Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/12/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 01:29 PM 12/25/00 -0600, Don Lawrence wrote: >So, Friday I walked in and with a bit of negotiation was able to purchase a >mint- M5. > >This is an really interesting camera. I intend to put it to use this weekend >at some family Christmas occasions. An excellent choice Don! I've enjoyed my M5 for almost a year now in good part to helpful LUGgers helping me when I had questions about it. >Would anyone on the list have a good source for a M5 user manual? >Perhaps someone might have scanned it and could email it as a pdf file? >Or perhaps some one has one to sell? I purchased a used M5 brochure and haven't really needed the manual so far as most everything on the camera is fairly easy to use/figure out and we have the LUG and archives when this is not the case. Nonetheless from time to time the manuals do pop up on the auction-site-which-is-unmentionable-here and are available as facsimile from a few dealers online as already mentioned. >Until I find a manual could some one who has experience with the M5 give >me an explanation if what the exposure dial on the camera back does? The center portion of the dial is a reminder of what type of film you might have in the camera at the moment. I've taken the Sun pictograph to represent Daylight balanced film, the bulb pictograph for Tungsten balanced film the White panel for B&W and the NE for? I haven't had much use for that dial as I believe that if you need a reminder of which film you are using that it's been too long since you changed rolls and you are obviously not making enough images. The outer ring on this dial seems to be just a handy "equivalent exposure" dial. It enables us to know that an exposure that would require the shutter to be open 15 seconds at f/32 could be made hand held at 1/60 if we were using a new Noctilux wide open. Ah, those subtle marketing guys in Wetzlar. >The dealer who sold me the camera seemed to know very little about its >operation. In my very short time on LUG it seems that LUGgers either love the M5 or despise them. >Also this is the 3 lug version, what type of strap is recommended? I've sewn 3" extension pieces from an old web strap into the two top lugs (I can't stand the vertical carry configuration) and have attached split rings at the farthest end of those extensions. (So as not to damage the "black chrome.") The rings are used to attached the new $20 Leitz recreation Leather Strap from Seth Levine of M Classics fame. (email Seth from his site: http://www.mclassics.com/) This configuration seems to work very well and can be easily removed while the extension pieces always stay attached to the camera and provide a more solid grip even when not using the strap. (Alas, no one makes a nice accessory 'grip' for the M5 because of the bottom rewind and it's already un-M-like substantial size.) Enjoy your camera. Carpe Luminem, Michael E. Berube http://GoodPhotos.com