M5 meter arm repair

ileicacameras · 09-30-2012

Hi there,
I have an M5 which I love, but the meter arm hasn't worked since I bought it. I got it cheap because of the defect figuring I could just use it as a serious beater and meter with an external meter, however I am thinking it would be nice to have that ttl meter back.

Has anyone had theirs repaired/fixed it? I take it it's a serious job but I'm wondering if there are any stories out there.

maddoc · 09-30-2012

Best bet would be to ask Sherry Krauter of GoldenTouch camera repairs since she seems to be an expert for this specific Leica M.

muser53 · 09-30-2012

+1 for Sherry K

Richard G · 09-30-2012

No matter where in the world you are this is likely the best course, and also no matter where from, you should call her on the telephone.

venchka · 09-30-2012

Get an estimate from Sherry. Weigh that option against buying an M5 with a working meter.

Wayne

ileicacameras · 10-01-2012

Cheers all,
I'm not really fussed in getting it fixed - I bought it beat up and not working to use as an everyday street shooter, I was just fishing to see if there were any repair stories out there.

venchka · 10-01-2012

I have owned 2 M5s. I still have the first one that I bought. It arrived in pristine condition with all of the 3 lug improvements courtesy of Sherry. The second one was born as a 3 lug with all of the improvements and had been overhauled by DAG. Everything worked. I eventually sent it on to another owner to fund the purchase of a Canon DSLR. The jury is still out on that decision.
Only Sherry will know what it needs & the cost. In addition to the arm, the cds cell and meter circuitry may need repair. Is the battery compartment free of corrosion?

Wayne

sepiareverb · 10-01-2012

Sherry is the go to person for M5 and CL bodies. She can make pretty much anything right. She worked on both an M5 and a CL for me, took the CL from a very rough machine with lots of missing parts and turned it into a premier shooter. My M5 had sat for many years after getting wet and needed a fair bit of work done. She works magic.

ileicacameras · 10-01-2012

Cheers all,
I'm not really fussed in getting it fixed - I bought it beat up and not working to use as an everyday street shooter, I was just fishing to see if there were any repair stories out there.

DNG · 10-01-2012

No Meter Arm repair stories?

The arm is pretty sturdy. I wander what damaged the Arm in your M5? A lenses that sat too deep?, and the owner didn't know they had to block the cut-out at 6-oclock on the lens mount to prevent the arm to raise when the shutter was charged?

giellaleafapmu · 10-01-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by ileicacameras

Has anyone had theirs repaired/fixed it? I take it it's a serious job but I'm wondering if there are any stories out there.

Got the CL light meter repaired after it got broken because of dust entering the camera after a desert trip and it was not incredibly expensive. That was about eight years ago and it has worked fine since then. I think the M5 meter is pretty similar and I'd go for it, but I cannot recommend anyone for the job except that recommending to follow other members recommendations...

GLF

Vickko · 10-01-2012

I've never worked on the meter arm, but I've restored maybe four M5's now, and a couple CL's.

It looks like a pretty straight forward mechanism. But the CL and M5 are tricky to work on because they are pretty densely packed.

Benjamin Marks · 10-01-2012

Ha. My repair story is that I bought awilder's M5 that had had a full-on CLA from . . . (wait for it) Sherry Krauter. Beautiful camera. awilder treated it well and it came to me functioning smoothly as silk. I think that the reason that you are getting so many plugs for Sherry (aside from her competence with this particular model) is that the M5 meter was something of a special beast in the Leica world. It really is a semi-spot and just so on-the-money. It is one of the best reasons to shoot with an M5 in my opinion.

I really like the M5 -- I know that it is the camera that almost tanked Leica, and that the Rapidwinder doesn't fit it and that it really is not all that small. . . but the VF is great and I like the way that it feels in my hand. Hope you have as much fun with yours as I have with mine.

Ben

venchka · 10-01-2012

Thanks Ben! We don't always hear the good about the M5. You summed up my feelings perfectly. The meter in the M5 is the best meter I have ever used, either in my hand or in a camera.
A note about Sherry: she went to work for Leica about the time the M5 was introduced. She knows the camera from it's very beginning.

Wayne

ileicacameras · 10-02-2012

Turns out it looks like an 800 dollar job; more than i paid for the camera!
I just traded one of my old record turntables for a few nick cave records and a brilliant light meter. Problem solved.

By the way Ben, I agree about the size and feel of the M5. It's one of those things that just seems to fit for some people, Wayne and you and myself included.

The meter would have been nice, but I brought it for quick street work knowing it was meter-less.

Maybe after a few hundred underexposed rolls I'll feel different but for now I;m just happy to have an M5 at all.