How to shoot my new M6

[vcs700s]

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I just bought a beautiful, black M6 and have mounted my Leica Summarit 35 2.5 lens to it.

 

I also have an M8 that I shoot in AP but can't do that with this camera.

 

I am using ISO 400 B&W film so the ISO is set.

 

Normally I would set my aperture and then shutter speed. Obviously I have to focus too.

 

Can someone give me some insight into the best way to approach the M6? I know it is going to be a challenge and I look forward to it but I could use some guidance on how to get a system down to speed up the process of taking the pic.

 

I do a lot of street photography if that helps. Not exclusively but I do want to use the M6 for that too.

 

Some expert insight to this great camera would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

[earleygallery]

Well you probably know that the meter in the M6 reads light differently to the M8/9 and is more of a 'fat spotmeter'.

 

You need to practice, basically, but you don't need to take a new reading for every photo if the light remains constant.

 

When I'm doing street with my M2 or lllf for example, I generally take an incident reading (with a hand held meter) and know instinctively when to open/close a stop or two as the light changes or I move from light into shade, without needing to revert to the meter each time.

 

Google 'sunny 16' and have a read-up on that method. It's useful to know.

[MT710]

Congratulations on the M6

 

I'd follow what Earlygallery says and what I sometimes do is point to an area that I consider 18% grey (eg. street/ground) for my puposes, get one reading and correct by gut feel, and every now and then I get a new reading.

Depending on the film, there is a lot of latitude, so I would not worry too much, Since I have my M2, I start to find the lightmeter in the M6 finder somewhat irritating.

 

Initially I was very concerned about the errors I would make, but I have not lost many shots because of messed up exposure. I have lost more due to fiddling with half-stops.

 

Michael

[TomB_tx]

The M6 and 35 Summarit should be an excellent combination. I bought my M6 when they first came out, and have used it primarily with a 35 Summicron for decades.

I agree not to be too concerned with fine-tuning exposure on every shot. I also meter when I enter an area to get a general setting, so if a "snap-shot" instant happens it is ready to go.

The freedom to NOT meter every shot is one reason I like to use and M3 or M4 which don't have an internal meter - but you don't have to let the M6 meter nag you all the time. The "center spot" is handy once you learn to find an area in the scene that should average "grey" tone to meter.

I also generally fine-tune the aperture, not shutter speed when needed. Remember, on the original M6 the shutter speed dial turns opposite the direction the meter arrows seem to suggest, while the aperture moves in the same direction as the meter arrows to set the exposure.

[jip]

I've got the M6TTL 0.85 and it basically is my first film camera ever (I'm young) I use it mainly with the 50mm Summicron-M and I usually, like the others have said, meter on the ground or somewhere equally lit. Then when I move into the shadow add a stop, or vice versa.

 

I normally use Kodak TRI-X 400 for B&W and Kodak PORTRA 400 for colour. I find that these films are nice for my use and they have a wide exposure latitude.

 

Picture #1

Leica M6TTL 0.85 Kodak Portra 400 with Summicron-M 50mm

Picture #2

Leica M6TTL 0.85 Kodak TRI-X 400 with Elmarit-M 90mm

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[hepcat]

"Sunny 16" will do everything you need done. If the conditions are difficult, use the meter once and make calculations in your head about how to change it (Zone System.) Modern films have enough latitude to cover exposure if you're close, and "Sunny 16" will get you close. VERY close. I shoot an M4-P and have never had a metered Leica body until the M8. Actually my M4-P came with an MR-4 meter and I sold it because it's just too slow and cumbersome.

[Jerren]

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Are you asking how to approach using it in the sense of not having aperture priority mode? You have to know what you want your exposure to do creatively. Do you want moving elements, to be blurred, are you shooting a subject against a wall, are you shooting people on the street as they walk by? All would require a different exposure to creatively accomplish what you are looking for.

 

I guess I don't under stand your question completely and what exactly are you looking for. The physics of photography remains the same, No matter if its your M8 or your m6.

[gberger]

You might want to invest in a Sekonic 308S meter. It's an excellent incident meter and switches to reflective with a flip of your finger. Uses one AA alkaline battery for power. Fits in your shirt pocket. Good investment for both digital and film.

 

After you use the M6 for a while, you'll be tempted to try color.

[vcs700s]

You might want to invest in a Sekonic 308S meter. It's an excellent incident meter and switches to reflective with a flip of your finger. Uses one AA alkaline battery for power. Fits in your shirt pocket. Good investment for both digital and film.

 

After you use the M6 for a while, you'll be tempted to try color.

 

I have been using a light meter app on my iPhone. I compared it today to the M6's and it seems to be right on. It also measures reflective and incident light.

 

Thanks for your suggestion.

[Guest Ansel_Adams]

The manual is actually very good and explains it all

[250swb]

Just put a film in and have a go. It is the quickest and most effective thing to move forward, because ultimately what you do and how you do it really depends on what you want and what you want to do.

 

The full control with B&W film is to process it yourself, and then you can say 'I like the photographs of x, how do I get close to that?'. But if you don't know yet what you want just put a roll of Ilford XP2 in and get it processed at the local lab. You bought a fine camera, it doesn't really need instructions, just a vision.

 

Steve

[vcs700s]

I appreciate all the input. I guess the main difference is that I have to deal with the aperture on the fly as the M6 does not have aperture priority.

 

When I shoot on the street I rarely look through the viewfinder. I usually shoot from the hip. I am very familiar with the Sunny 16 rule which I employ and find to be very accurate. I will now have to add the zone system to the mix.

 

As I stated earlier I have compared the lightmeter in my iPhone 5 to the meter in the M6 and they are identical which will help in the future.

 

Again, this forum has been a huge blessing as I bought my first Leica in the beginning of the year. Now I am on #4 and counting. I think this will be it for awhile . . . although an M-E would be nice too.:-)

 

Thanks again.

[Guest Ansel_Adams]

I am sure you will be fine. Good luck.

[vcs700s]

I am sure you will be fine. Good luck.

 

Thanks. I haven't shot film since the mid 70's. I put two rolls through a cheap Yashica in the last couple of weeks and they came out really nice.

 

I can't wait to shoot with the M6. Great camera and lens.

 

I love a challenge. Looking forward to it!

 

Thanks for all the help.

[raytoei]

hi,

 

recently i went to do some travel street snapshots,

i brought my m4 with a summaron 35/f2.8 and a VC II meter

with iso 400 film.

 

What I did was to fix the aperture at f8, use hyperfocal focusing

so that from 2.5m onwards it to infinity would be in focus.

 

I then only needed to worry about shutter speed to get the correct

exposure.

 

I used a base of 1/500 and f8 as the base exposure. And then

adjusted the shutter speed based on brightness. No need to focus or

change aperture, just change shutter speed.

 

In the covered areas, it would be base +2EV or 1/125 and in the

bright bazaar, i would alternate between 1/500 or 1/1000.

 

Here are 2 pics from my iran street snaps:

 

 

 

 

raytoei

[CalArts 99]

Just a recommendation, but if you use a metering device (either iPhone, handheld meter, or in-camera meter) be sure to spend a few extra seconds to mentally record the scene and the settings. If you just read off the device and do what it says, then you'll become dependent on it and not learn to mentally know what the exposure should be for a given scene. Plus a meter is simply a 'suggestion' type of device, you need to make the final decision based on how you want the image to appear in the end.

 

fwiw, I've been using a Leica M since I was 14 and my first one had no meter. I didn't have any extra money to buy a meter at the time and was forced to learn exposure on my own with a lot of trial and error. When I did get a meter I discovered that I could pretty well guess correctly the exposure needed for all scenes I encountered. To use the M quickly, I normally set a shutter speed that I need (for handheld work) and then simply adjust aperture as needed for proper exposure. If I want to use a specific aperture then I can change the aperture ring with my left hand fingers while switching the shutter speed dial appropriately with each change in aperture with my right hand fingers. And all at the same time and while still holding the camera and looking through the viewfinder (my left palm cradles the camera's base.) The more you use your camera, it will all get more intuitive and much faster. I think you'll find that you can be very quick with the M.

 

These days I'll use my M6 without a battery (it works more like my older M4 that way.) I also use E-6 film for 95% of color work. I find that all modern film emulsions are quite forgiving with exposure latitude, even with the current E-6 films. Plus many people are scanning and post processing digitally so that can give you even more leeway.

 

imho, the 'zone system' is really best suited for sheet film since with 35mm you have to develop the entire roll of exposures. I don't find it helpful with roll film except for understanding how exposure works in respect to the way all meters are calibrated to a neutral gray. And knowing that will also help you with using a meter.

 

Also (despite the added expense), I find that reversal film is a better choice for color in respect to sharpness, grain, and color balance. And especially in respect to scanning (and no orange mask to contend with either.) By color balance, I mean that you have an original to base any color corrections whereas with C-41 it's all just a 'guessing what looks natural' sort of thing. Anyway, E-6 films work best for me personally. And again, modern E-6 emulsions are relatively forgiving with exposure errors and we also have digital editing now to help out, too.

 

e.g., here's a guess exposure with the M6 without a battery and a 35mm Summilux (wide open) using Fuji Velvia 100F. Although it's a film that I personally don't like so much due to its saturated color and higher contrast:

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[sblitz]

calarts99 -- what reversal film is your favorite? i have been shooting portra. sometimes scanning gives better results than other times but i can usually get it right in lightroom (getting 10mb tiff scans done -- joy of living in a big city, these services are available). willing to try a reversal film, so wondering which you enjoy the most

[Guest tanks]

I appreciate all the input. I guess the main difference is that I have to deal with the aperture on the fly as the M6 does not have aperture priority.

 

...

 

I think you meant shutter speed.

[CalArts 99]

calarts99 -- what reversal film is your favorite? i have been shooting portra. sometimes scanning gives better results than other times but i can usually get it right in lightroom (getting 10mb tiff scans done -- joy of living in a big city, these services are available). willing to try a reversal film, so wondering which you enjoy the most

 

Unfortunately there's not much left to choose from these days. My personal favorite is/was Kodak E100G (RMS 8) and also Fuji Astia (RMS 7.) I still have a lot of the Kodak left in the freezer. Somebody on eBay is selling E100G 135-36 for $20 per roll

 

Only Provia 100F, Provia 400X, Velvia, and Agfa/Rollei is currently available (US market.) I personally feel that Velvia is too saturated/contrasty but it can be okay for certain subject matter (on overcast days it's better.) I've never tried the Agfa/Rollei. I believe it's Agfachrome RSX emulsion on a clear PET base. People seem to be using it for cross processing in C-41 chemistry but I've never felt the need to try it out. Of the current films available I like Provia. The 100F is very fine grained (RMS 8.) And the 400X is good, too (RMS 11.) Both have pretty neutral colors and medium contrast.

 

Reversal film tends to have lower grain and overall higher sharpness. I do use Portra on occasion, but prefer scanning reversal film. I find it scans better on both a consumer scanner (like the Coolscans) and on a drum scanner. A big thing for me is the workflow. Having a positive to judge scanning is very helpful, especially with color corrections. Also with a light table and loupe, I can see exactly what's there and know what the frame is capable of producing. And it's fun to show slides at parties People seem to like the 'retro' aspect of viewing slides (and they look really great on screen; slide projectors and good lenses can be bought dirt cheap now.)

 

Right now I have several local places to choose from for E-6 processing, but I'm using up more of my reversal film stock since I'm kind of worried that convenient processing may no longer be available in the near future.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[semi-ambivalent]

You might want to invest in a Sekonic 308S meter...

+1

 

And don't forget to make some mistakes; that's where they keep the learning.

 

s-a