Why the MP? You have to understand the M5 saga to answer that
C J, A large part of the appeal of the other M cameras is the relatively small, compact size. The M5 arrived on the market about two years after I bought my M4. It was larger, had the new strap lug arrangement, and was MUCH more expensive, partly due to the devaluation of the dollar. But the killer for me was the fact that the light meter needles were ( are ) nearly impossible to see with glasses. It was just too clumsy for me, and I suspect for others as well. But pehaps the biggest problem for the M5 was the technology that made the new generation of SLRs so attractive. Think about that one for awhile. This also hurt the sales of the Leicaflexes as well. I sincerely believe that the perceived profits from camera sales as compared to precision instrumentation made investments in the camera division a small priority with Leitz management. I also suspect that if the relationship with Minolta had progressed better, the camera division would have gone the same way as Zeiss and Kyocera.
C J, A large part of the appeal of the other M cameras is the relatively small, compact size. The M5 arrived on the market about two years after I bought my M4. It was larger, had the new strap lug arrangement, and was MUCH more expensive, partly due to the devaluation of the dollar. But the killer for me was the fact that the light meter needles were ( are ) nearly impossible to see with glasses. It was just too clumsy for me, and I suspect for others as well. But pehaps the biggest problem for the M5 was the technology that made the new generation of SLRs so attractive. Think about that one for awhile. This also hurt the sales of the Leicaflexes as well. I sincerely believe that the perceived profits from camera sales as compared to precision instrumentation made investments in the camera division a small priority with Leitz management. I also suspect that if the relationship with Minolta had progressed better, the camera division would have gone the same way as Zeiss and Kyocera.