[Leica] M4 - M4P - M4-2

[raimo.m.korhonen at uusikaupunki.fi (Raimo K)]

In the Popular Photography test report of the Leica M4-2 in July 1980 Bill 
Pierce quotes a non-Leitz repairman who opened the test camera to make 
adjustments: "A pretty good camera, once I finished it." So it should be 
possible to make it operate without fault - and I suppose most do now.
All the best!
Raimo K
Personal photography homepage at:
http://www.uusikaupunki.fi/~raikorho


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Klein" <pklein@2alpha.net>
To: <lug@leica-users.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2004 9:01 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] M4 - M4P - M4-2


>
> Another factor in favor of the original M4 is that it the RF doesn't flare
> when there is an oblique light source hitting the viewfinder at certain
> angles.  The early M4-2 cameras also *may* not flare (there are differing
> opinions on this), but the early M4-2's are sometimes mechanically
> problematic.
>
> The flare problem may or may not bother you, depending on the conditions
> under which you shoot, whether you wear glasses or not, and how deeply set
> your eyes are (glasses and deep-set eyes make it less likely that you'll
> be able to get around the flare by shifting your eye position slightly).
> It doesn't bother Ted Grant at all; it drove Daniel Ridings and me crazy.
>
> Leica (and Sherry) now offer an RF modification that mostly cures the RF
> flare problem.  It costs around $300 last time I looked.  Sherry did this
> on my M6TTL, and I'm very pleased.  But it is an extra expense to be aware
> of.
>
> On the other hand, the M4 is older, so it may require more repairs, and
> has lived more of its useful life than an M4-P or M6.  A properly CLA'ed
> M4 has a smoother wind because the winding mechanism's gears are brass,
> whereas the later cameras have steel gears.
>
> --Peter
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