By Tom Grill
For me, the M4 is the camera
that reached the pinnacle of analog design. It was the natural sequel to the M2
and M3 designs into one body with a few more bells and whistles added. The one
time Leica attempted to diverge from this basic M design with the M5 model in
1971 led to such an uproar that the M4 was reinstated only a few years later
and has continued to be the basis for flagship camera design of the company
even up to the newest M 240 digital model.
My 1968 black painted M4. I
sent it back to Leica for a factory replacement of the viewfinder so it now has
six lens frame lines of the M6 instead of the original four. I did this because
I use a 28mm lens a lot and usually have the Leica meter on top of the camera
taking up the slot where I would normally put an auxiliary optical finder. And
look at the beautiful engraving on top. Don't see that much anymore.
There were several iterations
of the M4. The M4-2 was introduced in 1977, followed by the M4-P in 1981. Each
new version added a couple of new features -- a hot shoe, motor-drive
capability, extra finder frames -- but modernized the production line and replaced
the black enamel with a more durable black chrome. I always had a penchant for cameras with
black paint over brass. After a little use some of the paint wears through to
the brass and the camera takes on an individual patina that identifies it as yours.
Excessive brassing becomes a battle-worn badge of honor, something to be worn
proudly, as if to say, "I served".
The Leica M4 with MR-4 meter
mounted on top.
The M4 was introduced in 1967
and produced until 1975 with a little break while the M5 ran its short-lived, orphaned course. The M4 had framelines for 35mm, 50mm, 90mm and 135mm lenses in
a 0.72 magnification viewfinder. Mine was made in 1968, and had a later,
standard factory addition of the M6 viewfinder adding 28mm and 75mm frame
lines.
I always liked the look of
the Leica meter. Not that it worked all that well -- I still carried around a
hand held auxiliary meter for more accurate readings -- but it slipped
conveniently into the accessory shoe, had a high/low range, and synchronized with
the shutter speed dial, all pretty advanced stuff for 1968.
The handle-crank rewind knob
was one of the late-to-the-party innovations Leitz added to the M. The one on
the M4 was angled so it could be operated quickly without constantly scraping
your fingers on the side of the camera -- something of an anachronism in
today's digital world, but much appreciated at the time by photographers
needing to get the spent roll out of the camera quickly and reload it for the
next breaking shot.
Adding the angled rapid
rewind crank was considered a big deal at the time. I can still recall
discussions with veteran photographers who were convinced that Leitz maintained
the slow turning rewind knob on the M2 and M3 to avoid rewinding the film too
fast and causing static light discharge that might damage a film frame.
The M4 did away with the removable film take
up spool, and introduced a faster film loading system that gripped the end of
the film automatically to load it onto the spool.
The self-timer lever was an
M4 luxury -- some say frivolous addition -- eliminated from later versions of
the M series. After all, pros don't need self-timers.
The M4 was the last of a
breed. It reminds me of souped-up, propeller-driven fighter aircraft at the end
of WWII. Each had reached the apex of analog, hand-crafted design on the cusp
of fading into oblivion in the face of a newer technology. The planes were
replaced by jets, the rangefinder by the SLR. Fortunately, the M-series camera
hit a very responsive chord in the human psyche that has made it last even into
the digital era. For many, Leica M is the icon of professional camera, and
retro styling based on the Leica M design is undergoing a renaissance in
cameras like the popular Fuji X-Pro1.
And let's not forget that in keeping with the M analog tradition Leica
continues to make the M7 and MP film cameras today.
For more of Tom Grill’s work
go here
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Mike Cary commented on Facebook: Nice Article...Just want to add a shout out to Walter Kluck of Leica Canada without whose efforts the M4 or Leica M camera itself might not have survived.
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