Summary: All I have ever heard about the Leica cameras is true. My M6 is built like a tank and is a pleasure to use. Fully manual and simple design it is photography at it's grass roots. The framelines are easy to see and the Voigtlander 40mm lens I use is easy to focus through the finder in any light. Because of the heavy wieght of the camera with it's silent cloth shutter combined with the 40mm 1.4 Nokton lens I can shoot in very low light, hand held without a tripod. I also have a Leica IIIa that is 75 years old and is a better performer than my Bessa R. So with the M6 I feel I have a camera for a lifetime and one I can pass down to my daughter once I am gone.
I chose the M6 because of the built in meter and it really is one of the first in the M line to have one. The M5 was the first but I read some reviews that there were issues with the meter in it.
I also like how the film loads from the bottom. It is almost as if Leica goes their own way designing cameras with little attention to what other manufactors are doing.
As long as they make film I will use this camera. If you are thinking of getting one, and if you are reading this you must be. Go for it. The myth and legend is true.
Strengths: Accurate framelines
Heavy weight
Silent shutter
Easy to use and accurate meter
Easy to load film
Summary: I've had the joy to own the M3 and now the M6 ttl (.72) versions. My favorite is the M3. The viewfinder, when you can find a good sample, is the best as far as magnification. Coming from the .91 VF of the M3 I can see a stark differnece when comparing it to the M6 (.72) version.
However, when shooting, I tend not to notice such things. I use my M6 (.72) typically with the 35mm Summilux and have had nice results. Focus is easy, the meter accurate, and it it is so light it is almost a toy compared to my D200/17-55 combo I use for weddings. Mastering focus in quick moving situations is tricky.
Though I prefer the bodies of the M3 (and M2 for that matter) I love shooting with two bodies and two focal lengths and it compliments my M3/50Lux combo. Considering a cheaper body like the M2 or M3 when factoring in the cost of a probable CLA, the M6 is a no brainer. Just choose the appropriate viewfinder and enjoy!
Really brings you back to the basics. Quiet, unobtusive, and astounding images. I shoot mainly wedding detail and getting ready shots with my M 6 body. I leave the telephoto stuff for the more accurate focusing of the the M3.
Strengths: Size. I can fit all three of my M bodies and glass into a very small bag!
If your budget is $1500 you could get a real nice setup like a M3/M6 and the underrated 40mmSummicron. With careful shopping, iIf you don't like the RF way of life you can sell and recoup most if not all of your money.
Weaknesses: Not a Nikon F5 though focus accuracy is quite suprisingly quick. But for movement I personally can't risk it so I lean on the autofocu Nikon bodies during weddings.
Film loading can be a pain, but less so on the M6. For the M3 I keep a couple extra spools already loaded, wrap the leader and insert into camera. Loading takes some time to master, but after a few times it's simple enough. Not fast, but not hard either.
Summary: I've gone through almost all of the camera manufactures the penultimate being Contax, who I really though would be the one for me. Unfortunately it was not to be and so I began looking at Leica.
When I first picked up the M6 in my local ye old camera shoppie it reeked of quality of build, and when I looked through the finder it was lovely and bright and clear. I can't really compare this rangefinder to others because I haven't used any others and comparing it to a SLR would be like comparing a yacht to a power boat, in other words pointless.
What I can say is if you're into your photography and you're pondering about a rangefinder and specifically the M6, you will at the very least find yourself experiencing a way of photography that you'll never have experienced before. It's a whole other world; I was frightened by the lack of aperture priority, now I don't care if I never use it again, I was also fearful of the money it cost, but, you really do get what you pay for. More likely however is you'll find yourself photographing in a purer, less cluttered, more subject in tuned way, or at least it will be possible to shoot this way.
Last observation is on the everything in focus viewfinder. When shooting in a mode somewhere between casual observer and photographic explorer I find it is much easier to imagine what will be out of focus in the viewfinder rather than imagining what the out of focus areas in an SLR viewfinder will look like in focus. It's the principle of it's easier to get rid of information than to get it. True on an SLR you can depth of field preview, but the screen goes dark and for the most part your looking at the picture with the aperture wide open. By the time you've done this your shot will probably be gone or at least your being distracted from you subject. So basically don't worry about this aspect, you'll love it. But it's definitely not for every application in photography and neither will it suit everyone.
Strengths: Build
Control layout
Size
Rangefinder viewfinder
Simplicity
Weaknesses: Slight frame line inaccurasy (slr's are typically only 90% coverage and the G2 is out so on a par with other systems)
System cost (expensive lenses etc but you get what you pay for)
Similar Products Used: Mamiya 7 Mk2 = very large 6x7 camera, can't really compare, although a rangefinder medium format might cut down on size but it's not the best for long thought out and considered landscapes.
Contax T2 = a compact of rangefinder design (like most) some early proof to myself that I'd get along very well with rangefinders.
Summary: Leica M6
M Leicas are superbly styled. Classic understatement, form following function. They turn heads by a sort of inconspicuous ‘presence’.
But the quality is not consistent. At best they are unrivalled. But there are M6s with blistering black chrome (a manufacturing problem) and the black chrome finish is not as durable as some claim.
A camera is a light-proof box with a viewfinder and shutter. M6s are light proof. But the viewfinder is an attempt to make a virtue out of a necessity. The rangefinder may be a miracle of engineering but they easily shift out of alignment. And while they cope well with parallax error they cannot change the field of view as the lens focuses. In use this may not matter. But it is a weakness. They perform best where it is least need. Excellent in focusing a wide-angle lens (where you don’t need absolutely accuracy) but very difficult with anything over 75mm (where accurate focus is essential)!
Shutters are quiet but not the ‘whisper’ Leica claim. Shutter speeds are almost always inaccurate. Half the 6 Leica Ms I’ve used had serious shutter faults. By ‘serious’ I mean the camera couldn’t be used!
Someone said using the leverwind of a Leica M is ‘like a religious experience’. Which says something about the idolatrous attitude the camera attracts!
But they are not completely reliable and they have serious limitations. They are ludicrously expensive (compare what Nikon offers for this money!). They are a tool. But for most people too expensive to use without worry of damage (repairs can be prohibitively expensive).
But despite all that, in some applications, when everything goes well, no other 35mm camera can equal the superb results of a Leica M with a recent Leica lens!
Strengths: Style,
simplicity,
status,
excellence of engineering,
superb quality of lenses,
manages more than most to make real virtues out of necessity,
results that are unequalled is certain circumstances when everything works properly.
Summary: Bought for a 6 week trip coming up going around the world and wanted to travel light. Gave up Mamiya 7 and pretty crappy lenses (and badly paid picture library work) to return to the basics with light shooting gear 2 nice lenses (35mm 1.4 and 50mm 1.4 summilux 1969 1972 and still as new wow - although some leica diehards hate these lenses) and just shooting for myself and exhibition work.
Started rangefinders with Contax G1 - it does have its place as a stepping stone ... then Xpan (for catch your eye panoramics) then MAM7.
Mine is a M6 titanium (yes I know it isnt really titanium) but liked the look and paid $200 premium to be a fashion victim.
Fantastic viewfinder and love the way you see what is going to be in the picture before it steps in .... other review says he doesnt shoot as quick but didnt mention whether he shot better. I always worked on 25+ per roll being technically perfect but feel that I have improved - which is a good feeling after all these years. You pays your money you gets your quality .... but please if you buy one USE IT. Camera arent meant to sit on shelves .... be proud of your scars.
Strengths: Viewfinder, finish, precision - immediate trigger reaction - almost no delay and picture taken. No noisy winder
Weaknesses: slighty noisier than all the hype had suggested
Similar Products Used: lots of slrs - then rangefinder 1988 old Yashica electro 35 - aperture priority only .... then Contax G1, Xpan and Mamiya 7
More Products from Leica
Link to this page
5 of 5
4 of 5
1 of 5
