Quandary (Leica M5 vs M6)

jaz1943 · Aug 25, 2014

I'm in a quandary ladies and gentlemen. I have purchased two Leica cameras an M6 in mint condition and a M5 in excellent condition with a few spots on the curtain. I love the M6 but also like some features of the M5 - a shutter timer, shutter speed displayed in the viewfinder, quieter shutter, shutter dial easier to use, iso easier to use and film counter because it is black easier to see. Here are two audio graphs fo the shutters of the two and the db readings. Help me choose which one to keep.

M5

M6

Sent from my HP Pavilion P6000 Series using Tapatalk

cliveh · Aug 25, 2014

Never mind the audio graphs for the shutters, go out and take some pictures with them.

jaz1943 · Aug 25, 2014

Good point, but let's assume that both work fine.

jaz1943 · Aug 25, 2014

Photos of the Cameras discussed in "Quandry"

M5 left M6 right

M5 left M6 right

I will be selling one or the other here soon.

Sent from my HP Pavilion P6000 Series using Tapatalk

snapguy · Aug 25, 2014

what I hear

I hear the M6 is the real deal and the M5 is a chubby little bear with several problems the M6 does not have.

Two23 · Aug 25, 2014

For me, M6 without a doubt.

Kent in SD

MattKing · Aug 25, 2014

Do you mean "Quandary"?

Why not in that thread?

And a pet peeve - why not give us a clue about the subject of your thread in your title?

Pet peeve over.

AgX · Aug 25, 2014

the respective thread:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

markbarendt · Aug 25, 2014

jaz1943 said:
Good point, but let's assume that both work fine.

That's essentially a given, a so what point.

I'm with Clive, go run a few rolls through each.

canuhead · Aug 25, 2014

easy, M6 till the cows come home

jaz1943 · Aug 25, 2014

Keeping the m6 and selling the m5 - $850.

gone · Aug 25, 2014

If you haven't been shocked by the size of the M5, and since you haven't mentioned it I suppose it's not an issue, then that's a nice camera. For me it was too big by a large margin. It's a much older camera too. The M6 I was not that impressed by either, coming from an M3 which I loved. Ended up buying a Bessa R2a for a relatively small amount of money, and while the build quality was not Leica, that was a great little camera w/ M7 specs.

So if it were me I'd sell what you have, but a cheaper R2a, and put the extra funds into good glass and film.

jaz1943 · Aug 25, 2014

I had an r2m, r3m, r3a and r4a. Loved them all but when I got my hands on the m6 it was true love!!!

jaz1943 · Aug 25, 2014

A personal opinion, I feel that the m6 is easier to focus the RF window in the viewfinder is brighter has more contrast. All the Bessas I had were new.

David A. Goldfarb · Aug 25, 2014

Threads merged.

Richard S. (rich815) · Aug 25, 2014

Shoot both for a few months. They'll hold their value and maybe go up. Keep the one you like better.

Personally I have an MP, an M2 and a IIIf and never want to sell any!

Richard S. (rich815) · Aug 25, 2014

momus said:
If you haven't been shocked by the size of the M5, and since you haven't mentioned it I suppose it's not an issue, then that's a nice camera. For me it was too big by a large margin. It's a much older camera too. The M6 I was not that impressed by either, coming from an M3 which I loved. Ended up buying a Bessa R2a for a relatively small amount of money, and while the build quality was not Leica, that was a great little camera w/ M7 specs.

So if it were me I'd sell what you have, but a cheaper R2a, and put the extra funds into good glass and film.

Sell the Porsche, get a Toyota, spend the savings on the best Pirelli or Michelin tires!

(You know I'm kidding, I appreciate your point, even though I bought and then sold an RA3 and went used Leica myself....

jaz1943 · Aug 25, 2014

And of course it's the glass and not the body, but that's usually quoted by someone that's never held or used a leica!!

illumiquest · Aug 25, 2014

You just made an audio recording of your cameras. Sell them both. Or give them away.

Nuff · Aug 26, 2014

illumiquest said:
You just made an audio recording of your cameras. Sell them both. Or give them away.

For some people everything needs to be a benchmark or technical justification.

I got a M3 since it was quieter than my pentax slr.

darkosaric · Aug 26, 2014

Rule No. 23: never ever sell any Leica equipment. Sell only if you need money to pay the bills or food. You will later be sorry and buy the same stuff again on bigger price.

Xmas · Aug 26, 2014

You need to use the M6 to see if you can live with the finder problems. Some people swap finders for MP >>$!

The M5 will need a Shockty diode modification and silver cell, may have it already.

If you wanna use the IXMOO cassettes you can have the base plate latch swapped in later (M6) ones early are ok but the M5 is a no no.

You might need a new CdS cell in the M5. The M6 meter circuit might need replacing.

Sound level varies camera to camera...

If you prefer either camera size and shape stick with the one you like.

NJH · Aug 26, 2014

I bought new glasses, ones with Zeiss lenses with their famous coating. I found it improved the clarity of view of the RF patch in my M6 so much that the much newer M7 I had lost its key advantage in that area and that one had the 0.85 viewfinder as well. Strangely enough I have never once had flare out in the M6 outdoors but it is dead easy to get it to flare out playing with the camera at home, for this reason it doesn't bother me so I moved on the M7.

John Koehrer · Aug 26, 2014

jaz1943 said:
Keeping the m6 and selling the m5 - $850.

Didja put it in the classifieds?

For me it would be ergonomics. I prefer the slightly smaller camera over the M5.

trythis · Aug 26, 2014

I wouldn't have either, but have same issue with a few cameras I own. I decide to sell based on a given time and frequency of use.

For instance choose 6 weeks. Put film in both cameras and try to alternate cameras every time a roll is finished. If after a few weeks you find yourself shooting very few pictures with one and burning through film with the other and sometimes cheating and not even bothering with the lesser used camera then you know...sell that one. Aa long as you have something to shoot with when the preferred one is out for repairs.

Quandary (Leica M5 vs M6)

jaz1943

cliveh

jaz1943

jaz1943

snapguy

Two23

MattKing

Moderator

AgX

markbarendt

canuhead

jaz1943

gone

jaz1943

jaz1943

David A. Goldfarb

Moderator

Richard S. (rich815)

Richard S. (rich815)

jaz1943

illumiquest

Nuff

darkosaric

Xmas

NJH

John Koehrer

trythis

Quandary (Leica M5 vs M6)

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