations without any issues. My previous cameras had even more with no problems. I'm still using my old Nikkormat FTN after thirty five years with no problems.

The ZI carries a 1 year warrenty and the M5 does not!
 
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ERV said:
This could be your camera!
M5 with 1950's Zeiss Sonnar Option 50mm 1.5 and Contax to Leica adapter.
The best of both worlds!
Click to expand...

Ooohhh dat's purty 🙂 Thank you for sharing that. I've always been temped by the M5 &, budget permitting, having to choose between these two would be difficult for me. :bang:

William
 
ZI hardcore weared out

ZI hardcore weared out

To Nachkebia,
Speaking french as mothertongue, I do not understand what you mean; do you mean that the ZI can last only some months ?
 
I agree, I think it would be a difficult choice as well.
True, an M5 may need a CLA, which can be expensive. Fortunately in the US we have DAG and Sherry Krauter to choose from. The swing arm of the light meter is no more troublesome than any other mechanical part on a Leica. Heck, the film counter on a friend's 4 year old $2,000 MP stopped working the other day.

LOOP, yes, I do use my sonnar on the M5. It works very well because the sonnar aperture ring turns freely without click stops, and the meter needle snaps into place very quickly. It is a very nice combination. A new ZI is easier to find than an M5, has a warranty, looks great, and has aperture priority as well.
However you can always sell a Leica for what you paid for it, and there will always be people who are interested in the M5 if you ever decided to sell it.
Good luck!
 
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