C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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rangefinder-35mm
The Leica M5 (1971) was Leica's first M-system body with built-in TTL metering. The meter cell sits on a **swing arm** that moves into the light path during exposure measurement and retracts when you fire — a mechanically clever solution to TTL on a rangefinder body. Same mechanical horizontal-cloth shutter as the M4, same M-mount, but a noticeably larger body — 150 mm wide (vs M4's 138 mm), heavier, and with a redesigned shutter dial that's larger and easier to thumb without leaving the eyepiece.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
Leica's first M with a TTL meter. Wider, taller, heavier than the M4 — controversial in 1971, fascinating in 2026.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Leica M |
| Years | 1971–1975 |
| Shutter | 1/2s – 1/1000s + B, mechanical horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/50s |
| Meter | TTL CdS spot via swing-arm |
| Modes | Manual |
| Frame lines | 35, 50, 90, 135 mm |
| Weight | 700 g |
| Battery | 1× PX625 mercury (meter only) |
Released 1971. Sales were poor — Leica purists rejected the larger body, and the meter mechanism was seen as a complication. Only 33,900 M5 bodies were made before Leica discontinued it in 1975 — by far the lowest production number of any "modern" Leica M. Leica responded by reverting to the M4 form factor with the M4-2 (Canada-built, 1977) and M4-P (1981), neither of which had a meter. The next M with a meter would be the M6 (1984), which used silicon cells and returned to the M4-size body.
The M5 is Leica's commercial failure that's now beloved. For working photographers, it's actually one of the best mechanical Leica Ms ever made — the larger body is more ergonomic for big hands, the shutter dial is easier to operate with the camera at the eye, and the swing-arm meter is genuinely useful. It just looked wrong to 1971 customers who wanted M3/M4 silhouettes.
For 2026 buyers, used M5 prices are lower than equivalent M6 bodies despite mechanical excellence — partly because of stigma, partly because the mercury-battery meter is a hassle. A clean M5 at $1,500–3,000 is one of the more interesting Leica M values, especially for photographers willing to deal with PX625 voltage adapters.
All Leica M-mount lenses, all eras. The swing-arm meter caps at lens dimensions: lenses with deep rear elements (some collapsibles, the 21mm Super-Angulon) physically cannot fit because the swing arm sits in the light path before the focal-plane shutter. Most modern M lenses are fine.
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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