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Hello I am looking at getting my first leica! I am looking at getting a m6 classic I just have a few questions. I wear glasses and I hear that people who wear glasses should get a .58 magnification is this true? Would I be fine with .72 magnification? Another question is are the m6 classics as reliable as people say they are and how much money should I set aside for a service? Also what should I look over when looking at a m6? Thank you so much for help I appreciate it! This is the one I am looking at http://philadelphia....5216118730.html

Hello I am looking at getting my first leica! I am looking at getting a m6 classic I just have a few questions. I wear glasses and I hear that people who wear glasses should get a .58 magnification is this true? Would I be fine with .72 magnification? Another question is are the m6 classics as reliable as people say they are and how much money should I set aside for a service? Also what should I look over when looking at a m6? Thank you so much for help I appreciate it! This is the one I am looking at http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pho/5216118730.html

I took this on a trip to Beijing in 1998 using my M6, and I have just scanned it to give it a new life. I am sorry but I have no details stored with the original, but can say that it was taken on Fuji RDP 100iso film. I hope you like it! Gerry

Hi there! I'm looking to buy my second M6 Non-TTL body. I've googled, but i did find answers pointing in different directions. Do you know if some production numbers/years are more prone to zinc corrosion on the top plate? Are some models guaranteed free of zinc corrosion? What should i take into consideration before buying so i don't end up with a body that later could be "infected" with zinc corrosion on the top plate?

I do commercial photography as a huge part of my day job, but I have a Canon EOS 1Dx for that. However I do, for my personal use, much prefer my M6 due to the size and the quality of the glass. I have a decent assortment of M glass, all with UV/IR cut filters on them. I would like to switch to a digital M as work has me traveling quite a bit going forward and I am honestly done with the extra handling that film requires. I don't know if anyone else has done this, or if I am over reaching by wanting to swap for an M8.2 body. If any of you have any thoughts, or tips, that you'd like to share with me I am all ears.

4 photos don't really do the place justice but well... see the rest at: All on Portra 160 film - Leica M6 - 35mm Summicron IV

Guten Tag, Erst einmal bin ich überglücklich weil ich von meinem Vater zum 18. Geburtstag eine sehr gut erhaltene Leica M6 (+ Originalverpackung) und Summicron-C 40mm bekommen habe. Der Messsucher erweist sich als äußerst klar und alle Zeiten laufen sauber! Allerdings musste ich bei meinem ersten Ausflug feststellen, dass bei der Objektivfokussierung "Unendlich", Unendliche Objekte im Messsucher nicht als Scharf angezeigt werden. Bedeutet das, dass der Messsucher dieser Leica dejustiert ist??? Korrekturlinsen brauche in normalerweise nicht (habe keien Brille). ... Testaufnahmen folgen.

Death Valley in September 2014, Leica M6 - 35mm Summicron IV - Portra 160 I was positively suprised about how much there is to see and do. southwest_-55 by derphilipppp, on Flickr southwest_-60 by derphilipppp, on Flickr southwest_-57 by derphilipppp, on Flickr southwest_-58 by derphilipppp, on Flickr

I purchased in January my first Leica camera after using M mount lenses with adapter for several years on my mirrorless camera. Since I am more leaning towards B&W photography, I wanted to try a Leica rangefinder camera. I pretty quickly decided to go for a film-based M camera since I still have my own darkroom and can develop my own B&W film. I further narrowed down my choices by deciding for an in-camera light meter. Full manual was fine for me, and a camera which does not rely to work with a battery plus the well established reputation of the series made me choose the M6 (the non TTL model since I don't do a lot of flash photography). I purchased an used black M6 in very good shape manufactured in 1995 with 0.72x viewfinder. Since then I have used this camera very often - upfront I really like to work with it. There are some pros and cons which I thought are worthwhile to share from my experience. PROS + Great to see more than just the 100% view in the viewfinder. I find it easier to compose with the M6 than with any of my (D)SLRs or mirrorless cameras mostly due to seeing around and outside the framelines. + Focusing: Coming from (D)SLR and mirrorless, I needed first to get used to focus on the small focus rectangle in the middle of the frame - of course I overlooked it a few times in the beginning and forgot to focus accurately, but lesson learned! I am using my M6 mostly between 21 and 50 mm focal length - the focusing is very precise and indeed faster compared to using the same M lenses on my mirrorless Sony A7R body where it takes me longer to focus with the magnification tool in EVF. + Use of color filters for B&W photography: something which really annoyed me with SLRs and mirrorless cameras that I had to look through the lens with a dark yellow or red filter attached or remove the filter first, compose, and then re-attach the filter. With the rangefinder camera, it doesn't make a difference, I only see the difference in the exposure value. The viewfinder stays clear as always. For B&W film photography, this is a huge advantage! + Overall camera size: The M6 with M lenses is a very inconspicuous looking setup. During my shootings with this camera, only very few people asked me about the camera but more in the context of shooting film. The camera blends well in and does make it look like a P&S camera. + Built style of the M6: It is extremely well built. I like the full metal body with limited amount of plastic parts. Well balanced weight-wise with my M lenses, too. + Very silent shutter: at least compared to all of my other cameras which all have a mechanical shutter. Adds nicely to the silent and inconspicuous work possible with this camera. + External viewfinder: some might rather add this point into the cons section, but I see it as a positive for me so far. I am often using my 21 mm lens on the M6, so I bought the newer Voigtlander 21/25 external viewfinder. It is very bright, allows quite accurate composition. I even use the 21/25 external viewfinder with my CV 12/5.6 lens - using the hard borders of the viewfinder instead of the 21 mm frame lines, gives by accident exactly the view of the 12 mm lens. I got very quickly used to focus and expose through the regular camera viewfinder and then compose by looking through the external viewfinder. In dim light, the bright 21/25 viewfinder is really an advantage. + Film frame exposures: Since everything is done manually, I was always able to get 38-39 frames with a commercial 36 exposure film. Not bad! + No battery changes: sure, at some point the batteries also need to be changed to allow the light meter to function, but compared to my other digital cameras this is nothing. No need to be afraid to have Li batteries drained quickly in the cold etc.....you simply shoot and shoot with the M6. CONS (not only M6 related but also M rangefinder in general): - Comparing the film roll insertion with my older Canon FTb SLR, it still takes me longer to do this with the M6. I find the tricky part is to get the film straight laid out from left to right after it is inserted. The manual states that the user shouldn't be too picky about this, so I once added the film more quickly without doing those precautions. After I developed the film, the first three frames had a slight diagonally angled bent because the film wasn't winded straight between cassette and roller. Nevertheless, the film was moved correctly, so the rolling mechanics worked reliably as promised. But I still find the film change harder to do with the M6 compared to my film SLR cameras - especially in the field. I might simply need more time to get fully used to this. - I am often rolling my own film from a 100 feet roll which means that I have to precut the corner of the film to make it work with the roller mechanism. Here the M6 is a bit picky I found - if I cut the edge too much or too less, the camera didn't wind the film correctly from the beginning. After some try and error I found now the "best" size for the film cutout, now it works smoothly. - A stupid error, but it still happened to me several times - leaving the lens cap on the lens and not realizing that it was still on. You get the idea if the light meter always shows an underexposure... . As (D)SLR/mirrorless user, I am so used to look through the lens directly. - Using polarizer filter: Tricky but workable. I adjusted to imagine the desired effect with the polarizer filter by turning it into a position where the camera light meter shows a 1 stop underexposure (fully closed polarizer). Then the effect is strongest, by turning the filter a bit out of this position, I got the desired moderate polarizer effect in the photo. - The rangefinder patch blank-out: In another post here I described my homemade solution to overcome this issue. I personally found it quite annoying when the focus rectangle suddenly shifted into a reddish color in the viewfinder and focusing was blanked out. You need to compose into another area and recompose, or roll the camera to make it work again. - Fingerprints: again something simple but worthwhile mentioning. I normally grab the camera on the top when I take it out of my camera bag. On the M6, I often directly touch with my finger(s) the viewfinder window on the upper left camera side. The rangefinder view is very sensitive to smudge on this window. I got used to always carry a clean microfiber cloth with me to clean this window if needed. - Dual/multiple exposure: I got it to work with the M6, but it is a fairly cumbersome procedure, and you will lose about two frames before and after the double exposure to allow for the correct film winding. And even then, it is sort of luck to overlay two frames fairly accurately onto each other. I only tested this once so far and maybe it is getting better by doing it more often. I really enjoy my rangefinder experience so far! Down to the basics and makes me more to focus just on the compositional aspect. Would you agree - what was your experience with the M6 (and maybe other M cameras according to the context above)? Martin

On March 20'th i will be in a country where Total Solar Eclipse will occur for two minutes, where it will be "peaking" at 9:41 AM local time. I think i already now know the scenery/landscape where i will be, but i'm wondering how to protect the camera from damage, since i did read somewhere that you should be very careful and not stare at the sun. This leads me to think, if the sun is so strong, that it can damage my eyes the two minutes - the lengt of the total solar eclipse - could it also damage my camera as well? I will most likely be on a mountain, some 20 meters above a flat surface where 600-800 people will gater for the eclipse. All the people will be in the front of the image, with the sun above them, and some mountains surrounding all the scenery. My M6 will be on a tripod with a Summicron 35 ASPH and i will try to shoot two rolls during the two minutes. 1. Should i protect my camera from the direct sunlight? If yes, how? [Corrected: Should i avoid having the sun directly in my frame?] 2. Do you have any suggested settings, i maybe should prefer? 3. Which film would you prefer? Maybe some strange questions, but since a total solar eclipse is also strange for me, it explains my questions

I'm about to start a project where i will use my Leica gear (M6 and a 35 mm ASPH Summicron) extensively each and every day under different circumstances and changing weather conditions for a half year or so. I'm not anal about my equipment since it's been bought to use. I just want to protect it in the best way, since it's gonna be exposed to heavy use. I'm gonna try to minimize the use in heavy rain and snow. The one thing, i'm most concerned about is how it's gonna react and cope with changing weather conditions, changing humidity and changing temperature, which i imagine could result in condensation. How can i protect it from condensation, on days where it's travelling in and out, from - let's say - minus 5 or plus 10 degrees Celsius, with a humidity over 80%, and inside to plus 20 degrees Celsius, and the other way around several times each day? Yes, it's gonna be protected in a bag under the most severe conditions, but my concern is condensation, as a result from changing temperatures and changing humidity.

Street vendors in Toronto's Chinatown

Hi allerseits Bin ganz frisch im Forum und habe eine Frage: Ich habe die Gelegenheit ein 50er elmar-m (Baujahr1996) für meine m6ttl zu knapp 500eur zu kriegen. Konnte es neulich bei Bekannten ansehen und die Gläser sind Top (innen wie aussen) und gebrauchsspuren sieht man auch kaum. Zwei Dinge sind mir aufgefallen, die ich seltsam fand und bei denen ich auf Hilfe hoffe, wenn jemand das objektiv kennt. 1. Der blendenring hat etwas Spiel - aber nicht rechts-Links sondern minimal vor- und zurück. 2. Der versenkbare Anteil lässt sich im eingeschobenen Zustand komplett rundum drehen - also wenn er sich verdreht schaut die blendenskala auch mal nach unten. ich dachte, dass sei bei der neuen Version nicht möglich, weiss aber ehrlich gesagt nicht woher ich die Meinung habe. Bitte um kurze Info, wenn sich jemand auskennt. Ps an der m6 gibt es keine Einschränkungen hinsichtlich der Versenkung, oder? Gruss Markus

I already posted some of these in the Film and Mountains thread but I figured they might be worthy of an own thread. Taken on Portra 160 with a Leica M6 + 35mm Summicron IV

Hallo, ich habe heute feststellen müssen, dass sich auf den Linsen meines Summicrons in Moiree-förmiger Fehler befindet. Der Fehler ist neu, es sind weder Schmutz noch Kratzer auf Front- und Rücklinse. Auf meinem letzten Film hatte ich das Muster auf einem Bild mit Gegenlicht entdeckt und mich sehr darüber gewundert. Ich bin mir keiner Schuld bewusst. Kann mir jemand weiterhelfen?? Auf den angefügten Bildern sollte man den Fehler sehen, scheinbar befindet er sich irgendwo hinter der Blende, und nein, es ist kein Lichtreflex. Vielen Dank Ludwig

Hi, I'm new on this forum and wanted to know how much it could cost to change the top plate of my M6 (because of scratches on it)? In fact, I want to know if it's worth doing it.

I was taking pictures in an old district of Changsha China, which will be demolished by the city Government for building new high-rise buildings soon. I met this lovely old lady who told me a lot of stories about this old district which existed for more than 130 years. She once asked me if there is anyone living in the sky since people can fly now. An adorable old lady. Taken by Leica M6 with 35mm summicron (6 ele) on Fuji RVP.

I need a little help here, I inherited my fathers Pentak and Leica camera - M8 (used) and M6 (never used) with lenses and accessories. I am thinking of keeping one of the cameras to take pictures of my kids, ie. Sports, vacations and general pictures. My limited experience with cameras are my Iphone 4 and $100 Nikon, Kodak, and Sony pocket cameras. What would make the best camera for my needs and abilities - please consider I am willing to learn how to use the camera! Any help would be appreciated. Leica Summaron 1:2.8/35 Leitz Wetzlar Lens Leica M8 Leica Summicron – M 1:2/35 ASPH E39 Lens Leitz Wetzlar Elmar 1:4/135 Leica 1:2.8/28 mm ASPH Leica 1:2/75 mm ASPH Leica 1:4/90 mm Leica macro-adapter-M Leica SF 24D Flash Leica Elmar-M 1:2.8/50 Leitz Camera tripod Leica M6 Green Pentax K20D No lenses Pentax K10D No lenses Doug Cain

I have just posted a new blog post at https://gerrywalden.wordpress.com/2016/09/05/just-one-roll-of-film/ which sabot a roll of film I shot in 2003 using a Leica M6 and (I think) a Summicron f2. It features 9 images in mono of a Mela in Southampton. Please take a look. Gerry

I took this on a visit to the Forbidden City in Beijing in 1998 and this is a scan from the original Velvia transparency. I used a Leica M6 back then, and this was probably taken with the 50mm Summicron f2 but I have no exposure details. It forms part of a gallery of Beijing images in a gallery which I am gradually adding to and can be viewed at http://archive.gwpics.com/gallery/Beijing-1998/G00001zr0M27_Rk4 Thanks for looking. Gerry

Photo taken with my Leica M6 and Kodak Tri-X 400 film using the Leica 50/2 Summicron-M lens. The film was developed with Kodak D76. The negatives were digitized by photographing with Sony A7R and Sigma 105/2.8 macro lens. Post processing with B&W and channel inversion plus slight contrast adjustment.

One of my first photos taken with my Leica M6 and Kodak Tri-X 400 film using the Leica 50/2 Summicron-M lens. The film was developed with Kodak D76. The negatives were digitized by photographing with Sony A7R and Sigma 105/2.8 macro lens. Post processing with B&W and channel inversion plus slight contrast adjustment.

Hello all, Just want to introduce myself - I am doing photography since 1985. As the headline states, I grew up in Germany but live for professional reasons not related to photography since 2005 permanently in the US. I just recently acquired my first Leica camera - the Leica M6 since I always wanted to have a fully mechanic reliable camera including a light meter. I want to do B&W film photography with this camera since I still develop my own film and use my darkroom to make silver gelatin prints both from digital files (using homemade digital negatives) and from film negatives. My style is predominantly landscape and fine art photography combined with B&W converted infrared photography. This said, I am also using digital cameras in parallel to film cameras. For infrared, I am currently using a converted Canon 5D MkII full frame DSLR with 715 nm cutoff filter, for digital landscape/macro/fine art work I am using a Sony A7R - predominantly with Leica and Voigtlander lenses plus adapter. I am not fixed to just one brand regarding photo gear and simply use what I consider best for my needs. I am looking forward to share photos and experience regarding Leica cameras and M mount lenses. Martin

Hallo Community, Ich habe eine Frage zu der Funktionsweise einer Leica M6. Nach meiner Information verfügt die M6 über eine Elektronisch betriebene Lichtwaage, die Anzeigt ob die Belichtungszeit richtig gewählt wurde. Wann wird diese Anzeige Aktiv? Muss ich dafür den Auslöser halb durchdrücken? Ich stelle es mir relativ kompliziert vor, den Auslöser gedrückt zu halten während ich versuche das Belichtungsrad zu drehen (mit einer Hand) Währe nett wenn mich jemand aufklären würde.

The Steeple of Ascona, Ticino M6, Ektachrome E200, 2006