What would your frankenLeica be made of?

[Ruhayat]

Another thought experiment, as it is a slow day for me

If you could cannibalise parts from different Leica M bodies, what would you take to create your own "perfect" M?

The reason I ask is because when I had only a chrome M6TTL, I wished I had the AE of the M7 and that it was black. Now that I have a black chrome M7 I wish it was black paint so that it would brass like Jim Marshall's M4. And then I held the M4-P and the lack of (batteries + internal meter + brass) made it balance so much nicer in my hands than the M6TTL or the M7. Then I looked through the .91 viewfinder of a friend's M3 and I wish I had that instead of .72. And then I saw the M5 and I thought what a great logical design that was, and I wished my M had vertical strap lugs. And so on.

So I guess my ultimate M would be a combination of the above:
size, heft and balance of the M4-P, with the VF of the M3, the ergonomical design of the M5, the AE of the M7, the finish of the M4, the shutter dial of the M5, and the price of the CL.

[Godfrey]

The M4-2 is my favorite Leica M model. No need for mixing and matching anything else. I wish the M9 were that trim and had the M4-2 viewfinder.

[Jockos]

How about an M3 with faster speeds, larger shutter dial, hotshoe...


...and the M9M sensor?

[Gary E]

The M3-P with re-edition of the 50mm Summicron Rigid. I should have bought that back then when Leica's were actually affordable...

[S.H.]

Speaking of cannibalization, I know a guy who is trying to have Nikon F titanium curtains mounted in a M6... to upgrade it a bit like the Nikon SP. (I think the M6 curtains are shot anyway)

[Never Satisfied]

Black paint M3P with the finder from an Ikon and an external bayonet to mount a Canon 50/f.95.

[VF101]

My Leica CL with an interchangeable film/sensor module, ready to accept film, M9 or M9M sensor.

[gavinlg]

- Black chrome MP with absolutely no markings or scripts or logos or serial numbers or 'made in' whatsoever. All black chrome including frame counter/hotshoe and shutter button and lens release.
- 28mm/35mm/50mm framelines (with extra subtle corner markings for a 40mm frame inside the 35mm lines)
- Real leather covering in a fine pebbled black

- M winder (the battery one) in black chrome as an extra.

Done

[BobYIL]

I will paint an M2, M3 and M4 out of my classical Leicas with a better paint than what Leica uses (higher scratch resistance, better surface adherence) by stripping off chrome plating and then be done with dreaming with film cameras.

For digital however dreaming will go on: Hopefully someone will come up with a sensor to deliver B&W pictures with the same tonality like a fine hi-speed film.

[philipus]

What I want in an M is the following:

Meter
Big dial...
...that turns the in the direction of the meter arrows
M3 film advance and rewind
M6 film load
Black
Paint
Absence of silly prints or bizarre engravings

and, I thought at the time I was looking, .85x VF because it is the closest to my old M3's VF. Then I realised that it was .72x I really wanted so I have access to all focal lengths I have.

When I found the M6TTL Millennium I knew I will never buy another film M.

[Austerby]

An MP body with AE would be my ideal.

You can get close to it on the a la carte by specifying the M7 with MP features but the crank re-wind and larger body of the M7 put me off from ever submitting the order.

Oh, and I'd rather have the viewfinder exposure readings from my Nikon FE with a simple needle indicator of shutter speed and a window to show aperture selected both visible.

[c.poulton]

OK, I'll bite...

What about MP body, shutter and manual wind-on with the digital wizardry of the M Monochrom?

[sepiareverb]

A black chrome M2 casing on a modern .58 VF MP. I'd go for a .58 VF in a black paint MP-3 tho.

[Phil_F_NM]

I initially read the title of this thread as "what kind of material would the camera be made of?" In that case, an indestructible Tungsten-Molybdenum alloy. Bare metal would be fine, if not, then powdercoated in black or gray crinkle finish.
Fully weather sealed. Titanium shutter. Built-in frameline illuminator LED. Viewfinder of my previous M4-P -- no 135mm framelines. M2 style advance. M4 style rewind.

Phil Forrest

[EZfan]

Mine is M2 level rewind without self timer dress up with Modified M3 top plate then installing a M4-P/M6 film loading and winder gear + paint job = Black paint classic MP with modern Leicavit

[Pablito]

An entirely functional M2 made entirely of pork loin, with bacon replacing the vulcanite.

[coelacanth]

My FrankenLeica is the new MP with no battery box, light meter, ISO dial, 75/135 FL nor "half-press" on the shutter release (feels like unmetered M).

And this is not "would be" Franken, but I've made it and I have it.

[kdemas]

Originally Posted by coelacanth

My FrankenLeica is the new MP with no battery box, light meter, ISO dial, 75/135 FL nor "half-press" on the shutter release (feels like unmetered M).

And this is not "would be" Franken, but I've made it and I have it.

...and it's very very cool Sug!