Leica M6 annoyances...

[Patrick Robert James]

Leicas are nice cameras. I own one. But there is a reason why I use a Konica Hexar RF. Actually there are a lot of reasons....

 

[AgX]

Does the M6 have a shutter lock? I would find it annoying because I have a habit of not advancing the film on my 35mm cameras until I'm about to shoot, which prevents accidental shutter firing.

I advance after each exposure, and so far I had no problem with unintentional exposure. But I admit it depends on camera model, however quite some cameras even have a release lock, even the Zenit E.
But it could be that at rangefinders such is more rare.

 

[Pioneer]

Gee...my K1000 has a little red dot next to the shutter to tell me whether or not the shutter is cocked and ready to go...or not.

 

[AgX]

Praktica L models even got a cocking indicator in the viewer.

 

[film_man]

I suppose a Leica does have a shutter lock. If you leave the shutter uncocked then that locks it. If you need to know whether the shutter is locked or not is easy. If the camera is resting you don't need to know. If you are about to shoot and you don't know it is cocked or not, well the first thing you do to shoot is extract the shutter advance lever as that is how you hold the camera and where your right thumb rests, you use that to balance the camera. If the crank keeps moving as you do that keep pushing till it is ready, otherwise it stays put and you know you're good to shoot.

I'll admit I do have plenty of photos of the floor or the inside of my bag and so on but that is only till I learned to not advance the shutter till I know I need to. You still do it sometimes as you're about to shoot and then decide not to but I find the lack of a shutter lock quite nice now, one less thing to fiddle with.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Gee...my K1000 has a little red dot next to the shutter to tell me whether or not the shutter is cocked and ready to go...or not.

Even both my Hasselblad have such an indicator. Does Leica know about such a feature, after all for $5,000US for a new camera body one would think that they could afford to have a shutter status indicator?

 

[blockend]

when I got an old folder with the little ruby window on the back door that I got into the habit of not advancing the film until just prior to making the exposure.

I do the opposite, after an exposure I advance the film and cock the shutter. It doesn't matter which system you choose as long as it's always the same. Otherwise you will waste a frame or double expose it.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I do the opposite, after an exposure I advance the film and cock the shutter. It doesn't matter which system you choose as long as it's always the same. Otherwise you will waste a frame or double expose it.

Me too. That avoids ruining the previous exposure, again something I learned as a ten year old.

 

[MattKing]

On one of my folding cameras, I wind the film but don't cock the shutter until I am ready to take the photo.
No double exposures, and no inadvertent exposures.

 

[javieref]

I use a Leica M6 and don't have a challenge with the lightmeter only on when 'at shoot stage' I personally do not wind on until I am ready to shoot.
Don't shoot street, primarily architecture, urban landscapes and chasing shadows sunrise to early morning and late afternnon to sunset.

I've read too many stories of M6's in camera bags with flat batteries due to shutter cocked and whatever bumping into the shutter button.

 

[guangong]

One thing this thread shows, everyone has their own way of advancing and cocking their camera. Is there really a best way? My methods change, depending up on camera type.

 

[Toasty]

I really don't understand why the meter not working while uncocked is a deal breaker... I only leave my M uncocked when it's going to be traveling in a bag (to avoid wasting a frame), but you need to advance the film anyway if you want to take a picture... If you are just using it as a light meter there are much cheaper ways of doing that.

 

[NB23]

+1

That descibes it well!

Best
Jens

But no.

That’s not the reason,actually, because it would still meter but erroneously.

The meter simply goes off. Which not bad per se.

 

[NB23]

The M6 meters off the shutter. When you advance the film & wind the shutter.....you'll see a white dot on the shutter curtain. That's where the meter reads from.... & that's why the meter doesn't read when the film isn't wound....

So not true.

How do people come up with this stuff? And why the need to share the misinformation? Really...

 

[Kodachromeguy]

So not true.

How do people come up with this stuff? And why the need to share the misinformation? Really...

OK, then how does the meter in the M6 work, or what does it measure? Just about every detailed reference on the M6 describes an off-white circle on the rubberized shutter curtain. Go ahead, educate us.

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/Leica/Leica-M6/M6-TTL/index.htm

 

[NB23]

OK, then how does the meter in the M6 work, or what does it measure? Just about every detailed reference on the M6 describes an off-white circle on the rubberized shutter curtain. Go ahead, educate us.

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/Leica/Leica-M6/M6-TTL/index.htm

It doesn’t stop measuring *because* there is NO white dot.

If you knew how Leicas work you wouldn’t be posting this.

But since you think you know, now you please educate us. Go ahead.

 

[BradS]

Some nice things about the meter....It is accurate, unobtrusive, very responsive, fairly easy to use (once you get your head around the "only works when the film is advanced" nonsense) and appears to be something of a spot meter.
I may yet learn to like it....maybe.

 

[NB23]

Some nice things about the meter....It is accurate, unobtrusive, very responsive, fairly easy to use (once you get your head around the "only works when the film is advanced" nonsense) and appears to be something of a spot meter.
I may yet learn to like it....maybe.

It is not nonsense at all. It is only nonsense to you because you were used to something else. The problem here is your expectation.

 

[BradS]

I really don't understand why the meter not working while uncocked is a deal breaker... I only leave my M uncocked when it's going to be traveling in a bag (to avoid wasting a frame), but you need to advance the film anyway if you want to take a picture... If you are just using it as a light meter there are much cheaper ways of doing that.

Not a deal breaker..definitely not a deal breaker.

It's just one of those design choices that make me wonder, "WTF were they thinking?" and "Really, is this the best they could do? ". I mean it was a $2500 camera when new and still commands close to that....it just doesn't make sense to me. That's all.

It is awfully handy to have a modern built-in meter that is accurate and unobtrusive.

 

[BradS]

It is not nonsense at all. It is only nonsense to you because you were used to something else. The problem here is your expectation.

Yes. Obviously.
Perhaps, you can explain to me why it is not non-sense though? Seriously, how does this make sense? What am I missing? There has to be some well thought out subtle detail that I'm too dense to see....

 

[NB23]

Yes. Obviously.
Perhaps, you can explain to me why it is not non-sense though? Seriously, how does this make sense? What am I missing? There has to be some well thought out subtle detail that I'm to dense to see....

Nothing well thought of. It’s just that.

There is something very neurotic about Leica’s implementations of things and about people loving Leica.

So many quirks that, in the end, it gets under your skin.

Like driving porsche stick shift. At first you ask why this, how that, how stupid is this, who thought of this.
And then you get out of the car with a back-ache.
And you end up asking for more.

Like the finest italian shoes. Where every tinniest rock hurts you.

Like every mechanical Rolex losing a second a day.

It’s that.

 

[javieref]

In addition ...
https://www.cameraquest.com/m6dif.htm

Metering

The size, shape and color of the LED's appear identical in both cameras. The Early M6 meter automatically turns off after 9 seconds compared to the Later M6's 11 seconds.

The Early M6 strangely indicates underexposure by NOT lighting its LED's. The Later M6 indicates underexposure by a blinking LED. If the lens cap is on, the Early M6 LED's do not light at all while the Later M6 blinks a LED as a warning. The Later M6 blinks to indicate its light level limits while the Earlier M6 strangely turns off its LEDs under the same circumstances (until it is within 1/2 stop of correct exposure.)

Just checked out on my M6, advanced film, touch shutter button *meter on, put lens cap on (whilst led lit) **meter off!

Leica M6 serial no 1677110

https://www.cameraquest.com/mtype.htm

5/8/1985 M6 1674351 1678350 4000
*vintage 1985, no bumpers, no dings, apart from missing part of the external eyepiece close to the rewind lever, a lovely ashen patina in the areas where one would expect to see, the white type/lettering has a creamy patina. Customary rangefinder flare I get the sense that she was well loved and used. Has had a Leica certified CLA in it's life as the red dot is not Leitz.

Summicron-M Asph 35 serial no 4235670
New Old stock **brand spanking (gotta love that serial number)

Nice.

 

[Guth]

I bought my M6 TTL new back in 2000. At the time of purchase I had been using a Minolta XD11 exclusively for more than two decades. As I had never before used a rangefinder camera, there were enough things to get used to that I essentially questioned nothing and embraced everything. It didn't take very long at all to become familiar with the M6 (including the need to cock the shutter for the meter to function.) It would seem that continued use is the key to getting used to efficiently operating most any piece of machinery, with cameras being no exception.

Fast forward another 20 years and I've now added a Minolta CLE to the mix. I quickly felt right at home with the Minolta. While I don't have any problem switching between the M6 and the CLE, at times I do encounter XD11 flashbacks when using the CLE in automatic mode.

 

[beemermark]

The Nikon F2 manual explicitly says not to leave the shutter tensioned for more than a day. I think that the Pentax Spotmatic manuals have a similar suggestion.

I never knew that. Shooting my F2 for more than 30 years and I always leave the shutter cocked. Re-read the manual and on page 43 of 44 it has that statement. Of course the motor drive leaves the shutter cocked. I guess I need to fire off the whole 36exp when I use the MD.

 

[PFGS]

You want to know a real M6 annoyance? I sold my flawless black M6 TTL .085 for like $800 a few years back - would dearly love to have it back to sell it at the current prices instead.