Why I think the M6 is the best Leica rangefinder
Posted on by Bellamy
Why I think the M6 is the best Leica rangefinder
I have been through a lot of cameras in my time, and I have owned a few different Leica bodies. I have also got the enviable position of being able to try out more cameras than you can shake a stick at, and I have come to a conclusion that may put a few noses out of joint.
I think that the Leica M6 is the best M-series analogue rangefinder camera that Leica ever made! Now that I have your attention let me explain myself.
Leica has made some great cameras and I have had the great pleasure to be able to have used almost all of them (still not got my hands on an 0 or an Elmax). While the M3 is a stunning piece of engineering and design, there are things about the camera that stop me from owning one. Mainly the lack of 35mm framelines, that is a biggie for me as I shoot pretty much exclusively in 35mm.
Then what about the M2 I hear you ask, that has 35mm framelines. Well, yes it does, but it also has the original vertical film rewind, which is too fiddly for me, I want to wind my film fast and get things done. OK then, the M4 is the camera that you are looking for, it has the angled winders, the framelines, the bright viewfinder and quick loading. Unfortunately, no, it is not. Whilst the M4 is a beautiful camera, which ticks many of the right boxes, it is missing something that I want, something major.
I want a meter in my camera.
There, I said it. I want a meter in my Leica, not on my Leica but in my Leica. So, for purists I am a heathen or something. But no, I feel that the true evolution of Leica design was to have a meter in the camera and I think that the M6 is the camera that has done this perfectly.
So why do I like the M6 so much? What about the MP? The M7? They have meters in them.
Basically for me the M6 is the ultimate user experience in a Leica camera when you really want to get the most out of your camera. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have an MP, but at the same time I don’t want a camera that I would have to cradle, as they do tend to be rather fragile beasts. The MP is made to such high standards that it doesn’t take much to put it off kilter. If you have the money then this is not really a problem, but many of us don’t have the money. And for the price of one clean MP, I can have 2 stunning M6′s. I could even have a black paint TTL and have change, a lot of change. This is a big thing for me. If I am out shooting on the street, I would like to be able to have 2 bodies with me. 2 bodies means 2 different focal lengths and more shots. Buying 2 MP’s would require that I sell some of my organs, which I am rather attached to.
Shooting with a Leica camera is expensive enough, it doesn’t need to be overly expensive. I handle a lot of really amazing Leica cameras, special editions and whatnot, and it makes me feel a little bit down sometimes as I know that some of them will never be used. They will sit in a box, in a safe or on a shelf and never have a roll through them in case it lowers the value. This is such a shame, it is a camera and it yearns to be used. The M6 is not immune to this either, in fact the M6 has had more silly special editions than all of the M cameras, and some of them are downright daft.
But a regular run of the mill M6 is not all that expensive and it will last you a very long time indeed. A sound investment I think.
The M7…well, I am not a big fan of that particular camera. It is not really much of anything in my opinion. It was meant to be the next step, the evolution but it came at a difficult time. Digital cameras were finally starting to be taken seriously and I think that Leica had reached the peak with the M6, what else could you add? I think Aperture priority has no place on a Leica M camera, it makes things too easy. A Leica is meant to be something that you learn to use, something that you have to develop a relationship with. The M7 is also full to the brim with electronic whatnots and thingummys, which is all the more to break down. This brings me on to my next reason why I love the M6.
The M6 is a mechanical camera, that happens to have a meter. One of the very few. If the camera runs out of batteries you can still use it, you just cannot use the meter. The MP is the same in this respect, but again it is the price issue that trumps it.
I love the fact that my M6 will power through roll after roll of film and I don’t have to worry about a battery running out, as if it does I can get 2 LR44 cells pretty much in any convenience store or electrics shop.
The M6 is also tough, very tough. The zinc alloy top plate is tougher than the original brass plates of old (although it doesn’t get the beautiful brassing over time). I have found my camera to be something that I don’t have to be concerned about in the rain, or any adverse conditions. It just keeps on going. You can really work one of these cameras, knowing that the worst is going to happen is that you will need to have it serviced after a few years.
There are other things I like about my M6 too. The viewfinder is clean and uncluttered. The shutter is very very quiet, so I can shoot just about anywhere. Loading is fast, and rewinding is very fast. The camera is very well balanced. There is one thing that I hate when walking with a camera and that is when the camera is poorly balanced so that it tips over or rolls to the heavens. When I have my Summicron on the M6 it is perfect.
The build quality is excellent, despite the purists saying that Leica’s were never the same after the M3. True, that camera was almost over-engineered, there is no way that could be replicated. Some people say that the Solms M6′s are better than the Wetzlar M6′s, but there is very little in it that most people would notice.
I would love to give you some flaws, some cons, but I honestly cannot think of any. I have been using my M6 for a year and a half and it just keeps on getting better. It has become and extension of my hand and I know the camera intimately. I think that this is the sign of a perfect camera, when you know it so well that you could use it in your sleep.
So that is why I think that the M6 is the best film rangefinder that Leica made. It is not overly expensive, it is tough, it is extremely well made, and it has everything that you could possibly need in a rangefinder camera.
The other M series cameras are all brilliant cameras in their own right (I have a soft spot for the M4-P) and I am not saying they are no good, but they don’t have everything that I need from a rangefinder. If only they put a meter in the M4 then I would say that the M4 would probably be the same. But they didn’t.
I am sure that there are plenty of people that disagree with me or may think that I have lost my marbles, and I would love to hear your opinion on this. What do you all think? Please comment and tell us what you think. What is your favourite M camera and why?
If you are looking for an M6 then I can help you to find one, and then you can be as happy as I am with mine. Please mail me by clicking here.
Want to know a little bit more about Leica cameras? Then you should click here.
Cheers
Japancamerahunter
39 Responses to Why I think the M6 is the best Leica rangefinder
Great article about the M6! I have 1 and have been exclusively using it for the past 1 and a half years with a 50mm DR cron attached. Its a beautiful and robust camera (I usually wrap it in a cloth (or a worn out t-shirt) and stuff it in my backpack when I don’t feel like lugging my camera out into the streets. It holds up to all the punishment I hurl at it and it still never fails to deliver =]
Only problems I have with it is the occasional viewfinder flare in rare situations, which is unfortunate. I am not sure this problem is present in other M’s as I haven’t handled any other M before. But it has made me sometimes miss the occasional shots which is rather frustrating. Besides this small quirk, this camera is primed to be my companion for many many years to come =)
I pretty much agree with all of this article. I’m an M6 owner, it was actually my first Leica and I love it – like you, it also has grown to be a sort of extension of my hand and eyes.
I haven’t used its meter for a few years now, although along with one’s own intuition and experience it does just fine.
I’d be curious to see a real-world shooting comparison between the M6 and, say, a Hexar RF or Zeiss Ikon.
Hey who knows, a comparison of this type could even evolve into a regular feature here (you’re welcome)
Agreed.
I came into Leica with the M9 and immediately loved the rangefinder system. Nothing compares.
I grabbed a M6 ttl and it is my most used camera now. This camera has soul.
I agree 100%. I have an M4 and carrying a handheld meter is a pain.
Jeremy – if the flaring bothers you enough you could upgrade the viewfinder to an mp finder.
“I want a meter in my camera.” LOL, you remember that day in Kowloon Park? I need a meter. In fact, I now need a meter so much that I prefer aperture priority. That means an M7 or ZM.
The build quality of M3/M2/M4 was never equalled. The M3 is an absoute classic, the M2 has the framelines and simplicity and the M4 is supremely practical.
Even the tinny (tin can-like) little CL and CLE have their place.
I think everyone’s idea of the best camera will vary with their needs and personality.
Although I must say I was impressed with the smoothness of the advance lever on your M6, but maybe that’s partly down to the quality of the CLA
Nice article. Any thoughts on the M5? Its absence from your comparisons is glaring.
There are other articles on the site about the M5. I am not a big fan of the camera. It is interesting, but there are just too many issues with the camera that I cannot deal with. The balance issue being the main one for me.
I agree that M6 is the best. But i still love my M4-P, because it’s my first M and i know light meter is not going to be a problem if my leica were spoil (because there is not meter). So i’m using VC meter II.
Nonetheless, i don’t mind to have a M6 too.
First I have to say Great Article.
I recently started shooting with an M6 after lots of research, I find the light meter is very accurate but always evaluate with an off camera meter.
I upgraded from a Voigtlander Bessa R4a which in comparison feels like a toy camera.
I plan to have my M6 CLA next year and may ask to have the viewfinder upgraded if this is possible.
You wrote “I think Aperture priority has no place on a Leica M camera, it makes things too easy. A Leica is meant to be something that you learn to use, something that you have to develop a relationship with.”
Interesting. One could, I suspect, say precisely the same thing about a light meter in a Leica…
I’ll grant you the point if you’re shooting chromes, but if you’re shooting colour negative film, then the dynamic range is so large that one only has to be in the ballpark to get a reasonable exposure. Just err on the side of over-exposure (Portra 400, for instance, is just fine at as much as a stop or more over box speed). And if you’re shooting B&W negative film, then you have even more latitude.
I was lucky enough to have been lent a Leica black M6 for an entire semester. And it impressed me so much. Hopefully an m6 will be my first Leica.
Hi Bellamy, Hope you are well. Any word on those plastic film boxes yet.
More importantly, How much can I expect to pay for a MINT black M6 with box and papers that does NOT need to go back to Leica. Virtually new. Let me know
We want film holders!
Great article. I shoot an M3 with a 50mm Elmar-M and I must admit sometimes I wish my camera had a light meter. However, I do not miss the flashing red lights in the viewfinder. I never realized how obnoxious they were until I got the meter less M3.
Your next article should be about the best LEICA M lens. I have a love for the collapsibles due to their portability, however they lose a stop.
Cool article. I have to say that even though the best Leica is the one with you, the M6 is also my weapon of choice.
Certainly the M6 flares, I had it upgraded with anti flare optics (though not by Leica) and now it is excellent. I like it very much to have a built in metter, it is important to keep it mind that this is only for reference purposes, after taking the reading you have to change your exposition to meet the image you have in mind.
If anyone is interested in more M6 reading, I wrote a post on my blog about it a while ago
http://dacnard.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/happyness-is-a-warm-m6-a-tribute/
Cheers.
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Bellamy,
I agree with you, on all of your points, 100%. I have felt the same ever since I got my first M6 in early 1989. It is the perfect use-it-everyday Leica. And I am definitely “coming clean” here by saying that, because I also own six other Leica M cameras besides my two M6 cameras. So sometimes it is hard for me to justify all of the other Leica M cameras, as well as the collection Nikon and Canon and LTM cameras. There: I said it. My “problem” is that I love each one of those cameras when I hold them, use them, exercise them. But it is the two M6 combination (0.72 and 0.58 cameras) that go out the door with me most, whether around the block or around the world. Maybe it’s time to clean house….. (By the way, you do have an MP right? That rare gray titanium MP???). Be well, Bob
It’s quite the M6 love fest for the M6 here, but allow me to be a contrarian
I’ve owned and shot with two M6TTL’s but never grew attached to them. Great cameras for sure, but despite knowing full well that I didn’t need to be precise with exposure when shooting colour negative or B&W film I always fell into this “chase the meter diodes” mode when shooting with them. By that, I mean I was always fiddling with the shutter dial or aperture ring at every small change in the exposure value to get the middle diode to light up for the correct exposure. That got old very quickly.
So call me lazy or a non-purist, but I have decided that if a camera has a built-in meter it may as bloody well have aperture priority auto as well. And lets be honest, aperture priority auto is just plain convenient, and makes for a much faster shooting experience. Which translates to fewer missed decisive moments. Isn’t that what its all about?
So which is my choice of aperture priority auto M-mount camera? I tried a Hexar RF, and it was a great camera with an amazing feature set, but I wasn’t fond of the low magnification finder and hefty weight. I still have and am still trying to learn to love a Leica M7 (onto my second sample), though for various reasons that’s not going so well. So my main shooters now are a pair of Zeiss Ikons. They’re not perfect cameras (I’d love to be able to combine the good bits of the M7 with the good bits of the Zeiss Ikon) but they’re perfect in all the areas that matter to me, like the gorgeous clear finder for example. Long live aperture priority auto cameras!!! Just be sure to carry a spare set of batteries.
I agree with you, Jon. My first Leica was an M6TTL, which I shot with for 2 years. I loved the thing but the blinking red lights always brought out the OCD in me and I just HAD to get the dot right. That slowed down my shooting quite a bit. I then got a meterless M4-P which made shooting faster cos I didn’t bother with nailing perfect exposure everytime, but for colour I wished I had a meter since I tended to underexpose.
It wasn’t until I got an M7 that a built-in meter finally made sense to me. Now I can get perfect colour exposures – especially because the M7′s electronic shutter has in-between ranges when you use AE – without having to slow down my shooting. But just to be safe I have an MD-a as backup and for B&W. Yep, one should always carry at least 2 M cameras: one for colour the other for B&W, and one for wide angle and the other for normal focal lengths.
Well said sir. Most eloquent. However, there is one matter you need to shed some light on: M6 classic or the TTL?
Keep up the GREAT work!
For the most part I agree, those are all the reasons I picked one up. Like I said on FB though, its still not quite perfect for me. I’d love a larger VF like on my old Bessa R, preferably with a bit more space around the 28mm framelines as well. And ergonomically its a little funky. The thumb grip on the back of the Bessas is a huge deal for those of us that hold our camera in our hand while we walk around and shoot. If you ever run into a franken Leica that fits that bill though, let me know. I WILL buy it.
Hi , I have also a M6 TTL 0.85 bought just few weeks ago and share your comments about it . I have a question : what is the reference of the rectangular hood mounted on the summilux 35mm/F1.4 shown on the first article picture ?? thks
Totally agree.
How tough are M6′s? Here’s a story about what happened to my first M6, on a very wet Bangkok day.
http://www.yomadic.com/songkran-2012/
Summary – they’re freakin’ tough.
I just inherited a m2 and i have to say that the m6 compared to that just feels like garbage in my hands, light, hollow…and for me the feel of a camera has a big influence on hom much i use it and how much i enjoy using it.
The MP takes the biscuit for me, its perfect.
I agree with you on most points, I have an M6 myself. My main complaints with the M6 (and most older M’s) is the pathetically slow maximum shutter speed of 1/1000 of a sec, and the horrible rangefinder flare that can occur if the camera is pointed anywhere near a strong light source.
Great article Bellamy I completely agree with you.
I’ve had my Leica M6 for around 5 months now and absolutely love it. I’ve pretty much forgotten about digital and have stuck with film.
Yes the M6 may not be as heavy and solid as the M2. It may have a crappy maximum shutter of 1/1000 sec. But I wasn’t about to spend a fortune for an MP or have to carry around a light meter.
I’m happy to have purchased my M6 and intend on keeping it for life.
I’ve always considered the M6 to be the best compromise of the M cameras. Not to expensive, no (potentially) fragile electronics interfering with the shutter speeds and a meter.
Still I ended up with an M2. Partly because the deal seemed to good to turn down, which can turn out to become very expensive when buying used cameras (the price was based on it looking a bit scruffy yet mechanically it is sound = a good user), and to me it is the prettiest of the M’s, which you might say shouldn’t matter.. but it does! I like the original rewind, the cleaner front than the M3 and I actually prefer the simplified frame counter of the M2.
I am tempted to get a black M6 too though.
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Very nice article. I own an M6 non-TTL 0.85 for years and it has worked just fine. I always shoot with a 50mm lens on it while the viewfinder is so bright and clear (though there is still flare). One drawback on this M6, in my opinion, compared to an MP, is the shutter feels less sturdy – it gets more vibration and noise when it fires
I couldn’t agree more with you that M6/M6TTL is the best Leica ever!
I have and using two M6TTL, a black M6TTL with 0.85 viewfinder which I used with 50mm or longer lenses and a silver M6TTL with 0.58 viewfinder with a Summicron-M 1:2/35 ASPH exclusively attached to it. I like the M6TTL for its “” but I still dream for a classic silver M6 with 0.72 viewfinder.
I have tried the MP but don’t like its weight, rewind knob and especially its higher price but for sure will treat myself one if I have enough money. I have also tried the M7 but hate its electronic shutter and I am not alone, a friend of mine sold his M7 for a classic M6
Zeiss Ikon ZM
Hi Bellamy. After speaking to you at the workshop a few weeks ago I’m really intrigued. If I sell my M8 I can easily afford an M6 (right?), and I’m 90% sure I’m gonna do the switch. When I decide to buy one I’ll send you a mail!
Gotta go with the M3 on this one. I like the rewind knob (different strokes for different folks). I use a Voigtlander Nokton 40/1.4 on mind on I love it. Plus the focusing is the best bar none. just had it CLA’d at Solms so I am good for another 50 years.
M5 is so much better a M workhorse than M6. A better meter, better viewfinder no flare and a kick ass shutter dial.
Hi,
I have the M6 too! A question I wanted to ask your users, and you of course. Which film do you usually use, for street photography in good light. I use the Ilford Delta 100 – but I’ve seen a few friends use the HP5. Which one would you recommend?
Or would it be Kodak for you?
Let me know.
I use either Tri-x or Neopan 400 pretty much exclusively.
Thanks
I just purchased a M6 with a 50 cron, I can’t wait to pair it up with the M9 when I visit Hong Kong and the Philippines in a few weeks! I’m sure I will be more than happy with it!
Consur, just brought an m6 the body is a little scratched, but i am kind of glad it is cos i can go rough with the camera and not to worry too much about damage, gives me the courage to use it frequently n take lots of photo…….
3000 EUR for an MP…thatb basically is a materially better version of M6?
Dont think thats wise…….. Prefer to spent more on a goood summicron 35 f2 asph..
All the best!!