I've been offered an R5 from an estate but there is no handbook. No one seems to know what P as a slection means although I know A in a ring is spot metering and A in a rectangle is average reading and M is manual. Can anyone please clarify the P for us ?

-- tony Brookes (gdz00@lineone.net), March 30, 2002

Answers

Tony, don't know about your R5 but on my Minox it means "program" as in automatic override.

-Duncan

-- Duncan (airborn@euromail.se), March 30, 2002.

Tony: On my R4, the P is for program. It is a poor choice as it chooses f: stop and shutter speed. An example from my manual shows the camera choosing 125 @ 5.6 for bright sun with ASA 25 film. The camera selects combinations based on a matrix. I prefer using the aperature priority mode with selective field metering. The 5 modes are "m" manual, "A in a circle" selective field metering regulating the shutter speed, "A in a box" is wide field metering regulating the shutter speed, "T in a box" is automatic aperature control with wide field metering, and "P" also uses wide field metering. To use "spot" metering you options are manual or "A in a circle". I understand the R5 has a few more bells and whistles than the R4, but similar.

-- Mark A. Johnson (logical1@catholic.org), March 30, 2002.

TONY -- BE CAREFUL!!! "p" stands for "pluffensilf" or "self- destruct." set the camera to p, activate self-timer, and powerful charges embedded in the camera detonate. in some older models, it stands for program, as above. manuals for your camera are available at several places on line. just search "leica r5 owner's manual" or "leica r5 instructions" in google. good luck.

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), March 30, 2002.

p.s. if you email me your mailing address, i will happily copy and send a few pages of my own r5 manual for you.

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), March 30, 2002.

A little more detail: The R5 has a VARIABLE program mode (P) in which the camera sets both aperture and shutter speed - but can be BIASED in favor of fast speed/large aperture or slow speed/small aperture by YOU - using the shutter speed dial. There is a curving silver 'arrow' or 'wedge' shape beside the numbers on the shutter speed dial also labelled with a "P" as a reminder that this function is available.

If you select a HIGH shutter speed in P mode the camera sets the lens wide-open and uses the fastest possible shutter speed compatable with good exposure (but not necessarily the actual speed you set on the dial - or even close to it). If you select a SLOW shutter speed the R5 will try to keep the shutter speed at or below that 'set' speed while choosing small apertures. But may choose a higher speed once it hits f/ 16 or f/22.

Examples: In a nightclub you might select "P" and 1/250th second - and the camera will keep the lens at f/2 (or 1.4 - whatever is 'wide open') and choose a shutter speed to match the lighting - 1/30, 1/60, etc. but IF a bright spotlight comes on then the R5 will 'up' the shutter speed to 1/250 and THEN start stopping down the lens as needed while holding the shutter at 1/250th.

Outdoors in bright light you might set "P" and 1/60. The camera would change the aperture while holding the shutter speed at 1/60. But if the light becomes too bright for f/16 at 1/60 it will start choosing 1/125 or 1/250 once it hits f/16, if that's what the lighting calls for.

The viewfinder will show both the 'speed' you've set and the ACTUAL speed the camera has chosen - so you'll know what's going on.

This is NOT the same thing as exposure compensation - the camera is still trying for an ideal 'correct' exposure. But you can ALSO use the separate exposure compensation dial at the same time you're using "P" mode.

The P mode always uses full-screen averaging metering (thus the P is in a rectangle), never spot-metering, so that it won't get thrown off by a small bright highlight (or dark shadow) that happens to fall on the spot meter.

It's simpler in use than this explanation sounds - set P, set high/low shutter speed depending on whether YOU want depth-of-field or high speeds to take precedence - and then just let the camera take care of the rest - while monitoring it via the viewfinder readouts.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), March 30, 2002.

P mode--- Leica calls it "Variable Automatic Program Mode" is a common feature of R5, R7, R8.

R4 had only "Automatic Program mode" and there was no wedge shape arrow on the shutter speed selection dial.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), March 30, 2002.