Which M6 viewfinder am I looking at?

flatulent1 · Mar 17, 2022

I've never handled a Leica before, and nobody in my little circle owns one. My local shop has an M6 and I got to play with it briefly. The guy at the counter couldn't tell me if it was a .72, a .85, or a .58. Is there a way to tell? I'm thinking about getting an M5 and possibly an MP, but there may be a problem. One youtube reviewer said glasses wearers may have difficulties with the viewfinder, and another said left-eyed photographers may have difficulties as well. I wear glasses, and only my left eye is reliably functional.

Am I screwed? I'm going back tomorrow with some proper lenses to have a better look, and I'd like to know if it's a .72 or not. Thanks.

madNbad · Mar 17, 2022

It should be marked in the left corner of the viewfinder window.
http://blog.ricecracker.net/2011/04/23/leica-m-body-viewfinder-framelines/

Huss · Mar 17, 2022

You don't need a lens to check what the magnification is. Just use the link madNbad posted above, and move the frame preview lever just underneath the VF. That will make the different sets come up.

If there is no physical marking on the left corner, it will be a .72.

Huss · Mar 17, 2022

Huss said:
You don't need a lens to check what the magnification is. Just use the link madNbad posted above, and move the frame preview lever just underneath the VF. That will make the different sets come up.

If there is no physical marking on the left corner, it will be a .72.

p.s. using your left or right eye has no bearing on the vf magnification. I swap which eye I use all the time. What you do have to watch out for is poking yourself in the right eye with the film advance lever if you try to use it while looking through the vf with the left eye!
I pretty much never wind the camera with it at my face so it never has been an issue for me.

250swb · Mar 18, 2022

It would be rare to find an M6 Classic with anything other than a .72 viewfinder which is the 'standard' one. As a glasses wearer myself it can be difficult to see the whole of the 28mm frameline unless I press my glasses hard against the viewfinder, but it's not impossible, and it takes no time to scan the edges of the 28mm frame with a quick movement of the eye if in doubt. You can check what you can see by moving the frameline preview lever which is to the left on the front of the camera.

Nitroplait · Mar 18, 2022

flatulent1 said:
I'm thinking about getting an M5 and possibly an MP, but there may be a problem. One youtube reviewer said glasses wearers may have difficulties with the viewfinder, and another said left-eyed photographers may have difficulties as well. I wear glasses, and only my left eye is reliably functional.

Am I screwed? I'm going back tomorrow with some proper lenses to have a better look, and I'd like to know if it's a .72 or not. Thanks.

Whether Leica works with glasses or not is highly individual and can only be determined by trying it out. Your glasses will move your eye away from the ocular and prevent you from seeing as much of the edges as you would without glasses.
It is important to know which focal length you plan to use and if you are comfortable moving you eye around to see everything if that is necessary.
I wear glasses, on the .72 finder, I can't see the 28mm frame edges without quite a bit of eye movement. The corners of the 35mm frame is also a little difficult to see, but since I use my right eye for the viewfinder, I can have my left eye open and it "fills in the blanks" so to speak - you can't do that when you use your left eye for the viewfinder. 50mm and longer is no problem.

film_man · Mar 18, 2022

flatulent1 said:
I've never handled a Leica before, and nobody in my little circle owns one. My local shop has an M6 and I got to play with it briefly. The guy at the counter couldn't tell me if it was a .72, a .85, or a .58. Is there a way to tell? I'm thinking about getting an M5 and possibly an MP, but there may be a problem. One youtube reviewer said glasses wearers may have difficulties with the viewfinder, and another said left-eyed photographers may have difficulties as well. I wear glasses, and only my left eye is reliably functional.

Am I screwed? I'm going back tomorrow with some proper lenses to have a better look, and I'd like to know if it's a .72 or not. Thanks.

The right/left eye is because of the position of the eyepiece. It is "natuarlly" designed to be used with your right eye without the camera getting in the way. If you use it with your left eye you are no better or worse than with an SLR that is effectively designed to be inconvenient with either eye. I use my right eye, just tried using my left one and there is no issue at all, your nose gets in the way in the same way as it does with an SLR.

As said, if the finder says nothing at the front it is a 0.72. On those you'll probably have difficulty seeing the 28 lines. I wear glasses and I cannot see all the 35 lines on my M4 (have to move around a bit). However I have no problem shooting a 28 on my M4 (which does NOT have 28mm lines at all), just use the whole of the viewfinder and you're done. The framelines are a guide anyway, you don't buy a rangefinder for precise framing.

Note that framelines are simply superimposed on the finder to give you a rough idea of what you are framing. They have no effect on focusing which is done with the rangefinder patch in the middle of the finder, that works fine with any M lens, even ones that do not have corresponding framelines (21mm, 40mm etc).

If you do end up buying it make sure you watch this guy to learn how to load film. (skip to 2.30).

love those shops that sell stuff they have no idea about...do they give you warranty on it? Have they checked the speeds on the shutter? Light leaks?

Marcelo Paniagua · Mar 18, 2022

Have my M6 next to me and I'm a glass wearer. Kinda tricky seeing the 28mm frameline but no impossible. Also, ask yourself if you use that focal length often to determine if it would be an issue.

I use my right eye out of habit (although my left eye is a bit better) but tried with my left eye just now. Don't seem anything specially hard with the Leica versus other cameras.

Marcelo.

Saganich · Mar 18, 2022

I'm a left eyed leica user with glasses. On a 0.72 the 35 is ok if you're a lefty, 28 not soo much.

flatulent1 · Mar 18, 2022

madNbad said:
It should be marked in the left corner of the viewfinder window.
http://blog.ricecracker.net/2011/04/23/leica-m-body-viewfinder-framelines/

The camera turned out to have a .85 viewfinder, which is of no use to me. As far as it's condition, it's black and has not a single mark on it, so I assume there's nothing wrong with it.

So now I have to find someone in Seattle that has a spare MP I can borrow for a week.

Huss · Mar 18, 2022

flatulent1 said:
.
So now I have to find someone in Seattle that has a spare MP I can borrow for a week.

A hipster place like Seattle? Should be easy enough....

David888 · Apr 16, 2022

Speaking of framelines, Leica became so obsessed with keeping the original shape of its M bodies after the M5 fiasco that they neglected to increase the eye relief of its eyepieces. Zeiss ZM did it in spades. Conservative Leica.

Huss · Apr 17, 2022

David888 said:
Speaking of framelines, Leica became so obsessed with keeping the original shape of its M bodies after the M5 fiasco that they neglected to increase the eye relief of its eyepieces. Zeiss ZM did it in spades. Conservative Leica.

Yes, and the ZM also gave you a fading patch unless you look at it dead on, they also gave you exposure LEDs that are invisible in bright daylight, and they also gave you an RF patch that does not move in tandem with the frame lines when you focus.
I'd take the conservative Leica approach that works, than one that was not thought through.

snusmumriken · Apr 18, 2022

flatulent1 said:
I've never handled a Leica before, and nobody in my little circle owns one. My local shop has an M6 and I got to play with it briefly. The guy at the counter couldn't tell me if it was a .72, a .85, or a .58. Is there a way to tell? I'm thinking about getting an M5 and possibly an MP, but there may be a problem. One youtube reviewer said glasses wearers may have difficulties with the viewfinder, and another said left-eyed photographers may have difficulties as well. I wear glasses, and only my left eye is reliably functional.

Am I screwed? I'm going back tomorrow with some proper lenses to have a better look, and I'd like to know if it's a .72 or not. Thanks.

It depends what focal length lenses you want to use. I have an M6 with the 0.72 viewfinder (I believe - it isn't marked anywhere). I am left-eye-dominant, have a long nose(!), and nowadays wear vari-focal glasses full time. I cannot see all the 35mm framelines at once unless I remove my glasses or use my right eye, or move my head to squint into each corner of the viewfinder. Without glasses, I need a corrective lens for the eyepiece in order to focus accurately. I can still use a 50mm lens without difficulty with either eye, but sadly my 35mm now rarely gets used.

DonW · Apr 18, 2022

Left eyed user here. I use an M4 and M5 with no issues.

Huss · Apr 18, 2022

DonW said:
Left eyed user here. I use an M4 and M5 with no issues.

I use both my left and right eye, depending on how much computer work I've done that day. Sometimes I find it easier to focus with one than the other.
No issues with any of my Ms (M5 included).

rulnacco · Apr 19, 2022

flatulent1 said:
The camera turned out to have a .85 viewfinder, which is of no use to me. As far as it's condition, it's black and has not a single mark on it, so I assume there's nothing wrong with it.

Errr, why would it be of no use to you? Do you plan to use a 28mm with it a lot? If so, I can understand. But personally, I "traded up" from a 0.72 to a 0.85 when one became available, and I've been very happy ever since.

The 0.85 has 35mm framelines, which is as wide as I ever use at present. And they're larger than with the 0.72. Even better, the 50mm and 90mm framelines are considerably bigger than on the 0.72, which I find very useful, and the focusing accuracy with the larger magnification viewfinder is theoretically significantly improved, particularly with the longer lenses. And it's much closer to a 1:1 view, making it easier to shoot with both eyes open should you choose.

Finally, the 0.85s seem to command a good bit higher price; if the price on the camera is reasonable, and/or you can afford it, it'd probably be a wise use/investment purchase.

Even if you're using a 28mm, the 0.72 isn't the easiest to use with that lens, as it's kind of hard to see all the framelines at once. You're almost better off getting a 28mm external viewfinder (which, if you can land an original Leica one, is spectacular). If you've got to do that anyway to get the best use out of the lens, and you can afford it, you might as well plop the viewfinder on top of a 0.85, which is going to work even better with other lenses that it has framelines for.

Just my two pfennigs.

flatulent1 · Apr 26, 2022

rulnacco said:
Errr, why would it be of no use to you? Do you plan to use a 28mm with it a lot? If so, I can understand. But personally, I "traded up" from a 0.72 to a 0.85 when one became available, and I've been very happy ever since.
...

Fer what it's worth, I ended up buying the M6. And yes, I had been planning on shooting with a 28, a focal length I've been avoiding since the 90s. (There was just something about the 28 through 50 focal range I just didn't like. I know better now.) Having used the M6 for a couple of weeks, I understand the framelines a little better, and I can see 1) the benefit to a 0.85 vf with a 50 lens, currently my most used focal length, and 2) framelines be damned, I'm gonna stick a 28 on there and see what I get.

Sirius Glass · Apr 27, 2022

flatulent1 said:
Fer what it's worth, I ended up buying the M6. And yes, I had been planning on shooting with a 28, a focal length I've been avoiding since the 90s. (There was just something about the 28 through 50 focal range I just didn't like. I know better now.) Having used the M6 for a couple of weeks, I understand the framelines a little better, and I can see 1) the benefit to a 0.85 vf with a 50 lens, currently my most used focal length, and 2) framelines be damned, I'm gonna stick a 28 on there and see what I get.

I found that the 35mm lens was too close the 50mm lens, not enough difference. I prefer the 28mm lens with the 50mm lens. Now I have a 20mm to 35mm AF zoom lens, 21mm AF lens, 24mm AF lens, 28mm PC [manual focus], 35mm AF lens [because it was so damned cheap], 50mm AF lens, 28mm to 300mm AF zoom lens. I use the zoom lenses mostly and the fixed focus when I want to cut the weight of the 20mm to 35mm AF zoom lens or want to use the PC lens.

Huss · Apr 27, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
I found that the 35mm lens was too close the 50mm lens, not enough difference. I prefer the 28mm lens with the 50mm lens. Now I have a 20mm to 35mm AF zoom lens, 21mm AF lens, 24mm AF lens, 28mm PC [manual focus], 35mm AF lens [because it was so damned cheap], 50mm AF lens, 28mm to 300mm AF zoom lens. I use the zoom lenses mostly and the fixed focus when I want to cut the weight of the 20mm to 35mm AF zoom lens or want to use the PC lens.

You use those AF zooms on a Leica M?
;p
(rangefinder section and all that jazz)

I recently picked up an 18-35G, and after I figured out it didn't fit on my MP, I attached it to my F6. Sweeeet lens.

Sirius Glass · Apr 27, 2022

Huss said:
You use those AF zooms on a Leica M?
;p
(rangefinder section and all that jazz)

I recently picked up an 18-35G, and after I figured out it didn't fit on my MP, I attached it to my F6. Sweeeet lens.

That is a comment about choices of focal lengths on 35mm cameras, not on the view finder of any specific Leica camera. The relationship and coverage of each focal length is the same for range finder and slr 35mm cameras. Similarly for any format camera.

Which M6 viewfinder am I looking at?

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