New Leica M6 Film Camera

[Huss]

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6 hours ago, RayD28 said:

I have an M10R that came with a leather strap.  I left that strap in the box and put on a 14312 that I took off my MP.  I decided to take the MP out for a walk and found it did not have a strap.  I took a second look at the leather strap and then decided to order a 14312 not knowing Leica discontinued offering.  I found one online but they wanted $70 for a used one.  Still deciding whether to pull the trigger.  I liked the grippieness of the shoulder pad.  

If you are in the US I will happily trade my 14312 for your Leica OEM leather one

[RayD28]

9 minutes ago, Huss said:

If you are in the US I will happily trade my 14312 for your Leica OEM leather one

I want a 14312 but not that bad. 🙂

[Huss]

3 hours ago, RayD28 said:

I want a 14312 but not that bad. 🙂

Ahhh so you do prefer the new leather strap!  Don’t blame you.  How about two 14312s?

[Huss]

12 hours ago, dickgillberg said:

I also love the old Leica strap and use it whenever I can. Here is what it looks like when I'm using it on my M10P.

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As you can see, the hard plastic on the 14312 scratches the camera.  The new Leica leather strap does not.  I made a simple modification to my 14312 to prevent scratching.  I took a little piece of velcro and attached the soft side to the strap.  Et voila, no scratching.  No idea why this could not come from the factory with something similar.

[Anbaric]

The M10P is missing the other half of the equation, the inset bumpers on the sides of the top plate. Have a look at Solms M6 Classics and TTLs etc. on ebay - the sides are usually in nice condition after decades, and the 14312 was the standard strap. I'd probably use the leather donuts on that M10 if I cared about wear, but I just use the 14312 as it comes on my M6.

Since they got rid of the bumpers, rub marks seem a lot more common on recent secondhand Leicas I've seen on sale, whatever straps people are using (though the not particularly durable paint jobs many of them have don't help either). Perhaps in a few years they'll rediscover the lost technology of inserting those little bits of plastic, and we'll have a 'Solms Edition' of the reissued M6, complete with a 'Leica' red dot and that stylish unengraved top...

[logan2z]

If you can live without a Leica-branded strap, I can highly recommend the leather straps from Hawkesmill.  Beautiful leather, nicely made and they look great on Leica M bodies.  And they come with leather body protectors.  No affiliation with the company, just a happy customer:

https://hawkesmill.com/product-category/camera-straps/

[Huss]

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Digressing but keeping it on topic..  seeing that Leica Store LA has a demo M6, I considered swinging by to pay a visit.  And then I came to my senses.  What was I expecting? It’s my MP with a slightly different top.  Which is totally fine.  And saved me the soul sucking experience of driving in west LA traffic.

Instead I had a great time elsewhere taking pics with my M7 and Noblex 135!

[raizans]

The M6 reissue is not drive-worthy? 😂

[Huss]

1 hour ago, raizans said:

The M6 reissue is not drive-worthy? 😂

If it was to drive to pick one up, sure. 

[Michael Geschlecht]

1 hour ago, raizans said:

The M6 reissue is not drive-worthy? 😂

Hello raizans,

Welcome to the Forum.

The M6 reissue is drive-worthy.

The question is: When will the M6 reissue come to stores?

Best Regards,

Michael

[SJH]

They're available in the Leica UK online store right now!! I have one

[Viv]

This camera almost persuades me to return to film photography.

But only almost.

[SJH]

1 hour ago, SJH said:

They're available in the Leica UK online store right now!! I have one

All gone now I'm afraid but available for about 45 minutes if you were quick off the mark

[Viv]

58 minutes ago, SJH said:

All gone now I'm afraid but available for about 45 minutes if you were quick off the mark

My friendly local dealer has them in stock.

[Huss]

6 hours ago, Al Brown said:

Leica: Here is a 9000$ camera but every photo taken is free.
Also Leica: Here is a 5000$ camera but every photo taken costs $1.

Rationality is a c*nt.
 

My math comes out to a different result.  1 roll of Kentmere 400 36 exp = $5.  14 cents for one shot.

Bottle of DF96 monobath = $20.  Develops 18 rolls of 36 exp.  3 cents for one shot.

Total for film + dev = 17 cents per shot.

Now what you do after that is up to you.  The ultimate is the wet print which the digicam cannot do.  Or you can scan if you already have a digicam - many of us do.  You can also buy a dirt cheap 24mp digicam and macro lens and scan for cheap.

But yes, I’m not going to kid and not pretend that there are real costs to film photography.  It is a labour of love.  I bought a used M10r a few months ago, and now kinda wish I just kept my M240 because I have yet to use the 10r!   But have shot about 30 rolls of film since.

That’s on me, I really should use the digicam, but I think the real takeaway with the M6 (and other film Ms) is that it is so cool that you can take your M6 and M10 and use the same lenses and basically technique seamlessly.  No-one else gives you that with cameras that you can buy new.

 

[logan2z]

45 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

52 minutes ago, Huss said:

Kentmere 400

I do not shoot monochrome.

Ah, well there's your problem right there 😉

Edited November 7, 2022 by logan2z

[ktmrider2]

Photography is not and never has been free.  Costs depend on how you do the accounting.  With digital, there is depreciation of the camera, computer etc.  With film, there is the cost of film, chemicals etc.  I wish I had room for a darkroom and did not have to depend on converting film to a digital file.  Shoot what makes you happy.  Presently, I use an M4 and a Fuji X100F and am traveling to Vietnam next week with both film and digital.

If you want free, take up fishing using a tree limb for a rod and worms you dig up in your back yard.  Of course that can evolve into an addiction leading to a $50000 bass boat!

[mshchem]

So it sounds like a few cameras are actually being sold. That's good news. I would like to think that if there's a market, and Leica is making money, (hopefully), that Leica can fill the pre-orders before the coming winter solstice 🙂.  

it's been so long since we have had a new film camera launch, I haven’t bought a brand new film camera since 1999 (no shortage of used though)

It sure would be nice if we had an idea of timing. Reminds me of waiting for Christmas when I was a kid. 

[Huss]

So I got a generic email saying delivery may be sometime next year...

Remember the claims that Leica was using all new parts due to supply chain issues?  Sure they are.

So much for that November release. 

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[Huss]

14 minutes ago, mshchem said:

So it sounds like a few cameras are actually being sold. That's good news. I would like to think that if there's a market, and Leica is making money, (hopefully), that Leica can fill the pre-orders before the coming winter solstice 🙂.  

it's been so long since we have had a new film camera launch, I haven’t bought a brand new film camera since 1999 (no shortage of used though)

It sure would be nice if we had an idea of timing. Reminds me of waiting for Christmas when I was a kid. 

The superb Kodak Ektar H35 was released a few months ago.  I cannot remember the last time a 1/2 frame 35mm camera was offered for sale new.  (ok outside the incredible Lomo LC-Wide).  No supply chain issues there!

It actually is a very fun sunny day camera.  I highly recommend it.