New Leica M6 Film Camera

[grahamc]

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13 minutes ago, Crem said:

Brilliant! You have figured out how to monetize this thread. I’ll build us the paywall site though I think @Huss deserves the biggest cut of the profits. I too am serious about the $50!

 

 

Done ! 

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[grahamc]

7 minutes ago, Crem said:

Which ships first? The M6 or the Steel Rim? Definitely need to push this thread to over 100. 

I hear the M6 (here in Aus at least) comes with next months second stock delivery of lenses. First lenses are already in happy purchasers hands here, in v limited quantities from release day 

[madNbad]

46 minutes ago, Huss said:

74 pages.  Can we make it to 100 before anyone actually gets their M6?

Ten pages about the pressure plate, five about no strap bumpers and another ten about what parts were changed and why can't Leica get them. Then a few extras for the poorly edited manual. Easily over a hundred but far short of the M11 comments.

[otto.f]

12 hours ago, Al Brown said:

I wonder who started this supply chain scare rumor... All the Barnacks can still be repaired, all the M1's, M2's, all the M3's, M4's, etc. etc., Leica has all parts for their first digital camera M8 (albeit they do put in the M9 shutter that goes to 1/4000 if the former croaks) and can fix virtually everything but the M6 TTL, M7 and M9 (you know what parts I mean). So WHY ON EARTH would *anyone* be concerned about repairability of the younglings MP and M-A in the next 15-20 years?

Btw, I read at photrio that Jesko von Oeynhausen, director at Leica, has stated that the new M6 means that electronic circuit problems of old M6’s can be repaired again, with the new version. Which means in fact that there is no real commercial interest for Leica to bring out a new M6 and people can go on buying M6 occasions. 

Edited October 24, 2022 by otto.f

[Matlock]

5 hours ago, derleicaman said:

Well, I have handled many M6 where the zinc top plate has bubbled. It is pretty nasty looking when it happened. This is oxidization of the cast zinc.

”Good reasons” for going to the zinc top plate? The main reason was the dies and tooling for the old “deep drawn” brass top plates was worn out, and it was too expensive to update. Bear in mind that Walter Kluck, I charge of Leitz Canada had single handedly saved the M with the M4-2 and M4-P, which initially had brass top plates. Later they switched these to the cast zinc at the end of their runs. Also, zinc is much cheaper than brass.

When I specced black paint on brass for the LHSA M6 Black Paint camera, Leica used a CNC milled top cover from a solid brass billett. Much stronger and resistant to dents than the original deep drawn brass top plates.

The reason for the change given by Leica at the time was the number of cases of brass top plate distortion and the higher resistance to damage, caused by "knocks", with die cast zinc alloy. The second reason was always a little suspect as a knock would probably have caused internal damage anyway. As to numbers we have to consider the total number of M4-P, M6 and M6TTL cameras made against the number of cases. I still have never seen a case other than those posted on furums such as this.

[Huss]

2 hours ago, Al Brown said:

I’m writing things based purely on facts, we can go through my post word for word. I’m on the phone with Wetzlar weekly and everything I wrote is correct. Plus, nobody was discussing R cameras, Miniluxes, Pradovits etc., this is a M forum.

I hope you do not think collecting funds to open a M camera or writing "74 pages.  Can we make it to 100 before anyone actually gets their M6?" makes it super informative and helpful on a forum.

Let’s keep the debate civilized and clean. Otherwise it is counterproductive and wastes time and energy. 

Ok stick to the M comments then.  leica won’t repair:

M8’s failed lcds

M9s

M5s

M6 ttl circuit board

M6 Classic circuit board

M2 or M3 frame sets/separated prisms.

They won’t even adjust the rf on my MdA!

[Ouroboros]

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11 hours ago, IkarusJohn said:

True. 

It’s just a discussion. Maybe Leica is listening …
 

Apple and Hasselblad don’t listen, both have happily left their faithful customers high and dry.  Seven years max of support in the case of Apple and you’ll need earlier than Mac OS 10.15 to run a Flextight scanner with a driver that hasn’t been updated since around 2014.  We don’t need any more evidence to know that Leica are the same, it’s the way it is like it or not.

Leica is not the same company that spent decades building it’s reputation for customer support and the longevity of its mechanical cameras.  The arena has changed.

[tom.w.bn]

Am 22.10.2022 um 00:50 schrieb Huss:

Had the M7, Bessa 3A, Zeiss Ikon Zm, two Minolta CLEs.

Kept the M7, sold the rest.  Bought a second M7 because I got a killer deal on a last model run one and just love this camera.  Serial # in the 4xxxxx range.

I always wanted to try a Konica RF, but am scared away now about all the failures and no-one willing to touch.

Repair of the Hexar RF is an issue, normal rangefinder adjustment is not (if you even need it). I have a spare camera with working electronic parts but mechanical problems and I'm confident that I could send two cameras to Japan where they could make one working camera out of it. What I really like is the 1/4000 and 0.6 magnification viewfinder. With a Leica 0.72 viewfinder I can't see 28mm framelines and 35mm framelines are still hard to see. I needed a Leica with 0.58 viewfinder that is rare and not available in new Leica models (AFAIK).

[IkarusJohn]

38 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

Apple and Hasselblad don’t listen, both have happily left their faithful customers high and dry.  Seven years max of support in the case of Apple and you’ll need earlier than Mac OS 10.15 to run a Flextight scanner with a driver that hasn’t been updated since around 2014.  We don’t need any more evidence to know that Leica are the same, it’s the way it is like it or not.

Leica is not the same company that spent decades building it’s reputation for customer support and the longevity of its mechanical cameras.  The arena has changed.

I hope it isn’t that depressing …

[Mikep996]

"Apple and Hasselblad don’t listen,"

I can't agree, at least about Apple.  Apple brought back two things that customers like me missed after they deleted them from laptops - the magnetic power connector and the SD card slot.  I had been complaining about that from the moment they deleted them, sending messages to Apple.  Obviously enough people did the same and they brought it back two years (or thereabouts) later.  

So, IMO, customer input does make a difference!

But it's important NOT to equate internet forum discussions with customer input!  

 

 

 

Edited October 24, 2022 by Mikep996

[Matlock]

10 minutes ago, Mikep996 said:

"Apple and Hasselblad don’t listen,"

So, IMO, customer input does make a difference!

But it's important NOT to equate internet forum discussions with customer input!  

 

 

 

I agree, just another case of the "prophet of doom" mentality that exists on this forum.

[Ouroboros]

28 minutes ago, Mikep996 said:

"Apple and Hasselblad don’t listen,"

I can't agree, at least about Apple.  Apple brought back two things that customers like me missed after they deleted them from laptops - the magnetic power connector and the SD card slot.  I had been complaining about that from the moment they deleted them, sending messages to Apple.  Obviously enough people did the same and they brought it back two years (or thereabouts) later.  

So, IMO, customer input does make a difference!

But it's important NOT to equate internet forum discussions with customer input!  

 

 

 

Reinstating a card slot and a magnetic power connector in a new product isn’t quite the same as providing support beyond the current 7 years or so that is Apple’s current policy, which is the comparison I was making.  

We’re close to going too far off topic.

[jakontil]

37 minutes ago, Mikep996 said:

"Apple and Hasselblad don’t listen,"

I can't agree, at least about Apple.  Apple brought back two things that customers like me missed after they deleted them from laptops - the magnetic power connector and the SD card slot.  I had been complaining about that from the moment they deleted them, sending messages to Apple.  Obviously enough people did the same and they brought it back two years (or thereabouts) later.  

So, IMO, customer input does make a difference!

But it's important NOT to equate internet forum discussions with customer input!  

 

 

 

Im afraid you have your sdcard back and the magnetic chargers not because apple listened to you, but because apple want you to have ‘em 😀

[verwackelt]

If Apple would listen to its customers, The power switch would be on the front side and the wireless mouse would have its socket for the charging cable NOT on underside of the mouse… 🙃

[Ouroboros]

47 minutes ago, IkarusJohn said:

I hope it isn’t that depressing …

'Depressing' is insidiously personal, 'accepting' is a safer bet, but  you could ask someone who bought an M8 or someone who has a dead M6 TTL.  I think you're smart enough to know what I'm saying, John.

 

 

[Michael Geschlecht]

9 hours ago, Huss said:

Just don’t point it at the sun!

The shutter in my Nikon F2 goes to 1/2000, is over built, and is made of titanium cloth so less likehood of sun damage.  I think Starkie in the UK can retrofit Leica Ms with the titanium cloth material.

Hello Huss,

Both cameras are fine. 1 easily fixed complexity with the Sun in 57 years is OK with me. When I am in the surf & for underwater, etc. I find a Nikonos just fine also. Less to worry about. Especially underwater. In the mud it is also easier. Just run some clean water over it. Or rinse it in a bucket of clean water before you open it.

Best Regards,

Michael

[Matlock]

Seems like only yesterday.

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[Mikep996]

Looks Like a WINNER!  I'll bet they'll still be making those 40 years from now!  🤣

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[atournas]

If nothing else, Leica should be admired for the apparent financial risk it takes with the new M6. After all, it has two film Leica bodies still in production!

For owners of MP or M-A, like me, that's really good news---relieving news, I should say---for our camera's repairability and component availability  in the coming years. For it looks reasonable to assume that the new M6 is just MP "disguised".

I only wonder how much longer this film revival is going to survive. Newcomers must be mostly young photographers, lured by the Leica's tradition. What happens when they discover that Leica M film cameras are not for every kind of photography? Their advantage in street shooting---stealth and silence---are already being exhibited by those tiny, cheap compact cameras, not to mention smartphones. What happens when those new film shooters discover that their negs and prints are usually marred by imperfections, never being witnessed in digital images?

In the meantime, I keep using my MP... and long for Kodachrome!

[jsrockit]

So, is the M6 (2022) just an MP with M6 clothes, or is it different internally from the MP?  I see conflicting information everywhere.  Also, are you guys stating that the original M6 (1984 etc) can now be updated with the M6 (2022) internals to fix broken meters?  That could not have been done with the MP already?