stephen.w Posted April 8, 2010 Share #1 Posted April 8, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi all, this is my first post in the film forum. I am thinking of buying a film M. I nearly bought a used M8 earlier this year, but in the end decided to rather get an X1. I didn’t like the idea of spending all that money on someone else’s 3-year old digital camera and neither my budget nor my photographic chops justified buying an M9. I am now trying to decide between buying a M6 or MP. I decided I should buy a mechanical camera, on account of there being less that can go wrong (?) I will be leaving Germany at the end of year for sunny South Africa, and even though there is a dealer and a service centre about 5 minutes’ drive from where I live in Cape Town, I would like to avoid the camera having to go to them or to Solms. I had more or less decided to buy a buy an M6 and preferably the TTL with a .85 finder, as there are lots around and I can easily find one for around €1000, but have read so many users raving about their MPs. I want to buy a camera that I will use and love for the rest of my life (I’m only 27). Is the MP worth the extra cash, or should I stick to the M6 and put the rest towards another lens? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 8, 2010 Posted April 8, 2010 Hi stephen.w, Take a look here Noob question: MP or M6?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
peter_n Posted April 8, 2010 Share #2 Posted April 8, 2010 Go in to a dealer and try both cameras for yourself, you may find you prefer the handling of one over the other. The top controls are different and only you know what you might like. I've used both and both are great, I have no real preference. I like reliability in cameras and for some reason think that newer cameras may be better if only because they're newer, so I use MPs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted April 8, 2010 Share #3 Posted April 8, 2010 I'd get an M6 with a clean bill of health and pocket the difference. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted April 8, 2010 Share #4 Posted April 8, 2010 If for some reason I was starting again from scratch I would go for an MP3 .85 Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbretteville Posted April 8, 2010 Share #5 Posted April 8, 2010 The differences in operation between an M6 and an MP can't be very different. The M6 classic has the same shutter speed dial as the MP, the M6TTL's dial is bigger and runs the other way. The rewind knob on the MP is different from the angled rewind crank of the M6. The meter in the MP is a little more sensitive than the on in the M6 and the led read-out differs a little. The finder in the MP is improved over the one in both M6 models, but the upgrade can be installed in an M6 if you are bothered by RF-patch white-out (I had min upgraded last year). AFAIK that is about the technical difference between the two. In addition you have TTL flash metering in the M6TTL and not in the other two. Biggest difference is look and price. If you like the look of an MP and M3 is always an option. If you do buy a body that 20+ year old you may want to have the camera serviced (Clean, Lubricate, Adjust - CLA) and add that cost to the equation when you decide. Good luck and enjoy! Carl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xmas Posted April 8, 2010 Share #6 Posted April 8, 2010 Hi Try an M2, MP, and M6 classic then make choice, or if you are a 5cm person, a M3 instead of M2, the brass gears of the M2 and M3.are nice. A beaten up M2 or M3 is cheap, a collector M2 or M3 is cheaper than a MP. Noel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym911 Posted April 8, 2010 Share #7 Posted April 8, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) M6 Classic is a joy and can do the same images as the MP....a no brainer, take the M6 classic and forget the MP BS:D andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndjambrose Posted April 8, 2010 Share #8 Posted April 8, 2010 An M6 is perhaps 90% the same as an MP. But that last 10% is pretty special .... I've had both. I sold the M6 and kept the MP. The differences were important to me, but whether they're important to you I don't know. There's no substitute for trying one out. Dealer demo, perhaps? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrewer Posted April 8, 2010 Share #9 Posted April 8, 2010 Go with the MP You'll never regret it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dk_samurai Posted April 9, 2010 Share #10 Posted April 9, 2010 I'm 24, and I also wanted a camera for life and had decided on the MP. However, I couldn't decide on either 0.58 or 0.72 á la carte black chrome MP. So I bought a black paint standard MP to try out for a while and the plan was to sell it later and then order an á la carte when I knew for certain which finder magnification I preferred. Well, thing is I got a great deal on the used MP, and I feel that the sale was very personal. I can't part from this MP... I just can't. I'll have to get the á la carte one day in the future when I'm done with my studies. There's lots of money to be saved in used gear. To hell with the cosmetic looks, they're just tools anyway. In the many years the previous owner had my MP, hardly any brassing showed. After 4 months I've already banged it around and "applied" more brassing... Think you can make up your mind by holding a few different cameras for a short while at your dealer? Get a cheap banged up M6 (it has internal lightmeter... or get an M5), use it and learn from your own experience what you value in an Leica M camera, then go buy the exact camera you want. /David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
4X5B&W Posted April 9, 2010 Share #11 Posted April 9, 2010 I have a mint condition M6 Wetzlar, had in CLA'd and upgraded with the MP finder mod. and it is as sweet as can be. I have handled a number of MP's and can't say I have been tempted by any of them. My M6 just feels smoother, and does everything I will ever need in a film M body. However I could be tempted by a MP3 though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheewai_m6 Posted April 9, 2010 Share #12 Posted April 9, 2010 i'm not seeing how this thread can help you decide. there are so many opinions. i'd personally go with the mp. it's mechanical perfection. but i have an m6 classic which is also awesome. i'd go with mp because of its traditional theme. plus black paint, what a treat! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen.w Posted April 9, 2010 Author Share #13 Posted April 9, 2010 Thank you all for your help! I just thought I'd check and see whether there was something obvious that I was missing. As most of you have said, there is no substitute for personally handling each camera and seeing which I prefer. I'll try and make a turn past my Leica dealer later today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted April 9, 2010 Share #14 Posted April 9, 2010 Differences between M's are subtle but possibly important. I never liked the framelines in the M3 and didn't get on with it, but I love my M2. I've handled an M6 but really didn't like the film advance lever - that swinging plastic tip - it just felt all wrong to me, I'd have to change it for the solid metal one. In a nutshell, any M is great, but you need to decide which is best for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted April 9, 2010 Share #15 Posted April 9, 2010 M6 seems to be a good buy nowadays, in term of price : don't forget the LENSES... ... given a certain budget any amount saved on body can be transferred to the lens set : this can be a factor about M6 vs. MP choice. Others have pointed on the classics like M2/3... and I add M4 for it's MY film Leica... : seriously to consider because their feeling (and maybe mechanics, indeed) has really something unpaired in the later Ms : BUT, you have also to consider seriously what means, for YOU, not to have an embedded (TTL) meter : not any people like to have an external meter, and with film is a must have in lot of photo situations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_n Posted April 9, 2010 Share #16 Posted April 9, 2010 I'll try and make a turn past my Leica dealer later today.Tell us how you fared. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen.w Posted April 9, 2010 Author Share #17 Posted April 9, 2010 I think that it's going to be an M6 classic. The dealer has one in chrome witht a standard .72x finder, in A condition, previously owned by 'a little old man' (no kidding) going for 1000 Euros. They also have a 28mm Elmarit, in A- condition for the same price, which, if I get the camera, will probably be my first lens. Thank you all again for your input! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_n Posted April 9, 2010 Share #18 Posted April 9, 2010 Great! Nothing like trying out something for yourself. And the Elmarit 28 sounds good too... Congrats and I'm sure you'll love your new purchase! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted April 9, 2010 Share #19 Posted April 9, 2010 I think that it's going to be an M6 classic. The dealer has one in chrome witht a standard .72x finder, in A condition, previously owned by 'a little old man' (no kidding) going for 1000 Euros. They also have a 28mm Elmarit, in A- condition for the same price, which, if I get the camera, will probably be my first lens. Thank you all again for your input! Good good good... find and buy whatever Elmar 50 (cheap) and will be 100% happy ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driver8 Posted April 12, 2010 Share #20 Posted April 12, 2010 Hi I want to buy a camera that I will use and love for the rest of my life (I’m only 27). Is the MP worth the extra cash, or should I stick to the M6 and put the rest towards another lens? I own an M6 classic (.72) and a chrome MP (.58). Since I got the MP in 2007, I shoot the MP 100 percent of the time and the M6 sits in the desk as back-up. This is mostly due to the .58 finder, which I love, but the MP stands ahead of the M6 in three ways: (1) it feels a little more solid; (2) the winder is a little more smoother; (3) the viewfinder is a little more brighter. Oh yeah - another reason - while some people hate it, I prefer the old-style rewind crank on the MP. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.