21st birthday:Ikon or M6?

[peripatetic]

Congratulations.

Doesn't really matter which you get, but the ZI sure is sweet. If you wear spectacles then I would strongly recommend the ZI, otherwise...

 

[Al Kaplan]

The perfect companion to an M2 is an M3.

 

[mknawabi]

m6 if you want the name, ikon if you want the features

 

[ferider]

Al Kaplan: The perfect companion to an M2 is an M3.

+1.

 

[EtoileFinder]

I try a bunch of RF in a year interval: m6, m7, Hexar...I sold them all and kept only the Ikon for analogue shooting. The main reason: versatility.

 

[benmacphoto]

I've messed around with the Ikon before, wasn't for me. Instead I went with an M6 and couldn't be happier with it.

So my vote is for the M6.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Outside the fact that it's a 21st birthday present: ZI.

Given the symbolism: M6.

Impossible choice. Any chance of a top-up (with a loan if you have to) to an MP?

Cheers.

R.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

M6 Classic. Battery life longer & when it goes it is fully functional as the batter only works the meter. The M6 has the framelines (as opposed to the M2) for the 28, 75, 135, should you want to experitment.

 

[Matus]

congratualtions !

But to remind you - the time will pass and once you will be 30 you may need to buy you birthday camera yourself. Should you be lusting after some new Leica creation (M7, M10, M11 ...) be sure to start saving in advance - otherwise you will end up with a Bessa like I did 😀 (this is NOT a complaint - the R3A us great)

 

[ZebGoesZeiss]

If I have learned one thing, it is that "if you want a Leica, get a Leica". Right now I have both of the cameras in front of me, and neither are perfect. But when I go to work in an hours time, it is the Zeiss Ikon I will be taking with me. The huge, bright and uncluttered viewfinder really is wonderful. I find the AE useful at times. The modern film loading is a pleasure to use. Function by function, feature by feature - I find Ikon to be the better camera.

 

[kywong]

I have both, there's no better camera, it just depends on what you prefer.

The ZM feels a little inferior in operation, it's well built, no doubt about that, but the shutter dial clicks a little weird, the advance not as smooth, the RF patch not always in the middle and can be more prone to misalignment. I also find the exposure compensation dial on the ZM too fiddly.

But the ZM has a bigger finder, aperture priority and the 1/2000 can come in handy. It won't burn a hole in the shutter if you point it into the sun, and since you can turn it off properly, you can leave a soft release on without worrying about it firing in your bag.

If I have to sell one, I'd keep the Leica, especially since it's kind of a special gift, but that's just me.

 

[Roger Warren]

The Ikon is a nice body but, down the line you will regret not getting the M6. There will be no other camera as dependable as a Leica. It is the same with the lenses. I use Zeiss lenses and slowly start to regret the purchase due to their construction. Leica, like my Nikon F3's are true workhorses.

 

[maddoc]

True companion to the M2 is an M3 as Al said but .... limited to 50mm as widest FL. Best companion to your M2 would be the M6. Why ? Same handling and same VF. If you use both in parallel you don't have to think about different handling.

The ZI is a nice camera on the paper but not for heavy and longtime use ....

 

[knodd]

hi guys, thanks so much for all the advice. after reading what you guys had to say i was pretty much set on getting the ikon. but today as i walked past the local camera shop there was this m6 in lovely condition just calling out to me, and to cut a long story short i ended up getting it 😀 its a really nice camera!

well i guess they are all the same in the long run right 🙂

 

[coelacanth]

Congrats!!

The individual camera rather than camera model you fell in love with is the best camera to get, right? And they say the camera you carry and use is the best camera.

Happy birthday!

 

[Frank Petronio]

Sell the M2 and combine the money to get a nice used MP. You said you aren't going to resell it -- the MP will still be great in fifty years -- the ZI will be barely functioning if at all.

 

[aizan]

and now for something completely different: nikon s3 2000. life is too short to spend just on m-mount rangefinders. 😉