Rumour about a new M6 '1984' from Leica

[comte de Mazan]

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2 hours ago, wattsy said:

That's interesting and a good example of how knowledge and expertise can be lost within a company. Did Leica also outsource the paint job for the 0-serie replica because that seems to be very well done?

My black MP also has a very nice paint, very solid. I have had it since 2004, take care of it, but have made with at least 15,000 photos.

 

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[robert_parker]

That's a lovely camera - in response to the OP, I would love to see a M6 / M6J style camera but with the option of a 0,85 (or more 📸👀😊) viewfinder...

... a MA with an 0,85 would do nicely as well... 

[lmans]

On 10/13/2020 at 10:05 PM, robert_parker said:

That's a lovely camera - in response to the OP, I would love to see a M6 / M6J style camera but with the option of a 0,85 (or more 📸👀😊) viewfinder...

... a MA with an 0,85 would do nicely as well... 

I like the existing 72.....All of us have our reasons as  they align to how we shoot.....but I find myself preferring a 28mm which is more conducive to the 72. I can always use my 50mm on my M-3. I am happy with the existing M-6, coupled with the M3. 

[robert_parker]

18 minutes ago, lmans said:

I like the existing 72.....All of us have our reasons as  they align to how we shoot.....but I find myself preferring a 28mm which is more conducive to the 72. I can always use my 50mm on my M-3. I am happy with the existing M-6, coupled with the M3. 

I agree - my preference tends to be for longer focal lengths, 35 and upwards to 135 so the closer I can get to 1:1 the happier I am.

It's interesting that the one thing Leica haven't done, is reproduce or launch a straight replica of the M3 so that people could access that camera configuration but with modern components - I suspect that if they did, they would sell out every camera in a few weeks 📸💨☺️

[logan2z]

8 hours ago, robert_parker said:

It's interesting that the one thing Leica haven't done, is reproduce or launch a straight replica of the M3 so that people could access that camera configuration but with modern components - I suspect that if they did, they would sell out every camera in a few weeks 📸💨☺️

I suppose they could just make a 0.92x finder option available for the M-A and MP instead of releasing a new camera model.  Also, wouldn't using the 1.4x viewfinder magnifier have the same effect?

[robert_parker]

14 minutes ago, logan2z said:

I suppose they could just make a 0.92x finder option available for the M-A and MP instead of releasing a new camera model.  Also, wouldn't using the 1.4x viewfinder magnifier have the same effect?

I've done that because it gives a nice big field for the 50mm lines and the rangefinder patch and the borders of the frame match 35mm but it's nothing like a real view finder with modern eye relief (Jaap V can give you the physics on that) you'd have as the native arrangement in a new camera; it's in effect adding extra lenses to magnify what the viewfinder has reduced.  It also magnifies error and eye problems n a way that doesn't help in the final use of the camera.

As a ps. I'd be pretty happy if they offered an 0,85 option on the M-A and the MP again (as well as a black paint option on the M-A 😎).

Edited October 18, 2020 by robert_parker

[logan2z]

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24 minutes ago, robert_parker said:

As a ps. I'd be pretty happy if they offered an 0,85 option on the M-A and the MP again (as well as a black paint option on the M-A 😎).

I'd love a black paint option for the M-A.  Odd that Leica doesn't offer that given that they do on the MP.

[Anbaric]

On 9/14/2020 at 10:21 PM, logan2z said:

It appears to be more than 1/2, given what I've been seeing lately. And if the meter has been a reason for buying an M6 but Leica can no longer repair it, then stretching one's budget for the MP would seem to make even more sense. 

I understand that the M6 classic meter is still fixable:

https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2979592&postcount=13

But some M6 TTL faults aren't, because Leica has run out of main circuit boards.

[Anbaric]

On 10/9/2020 at 7:54 PM, derleicaman said:

The zinc top plates were a cost cutting measure and a total abomination. They went to this, because all of the tooling for the deep drawn brass top plates were worn out, and it would have cost too much to invest in new tool and dies. When we were discussing doing the Black Paint M6 for the LHSA, the top plate had to be brass. That's why it took almost 4 years to go from idea to reality for this camera. Over that time, Leica went to CNC machined top plates to do this. Then they had to get black lacquer right, but that is another story all together. I still have my test top plates from the prototype phase, and even the final product was not up to the standards they later achieved with the original M2, M3 and M4 cameras and even the M9. Leica had forgotten how to do paint, and farmed this out to a firm in Austria for the LHSA Black Paint TTL and Millenium Edition.

One thing about those 'abominable' top plates is that the black chrome finish on them is pretty durable if you don't have corrosion (did that only affect early cameras, as has been suggested for some R series bodies, or can it happen to any?). Looking at a typical selection of secondhand black paint digital M series cameras at a dealer, many of them seem to have as much brassing as a Leica II from the 30s. I know some people like the brassed look, but has the secret of applying paint that stays put for a good few years been lost?

[Matlock]

18 minutes ago, Anbaric said:

One thing about those 'abominable' top plates is that the black chrome finish on them is pretty durable if you don't have corrosion (did that only affect early cameras, as has been suggested for some R series bodies, or can it happen to any?). Looking at a typical selection of secondhand black paint digital M series cameras at a dealer, many of them seem to have as much brassing as a Leica II from the 30s. I know some people like the brassed look, but has the secret of applying paint that stays put for a good few years been lost?

The corrosion was pretty limited and general only on the first batch. If you come across a M6 without bubbling then it is very unlikely that it will develop in future. The main reason for the excessive brassing on M series black paint cameras is the result of owners who think it is clever to "speed up" the process. It never ceases to amaze me when I see cameras with brassing in places where no fingers (or anything else) could ever reach, still if that is what they like. 🙂 

[earthphoto]

Am 13.9.2020 um 19:27 schrieb a.noctilux:

Why not, this would be based on MP plus some parts left from M7.

The M3's style rewind is a pain to use on MP/M-A that I have for some years now.

Even worse with the add-on "lever" hurting digits in hard use.

Then why not with the articulated wind-on lever of M7 style ( I know that it's not the same as MP/M-A ! ).

Maybe I'll buy one or two to replace M-As 😇.

I love the M2/M3 rewind knob over my M6. Why? I develop film by myself. I have a MUCH MUCH better feeling of when the film is ready to take it out of the M2 without winding it 100% back! Try it out!

[TomB_tx]

"...without winding it 100% back!"

For 60 years I've always rewound 35mm film completely into the cassette. Never found a reason not to.

[andrew01]

2 hours ago, earthphoto said:

I love the M2/M3 rewind knob over my M6. Why? I develop film by myself. I have a MUCH MUCH better feeling of when the film is ready to take it out of the M2 without winding it 100% back! Try it out!

I think that part of the reason is that the leader is attached to the spring clip on the take up spool in M2 and M3, so you need to apply extra pressure on the rewind knob at the end.

 I prefer the M3 rewind action too. Its a bit slower but has a smoother high precision feel to it.

[fotomas]

Having an M6 and I also manage not to wind it into the cartridge because I also process the films by myself. It is possible.
I prefer that I can rewind the film quite fast. A camera with an rewind knob is still there: the MP. So for me an new M6 should be like the classic M6.

[adan]

Without taking sides...

It will be interesting to see, when the Museum of Modern Art puts out its 2105 exhibit and catalog of The Greatest Photographers of the 21st Century, whether there is any mention at all of "Knob or Crank: the Leica Rewind Debate of 2020." Somehow I believe it will escape the notice of History.

[Topsy]

23 hours ago, TomB_tx said:

"...without winding it 100% back!"

For 60 years I've always rewound 35mm film completely into the cassette. Never found a reason not to.

Because it makes it easier to load the film onto a dev spool if the leader is left out. It's how I was taught and I still do it even though I no longer develop myself.

[lmans]

22 hours ago, fotomas said:

Having an M6 and I also manage not to wind it into the cartridge because I also process the films by myself. It is possible.
I prefer that I can rewind the film quite fast. A camera with an rewind knob is still there: the MP. So for me an new M6 should be like the classic M6.

I process my own film but actually prefer to wind all the way into the cassette. That way in the field, I am not accidentally confusing what cassette has been used and which ones not. Just an added measure. It is not that big of a deal to either retrieve the film leader from the cassette or usually I  just pry open the cassette when processing. 

Edited November 3, 2020 by lmans

[BradS]

7 minutes ago, lmans said:

I process my own film but actually prefer to wind all the way into the cassette. That way in the field, I am not accidentally confusing what cassette has been used and which ones not. Just an added measure. It is not that big of a deal to either retrieve the film leader from the cassette or usually I  just pry open the cassette when processing. 

I solved this problem by winding the exposed roll so that the leader is almost completely inside the canister - leaving just a half inch or so sticking out. I'll also keep exposed rolls in a separate bag from fresh.

I develop all my own B&W and leaving the leader out allows the leader to be trimmed off in daylight, which is hugely valuable to me that it is worth the small extra effort required.  Leaving the leader out with the M4-P and  M6 however, has proven to be quite difficult for me so I still have an ordinary bottle opener in with the developing tank.

[TomB_tx]

On winding the film back - I realize the common daylight mini-labs that sprang up after my training years changed the practice, as they had to fish out the film tongue to feed the film into their processors, instead of loading the film in the dark as in "traditional" large labs. We were always taught to remove an end of the cassette in the dark room and pull the spool out, and not run the film through the velvet light seal again where trapped grit could cause scratches. Back then the Leica-Contax-Nikon-Canon snobs also loaded film in their special cassettes that had no felt seals, but opened the light trap inside the camera when the baseplate key was rotated.

The photo shops used to sell special openers to pry the end off the cassette, but a common bottle opener is what we always used.

I still see folks on the Web forums asking what caused the scratches on their film, and I always wonder how it was processed.

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[lmans]

Good point....I have noticed in the past where I do get an occasional streak.... but most of time I pop the cap off the cassette, take out the film and wind onto spool. I don't bother to retrieve the tongue and always wondered what the point was.