Status report ... Leica M6TTL 0.85x

Godfrey

Godfrey

somewhat colored
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So some of you might recall that I acquired an M6TTL with the 0.85x viewfinder a few weeks ago. It turned out to be in beautiful condition and I love the 0.85x viewfinder, just right for me. I obtained a Heliar Classic 50 VM at the same time and ran my first roll through the camera with that.

Well, I messed it up a little bit ... I processed it in my usual developer, methodology, etc, but I think the developer was right on the border of exhausted so the negs are a bit thin and wishy-washy. I wondered for a time if it was a problem with the camera's metering calibration. As is usual with such an event, I set it aside for a while and let other things fill my time. There are some decent photos in that batch, but I know the quality suffers due to the poor density. I'll get back to them soon. Thinking about it the other day, I said to myself, "Time to run another test..."

This time I fitted the Pentax 43mm Special, took two days to shoot the roll... Today I mixed up fresh developer and fixer and processed the roll the exact same way. The film dried an hour or so ago, I just went through it with a loupe. Wow! nothing wrong with the meter on this camera, and definitely nothing wrong with the focusing either. Nearly every frame is beautifully exposed (all by the meter) and sharp, beautiful! Now I'm jazzed.

I'll get the scanning rig set up tomorrow morning, can't wait to render a couple of these. 🙂

Just to be sure, I fitted the Heliar Classic 50 on the M10-R yesterday and made about 50 exposures on my walk. Yeah, it's a good copy ... 😀

onwards,
G
 
Don’t know if this is your first M6. It is a scarily good meter. For a time I would check a scene with an incident meter, only to find that even scenes I thought would defeat a reflected light meter would still work out just fine. Makes sense, as the M7 automatic exposures see few complaints. Just mindlessly balance the red triangles and you’re spot on.
 
I just had my M6 0.85 serviced by Leica Australia and you are right, it is a beautiful camera. I paid AU$1000 about 5 years ago, now they go for 6 times that. Which wouldn't be a problem but I'm so tempted to get a 0.58 version now and ditch my 0.72 M4-p, only to find the 0.58 seems to only be in the TTL version, which I don't like, rather have 2 classics. Oh well, first world problems...
Enjoy.
 
Thanks for all the comments!

This is my second M6TTL ... First one I had was in the late '90s to early '00s, standard 0.72x viewfinder. It went the way of my equipment typically ... I traded it for a Hasselblad SWC and some other Hassy gear ... And I've been using the M4-2 and new-to-me IIIc when the wild hair of having a film M with a meter in it once more began to make sense. A little horse trading and appeal to my usual favorite Leica dealer netted this one—I'd originally thought to buy myself a new MP 0.58x to celebrate my seventieth, but it seems they're no longer available new and rare as hen's teeth. But he had this one on consignment for half that money, and the more I thought about it the more the 0.85x viewfinder made better sense for me.

Logic said to me that having the high magnification finder increases RF accuracy for all lenses, and I've never really had a good time seeing the 28mm frame lines in the .72x finder. That was my thinking behind looking for the MP .58x ... easier to see the 28 frame lines ... but playing with the IIIc convinced me that I'm just as/more happy using an external 28mm (or wider for the 21/15/10 mm) finder and the 0.85x works better for my majority use of 35, 43, 50, and 75 mm lenses, never mind the 90 and 135 range. The 35mm frame lines are a bit far to the edges for my eyes with glasses, but work perfectly for the 43mm and up. Eh, first world problems! LOL!

Yes, the meter in these cameras is shockingly accurate! That's why I was a little worried that it might have a meter problem, since I know that only Leica can properly service and calibrate the meter properly. I'm happy to report that it is perfect, unlike my slap-dash film processing on the first roll through. 🤷‍♂️ Mistakes were made.

I'm just setting up the scanning rig now (copy stand, Macro-Elmarit-R 60 + R-Adapter M + M10-M, Hakuba flat light box and EFH) so I'll have negs and positives in LR shortly. 😀 (Come to think of it, I might leave the scanning rig set up and spend another hour or two scanning the twenty-some packs of Polaroid and Instax SQ prints that have been falling off the book case shelf for the past week too ...)

Much entertainment to come!

G

... Oh yeah: I wonder when my Voigtländer Vitessa, Vito II, Rolleli 35S, and Retina IIIcx* will get back from service ... The Perkeo II needs a little help (the frame counter is misbehaving) and the M4-2 really should have the shutter overhaul it's needed for the past decade attended to as well, but I hate to have too many cameras out at service at the same time.

Yes, Raid: it really is hard to find enough time to have fun with all these lovely cameras, and I'm retired!!! LOL! 😱
 
Sounds like a nice camera Godfrey. I've posted about the 0.85 MP that followed me home a few weeks ago. It also has a meter that seems remarkably accurate, when I remember it's there... the M4 and M-As have left me forgetful in that department! I do like the 085 viewfinder.
 
The M6 with 0.85 is "relatively uncommon", I have read online. The 0.58 finder seems o be the most popular one for users of 35mm lenses and wider. Is it true that the M6 TTL is prone to malfunctioning?
 
raid said:
The M6 with 0.85 is "relatively uncommon", I have read online. The 0.58 finder seems o be the most popular one for users of 35mm lenses and wider. Is it true that the M6 TTL is prone to malfunctioning?
Click to expand...
I have no idea whether the 0.58x or 0.85x versions of the M6TTL are uncommon or not. Dan Tamarkin seemed to feel that the 0.85x versions were at least reasonably findable for the secondhand market, whereas finding either in an MP was much less likely.

Similarly, I have no idea whether the M6TTL is prone to malfunctioning. My first M6TTL (standard 0.72x finder) I purchased new in, oh, about Winter 1999 and used it almost exclusively until I sold it in 2003 to pay for some Hasselblad gear ... I don't remember any issues with it at all, and at that time I was running upwards of 700 rolls of film a year. I was only concerned that this new-to-me example had an issue because my first roll of film through it was kinda thin, but I've deduced that that was due to exhausted developer, nothing to do with the camera's function. I suspect the camera is just as solid and reliable as my first one, and I have to say I really like the 0.85x viewfinder. A keeper, for sure.

G
 
I posted a few photos made with the second roll through in a separate thread:

A few photos with the M6TTL using a Pentax 43mm f/1.9 Special lens...

A few photos from my second roll through the Leica M6TTL I acquired recently. Nearly perfect metering and negatives throughout this roll! Chairs - Santa Clara 2024 Leica M6TTL + Pentax 43mm f/1.9 Ilford HP5 Pro Skeletons - Santa Clara 2024 Leica M6TTL + Pentax 43mm f/1.9 Ilford HP5 Pro...
www.rangefinderforum.com www.rangefinderforum.com

Enjoy!
G
 
raid said:
I have an M6 Classic 0.85 that has an excellent meter. I wish that I used this camera more often.
Click to expand...
The M6.85-non-TTL was the improved successor to the M3.
But wearing glasses I had problems to watch the little red triangles of the inbuilt light meter.
 
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