Leica M6 999

[fiddle]

Hi, I saw a Leica M6 ttl "999" series being sold for a good price. This was the last production of the M6. Does anyone have any experience, Is there anything to watch out for on the newer M6's compared to the classics.?
Thanks

 

[budrichard]

Difference other than the rotation of the shutter knob is the M6 Classic does not have TTL flash whereas the M6TTL does. they both have TTL metering with a slight sensitivity difference but if you do not require TTL flash then either is acceptable. http://nemeng.com/leica/002ba.shtml
I believe some areas of the world attach signifcance to number associations and that accounts for the price of a '999'. There were 999 of these cameras produced!
If you have no such beliefs, then the # doesn't matter.
Personally I would purchase the newest and least used M6 I could realizing you pay a little more for an M6TTL. There are always users selling that purchased the M6 and could not bear to scratch them so they are hardly used and are essentially new. If all the original packing and manuals are available that would further assure minimal use.-Dick

 

[eddym]

I would buy an MP. Or an M6 and have it converted to the MP rangefinder. Who needs a ttl Leica M?

 

[budrichard]

I use an SF24 and Metz with M7's and TTL flash. The camera tells the flash the ASA and sets the correct shutter speed in AUTO. Very simple and a boon to the use of K64 and slow emulsions indoors. Do not be so quick to discount usage of TTL flash.
In terms of cameras, an M6 Classic is about 1/3 the cost of an MP on the after market and the finder is fine and not awful as enthusiasts like to maintain. In fact with the same lens, an MP and M6 will take exactly the same photograph! So I wouldn't and haven't spent a dime to have my M6 finder upgraded. It works just fine.
BTW both my M7's have the old finders, one is under the Passport Program and will have its finder and ASA system converted this winter for no charge.
My earlier M7 will wait for the results of the first conversion which I suspect will not make much difference and then will stay the same. The finder problem is really a 'Tempest in a Teapot'!-Dick

 

[Tom Stanworth]

Dick,

Unless you have a 0.85 finder, in which case the difference is remarkable. The overall finder is not that much different, although the lines are a bit brighter and have more contrast in the MP. BUT, whiteout can be severe under certain lighting conditions -certainly with the 0.85 M6 - so much so that you literally cannot focus.

I gather the 0.58 M6 type finder is pretty good and resilient to whiteout and the 0.72 better than the 0.85.

Outside and in even light, there is no issue. However, shooting in backlit conditions, with a bright light source off axis and a darker/shaded subject to be focused... Oh, boy you can be in for torture with the 0.85 M6 finder. Pick up the MP - hey presto, perfect, no whiteout, focused with ease.

I agree the M6 is a bargain, though I have noticed ebay prices soaring above dealer prices lately !?!??! I bought the m6 0.85 in flawless condition (effectively) for about half of a similar MP. One with more wear may come down to 40% or so, but a third is not happening in the current market - not like for like condition anyway.

The 999 series seems like a waste of cash to me. Aren't the numbers painted on rather than engraved? I would get a regular one as the 999s are being pushed by those who bought speculatively but I dont reckon their real value will be uch more than regular ones when the sellers realise they cannot sell a regular TTL for the same as MP!

 

[budrichard]

All my M's with the exception of an M3SS I have, are 0.85 finders.
Are the finders as good as the M3 or a new MP, no, but are they awful as many will tell you, no.
I take photographs with the M's and I don't dwell on the real or percieved differences in M Models. As I stated, with the same lens, they all will take exactly the same photograph so purchasing an M6 and having the finder changed is a waste of time and money to me. If you want and will spend the difference in price between and M6 and MP, go ahead, but it's not a requirement.-Dick

 

[Old Micky No 9]

I´ve got an M6 first version with the "Leitz" logo and an M2 and an M4 and they have always done a good job in all sorts of conditions. The only tricky thing is setting the distance with my 4,5/135 on the M6 as it is (one would need the M3 or the magnifying glass).
Cheers Micky

 

[eddym]

Dick,

Unless you have a 0.85 finder, in which case the difference is remarkable. The overall finder is not that much different, although the lines are a bit brighter and have more contrast in the MP. BUT, whiteout can be severe under certain lighting conditions -certainly with the 0.85 M6 - so much so that you literally cannot focus.

Agreed. I never had the "whiteout" problem with my M3 or M4-2, but it really bothered me with my brand new M6 .85. But I never knew there was a fix until I sent it off for a CLA and Sherry Krauter suggested it. It was not expensive to fix, and the results were very noticeable.

I shoot ttl flash with my Nikons, and if I am doing photography that calls for flash, that is the kit I use. But I have never taken a picture with a flash on a Leica. For me, it's a different kind of camera for a different job. But I guess others disagree, so let them have at it!

 

[clay]

When you look at number on the top of the camera from the front, it is actually a "666" camera, which as everyone realizes, is the mark of the beast predicted in the Revelation of John. So, if you don't mind kicking off the apocalypse by using a camera, by all means, go for it. But so far, the world has remained safe because almost all of these were bought by collectors and sit in safe deposit boxes. But the first time one of these things is taken out and actually used, well, I don't want to be nearby as the gigantic StayPuff marshmallow man strides around the corner looking to kick some ass.

 

[eddym]

Boy, I'd hate to be "marshmallow-cremed"!!

 

[tbm]

I use my M6 TTL with my Metz 54 MZ-3 and 44 MZ-2 flashes in TTL mode (with the required 3502 Metz adapter in the hot shoe) and I always get wonderful results indoors. I rarely use my classic M6 (non-TTL) camera, but when I've used it with both of the aforementioned flash units, I merely set it for automatic rather than TTL and got great results, too. When I bought my M6 TTL new, I immediately sent it to Don Goldberg to fix the white out effect appearing in the viewfinder.

 

[Tom Stanworth]

...As I stated, with the same lens, they all will take exactly the same photograph so purchasing an M6 and having the finder changed is a waste of time and money to me. .-Dick

Shooting inside a dingy building with a bright window to your 10/11/1/2 O'clock with the 0.85 M6 finder will turn focusing into an exceedingly demanding task. Under most other lighting conditions, I agree, the m6 finder is just fine!

I wont be rushing to upgrade mine but I will get it done because I often shoot under contre jour conditions. Straight against the light is fine though...

Funnily enough it is one of the more cost effective Leica fixes/repairs and worth getting done if you are concerned about missing shots. I have only just acquired the M6 but had serious issues focusing on the first use under the conditions described. Thankfully it was shooting stills and not reportage. had I been I am sure I would have missed shots or been unable to work at speed. I could not see a darned thing to be able to focus. That sounds like a pretty big problem to me! Being able to focus quickly is pretty important for me, but we all have different needs.

 

[lns]

Count me as one of the people who had problems with the M6 viewfinder flare. And you're all going to think I'm a total loser, because I had a .72 finder. I would occasionally get flare so bad I couldn't focus at all. I definitely missed shots. In the end, I sold the camera and got an M2.

Then again, I have a contre jour shooting style. And I've read that the flare can be lessened if you diligently center your eye behind the patch, which is something I was perhaps too careless to attend to. Clearly people have had different experiences, and the only way for the buyer to know if it's a problem for him or her is to try the camera out first.

One of the nice things about asking these sorts of questions is that you get the benefit of different points of view.

-Laura

 

[clayne]

The shutter wheel on the M6 TTL has always annoyed me. The larger size is nice - but the reversal is very, very, stupid. For my style of photography, I'd much prefer a .58 finder over .85 any day. However, I use an M4 for all Leica duties.

 

[nicefor88]

Dick,

Unless you have a 0.85 finder, in which case the difference is remarkable. The overall finder is not that much different, although the lines are a bit brighter and have more contrast in the MP. BUT, whiteout can be severe under certain lighting conditions -certainly with the 0.85 M6 - so much so that you literally cannot focus.

I gather the 0.58 M6 type finder is pretty good and resilient to whiteout and the 0.72 better than the 0.85.

Outside and in even light, there is no issue. However, shooting in backlit conditions, with a bright light source off axis and a darker/shaded subject to be focused... Oh, boy you can be in for torture with the 0.85 M6 finder. Pick up the MP - hey presto, perfect, no whiteout, focused with ease.

I agree the M6 is a bargain, though I have noticed ebay prices soaring above dealer prices lately !?!??! I bought the m6 0.85 in flawless condition (effectively) for about half of a similar MP. One with more wear may come down to 40% or so, but a third is not happening in the current market - not like for like condition anyway.

The 999 series seems like a waste of cash to me. Aren't the numbers painted on rather than engraved? I would get a regular one as the 999s are being pushed by those who bought speculatively but I dont reckon their real value will be uch more than regular ones when the sellers realise they cannot sell a regular TTL for the same as MP!

I agree with Tom - "Flare" in my m6ttl with 0.85 finder is sometimes a problem, that is when my eye is not exactly in the axis, I just need to be slightly to the left or to the right and then focus is quite hard or impossible as the finder's focusing rectangle disappears...

 

[DanielStone]

Boy, I'd hate to be "marshmallow-cremed"!!

not creamed, just "s'mored"

-Dan