Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/11/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The M4 is the last of the "old style" M cameras. Back then the assembly philosophy was "tweak and adjust till it works". Lots of adjusting, filing and fiddling went into these cameras. From the M4-2 on Leica went with a system known as tolerance-assembly. If a part didn't fit it was replaced with one that did. Workers no longer sat there filing and adjust until things worked. Manufacturers across the industry turned to this method, to lower labor costs. Back in the 70's Leica found itself in financial trouble. The M5 tanked, the SL2 was losing money and the rangefinder market was getting killed by the Nikon F el al. Leica made one last batch of M4 cameras and then stopped production. This caused an uprising among M shooters and after a short period Leica backed down, but had to make some changes in order to survive. They redesigned some parts of the mechanism, eliminated things like the self-timer and adopted modern assembly methods. Then they moved the entire production to Canada, where they were already making and designing lenses. HERE'S THE PROBLEM. Early M4-2's are considered problematic, because it took them a while to get things up and running. If you avoid these and find a late one you should be ok. If you do get one I strongly suggest you send it to someone like Sherry, DAG or Kindermann to get a CLA. Frankly any camera you get that is that old should be cleaned and adjusted. The first two batches: 12/7/1977 M4-2 ELC 1480001 - 1482000 2000 units 4/4/1978 M4-2 ELC 1502001 - 1504000 2000 units Look here for the rest: http://www.cameraquest.com/mtype.htm Leica made some changes starting with the M4-2. I have both an M4 and M4-2, which recently was gone over by Sherry. Here are the differences. M4-2 vs M4: - The M4-2 vulcanite pattern is a little coarser, but not unattractive. Just different. - The self-timer was eliminated. - The film type reminder on the M4-2 was simplified. - The rewind lever is not as 'tight' as on the M4 and now has a plastic tip. It's not bad, just not perfect, like the one on the M4. My TTL has the worst rewind lever of any M I have seen. It's fit and finish is borderline crude. Things didn't change back to M4 standards until the M7, although I don't think the plastic tip ever went away. - The script on the top plate is stamped instead of engraved. On the M4-2 it only says 'Leitz' and 'Made in Canada', instead of 'Leica DBP ERNST LEITZ GMBH WETZLAR GERMANY'. The top plate is brass. Almost all M4-P use a zinc alloy like the M6/TTL. - 95% of the M4-2 were made in Canada. I think almost all M4 were made in Germany. - Black M4-2 cameras are anodized, not black paint. Black M4's came in paint and lacquer. - Leica eliminated a condenser from the M4-2 rangefinder. That decision has haunted us for the past 25 years (M4-P, M6, M6TTL) and it was only with the MP and M7 that it was replaced. Early M7 cameras (like mine) are also missing this condenser. As a result the finderpatch can be prone to flare under certain circumstances. Oddly enough my M4-2 flares less than my TTL. - One positive change in the M4-2 was the addition of the motor drive link. The M4-2 also uses steel gears, instead of brass (as does the M6/TTL/MP/M7). So, unlike the M4 the M4-2/M4-P can take a Leicavit, Rapidwinder or motor-winder. - The M4-2 and M4-P have a hot shoe for flash. The one on the M4 isn't 'hot'. Both the M4 and M4-2 have M and X plugs. There are some nice touches to the M4-2 that you won't see on some of the more modern M cameras like black crinkle paint and the brass top plate with the logo. The finder has the larger old style framelines for 35/50/90/135, which also makes things less crowded in there. I don't miss the self timer and prefer the vulcanite over vinyl. Compared to the M4? Some people, including myself, think the M4 may be the finest M camera Leica ever made. It really is in a class of it's own, a product of a time long gone. The M4-P is basically an M6 without the meter. It's a good, solid reliable camera that is a real bargain. So, there it is. I've only had the M4-2 for short while, but so far it looks good. Regardless of what camera you decide on make sure you get it cleaned. The difference is like day and night. Sherry K, DAG, Kindermann, Leica NJ/Solms all do fine work. Look here for more information http://www.lhsa.org/repair.html http://www.nemeng.com/leica/016b.shtml Feli _______________________________________________________ feli2@earthlink.net 2 + 2 = 4 www.elanphotos.com