M6 Battery Recommendation

[rjsphd]

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I have not touched my M6 for many months and I had taken out and lost the batteries. 

What are the recommended batteries for the M6 available today?  (I searched for an answer in English on the site but could not find one.)  Many thanks in advance.

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[Matlock]

14 minutes ago, rjsphd said:

I have not touched my M6 for many months and I had taken out and lost the batteries. 

What are the recommended batteries for the M6 available today?  (I searched for an answer in English on the site but could not find one.)  Many thanks in advance.

1 x Duracell 1/3N (2L76).

 

[nwphil]

or two #357...

 

[Narsuitus]

I have one 3-volt Eveready 2L76 battery in mine.

[plaidshirts]

Go with a lithium 3V 1/3N or 2L76 as previously recommended. It's a single piece and will last you forever.

[Anbaric]

I would always go with lithium. The double height CR1/3N and 2L76 (etc.) batteries I've seen are lithium, but many LR44 or A76 batteries that need to be used in pairs are alkaline, and are more likely to leak and do expensively bad things to your M6.

[ckuwajima]

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3 hours ago, Anbaric said:

I would always go with lithium. The double height CR1/3N and 2L76 (etc.) batteries I've seen are lithium, but many LR44 or A76 batteries that need to be used in pairs are alkaline, and are more likely to leak and do expensively bad things to your M6.

In case of buttom cells, M6 TTL manual recommends using only Silver Oxide batteries: SR44/357.

[andrew01]

Here is the manual. Compatible  batteries on page 19.

https://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_m6.pdf

I use a lithium battery in mine (1/3N).

[Anbaric]

From the manuals, looks like Leica doesn't recommend LR44 (alkalkine) for the the M6 Classic or the M6 TTL. It's lithium or silver oxide for both. Apart from the risk of leakage, perhaps they don't like alkalkine because of worse discharge characteristics?

[Graham (G4FUJ)]

I use 1/3N in my M6.

Easier to change out in the field if necessary.  I once lost an SR44 doing a battery change 😖

[andrew01]

Alkaline batteries are the most susceptible to leaking. I would never use them in any camera.

[Bernard Shakey]

I was using 2 x SR44  unbranded batteries which were not lasting so I changed to Varta CR1/3N which was suggested by Sherry Krauter and much better.

I had another issue with the battery cap for my M6- See attached photo. The cheap copy is all metal and the Leica has a small black band on the inside. My problems started when I began using the cheap cap and the power drained in a few days. I don't know but perhaps the black band prevents direct contact with the metal camera body .

Worth knowing if someone out there is troubleshooting.

 

 

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[Chuck Albertson]

The 1/3N batts used to be part of the standard battery rack in the local drugstores, but disappeared from that a few years ago. So now they're mostly available online and in camera stores. They also seem to be popular for powering laser gun sights, so if you're in the States, try your neighborhood gun shop.

[Lisa Davidson]

Now that you mention it, how on earth do you remove the battery compartment cover?  I had the impression that it screws on and off, but it's not going to move.  Thank you.

[TomB_tx]

The cover should unscrew easily. If stuck it may mean a battery was left in and leaked, leaving residue in the threads of the cover. Never leave batteries in cameras stored for long. My old M6 needed a new meter board and other parts replaced because of battery leakage, and I’ve seen many film cameras with battery covers corroded in place.

Maybe a rubber pad can get a better grip on the cover to loosen it.

Edited April 13, 2021 by TomB_tx

[davidmknoble]

On 4/12/2021 at 9:19 PM, TomB_tx said:

The cover should unscrew easily. If stuck it may mean a battery was left in and leaked, leaving residue in the threads of the cover. Never leave batteries in cameras stored for long. My old M6 needed a new meter board and other parts replaced because of battery leakage, and I’ve seen many film cameras with battery covers corroded in place.

Maybe a rubber pad can get a better grip on the cover to loosen it.

I know this post is 2 months old, but as  long time film M user, I always purchase the second variety battery cap from Leica with the slot.  A US Quarter will fit nicely and loosen and tighten the battery cap.  Depending on temperature and humidity when you tighten the cap, it can get stuck and hard to remove, just like a filter on a lens.  So, the slot means it can be removed easily.  I always keep the original cap in case I want to trade later... Hope this helps.