Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/11/18

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Subject: Re: Leicameter: recommendation and info needed.
From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1996 18:18:57 -0500

The dispositive treatment of Metrawatt Leicameters can be found in the
VIEWFINDER article I wrote a year or three back (ha-HEM!).  There is also a
nice VIDOM article on the same, though it is not quite as complete.

Briefly, this is the saga for M cameras:

M       selenium, uses a booster-cell for low-light conditions
MC      selenium, uses a booster-cell for low-light conditions
MR      CdS, no booster cell
"MR-4"  never given a separate catalogue number by either Metrawatt or
Leica.  Has the         switch mounted on the top instead of the side, so
that it won't foul the angled         rewind crank on the M-4 and later cameras.

The MC and both MR's are available in black and bright chrome;  I believe
the black finish is generally laquer though black chrome has been documented.

Advice for a user:  get a beater MR-4, which would run only about $75 or so
in this country.  Have it overhauled.  The bright chrome models show wear
easily, and so lose collector appeal.  Watch out for wear on your camera's
top-plate.  Judicious use of electrical tape on either may be in order.

The MR/MR-4 are designed for now-hard-to-find mercury PX625 batteries.  They
WILL run fine, however, on silver-oxide and alkaline cells as they have
compensated circuitry.  I ran mine on PX76's for a year or two, back at the
end of my M-4 days.

Marc

msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!