Re: [Leica] The End of the M5

[MicroGrid@aol.com]

I can fill you in from a dealers perspective during the time. My dad was a 
Leica dealer, and I studied Leica's thoroughly as a kid. I worked for him 
during my high school and college years. We were selling the requisite number 
of M4's prior to the introduction of the M5. When that camera came out I fell 
in love for the first time!
Unfortualty our customers did not, and sales were flat.

I don't remember when they finally discontinued the M5, but I still sold them 
into the late 70's long after the introduction of the M4-2.

My own opinion is that Leica was trying to break out of their mold, not 
unlike the LTM- M3 transition during the 50's.

They thought that the M5 and the economy CL would be thier ticket to the 
future. When the market told them otherwise, I think they were scrambling. 
They tried every marketing trick known to man,(and unknown to Leica) to 
launch M5 sales. When they all failed they simply went back to the M4, with 
the Canadian M4-2, as fast as they could. They did it for survival. 

By the late 70'3 I was selling as many SL2's as I used to M4's. By the time 
the 50th Anniversary cameras came out, Leica was an SLR company. I only 
received one 50th M5, and boy, I wish I bought that one.

Bruce Bowman
Killingworth CT