Should I Keep My Mint M6 & Lens or Sell for the M8?

[rick123]

Hi everyone,

I have been an amateur photographer for some 30 years. Over the years I have parted with my Ricoh Singlex TLS, Nikon FTN, and Nikon F3. All that remains are my M6 (basically mint - 1 roll shot), Summilux-M 50mm pre-ASPH f/1.4 (equally mint), and my beloved D-Lux 2 (well-used). I feel that my photographic passion has been re-energized with the advent of digital photography. I have been offered half of what I paid for my M6 and lens some 13 years ago. Although I do not need to sell the M6, is it worth keeping? Should I keep the lens and buy the M8 (I love the 50mm perspective)? Should I sell both for the M8 and a new lens? Should I sell both and stick with the D-Lux 2? Thank you!

[davidmires]

If you've only put one roll of film through your M6 in 13 years, maybe it's not worth keeping. I would rather see the camera in use than sitting on a shelf... If you are going to get the M8, and you are committed to the 50mm perspective, you will need a 35mm lens to achieve (approximately) the same perspective. The 50mm will equal 66.5mm FOV on the M8, and the 35mm will equal 46.55mm FOV on the M8. Maybe a 35mm 'lux is what you want?
I am assuming that you like using the rangefinder, and you need the high file quality that the M8 offers.. Otherwise, maybe the d-lux 2 fills your needs.
There are other issues to confuse the matter:
Auto focus, available light, camera size, sensor size, cost... only you can really say what is right for you, but the M8+35mm Summicron + d-lux 2 could be a pretty sweet combo.
Happy choosing!
David.

[MSmelik]

1 roll of film in 13 years ? on a Leica M6 with a Summilux 50 .....

Lots of shot on a DLux 2...

[rob_x2004]

1 roll of film in 13 years ? on a Leica M6 with a Summilux 50 .....

Im still laughing so hard I can't stand up.

[xjr]

1 [ONE] Roll of film in 13 years ! Sell it.

[scott kirkpatrick]

1 roll in 13 years? Has it been developed yet?

scott

[erg]

Keep the M6 AND buy the M8 !

The M8 is a wonderful camera that will give you back the joy of using the M system in a digital world. But, the M6 will probably be worth more than a M8 in ten years.

[peterb]

1 roll in 13 years? A very worn D2?? Rick, I've got two words for you....

Helloooooooooooooooo Ebay.

Regards,

P

[enboe]

Having bought and sold more cameras than I can remember, I've learned that with Leica, I keep everything I can affoard to keep. I regret selling more than one of my Leica items in my younger days, and think how far ahead I would have been if I'd kept my M6 and 3 lenses from the late 1980's.

Now, I'd recommend taking the M6 out and shooting it. As a matter of fact, your homework assignment is to purchase 3 rolls of Tri-X 36 exp., 3 rolls of Kodacolor or Fujicolor 100 36 exp., and 3 rolls of 36 exp. slow slide film, Velvia or Kodachrome for example. You must shoot all of this film within the next 30 days, and report back on your results.

How can I be so presumptuous? I have a nice DSLR with a slew of lenses, and had been shooting heavily for 4 or 5 years. I picked up an M a couple of years ago, and developing a good rangefinder technique and slowing down with "only" 100 frames per day has made me a better photographer.

Enjoy the M6, even though I'd love to buy it off of you to recapture the experience of the one I foolishly sold.

Eric

[rick123]

Thank you David & others for your advice. Yes indeed, I did enjoy using my rugged Nikons for film for so long that I think I felt that the Leica M6 was perhaps too good for me to use. Once I discovered the joys of digital photography with my Leica D-Lux 2 (it was as exhilirating as my old Poloroid Swinger), I learned how magnificent Leica glass can be & wished that my M6 were digital! Perhaps the good people at Leica granted my that wish in creating the M8!

Rick

[stnami]

... yea I reckon the M8 should be good for about 13 years and one SD card...........filled once




it is a laugh as (for the non believers this means a joke, a silly folly, etc)

[grober]

Originally Posted by rob_x2004

1 roll of film in 13 years ? on a Leica M6 with a Summilux 50 .....

Im still laughing so hard I can't stand up.

I'm most definitely NOT laughing: in fact, I'm crying. You've had an M6 with a 50 'Lux for more than a dozen years and you've put how many rolls through it?

Makes me weep, I say; WEEP!

-g

[mmcloone]

I have a good idea. why dont you donate that m6 and 50 to a budding college visual journalism student who cant afford to buy one himself. But would use it extensively if he had one....and if you ever feel like wanting it back, or that your missing out i will send it back to you no questions asked???

[bono0272]

A mint M6 now should cost about 1/4 of a M8.

Since you can still use the lenses on the M8, just keep the M6 in case you want to shoot films again and buy a M8 for digital.

[M'Ate]

Originally Posted by bono0272

A mint M6 now should cost about 1/4 of a M8.

That was at 3 pm.

By 6pm the price had rallied and it's now at 1/2 of a new M8 and the same price as a used M8 .....

[M'Ate]

Only kiddin'