[Leica] Newbie needs help with chronology

[Stephen Paddock <spaddock@dmci.net>]

Bail out now and point me to a FAQ if there is one......

I've been out of the Leica world since 1976 when I sold my M4 ensemble to
buy a programmable calculator that (eventually) bootstrapped me into a
career as a programmer.  The insurance on the camera was so expensive I
kept it in a bank vault, which made grab shots a little difficult.  So I
sold it and left photography until 1992 when I bought another brand of SLR.
 While I'm happy with that choice, driven by budget, I still have the
desire to buy back into the Leica table when I have enough chips.  That's
why I'm here.

Coming back, I'm kind of lost on the chronology.  Just as I was leaving,
the M5 came out, with an ugly probe for ttl metering which made using the
collapsible Elmar impossible.  Seems in memory it was just a ttl upgrade to
the M4.  Now in listening to you for a few days, there is a lot of
discussion about the M6 and the new M6TTL.  Two questions: what happened to
the M5, and what's the difference between the models of M6?  Why not an M7?

Thanks in advance,

Stephen
spaddock@dmci.net