New Leica M6 Film Camera

[charlesphoto99]

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8 minutes ago, verwackelt said:

Expensive film also teaches self-criticism and modesty. I just press the shutter button when i think the picture will be good.
However, I often don't even scan half of a film because the negatives look lousy.
With a digital camera and continuous fire, I often only import 10-12% of the total yield into C1 and then throw away more than half

Ooof, I would never throw away files like that. One never knows how one's taste changes down the road. But I also don't ever use continuous drive, though I will often shoot shot to shot rapid sequences depending on the subject. 

[logan2z]

5 hours ago, Mikep996 said:

Well..maybe I needed to work on my efficiency!  It took me way more hours/day to develop/process/produce a print from film than it does to do the same with digital.  I spent many years building/using darkrooms and to get one good print probably took me 10x the time it takes to do the same thing with digital.  I am NOT criticizing the enjoyment in the actual manipulation of film and the semi-magic of watching a print show up on a "blank" piece of paper.  And I am not criticizing the results, just saying the time it takes ME to achieve it is not practical nowadays.  

I don't think you're inefficient, the process is relatively slow.  And if you don't enjoy making a print by hand, then I can see how it might seem tedious.  But there's a sense of satisfaction I get from hand-crafting a print from a negative, without the use of computer manipulation and other automation.

A darkroom print is the end goal for me when shooting film.  I know there are lots of hybrid shooters out there these days that only scan their negatives and share them online, but I think they're missing out on a big part of the film experience. 

If one is looking for instant gratification then I agree that film is the wrong way to go.

[andrew01]

3 hours ago, Anbaric said:

Spare a thought for us colour snappers. For colour negative film + commercial processing and scanning at a decent resolution, I don't think I could do it for much less than £25 a roll these days, so for the price of about 150 rolls I could buy a used M10 instead (or an M240 for about the price of 90 rolls). And with availability as bad as it has been recently, I might have to pay significantly more to a scalper, or just wait until the film comes back into stock (whenever that is) at a mainstream supplier. I think we've basically returned to the 1950s, when B&W was the cheap and readily available option that most people shot. I had a look in a large branch of Boots the other day (a UK pharmacy chain with a long association with photography). They had plenty of XP2 and the odd roll of FP4 in 35mm, and some HP5 in 120. There was no colour film in either format. Even the specialist suppliers are struggling to keep colour film in stock, and it's expensive when they have it. There's hardly any Fuji around, and something like Kodak Portra 400 goes for £17.50 and up at shops that actually have stock.

 

I haven’t found any supply of 35mm colour neg film for nearly 2 years.  Thankfully you can still get it in 120 format, so I shoot my Mamiya TLR if I want to shoot in colour.  Hopefully the 35mm supply improves soon.

[logan2z]

31 minutes ago, andrew01 said:

I haven’t found any supply of 35mm colour neg film for nearly 2 years.  Thankfully you can still get it in 120 format, so I shoot my Mamiya TLR if I want to shoot in colour.  Hopefully the 35mm supply improves soon.

Here you go...

https://www.glasskeyphoto.com/film35/portra-400-35mm

Edited October 17, 2022 by logan2z

[Huss]

8 hours ago, Mikep996 said:

Hmmm...so my M6 is is going to be the "hot new Leica?"  Cool!  I'll have to take it out this week and see if it still works!  Oh, right, I'd have to buy some film.  Looking on line - silly prices for that nowadays.  Uh, and then I'll need developer/fixer/stop bath.  Then there's the  darkroom/equipment or at least a changing bag and a good scanner.

Yeah...sounds like a great plan!  

So you don’t enjoy film photography. That’s ok.  But you should really sell that M6 then.

FYI super easy to get film if you want.  You obviously know how to use the internet.  You can use Cinestill DF 96 Monobath - one bottle does it all, good for 18 rolls.  I love it.  Changing bag $20.  You already shoot digital so that is your scanner.

Or you can just wring your hands and complain about film.

[Huss]

42 minutes ago, andrew01 said:

I haven’t found any supply of 35mm colour neg film for nearly 2 years.  Thankfully you can still get it in 120 format, so I shoot my Mamiya TLR if I want to shoot in colour.  Hopefully the 35mm supply improves soon.

Where are you?  In California my local RiteAid has Fuji color film.  And if I am so inclined I just log onto the internet, type, for example, Fuji  200, then click on the ‘shopping’ tab on the browser, and shop away.  I just bought 30 rolls.

[BradS]

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Every Walmart I've visited in the Western US in the past year or so has had at least a couple of three packs of fresh Fuji Superia X-Tra 400 135-36...reasonably priced too.  The few camera stores I have visited also had a very wide variety of color and B&W film in both 135 and 120, some even had 4x5. The situation in other parts of the country/world may be different though.

[Huss]

11 hours ago, Daniel Behrens said:

I can explain it pretty easily, there are no massive female celebrities who provide Leica with free advertising to the same degree that Daniel Craig, Lenny Kravitz, or Seal have.   

It’s a limited edition camera that sells out in minutes that basically only those in the know, know about.

There isn’t any free advertising gained.  Do you actually think anyone outside our tiny circle knows that Seal uses a Leica?  And do you think there are many in this same tiny circle that are actually put off with these editions given to someone like Seal or Kravitz?

But it doesn’t matter, because Leica only will make 250 or 500.  There is nothing stopping Leica making a ltd ed camera collaborating with a woman.  Apart from them only making them with men.

FYI, as for ‘massive celebrities’ - have you seen who some of these people are?  For example, Leica made an all white ltd ed camera for a male snowboarder.  Name that person….

[Daniel Behrens]

9 minutes ago, Huss said:

It’s a limited edition camera that sells out in minutes that basically only those in the know, know about.

There isn’t any free advertising gained.  Do you actually think anyone outside our tiny circle knows that Seal uses a Leica?  And do you think there are many in this same tiny circle that are actually put off with these editions given to someone like Seal or Kravitz?

But it doesn’t matter, because Leica only will make 250 or 500.  There is nothing stopping Leica making a ltd ed camera collaborating with a woman.  Apart from them only making them with men.

FYI, as for ‘massive celebrities’ - have you seen who some of these people are?  For example, Leica made an all white ltd ed camera for a male snowboarder.  Name that person….

The common thread, including the gold medal winner you mentioned, is that all of these people have been repping Leica well before their limited editions dropped. Free advertising. I think you are looking for a conspiracy that isn’t there.  

[madNbad]

With the current list price of the M11, you could purchase a new M6 and still have enough to buy and have a lab process about 150 rolls of film. Or take the difference and get a decent used digital camera, a macro lens, a curated Negative Supply scanning setup and still have money left over. Even less, a Nikon Z6, 60 macro and a ES-2 film holder. Film is for users who enjoy the process of working with it, it takes effort and there. Much of the development in scanning techniques and metering options are driven by young photographers who grew up with digital, tried film and found they liked it. At least to me, digital is convenient and makes it easy to come away with good results but the extra effort with film makes it feel like I'm a bigger part of the process.

Edited October 17, 2022 by madNbad

[Huss]

I’m not knocking digital.  It truly is amazing, and if you shoot a lot it is cheaper when you compare like vs like.

I just get such pleasure and satisfaction from shooting film.  Even the simple thing like working the film advance lever - it just calls to me!

[logan2z]

1 hour ago, Huss said:

Even the simple thing like working the film advance lever - it just calls to me!

Don't give Leica any ideas.  The M11-D might just have an advance lever that you manually crank to recharge the battery  

[Danner]

Regular HP5+ shooter with enlarger set-up.  Agree that darkroom time, particularly print-making, is where your biggest investment is.  Of course, a well-printed photograph is a beautiful thing to behold.

[LocalHero1953]

Film processing......is it worth it?......depends how you value your time.
It's a chore that costs £x per hour, an hour out of your life that you can never get back. Or it's a pleasure that gives you a real-world non-financial immediate return on your investment. 

YMMV

[willeica]

9 hours ago, charlesphoto99 said:

Ok, ok, you got me! Let's just say white men who drive Alfa Romeo's, not Porsche's. And I'm sure they're all super nice (why wouldn't they be?), but their choice of promo of their product still reflects their class and gender, imo. And I didn't say they were intentional in their oversight, it's just the world they live/operate in. 

FTR I'm 58 years old, and I consider myself an old(er) white man (well, at least my 10 and 13 year olds do). I drive a 2011 Honda CRV.

I am a 73 year old man of Irish/European origin, but I don't think that has anything to to do with my photography hobby. Likewise the origins/class/wealth etc of the team working at  Leica AG are of no interest to me. I have met a good few of them and they were all fine people. But fine and all that they are, that does not impact in any way on my purchase/non purchase of Leica products, which I judge on entirely on their own merits. I was once responsible for advertising regulation and the appointment of the advertising standards authority in my own country. Now that I am retired I no longer pay much attention to advertising and promotions. I would, of course, disapprove of any advertising or promotion that is offensive, misleading or offends against decency etc, etc, etc. I don't believe that I have seen any advertising or promotions from Leica that would offend against such criteria.

William 

Edited October 17, 2022 by willeica

[Huss]

3 hours ago, logan2z said:

Don't give Leica any ideas.  The M11-D might just have an advance lever that you manually crank to recharge the battery  

Didnt they have an M10 w the fake wind lever?  I thought that would have been so cool if it cocked the shutter.  But instead it was fake which for me made it worse than not having it.

[logan2z]

4 minutes ago, Huss said:

Didnt they have an M10 w the fake wind lever?  I thought that would have been so cool if it cocked the shutter.  But instead it was fake which for me made it worse than not having it.

Yup, the M10-D, hence my joke about an M11-D.  The wind lever was marketed as a thumb rest.

https://leicarumors.com/2018/10/24/leica-m10-d-camera-without-lcd-screen-officially-announced.aspx/

Edited October 17, 2022 by logan2z

[Huss]

3 minutes ago, logan2z said:

Yup, the M10-D, hence my joke about an M11-D.  The wind lever was marketed as a thumb rest.

https://leicarumors.com/2018/10/24/leica-m10-d-camera-without-lcd-screen-officially-announced.aspx/

Ahh, gotcha.  I guess the D stood for dumb.

[Herr Barnack]

6 hours ago, andrew01 said:

I haven’t found any supply of 35mm colour neg film for nearly 2 years.  Thankfully you can still get it in 120 format, so I shoot my Mamiya TLR if I want to shoot in colour.  Hopefully the 35mm supply improves soon.

@andrew01

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/759457-USA/Kodak_6031959_35mm_Professional_Portra_NC.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/197191-USA/Kodak_1451855_Portra_800_135_36_Professional_Color.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1476366-REG/kodak_603147_color_print_film_200_36.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1110318-REG/cinestill_800235_50daylight_xpro_c_41_color.html

 

 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[logan2z]

3 minutes ago, Huss said:

Ahh, gotcha.  I guess the D stood for dumb.

It evolved from the M-D (Type 262):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leica_M-D_(Typ_262)

Not sure if the 'D' came from the German phrase "Das Wesentliche' mentioned in the Wikipedia article, but I'm sure there's someone on this forum who knows the history.