Does it make sense to have both M4-P and M6?

[alb59]

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Hello

I have a chrome 70th anniversary M4P (I also had a black but sold that) and I’m thinking of also getting an M6. I’m intrigued to use both. Anyone here own both? Does one get more use than the other? 

[Pyrogallol]

I have M4, M4-2, M4-P and M6. Favourite is the M4-P for some reason.

[LocalHero1953]

I have an old M4 and a new MP. They're like children - you have to give them equal attention. 

[Anbaric]

A common excuse vitally important reason to buy another camera is to switch to a different film without having to finish (or prematurely rewind) the film in your first one.

[Mute-on]

My rule - it’s ok to have anything up to one M body for each M lens I own (lenses over 50mm don’t count since they are occasional use). 
 

I have one 28, two 35s and one 50 (and two 90s).  I’ve reached my limit on M bodies, but only if I combine film and digital ……

How many M lenses do you have (or plan to own)?

Edited February 12, 2024 by Mute-on

[250swb]

If I had to go back to basics my M4-P would be the one to keep above all others, but that isn't to say you can't have two or three alternatives in other types. A meter isn't essential in the camera, but it saves from making ill informed exposure estimates, so a hand held meter is always essential if only to corroborate a 'Sunny 16' guesswork or to take a breath and bring everything back to a datum point. 

[alb59]

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1 hour ago, Mute-on said:

My rule - it’s ok to have anything up to one M body for each M lens I own (lenses over 50mm don’t count since they are occasional use). 
 

I have one 28, two 35s and one 50 (and two 90s).  I’ve reached my limit on M bodies, but only if I combine film and digital ……

How many M lenses do you have (or plan to own)?

I shoot street, buildings, family and friends but most of all portraits. I have two versions of 50 Summicron, a 35 Summaron, 90 Elmar, 135 elmarit, Zeiss 35, and voigtlander 21. I use an external lightmeter with a spot and a lightmeter attached to the M4P. I use all these lenses with my M10 monochrom, which is really nice. And I also have a Q2 reporter. So I’m thinking if adding an M6 would be really useful 

[benqui]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb alb59:

Hello

I have a chrome 70th anniversary M4P (I also had a black but sold that) and I’m thinking of also getting an M6. I’m intrigued to use both. Anyone here own both? Does one get more use than the other? 

This is the wrong question in a forum full of crazy Leica users. For sure you will buy the M6, because it is a very good and beautiful camera. Your next question in 2025 will be: I have the M4P and the M6 and I‘am thinking of also getting an ….. (M-A, MP, M7…)

Don‘t be afraid, this is normal.. 

[LocalHero1953]

Barnacks, of course, don’t count as cameras. Not as cameras you count I mean. You can buy those without adding to the number of cameras you admit to owning. 

Edited February 12, 2024 by LocalHero1953

[FrozenInTime]

18 minutes ago, benqui said:

This is the wrong question in a forum full of crazy Leica users. For sure you will buy the M6, because it is a very good and beautiful camera. Your next question in 2025 will be: I have the M4P and the M6 and I‘am thinking of also getting an ….. (M-A, MP, M7…)

Don‘t be afraid, this is normal.. 

I imaging a few heads would explode in 2025, if they re-launched the M3;  a 0.85 M-A with a retro top plate.

[Danner]

At a minimum, you should have two Leica M bodies, because service takes them away for months.

[pippy]

"Does it make sense to have..."...

It makes sense to have two bodies. Which models those happen to be is, relatively speaking, unimportant.

Philip.

[spydrxx]

If you have the dough, go for it! GAS gets to us all!

[Fotoklaus]

You don' t have a M6? Why not? 

[tim]

Hi alb59,

Since you’re still shooting film it makes perfectly sense to me.

For almost 30 years I had a M4-P and a M 6 in parallel. When I was on travels or ‚assignments‘ I have used both cameras together, either one for color and one for black&white or one for wide-angle and one for tele.

After a while a have used the M6 much more than the M4-P due to the build in meter.

Have fun with your M4-P & M6 combo.

Cheers

tim

[Pyrogallol]

9 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Barnacks, of course, don’t count as cameras. Not as cameras you count I mean. You can buy those without adding to the number of cameras you admit to owning. 

That’s good. So I can discount the 24 Barnacks, 3 Reids, 2 Canons and 4 Fed/Zorkis, all Leica screw bodies including these latest cheap Zorkis that arrived last week.

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[Graham (G4FUJ)]

I have an M6 and an M4-P (and an M8).  Purchased the M6 as my first Leica from a photographer in Dublin.

Monochrome film in the M4-P and colour in the M6.

[hansvons]

I use my M4P mostly for landscapes because its shutter release is more refined without the light meter; think of it as a hair trigger, avoiding shake blur. The M6 is my camera for everything else, mainly for B&W and high-speed colour. The light meter makes it faster to use. I use both in tandem. The M6 sees more use, though. 

[TomB_tx]

I bought my M4 in 1968 and M6 in 1985 and have used both ever since - nice combination.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[dpitt]

Built in meters are overrated. Any M film body is missing the one thing that really makes a difference for me, namely the A mode. Only the M7 will offer that.
Of course it is a convenience, to have a built in meter, but since I have a digital camera with me most of the time, that does not matter much to me.

And if need be there is always the meter app on my iPhone or Sunny 16 in case I want to go full retro.

Edited February 13, 2024 by dpitt