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Leica M5 - the only flaws to the greatest film kamera ever..


Very nice! Nothing like using a lens that does not intrude at all into the VF! I like to use the 40mm Summicron a lot of the time for that.
It's also why I absolutely hate the Noctilux .95. I tried it once - 1/2 the vf is blocked. It goes completely against the rangefinder/small lens ethos.
 
Patrick Robert James said:
I've always thought the M5 was made for the Noctilux. If I ever have the scratch for one of those, then the M5 is a natural choice.
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Physically, yes. As it is a bigger body. But the VF blockage is miserable.

Here is the opposite - with my Light Lens Lab 8 Elements replica. You can see this 35mm f2 is even smaller than the ZM Biogon 35mm 2.8! :

 
Ste_S said:
By contrast, here’s my M5 with the Zeiss 35 2.8 Biogon that more or less lives on the camera.

I’ve not felt the need for anything faster than 2.8; however I tend to use Fuji digitals for colour low light, rather than film.
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My favorite of the ZM 35s. A great lens, and small too.
 
Patrick Robert James said:
I've always thought the M5 was made for the Noctilux. If I ever have the scratch for one of those, then the M5 is a natural choice.
Click to expand...

The M5 light meter didn't work well with my 50/1.0 in low light and the VF/RF of the M5 isn't really up for critical focussing. The M7, possibly with a 1.25x magnifier loupe, is a much better match, especially with an optional grip, like the Rapidgrip.
 

You can use the Leica magnifier with the M5 too. I keep the 1.4x one in the bag with it, but have found no issues nailing focus with my 50 1.4 and 1.1 lenses.
Perhaps your rf is slightly out of whack? (technical term).
 
p.s I can see how a spot meter may not work well with a lens that may have heavy vignetting wide open.
 
Don't want to turn this into a gear p@rny thread... but it works/handles really well with the Color Skopar 50 2.5. You can see in the pic that the OEM Leica LTM-M adapter I am using has the lens slightly off to the right.
But no effect on focusing or use.


 
Just to show it can be used to take pics... from last weekend.
M5 + ZM 35 1.4 + Portra 400

 
The Agfa Optima Lux looks and works great with it - as long as you don't venture further than 3 meters..

 
El Mofo

 
Huss said:
The Agfa Optima Lux looks and works great with it - as long as you don't venture further than 3 meters..
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I would be shocked and horrified that you put something with the odious "computer" label on a holy Leica, but it's an M5 so I guess it's okay.
 
For the Leicaphiles, doesn't the flash and the lens require a NSFW label .?
 
Modern Voigtlander lenses, like the Zeiss ZM are made in Japan by Cosina.
 
Huss said:
You can use the Leica magnifier with the M5 too. I keep the 1.4x one in the bag with it, but have found no issues nailing focus with my 50 1.4 and 1.1 lenses.
Perhaps your rf is slightly out of whack? (technical term).
Click to expand...
Huss said:
p.s I can see how a spot meter may not work well with a lens that may have heavy vignetting wide open.
Click to expand...
Can you see the needle meter in the M5 VF when using the 1.4x? I never tried it but sold the M5 in 2009 when I bought the M7.
 
Small lenses on rangefinders for me. I just can never see the point in the blocking the vf at all no matter how nice the lens is.
 
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