buranca Posted October 10, 2011 Share #21 Posted October 10, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Mine is a '91 black chrome and the body is truly mint. No marks, no zincfass. However, the bottom right corner of the barn door has the slightest (5mm) zone of "eruption." The finish is intact and not particularly obvious. Being a '91, I assume my barn door came from the parts bin as stocks of the compromised parts were being depleted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 10, 2011 Posted October 10, 2011 Hi buranca, Take a look here Leica MP vs M6. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Allen in Montreal Posted October 10, 2011 Share #22 Posted October 10, 2011 I have had 3 M6s over 25 years or so, I have seen hundreds of M6s over that period and have never seen a single camera that suffered this in real time. I don't think it is realistic to banish one of the greatest 35mm film cameras ever made for what amounts to "in some slight cases". It would be interesting to see what are the parameters that have led to this. Was it one batch of Chrome M6? Does location and humidity have anything to do with these case etc etc. As Earl mentions, the MP has the advantage of the improved viewfinder. The M6 Classic is after all, one of the all time classics! :) People freak out because the MP(lastic) has a plastic part in it. But the M6' Zinc top plate is always overlooked and yet it's a shame.Let me tell you the Zinc Top plate is the biggest Leica shame ever! And it's absolutely the ugliest thing when it starts to bubble. Skip the M6 at all cost. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted October 10, 2011 Share #23 Posted October 10, 2011 I've had a black-chrome M6 since new and both chrome and black R4 (also with zinc covers and notorious for corrosion) - and all still look like new. But as a collector I appreciate all the bad-mouthing about these problems, as it keeps the prices for buyers lower! (I've never sold a Leica, so I don't worry about resale...) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted October 10, 2011 Share #24 Posted October 10, 2011 Zinc alloy: cheap cost-cutting material. Leica shame. Don't drop your M6 or you'll end up with a cracked open camera versus a simple and easily fixable dent if it was Brass. In Leica terms, Zinc was a shame. But feel free to buy and love all the M6 you run across. It's your money, it's your Leica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted October 10, 2011 Share #25 Posted October 10, 2011 Don't drop your M6 or you'll end up with a cracked open camera versus a simple and easily fixable dent if it was Brass. I haven't dropped it in the 26 years I've been using it, or my M4 or SL in the 42 years I've been using them, or my M3 or IIIf, or... So I will keep using and enjoying them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted October 10, 2011 Share #26 Posted October 10, 2011 I haven't dropped it in the 26 years I've been using it, or my M4 or SL in the 42 years I've been using them, or my M3 or IIIf, or... So I will keep using and enjoying them. I can agree with most of you about the M6. But in the Leica world where minuscule meaningless plastic parts are met with indignation, I though it would only be right to point out the Zinc material. This is why, to me, the M6 is at the very bottom of the Leica line. Also, this is why I adore the M5. Engineering at the highest level with no cost-cutting measures. A true Leica in every cubic millimeter and Oozing the Spirit of Excellence. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted October 10, 2011 Share #27 Posted October 10, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Also, this is why I adore the M5. Engineering at the highest level with no cost-cutting measures. A true Leica in every cubic millimeter and Oozing the Spirit of Excellence. Fully agree on the M5! Mine has been out for minor repair (ASA dial issue) for some time, but it ranks on top of my list. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronan Posted October 10, 2011 Share #28 Posted October 10, 2011 I can agree with most of you about the M6. But in the Leica world where minuscule meaningless plastic parts are met with indignation, I though it would only be right to point out the Zinc material. This is why, to me, the M6 is at the very bottom of the Leica line. Also, this is why I adore the M5. Engineering at the highest level with no cost-cutting measures. A true Leica in every cubic millimeter and Oozing the Spirit of Excellence. $5000 Leica using plastic part(s) that are cheaply made VS $1200 M6 using Zinc that might get zincpest. Maybe we should all be shooting M3's Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted October 10, 2011 Share #29 Posted October 10, 2011 Imaginary figures just to get a point across can't be serious. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted October 10, 2011 Share #30 Posted October 10, 2011 Without apologies, I have owned at least one of every pedestrian M model Leica has made, excepting the ones without rangefinders (M1, MD, MDa). My MP had a giant gap behind the eye piece where dust and crap would get in, until finally I read on the internet how to seal it up with silicone (that was before Leica admitted there was an issue and started sealing them for free). Later MPs I guess don't have that issue. I liked the fact the MP meter had the center diode in addition to the arrows, although it was pretty minor. The M6 method of lighting both arrows is not that much less positive. I disliked the MP's rewind knob intensely, but refused to give them another $175 for the add-on crank. I never had trouble with the M6 rangefinder patch whiting-out, but the MP is fairly well rid of that issue. As I understand it, the independent repair folks can nowadays retrofit a part into the M6 that cures it, for far less money than the difference to an MP. My M6 and MP were both silver chrome, and I had no finish wear on either. If I was looking to choose today between these two, I would go with an M6. Even plus the cost of a DAG CLA, it would likely be far less than an MP. However I should mention that my remaining film Ms are M4s. Those happen to be my favorites of all the M models, despite having no meter. I've got restored MR4 top-mount meters and find they work nearly as well and quickly as the inbuilt meters. The fit, finish, parts and quality of the M4 (at least to me) appears above the later models including the MP. I've been told by the repair guys that internally the M4 was the last of the exquisite German quality Leica Ms. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sterlinstarlin Posted October 10, 2011 Share #31 Posted October 10, 2011 All of this talk about one M being better than the next M is a bit ridiculous. They're all great cameras. Some have advantages over others. The MP/M7 bodies offer the most and cost the most. I shoot at least 500 rolls per year with the M system. Most of it is done with an MP. The four M2s I've owned have all needed to be serviced at one time or another. My MP will eventually need to be serviced. I've known quite a few people who have had the finder in their M3 turn black. Seemed like a big deal to them... and yes the cameras required service. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted October 11, 2011 Share #32 Posted October 11, 2011 I've been told by the repair guys that internally the M4 was the last of the exquisite German quality Leica Ms. They obviously forgot the M5!! Who are those repair guys? What kind of expert can say things like that? Please don't tell me it's youxin ye. Another "expert" created by the internet. He flooded my old cameras with oil quite a few times. Almost ruined them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted October 11, 2011 Share #33 Posted October 11, 2011 You let someone flood a camera with oil more than once? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iphoenix Posted October 11, 2011 Share #34 Posted October 11, 2011 Without apologies, I have owned at least one of every pedestrian M model Leica has made, excepting the ones without rangefinders (M1, MD, MDa). I've been told by the repair guys that internally the M4 was the last of the exquisite German quality Leica Ms. I have an M1, M3, M4P, M6 and various Barnacks; nothing matches the M3 for quality and smoothness of operation. Next comes the M6, M1, and M4P last. However the M4P would beat the pants off my Canon and Nikon R/F cameras for quality and ease of use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronan Posted October 11, 2011 Share #35 Posted October 11, 2011 Imaginary figures just to get a point across can't be serious. Imaginary? Seriously? You ARE joking right!? Those figures were taken from current prices. Im guessing I'm missing the joke from your post or you are referring to someone else and forgot the quotes. I'd include links but iPhone is a pain to copy/paste. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted October 11, 2011 Share #36 Posted October 11, 2011 You let someone flood a camera with oil more than once? Incredible, yes! I sent him my M4P. Got it back completely clogged. He apologized and told me he couldn't find the oil he used to work with on the market anymore. Somekind of oil that watch repairmen use.He then supposedly re-cleaned my camera and relubed it. I sent him my camera 4 times. Speeds on the camera were all over the place. The bottom plate and the film pressure plate were constantly wet from oil. The smell was horrible. I soon realized that he was simply opening Leicas and spraying them with oil, no matter the problem. Oil would solve it. Soon, I started reading similar stories from a lot of people. But still, people kept on praising his 80$ CLAs with a 12hours turnaround. It basically goes like this: -Send him your Old Leica on monday, get it back on wednesday, stinking but happy with the "great service. -Post super praise on various forums and bitch on other techs that charge 250$. -2 months later you realize the slow speeds don't work. -Another 2 months later, all the speeds are gummed. -Send back the camera. He tells you the problem is somewhere else. 24 hours later it's shipped back, relubed. -Still doesn't work. Send the camera back. -He then proposes to switch parts with another camera he has in his shop (this is a very comon story). -You get back the camera and sell it on ebay ASAP in fear that it will stop working again, soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted October 11, 2011 Share #37 Posted October 11, 2011 Imaginary? Seriously? You ARE joking right!? Those figures were taken from current prices. Im guessing I'm missing the joke from your post or you are referring to someone else and forgot the quotes. I'd include links but iPhone is a pain to copy/paste. IMAGINARY, yes. I'm not sure if you're simply a 16 year old boy trying to be serious or an older guy joking around. But in all cases I will prove my point quite effectively. 1) If the prices you are talking about are real, then it simply says a lot about the buyers disliking the M6 and its Zinc plate, paying only 1200$ for it while accepting to pay 5000$ for a MP, a camera that's basically a M6 with a Brass top plate and painted instead of chromed (a 10$-or so difference in real life, according to your previous post). Ya know what I mean? 2) The problem with your flawed logic is that you are comparing USED prices of a camera that was manufactured in '84 with Erroneous NEW prices of a camera manufactured in 2011. For example, a M3 in 1956 was priced about the same price as a M6 Classic in 1984, which was priced about 3000$ in 2008 Dollars, which is just about the price that a Brand new MP was selling for in 2008. And besides, just for the record, I have no idea where you picked up the 5000$ price. And no, eBay HK cameras that sit unsold for years can't be counted Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted October 11, 2011 Share #38 Posted October 11, 2011 M6 zinc plate concerns are totally exaggerated. No problems at all, and the M6 just keeps on keeping on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted October 11, 2011 Share #39 Posted October 11, 2011 And besides, just for the record, I have no idea where you picked up the 5000$ price. It's the going rate for a new MP nowadays. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iphoenix Posted October 11, 2011 Share #40 Posted October 11, 2011 Incredible, yes! I sent him my M4P. Got it back completely clogged. He apologized and told me he couldn't find the oil he used to work with on the market anymore. Somekind of oil that watch repairmen use.He then supposedly re-cleaned my camera and relubed it. I sent him my camera 4 times. Speeds on the camera were all over the place. The bottom plate and the film pressure plate were constantly wet from oil. The smell was horrible. I soon realized that he was simply opening Leicas and spraying them with oil, no matter the problem. Oil would solve it. Soon, I started reading similar stories from a lot of people. But still, people kept on praising his 80$ CLAs with a 12hours turnaround. It basically goes like this: -Send him your Old Leica on monday, get it back on wednesday, stinking but happy with the "great service. -Post super praise on various forums and bitch on other techs that charge 250$. -2 months later you realize the slow speeds don't work. -Another 2 months later, all the speeds are gummed. -Send back the camera. He tells you the problem is somewhere else. 24 hours later it's shipped back, relubed. -Still doesn't work. Send the camera back. -He then proposes to switch parts with another camera he has in his shop (this is a very comon story). -You get back the camera and sell it on ebay ASAP in fear that it will stop working again, soon. That sounds like someone using WD40 or similar. That is frightening.:eek: (Also potentially illegal, depending on the description). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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