Leica M4-P Portraits (Cheap Leica M6)
Today I share some of my Leica M4-P portraits (model photography). I recap the basic camera details (see full Leica M4-P review) compared to similar Leica M film cameras and explain why the M4-P is one of my most used film cameras.
Top 2 Leica M film cameras
If you follow the blog and YouTube channel you’ll know I own Leica M2, Leica M3, Leica M4-P and Leica M6 cameras. Of these, my favourite two Leica M film cameras are the Leica M3 single stroke and Leica M4-P. I’ve never spent time with a Leica MP or Leica M-A so perhaps I need to do this in the future for a fair “top 2”.
I’m less interested in electronics so the Leica M7 is not for me and the Leica M5 isn’t as pretty as other M cameras. I thought I liked the M4 but it lacks the M3/M2 lever so that wasn’t for me either (if we’re getting into the weeds!)
(Note, I also enjoy the Leica iii cameras and Leica R cameras but here we only cover Ms).
Why is the Leica M4-P good?
Let’s compare the Leica M4-P to others Leica M film cameras and I can explain why the Leica M4-P is so good (for me).
1 – Benefits of the Leica M4-P vs Leica M3
Benefits of the Leica M4-P vs Leica M3 include:
- Reduced weight – 542g vs 580g
- Hotshot (to fire flash), not coldshoe
- 6 framelines – 28mm, 35mm & 75mm added
- Film rewind crank vs knob (faster)
- Black finish available without premium price tag
2 – Benefits of the Leica M4-P vs Leica M2
Reasons why you might prefer the Leica M4-P vs Leica M2:
- Reduced weight – 542g vs 560g
- Hotshot (to fire flash), not coldshoe
- 6 framelines – 28mm & 75mm added
- Film rewind crank vs knob (faster)
- Black finish available without premium price tag
3 – Benefits of the Leica M4-P vs Leica M6:
For those of you new to the Leica world the M4-P is almost the same as a Leica M6 but without a light meter:
- Reduced weight – 542g vs 585g
- Lower cost
4 – Benefits of the Leica M4-P vs Leica MP:
Many people love the Leica MP so for completeness, how do they compare?
- Noticeably lighter – 542g vs 600g
- Significantly lower cost
- Film rewind crank vs knob (faster)
- Black chrome vs black paint (less fingerprints)
Why I pick up the Leica M4-P
As covered above then, the main reason this camera gets picked up more than others is a combination of hotshoe for flash, 75mm framelines for my Voigtlander Nokton 75mm f1.5 VM lens, lightweight and in black chrome finish, plus the small benefit of the faster rewind crank design.
Leica M4-P used to be cheap
When I bought my two Leica M4-P cameras (originally I got two cameras for wedding photography) they were the cheapest Leica M film camera. Nowadays, prices of this old film camera seem to have increased to often be more than older models such as the Leica M3 and Leica M2.
Best Leica M film camera?
The Leica M4-P is certainly not the best Leica M film camera. For me the Leica M3 is still king. The M3 has the nicest build quality, nice advance movement, best feeling and by far the best viewfinder with 0.91x magnification. (Amazing for my model photography portraits).
For those who prefer to use 35mm lenses, you might prefer the Leica M2 which is also very nicely made and more similar to the Leica M3. Some say the Leica MP film camera is the best because of the built in light meter (or a Leica M6 re-issue). Purists love the Leica M-A because it provides all the Leica MP benefits except the light meter, making it 100% manual.
The great thing is, each Leica M film camera model offers something slightly different so there is something for everyone. Read my Leica M film camera buyer’s guide to compare the cameras specifics and to find the right camera for you.
Buying a new Leica M film camera
If you prefer to buy new, you have 3 Leica camera options in 2024. The Leica M-A, Leica MP and Leica M6 (re-issue). The Leica M6 is the closest to the Leica M4-P but with the added benefit of the light meter.
When released in 2022, the Leica M6 re-issue now has the improved Leica MP viewfinder so there is less flare and better visibility vs. the Leica M4-P and Leica M6 classic. The Leica M6 and M4-P share the same style of film advance lever and film rewind crank. The M-A and MP are based on the earlier Leica M3 / Leica M2 design.
Leica MP or Leica M-A
Both the Leica MP and Leica M-A share the styling of the old Leica M3 with the same all metal film advance lever and classic rewind knob. The main difference is the Leica MP comes with a built-in light meter (like the M6), the Leica M-A doesn’t.
If you want a black paint Leica camera your only choice new is the MP. For those that prefer black chrome, (like the M4-P) then the M-A gives you that uber-stealthy look and without the red dot of the M4-P. If you prefer silver chrome you can get either the Leica M-A or Leica MP.
Leica M4-P portraits (B&W)
After sharing over 200 Leica M4-P portraits on Flickr over the last 8 years, here are a selection of the most popular ones. Let’s see if there is any noticeable progression over that period! I’ll share them in sequential order, oldest to most recent. (To see my current work, follow me on Instagram @MrLeicaCom).
Leica+Model Workshops
Leica M4-P with flash
One reason I use the Leica M4-P over say my Leica M3 is for when I’m using flash. As you might know, the flash sync speed of all Leica M film cameras is a mere 1/50 so this is best done in low light situations (for me). Read my “secret sauce” recent article where I talk about the benefits of LED vs flash and how I light my portraits.
Black and white film developing
To see my current preferred method for black and white film developing see my post talking about Adox XT-3 vs. Kodak Xtol.
Film scanning
The majority of the images shared were scanned with an Epson v800 flatbed scanner. More recently I switched to the Valoi Easy35 scanner. See this video for more details.
Printing negatives in my darkroom
If you saw the YouTube video I converted my only small bathroom into a darkroom. When I have time (which over the summer has been never) I’m finally starting to print my images. Follow the blog to have access to one-off hand made prints in the future.
Colour Leica M4-P portraits
As you know I’m more of a B&W film photographer but here are some colour Leica M4-P portraits as examples.
Kiev 4a vs Leica M4-P
For a bit of fun, below are a series of photos taken with the Leica M4-P or a Kiev 4a. Can you see that the Leica images are so much better due to the huge price difference? If you love the idea of shooting film with a rangefinder camera and can’t afford Leica M prices then the Kiev 4a is one of the cheapest.
It’s worth noting that it’s the lenses that makes the images (assuming the film stock is the same across two cameras) and you can adapt Zeiss lenses in Contax RF mount to your Leica camera. Use the Amedeo adapter shared in this video.
Start taking film portraits today
After 3 years of writing I finished my full Model Photography Handbook A-Z Guide eBook. Everything I’ve learnt over the last decade and 1500+ photoshoots shared across 50 sequential chapters (91 pages). (Check out chapter 43 to see my film photography workflow and how I create images similar to those in this article). Buy your copy HERE.
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