I got the M2, M3 and the M6 but want to keep only one of them.

[cesc]

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Sell me the M2

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[a.noctilux]

😇

as I wrote post #4, @raffaello

you had many answers quite logic

depending on experiences/tastes of each of us.

Forum doesn't move much for many years now.

This makes sense with varieties of opinions which I like 😉

[edstock]

I have an M2-KS-15, fast load and full VF, a M4-P, M6 and M7. I plan on keeping them all. Of course if you want to throw the M2 my way...........

[Aryel]

I’d keep the m3 for its ease of focusing and it is simply my favourite M among the ones I tried but how is this useful to you?

You have the 3 cameras so unless you are in a rush, just use them until the choice become obvious. You might quickly find out that you prefer one in certain condition and another some other times…

In other words, I suggest to keep all 3 until you no longer need to ask which one is right for you.

[junix]

On 5/17/2022 at 6:15 PM, raffaello said:

thank you all for your kind statements.

You made me feel like better keeping the M2 and the M6.

The M2 with the 35mm Summilux 1.4 for the street and the M6 for my other lenses and more komplex situations...with like the 50,90 and 135mm.

 

Anybody who would prefer keeping the 35mm Summicron 2.0 instead of the 1.4 Summilux ???

I would then probably sell the M3 with the 35mm 2.0.....

Nice reading all this..... I am new here

thanks again

Raffaello

Great, I would have suggested to keep these 2 bodies, just in case you have to send one for servicing.

To answer your next question... exactly which Summicron and which Summilux are we talking about?

Although I have a Summilux FLE, a Summicron V4 is permanently attached to my M-A.

[pippy]

On 5/17/2022 at 1:53 PM, spydrxx said:

...The M6 came with the built in meter...but it was slightly larger than its predecessors, and if one had occasion to use a Visoflex one already owned, it required a different finder to accommodate the increased camera height...

I could be wrong but wasn't that just the M6 TTL version which only came in for the last 4 years of the M6's life cycle - hence the 'M6 Classic' nickname for the pre-TTL cameras? I believe the 'Classic' M6 bodies made between '84-'98 shared the same dimensions as the M3 / M2 / M4 cameras.

Philip.

Edited May 18, 2022 by pippy

[Herr Barnack]

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On 5/17/2022 at 5:52 AM, raffaello said:

...I would let that Leica revise officially to then have THE ONE for the future....

What do you suggest?

I would suggest that you keep all of them.

In 20 years of buying/trading/using/shooting Leica M cameras and lenses, there is not a one of them that I have traded away that I did not ultimately come to wish that I had kept.

 

 

 

Edited May 18, 2022 by Herr Barnack

[TomB_tx]

10 minutes ago, pippy said:

I could be wrong but wasn't that just the M6 TTL version which only came in for the last 4 years of the M6's life cycle - hence the 'M6 Classic' nickname for the pre-TTL cameras? I believe the 'Classic' M6 bodies made between '84-'98 shared the same dimensions as the M3 / M2 / M4 cameras.

Philip.

Yes, it was the M5 that was taller and required the higher right angle finder of the Viso 3. Curiously the viso 3 came out about the time as the M4, which did not need the added height, so the M5 must have been in development long before it was introduced. Because of the reaction to the M5, the M6 was required to have the same dimensions as the M4 & earlier bodies.

Edited May 18, 2022 by TomB_tx

[Dennis]

1) If you are willing to shoot a lot but yet being practical, I would say keep:

• the M3 w/ a 50mm
• the M2 w/ a 35mm
• Sell the rest   

2) if you need money, sell everything and buy a Ricoh GRIIIx  Keep the extra $$$

3) If it’s just the honeymoon (of the moment), keep everything and decide later. Don’t sell a Leica item. In the long term, it’s a good investment. Regrets always show up.

my 2cents

 

 

 

[Michael Geschlecht]

On 5/17/2022 at 10:15 AM, raffaello said:

thank you all for your kind statements.

You made me feel like better keeping the M2 and the M6.

The M2 with the 35mm Summilux 1.4 for the street and the M6 for my other lenses and more komplex situations...with like the 50,90 and 135mm.

 

Anybody who would prefer keeping the 35mm Summicron 2.0 instead of the 1.4 Summilux ???

I would then probably sell the M3 with the 35mm 2.0.....

Nice reading all this..... I am new here

thanks again

Raffaello

Hello Raffaello,

Welcome to the Forum.

You might have answered your own question in this Post.

All 3 cameras are well made & all are about equal in reliability. You have the ability now to try all 3 & find out which is best for you. 

All 3 share more in common than any of the 3 is different from the other. Altho there are some differences.

The M6 has an image magnification of 0.72X (Usually). It has a built in light meter. Range/viewfinder frames are provided in pairs for 28mm + 90mm lenses. And 35mm + 135mm lenses. And 50mm + 75mm lenses. Only 1 pair is visible at any time.

All 3 sets can be previewed by moving the vertical lever under the large clear window (Looking at the camera from the front.) from side to side with or without having a lens in the camera. Putting on a lens automatically places the appropriate frames in view. After a lens is attached you can still preview the frames for other lenses & when you release the lever the frame lines of the lens in use will move into place. This paragraph is the same for all 3 cameras being discussed here.

The other 2 cameras require a separate light meter - NOT a big deal. Some other people writing here might disagree. A separate light meter is as easy to use as a built in light meter in many situations. In some situations a separate light meter may be easier to use than using a camera with a built in light meter & may give better results - NOT a big deal. Some other people writing here might disagree. 

The M2 has an image magnification of 0.72X. Range/viewfinder frames are provided singly for 35mm and 50mm and 90mm lenses. Some people prefer the simplicity of the M2's single frames to the double frames of an M6. Some don't. Some don't care.

The M3 has an image magnification of 0.91X. For some people the 26% increase in image size over the 0.72X of the other 2 cameras is important with the 50mm and 90mm and 135mm lenses that there are frames for. For this camera, & for the M2, there are accessory viewfinders (Without rangefinders) that are available to use with lenses for which there are not appropriate viewfinder frames. Some people find focusing 90mm & 135mm lenses easier with an M3 than with other "M" cameras because of the larger image magnification, coupled with significant free space around the image captured, to help to anticipate what will come into or go out of the frame in use & when it will be there, or not.

There is more. Please ask.

Best Regards,

Michael

 

 

 

 

[Huss]

You have the M2, M3 and M6?

 

The correct question is what next M should I buy?  M4, M5..

I'd say M4 first, then the 5, then the 7, then fill out the range with the ones in between.

[DoubleE]

I've owned the M4-2, M4, and several M3s.  Loved them all, but something clicked, if you'll pardon the pun, when I first picked up an M3 with a 50mm lens.  I "see" the photo I want in a way that's like no other still camera I've worked with.  But... the 50 is my favorite focal length, so there's that.  The only Leica body I own now is an M3, but like you I struggled over the decision because I do sometimes use a 35 and an M2 would give me those nice 35mm frame lines.  I'll probably get an M2 (or an M3 with M2 viewfinder) one of these days, either that or a googled 35.  On a final note, I've regretted every bit of Leica equipment I've sold.  There seems to be no ceiling on the way the film cameras increase in value.  Sell something else.

[rpsawin]

FWIW...I have a M2 that I will never part with. My standard lenses used with it include 35mm & 50mm Summicrons. When I want to  go out and shoot for the pure joy and love making photographs I always use the M2. I have other M cameras but the M2 is my hands down favorite.

[Michael-IIIf]

On 5/17/2022 at 10:52 AM, raffaello said:

I'm in the nice situation of having 3 Leicas (M2,M3 & M6)

Funnily enough I found myself in a similar situation. I bought a used M10 and decided I had too many Ms and some would have to go to pay for the M10. So I sold my M8 and M6TTL.

I agonised about selling the M6 because it is evolutionarily and technically better than my M2, metering more frame-lines, rewind crank etc, but I love the diminutive size of the M2, I love its buttery smooth action, and I prefer the solid feel of the one-piece wind-on lever over the articulated plastic thumb piece on the M6.

I also like the way my M2 is well-used, the M6 was almost mint which meant having to be much more careful with it.

Some of my favourite shots have been made with the M6 but when push comes to shove I realised it hadn't had an outing in years. When I do shoot film I prefer the M2 or IIIf.

[Crem]

On 5/18/2022 at 3:37 PM, Herr Barnack said:

I would suggest that you keep all of them.

In 20 years of buying/trading/using/shooting Leica M cameras and lenses, there is not a one of them that I have traded away that I did not ultimately come to wish that I had kept.

 

 

 

I completely agree with you. I've seen this time and time again on this forum. The best advice is to never sell. Just let it sit a few months and eventually you find a use for it. Even if you don't need it, you will find some reason to use it and it will bring you joy.

[a.noctilux]

On 5/17/2022 at 11:52 AM, raffaello said:

...and give away the rest. I really don't want to collect Leica...

@raffaello wrote this "give away", ...don't want to collect Leica that is a very nice decision we tend to forget.

 

[twogun]

This is a tough choice. I have all three m2, m3 and M6 - Although I use the m6 most of the time the m3 and m2 are tangible pieces of photographic history that are hard to let go even if they are sitting unused. I see them as industrial design artworks . The only Leica I sold is the M5 and don't regret it even if I loved the ergonomics. Good luck 

[colint544]

A lot of us in a similar boat here, owning more than one film M. But lots of different preferences. Me, I had an early (1985) M6 for 16 years, and that camera went everywhere with me. Never let me down. I know the current owner, and she says it's still going strong, although the meter is now playing up. 

These days I have an M2, M4, and an M5. I consider myself fortunate I got these many years ago, when they were still affordable. Don't think I could sell any of them. 

But there's something special about the M2. Really special. The simple frame lines mostly, especially the ones for 50mm and 35mm. Solid, complete, and bright. I don't think any other 0.72 viewfinder M has this, where you only get the one frame line at a time. The flare-free viewfinder is great too, nicer than the one in the M6. But also the loading and unloading system. People complain it's slow, but with practice I don't find that. And it's utterly secure. The film never slips off the take-up spool, and you're in no doubt when you've reached the end of the roll. I think it's the most 'zen' M camera I've used.

There's also something nice about not having a meter. When I got the camera, I initially missed the meter of the M6. I'd take meter readings, using an app on my phone, for every shot. This was in 2013. As I used the camera more, I'd guess the exposure, then check what the meter said. Eventually I stopped using the meter. I'm nearly always shooting Portra 400, which I rate at 320 ISO. For me, that's 1/250th at 5.6 on a sunny day. Overcast day, knock the speed down to 1/125th. Indoors, open the lens up, maybe reduce the speed down to 1/50th or 1/30th.

The negatives turn out bang on. The more film you shoot this way, the more your confidence at guessing the exposure grows. It's very satisfying. Perhaps if I were shooting Kodachrome 64, it would be a different story, but it's only colour neg, and if you err on the side of overexposure it's hard to go wrong. I can't tell you how freeing it is not to be chasing those little red arrows around in the viewfinder. 

But I can totally understand only wanting to own a single camera. That, in itself, is pretty zen. 

Edited August 6, 2022 by colint544

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[Guest]

@raffaello which is the one you reach for the most when you take a camera out? Now sell the other 2 

[Herr Barnack]

On 5/19/2022 at 2:46 PM, Huss said:

You have the M2, M3 and M6?

 

The correct question is what next M should I buy?  M4, M5..

I'd say M4 first, then the 5, then the 7, then fill out the range with the ones in between.

Selling BAAAAAAAD.  Buying GOOOOOOOD.  😁