Help me Spend £2000

I bought an M6TTL approx 27 months ago. I too was on the lookout for an M6 Classic and missed a few due to dithering.
An M6TTL showed so I snapped it up. Initially I was unsure as I'd never use the TTL feature but now I love the larger dial on top, that moves in the correct direction as what the meter is saying.
I bought mine from a large London stockist, who appear to be an authorised Leica dealer but aren't. (near the British Museum) I had a minor issue to sort out that wasn't solved satisfactorily, but Leica UK did it FOC.
For whats it worth I had my finder upgraded to the MP spec as it was prone to white-out occasionally. Well worth it.
My 3 1/2 yr old learning properly.


Leap of faith. by Stephen_Fell, on Flickr

Steve.
 
If I were you I'd go for the cheaper option. I don't think you'll have difficulty moving it on if you need to. There are always people looking for a cheaper, user body the same way you are, as there are for a more expensive "shelf queen"
 
The last thing i want to do is worry that i'll scratch it etc. I am after all buying it to use.
 
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So i got my M6 and a Zeiss Biogon 35mm. I ended up going the dealer route for peace of mind. I've had it for just over a week and shot a roll of film. All shutter speeds seem to be working fine and I'll try and post some examples soon. Anyhow I've just noticed that one of the strap bumpers is now missing. The one below the frame counter.

They were both there when i bought it but i'm not sure when it came off. I'm teribbly dissapointed as I thought these were rock solid cameras.

Is it a case of getting another and glueing on or do i need a repair man to sort it. Where can i get a spare one?


Regards
Michael
 
I think you should talk with your dealer and see what they say. The "bumpers" aren't just glued on but are kind of rivetted on. You should see evidence of two holes and further plastic on the inside of the camera body. It needs to be fixed or you may end up with a piece of plastic loose on the inside of the body which may cause problems.
 
Definitely get the dealer to fix this, they should never come off. You bought at the dealer for peace of mind, so let him work for his money.

That said, congrats on the new kit. I'd say look into a cheap dedicated 35mm scanner, they're great to get a quick glance at your roll, and many are good enough for large prints. I print 12x16 from 200 euro Konica Minolta Scan Dual IV, it's wonderful and you can get Vuescan which runs on any OS.
 
Definitely get the dealer to fix this, they should never come off. You bought at the dealer for peace of mind, so let him work for his money.

That said, congrats on the new kit. I'd say look into a cheap dedicated 35mm scanner, they're great to get a quick glance at your roll, and many are good enough for large prints. I print 12x16 from 200 euro Konica Minolta Scan Dual IV, it's wonderful and you can get Vuescan which runs on any OS.

Thanks for the advice.

M
 
@Poppers: with the f2 Biogon lens focussed at infinity:
- without hood, there is very minimal blockage of the bottom right corner; really negligible.
- with the hood (which is vented), the blocakage is obviously more; the arc of the round hood intersects the 35mm framelines at approximately 40% from the bottom right hand corner (if that make sense). The venting of the hood minimises the blockage... you get used to it very quickly.

The M6/35 f2 is not a pocketabe package unless you are wearing an overcoat with large pockets. However, you can fit the camera and several lenses into a very small bag such as the Lowepro Rezo 140AW:


The Tardis by *monz*, on Flickr

you definitely need a banana guard there or it'll get squished in the bag.
 
hahaha well bananas vary in size so doesn't really help!!

kidding. sorry getting carried away. anything to prevent me from doing any work.
 
Hummm.... I went through a similar thought when I got into film seriously a year ago. But I quickly decided that I'd buy a scanner, instead of paying for scans: I'd need scanning every time I shoot a roll, but I dont always need prints....

So long and behold, I put down $600 or $700, I forgot, for a Nikon Coolscan V ED. And I shot close to 100 rolls this past year. Figure it would have been $5 or $6 / roll for scanning, I think the decision is paid off.

The downside you need to consider for scanning at home is the time it takes to scan, for me it's about 1 hour / roll, plus the time for learning curve to doing it right.

Personally, I'd skip the scanner and spend the money on lots of printing paper...
 
The downside you need to consider for scanning at home is the time it takes to scan, for me it's about 1 hour / roll, plus the time for learning curve to doing it right.

I've got my method set, so now although the actual scanning takes about an hour, it doesn't cost me an hour: it's three sets of two strips, which take about five minutes to set up and start the scan. The rest of that hour I browse the classifieds (which is another possible 'cost' of owning a scanner) :)
 
here are a couple of examples from my first few rolls.


rf13.jpg


rf12.jpg


rf11.jpg


rf4.jpg


rf2.jpg


Basic B&W conversion in Apple Aperture

rfBw.jpg
 
Im not sure how i feel yet. I love actually using the camera, it really is a joy but i think it will be a while before I get consistent results. I've been trying different films and different labs. Some of them have left me underwhelmed (I'm not expecting that i take great pictures because i have a leica) but the prints and scans vary so much in quality. I also have been getting a flair of some kind on some of the pictures. I thought this may have been dust/thumb print of the lens being caught by the light which i have since cleaned.

However it looks like some kind of leak. It does not appear on all speeds though so i'm really not sure what is happening.



rf_flair5.jpg
rf_flair4.jpg
rf_flair3.jpg
rf_flair2.jpg

rf_flair1.jpg



Maybe my technique is off too especially when metering. I was hoping for my photos to have a bit more snap and the Zeiss to be sharper. Or maybe i need to spend more at a pro lab or something.
 
I like photo #2, works well in colour.

Labs vary wildly, in the UK, I like Palm, Peak, Genie, The Darkroom, and Ilford. For scanning, pretty much the cheapest scanner available will beat what you get from most labs.

As for flare, on older lenses it's common, especially if you don't use a hood and shoot into the light. Personally, I think it can add character to a photo and don't worry about it at all.
 
Yes it's probably worth trying some of the others. At the moment i'm trying the cheapest ones I can find. Hopefully i'll soon be able to develop my own B&W too
 
This is no flare, it's leak... And it's not happening at a certain shutter speed.. it's not happening also on each and every frame. Since your camera is still under the seller's warranty, take it back with the failed rolls and ask them to check it thoroughly. Have them check also the strap pad they fixed once more.
 
i will do. I've had rolls back where its all been OK and then some some which i have posted where it appears on consecutive frames.
 
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