Danner Posted December 27, 2021 Share #1 Posted December 27, 2021 Advertisement (gone after registration) Just received my M6 classic back from DAG Camera after 16 weeks (and nearly US$ 400), now with the MP finder upgrade, including anti-reflective window glass and MP condenser lens. It was nice that Don replaced the "Leitz" red dot with the original, and not a "Leica" red dot. I have a second M6 classic that has not had the MP finder upgrade. Having just completed an extensive comparisons between the two, including sun-lit scenes, indoor scenes, and with the light sources at various angle, I cannot detect any noticeable difference in finder flare between the two. Not planning to 'upgrade' the second M6. FYI... 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 27, 2021 Posted December 27, 2021 Hi Danner, Take a look here Anti-Flare Finder Upgrade. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
250swb Posted December 27, 2021 Share #2 Posted December 27, 2021 The upgrade is genuine, but it has always been a waste of money considering the number of times an M6 has viewfinder flare and which never stops a photographer taking a photograph, but alas hype has overtaken reality. Just leaning to one side or another is usually the only thing needed to focus where you want to, and then even if you get flare you can re-compose and take a snap. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted December 28, 2021 Share #3 Posted December 28, 2021 Another cheaper alternative… http://www.leicagoodies.com/shade.html Or DIY… I never experienced much of a problem with my film M bodies, so kept stock. Jeff 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
haikos Posted December 28, 2021 Share #4 Posted December 28, 2021 How come so long? (16 weeks) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danner Posted December 28, 2021 Author Share #5 Posted December 28, 2021 7 hours ago, haikos said: How come so long? (16 weeks) Backlog, parts availability, who knows? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted December 29, 2021 Share #6 Posted December 29, 2021 21 hours ago, Jeff S said: Another cheaper alternative… http://www.leicagoodies.com/shade.html Or DIY… I never experienced much of a problem with my film M bodies, so kept stock. Jeff Thanks for linking my original post. Even it might seem laughable to some (because it ifs free and doesn't cost anything?) it actually works quite well. I have used it now for multiple years successfully limiting the patch flare. Never had to spend $$$ for MP rangefinder patch modification. Just say'in..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted December 29, 2021 Share #7 Posted December 29, 2021 Advertisement (gone after registration) On 12/27/2021 at 2:35 PM, 250swb said: The upgrade is genuine, but it has always been a waste of money considering the number of times an M6 has viewfinder flare and which never stops a photographer taking a photograph, but alas hype has overtaken reality. Just leaning to one side or another is usually the only thing needed to focus where you want to, and then even if you get flare you can re-compose and take a snap. No hype but likely manufacturing differences in the M6 series. My M6 (non TTL) flares a lot with its original rangefinder. If you need critical focus at wider open aperture where zone focusing is not possible, you can be screwed with the patch flare and losing the moment - occurred to me multiple times until I modified my camera as shown above. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jukka Posted December 29, 2021 Share #8 Posted December 29, 2021 (Un)happy to confirm that in some cases, at least, the struggle is real. I have an early serial M7 that is prone to flare. While I can get it to flare inside easily if I want to, in actual use, it is not that big of a deal. But absolutely something that can be annoying. These situations always involve a bright light source on the left hand side, and sure, moving your head a bit does help – still annoying though. In my view, not a 16 week, multiple hundred euros issue. I have made initial inquiries with Leica whether they could provide the MP bits to my local repair guy, but alas, they have been too busy at Wetzlar to respond. I might try the above offered solutions though, thanks for these! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jukka Posted December 29, 2021 Share #9 Posted December 29, 2021 On 12/27/2021 at 6:50 PM, Danner said: Having just completed an extensive comparisons between the two, including sun-lit scenes, indoor scenes, and with the light sources at various angle, I cannot detect any noticeable difference in finder flare between the two. So, are you saying that the fix did nothing to improve an existing serious problem or that the issue was not that bad to begin with? Just eager to compare notes here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted December 29, 2021 Share #10 Posted December 29, 2021 I lived with the flare issue on my 1985 M6 for decades, and could work around it, but it was certainly an annoyance in some lighting conditions where the RF patch would white-out. I wear glasses all the time, which may make the issue worse. I also used my M4 (bought in 1968) along with the M6, and it had no such tendency to flare, so the comparison made me want to change the M6. I had the finder upgraded a few years ago, and it made a significant improvement on my M6, the way I use it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danner Posted December 29, 2021 Author Share #11 Posted December 29, 2021 (edited) 7 hours ago, jukka said: So, are you saying that the fix did nothing to improve an existing serious problem or that the issue was not that bad to begin with? Just eager to compare notes here. I never viewed it as a serious problem. With the upgrade I expected to see a substantial improvement, but found no improvement, so far. We are going down to the museum district today, and I'll shoot the upgraded M6, perhaps I'll notice some changes? Also, I where eyeglasses too. I am hopeful there will be some value in this upgrade. Edited December 29, 2021 by Danner Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danner Posted December 29, 2021 Author Share #12 Posted December 29, 2021 I shot a couple rolls of film through the upgraded M6 this afternoon, and did not experience any finder washout, so that is good. It was mostly inside the Modern Art Museum, Fort Worth, so the light was not all that challenging. Attached photos are not mine, just eye candy... Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/327852-anti-flare-finder-upgrade/?do=findComment&comment=4341393'>More sharing options...
hilm3 Posted December 30, 2021 Share #13 Posted December 30, 2021 (edited) I used exclusively an M6 for 15 years or so and the flare seemed to be worse at the wrong times. I wear glasses, so not always easy to move my eye to eliminate the flare. I sent my used M7 early number in to Leica for the optical reader upgrade and had them do the finder upgrade at the same time. For me the difference was remarkable. I sent my M6 to Youxin Ye soon after and had him do the upgrade. No regrets whatsoever. YY was a third the cost of Leica doing the job. Edited December 30, 2021 by hilm3 spelling 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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