Which M body for newbie?

[Steve_F]

Hi all,
I'd like to ask advice on which Leica M body to go for as my first one. I have listed below some of my preferences so if people could give advice and any disadvantages and what to watch out for.

1. New MP 'a-la-carte' - Too expensive, divorce etc.

2. MP - Love the idea of purely mechanical, and only a basic meter and not battery reliant.

3. M6 (classic)- Aperture priority but full mechanical if no batteries (TTL model not essential)

4. M3 / M4 - Pleasing on the eye from my personal point of view.

Lenses - The 28mm M lenses are going to be out of my price range for now, what about a Voigtlander 28mm 1.9?

Thanks in advance for your time.

Steve.

 

[januaryman]

I started with the M2. It's probably the best, but I like the slightly more updated M4 that I also own. The M3 has no framelines for 35mm, so I scratched that one off my list. I just got a 28mm Canon (LTM) with adapter that I use on my M2 with an FSU turret finder. Looks great, works well for me.

Good luck.

 

[tom_uk]

3. M6 (classic)- Aperture priority but full mechanical if no batteries (TTL model not essential)

Neither M6 model (classic or TTL) offer aperture priority (which i take to mean automatic exposure). Only the M7 & M8 offer that. In the M6 models the meter indicates whether the current exposure settings (aperture & shutter speed) will provide over-exposure, under-exposure or correct exposure indication, but it's then up to the user to set the exposure manually by adjusting the aperture, shutter speed or both. (There's also a whole thing on how the M6 meters assess exposure, and what it regards as 'correct'.)

M6 TTL's are by definition the latest M6 models and are thus less likely to need adjustment, repair, etc. Even the oldest TTL is just over 10 years old, whereas M6 classics could be twice that age or more. A further advantage of the TTL, if relevant, is that the alternative VF magnification factors are more readily available: there are far more TTL .85 VF cameras around than there are M6 Classic .85 cameras, and of course the .58 VF was never available on the M6 Classic.

 

[antistatic]

Go on, get an MP. You know you want to. There is one in the classifieds (I have no connection with seller). Your wife can't stay mad forever.

 

[Steve_F]

Neither M6 model (classic or TTL) offer aperture priority (which i take to mean automatic exposure). Only the M7 & M8 offer that. In the M6 models the meter indicates whether the current exposure settings (aperture & shutter speed) will provide over-exposure, under-exposure or correct exposure indication, but it's then up to the user to set the exposure manually by adjusting the aperture, shutter speed or both. (There's also a whole thing on how the M6 meters assess exposure, and what it regards as 'correct'.)

M6 TTL's are by definition the latest M6 models and are thus less likely to need adjustment, repair, etc. Even the oldest TTL is just over 10 years old, whereas M6 classics could be twice that age or more. A further advantage of the TTL, if relevant, is that the alternative VF magnification factors are more readily available: there are far more TTL .85 VF cameras around than there are M6 Classic .85 cameras, and of course the .58 VF was never available on the M6 Classic.

Thanks for that Tom. I've so much too learn!

 

[Steve_F]

Go on, get an MP. You know you want to. There is one in the classifieds (I have no connection with seller). Your wife can't stay mad forever.

That's not the sort of advice I should be told. We all have that bit of a streak in us - very tempting, and like you say she can't stay mad forever.


Steve.

 

[maddoc]

MP is nice but expensive .... I would recommend an M6 if you "need" an internal meter or an M4-P if "sunny-16" or a small hand-held meter works fine for you. Both cameras are from the 80s or 90s, and known to work fine. It is better to spent money on a good lens than for an expensive body, IMHO.

 

[Steve_F]

Thanks for that.
An internal meter is not essential, just the 'arrows' for exposure indication are sufficient. I do have a Sekonic spotmeter but it would be nice to leave that behind. I have been wondering about a 'cell' meter that needs no batteries, but some sort of built-in indictaor within the camera body would make life easier for indoor candid work.

Thanks,

Steve.

 

[MCTuomey]

if you must have an internal meter, then your choices are the M6 classic, M6ttl, M7, or the MP. all have 28mm framelines. only the M7 has auto-exposure (aperture priority). M6 classics run USD950-1200. M6ttl bodies run USD1200-1500. M7 bodies run USD1800-2100. MP bodies, >USD2700, I think.

the basic dilemma is simple when choosing a "first" M: you can't decide which one is best for you without some experience and you can't become experienced until you've decided, bought, and used one. so pick one, buy and try it, keep it if works for you, sell it if it doesn't make you happy. all M bodies tend to hold value fairly well, so you won't lose much, if anything, upon sale.

 

[ktmrider]

Using Leica's Since 1974

Using Leica's Since 1974

M6/M6TTL/MP meter the same. M6TTL has flash metering if used with the Leica flash unit which was considered pretty primitive when it was introduced in the mid 90's. MP is an attempt by Leica to get back to the quality of the M2/3/4 but with the through the lens meter of the M6.

All the M's after the M4 are basically M4's with slightly different viewfinders or through the lens metering except the M5 which was Leica's first attempt at through the lens metering and the M7 which adds an electronic controlled shutter and AE which was available in the Minolta CLE almost 20 years before. Leica makes progress SLOWLY. For a complete description of Leica models, check out cameraquest's site. There is a link at the top of the Voightlander forum.

If you want a through the lens meter, an M6 or subsequent model. If you can live without it, any M2/3/4/4-2/4-P depending on viewfinder and lenses you plan on using. Some feel that less is more when it comes to viewfinder frame lines which are displayed when a lens is mounted. It is one of the reasons the M2 is so popular.

And speaking of lenses, the Voightlander and Zeiss lines offer some outstanding optics which are not available through Leica (35f1.2, 18mm, 15mm and 12mm). I saw an interest in 28 mm on the thread and the new 28f2 from Voightlander can be had for 25percent of the current Leica offering and you won't have to sell your firstborn to afford one. Again check out cameraquest for LOTS of information.

 

[WoolenMammoth]

cant reccomend an M4 enough...

 

[peter_n]

That's not the sort of advice I should be told.

A lot of people feed on bread & water here... 😉

The M6 and M6TTL have shutter speed dials that rotate in the opposite direction. The M6 is identical to all the Ms before it and the MP, the M6TTL rotates the same way as the M7 and M8.x. This confuses some people, but not all. If your ultimate destination is going to be an MP you might want to consider the M6 "classic". I started out with an M6TTL and now use MPs but didn't have a problem with the changeover.