M6, .72 or .85?

[wyan]

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Tough choice. 75/1.4 is the reason I am going Leica M and 35 is my favorite focus length.

 

Most probably I will end up with 3 lenses and 3 lenses only -- 75/1.4, the magic lens that draws me to Leica M, a fourth generation 35/2 Pre-ASPH, my future walk-around, and a 21/3.4 SA (I guess this is a very classic choice as well). Now I only want to buy one M6 body. Which one shall I pick? .72 or .85?

 

With .85, I have a dedicated frameline for 75/1.4 and also increased focus accuracy due to larger magnification. But then the 35 frameline is hard to see, especially I wear glasses. Will those viewfinder magnifiers on ebay help?

 

eBay: 1.25x 0.85x Viewfinder Magnifier for Leica M6/M7/MP/M8 (item 200080584769 end time Feb-27-07 07:07:55 PST)

 

Thanks a lot.

[Photoskeptic]

If you use a 1.25 magnifier with a 35, it will fill the entire viewfinder. I just checked it on my M4 The magnifier works for 50 and longer lenses on a .72.

[cbretteville]

Better to get a .72 and attach the magnifier when you need it. Take it off when using shorter focals like a 35mm. Off cause if you'll be using the 75 more than the 35, the get a .85 and use a reducer for the 35mm lines. A .72 body should be easier to find too.

[wyan]

Thanks for the input so far. 35/2 the walk-around which means it will be used a lot. 75/1.4 will be a devoted lens which means it will be on the camera all the time during those dedicated moments. I am going to use M6 for personal instead of professional purpose.

 

How about buying .85 and a Voigtlander Brightline viewfinder for 35mm?

 

Thanks again.

[likea]

I've got the .85 on my M6 (.58 on an MP and .72 on an M7) and love it. It's versatile and easy to use. It's really the best combination. No trouble focusing; forget about the magnifier unless you struggle with focusing or have major vision problems.

[wyan]

I've got the .85 on my M6 (.58 on an MP and .72 on an M7) and love it. It's versatile and easy to use. It's really the best combination. No trouble focusing; forget about the magnifier unless you struggle with focusing or have major vision problems.

 

Thanks, Likea. How do you handle 35mm or 28mm lens then? Do you find a seperate viewfinder for them handy? I am leaning towards .85 also.

[wyan]

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I've got the .85 on my M6 (.58 on an MP and .72 on an M7) and love it. It's versatile and easy to use. It's really the best combination. No trouble focusing; forget about the magnifier unless you struggle with focusing or have major vision problems.

 

Sorry didn't read your post carefully. Can only afford one film M body now.

[Guest Bastian A.]

if you need glasses, the 0,58 viewfinder would be perfect for 35mm - and for 75mm you take the 1,25 magnifier.

0,58 for 35mm: the best choice. 0,58*1,25 = 0,72 for 75mm: good enough.

 

i wear glasses and my m6 ttl 0,58 with 1,4/35 is a great combination.

 

b.

[think]

I use 2 M6TTL bodies (a .72 and a .85) and the Summilux 75mm is my 2nd most used lens. 50mm is my preferred FL.

 

I tend to keep HP5 or TriX in one body and Kodachrome in the other so my lenses move around a lot. I prefer the 50/75 of the .85 finder and since I don't wear glasses (yet) the 35 lines are functional for me. I couldn't get used to the reduced size of the 50/75 frames on my .72 so I bought the HKS 1.25 mag eyepiece. It lives on the .72 unless I put a 28 or 25mm on.

 

I'm not a big fan of external BL finders, but am forced to use them at times with wides on the .85 body.

 

I actually bought a 2nd 1.25 VF mag from HKS to use with the 75mm and 90mm on the .85 body. Using it pushes the 50 lines out to the periphery of the finder and makes the 75mm even more of a pleasure to use.

 

So the short of it is...if 75mm is your primary FL using a .85 body is great (the 1.25 makes it even more so). As suggested above you can get a VF reducer in addition the the VF mag to make the .85's 35mm FL's more accessible.

[Jean-Michel Komarnicki]

Well, it really doesn't matter: there is always a way to frame and focus properly. I wear glasses; in order not to scratch my eyeglass lenses I glued rubber washers around the eye pieces of my M3, M4 and M6 (.72). With the M3 I learned to do a bobbing circle with my face in order to see the framed image. My 35 Summicron is the one with eyes and it works best on my M4 and M6. The M3 is pretty much relegated to occasional use with a 135 Elmarit (with eyes) and that makes for a perfect combination when a 135 is needed. Using a newer 35, without eyes, on my M4 and M6 would be a bit of a pain. My 35 was manufactured in 1960, I am sure that with the use of a loupe on prints, or comparing high resolution scans from a new asperical lens would show it to be minimally lacking - and I might part with cash for a new one, but only if it had eyes, a rather unlikely posiblility. All that verbiage to say that a .72 finder will work just fine.

Enjoy photographing!

Jean-Michel

[robsteve]

With .85, I have a dedicated frameline for 75/1.4 and also increased focus accuracy due to larger magnification. But then the 35 frameline is hard to see, especially I wear glasses. Will those viewfinder magnifiers on ebay help?

 

I might be misunderstanding you, but the .85 has the same 75mm framelines inside the 50mm frames like the .72 has.

 

Unless you wear huge glasses, the ,85 will be fine with the 35mm and longer lenses.