m4 or m6??

[xavi]

Hi, again...
I'm a owner of a M4 in good condition. But i'm thinking to move to an M6. But for do that i need money, so i'm thinking about selling my M4. The only "problem" with M4 is the Light meter.
I only use 35 and 50 mm. lens
Would you do that?.
Thanks and sorry for my english
best regards

 

[Rafael]

If you have something else to sell, you could look for an M6 Classic with a 0.85x finder. Put the 50 on the M6 and the 35 on the M4 and you will have a great kit! Just a suggestion... Good luck with your search.

 

[colyn]

I would stick with the M4.

The M6 finder is difficult to use in backlit situations..

 

[sirius]

The M4 is a beautiful camera and very collectable. From looking at recent sales on eBay those that are in good shape seem to be going for close to the same price as an M6.

Have you considered a Zeiss Ikon or an inexpensive Bessa? It might be nice for you to have a Bessa in your camera case for when you want the metering---aperture priority even---and then use the M4 for when you want to enjoy all of it's charms.

I'd love a black M4, drool....

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[Ben Z]

I have both M4 and M6. Using the MR-4 meter on the M4 is only a nansecond slower than the M6 (I tend to meter occasionally and alter exposure by eye as I sense the light changes). Both have been equally reliable. At the point I ever get a digital M and give up film I would probably sell the M6, only because the M4 has been with me through thick and thin.

 

[thomasw_]

Hi, again...
I'm a owner of a M4 in good condition. But i'm thinking to move to an M6.......
I only use 35 and 50 mm. lens



Would you do that?.

Thanks and sorry for my english

best regards

No. I would sell the M4, buy a M2, and use the extra dough toward a lens you like.

 

[35mmdelux]

keep M4 and be patient. Save some $ and wait for user M6.

 

[Kyle]

Forgive me if you've already thought of this, but why not just get a hand-held meter? The M4 is a wondeful camera, and the uncluttered framelines are a huge plus.

 

[nrj]

I've owned M4 and M6, the meter in the M6 is really worth having and extremely accurate in most situations. I've owned my M6 for 10 years and never had a problem - great camera

Nik

 

[ChrisN]

As mentioned above, having to look through the viewfinder to check the meter can be a nuisance, and tips people off to your intentions (if discretion is required). Consider a meter like the VC II or Leicameter, which clips on top and can be checked with the camera held at the waist.

 

[ferider]

Only you can decide.

Both are good cameras. Best would be to try an M6 at a shop, or to sell the M4 after
you have happily received the M6. From a users stand-point there
is really not much difference between a clean M4 and clean M6, except
the lightmeter and the 28/75mm framelines (but they don't seem
to matter for you).

If your M4 is clean, you should be able to trade it equally to a user M6.

Roland.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

keep M4 and be patient. Save some $ and wait for user M6.

The M6 would fee at home to you since (taking aside the materials and workmanship) it is essentially an M4 with the self-timer replaced with a meter and winder mechanism. and the finder can be upgraded with an MP style condenser for less than $200.

In any case, I agree with 35mmdelux. Stick with the M4 until you can afford an M6 classic (as a second body). At that point, if I may make a prediction, the M4 will become the “back-up.”

 

[JNewell]

Avoid the M6 if you can... Nadir M...

With all due respect, this is nonsense. The M6 is really the camera that kept Leica Ms alive for almost 20 years, even if the M4-2 was the lifeline from the M5 debacle (great camera, poor business event). There is nothing wrong with having a meter, and there is nothing really wrong with the M6's design or manufacture.

Almost every M model had problems in its early production, including the M4, the M5, the M4-2 and the M7. I am not bringing to mind right now any early production issues with the M2 or the M4-P, but there may have been some. The M3 definitely underwent a variety of design changes in its early years before it reached "perfection." Look at how the market regards (and prices) the late M3s compared to the earlyl ones if you doubt how people feel about those changes.

I have owned just about every M model. I am currently using a Wetzlar M6 from the first year of production, a .85x M6 from the last year of classic M6 production, an M4 from the last year of chrome production and an M3 from the first year of production. They are all superb cameras. Yes, there have been changes in materials and methods over the years. Some are improvements (coated finder optics), some are not (plastic frame counters). If I had to choose only one, I'd probably pick the .85x M6 classic, but thankfully right now I don't.

There is no such thing as a bad M.

 

[aizan]

*sa

you're a total chump if you get an m6.

 

[MikeL]

xavi, if you like the M4 and you are using negative film, I'd buy a light meter, carry it around for a week, and get a feel for reading light and how things change below Sunny 16. That should really decrease your need for the M6, except in tricky lighting. Then you can do a quick read with your hand-held.

 

[dreamsandart]

I sold a trusty M4 when the M6 came out in the mid 80s with the thought - 'Great!, an M4 with a light meter!'.

Well, the M6 isn't up to an M4 in fit-finish or built quality, but it is still a great camera. Had mine for about 15 years before I went back to the M5 for my metered Leica (which is another metered Leica M-camera with something(s) 'extra' that really sets it apart for the ordinary M-series). The M6 did everything I asked it to do under all sorts of conditions. For a 'classic' M-style body with a built in behind the lens meter, its a good choice, plenty of nice used ones around at a lot less than a used MP. Get one that's working the way it should and I'm sure you'd be happy with it.

Actually I was too tempted by an M6 titanium a few days ago and picked it up. Don't really need it, but with the M5 in for an adjustment I easily justified it. Feels like 'old times'; some things change, some things stay the same...

 

[pvdhaar]

One of the caveats with built-in light meters, is metering and adjusting exposure every shot. But that's not the way to go. You're better off metering the light once, setting the exposure, and stick with that unless the light changes. And this you can do with a handheld meter just as good as with a built-in one.

 

[xavi]

Well, not easy to decide...
I use to shot slides, so i need a fine meter. Normally, i can adjust the exposure by myself, but i like to shot in low and difficult ligth conditions. Then i need a handheld meter (i own a Polaris one). So i think one buid-in-meter is more discreet for street pictures. That's the question. But i like a lot my M4.
I'll wait.
thank's a lot

 

[richard_l]

Well, not easy to decide...
I use to shot slides, so i need a fine meter. Normally, i can adjust the exposure by myself, but i like to shot in low and difficult ligth conditions. Then i need a handheld meter (i own a Polaris one). So i think one buid-in-meter is more discreet for street pictures. That's the question. But i like a lot my M4.
I'll wait.
thank's a lot

With the M6 you must bring the camera up to your eye (in shooting position) in order to use the built-in meter to set the exposure, because the exposure information is in the viewfinder. This makes it look as if you are taking a picture before you activate the shutter. A handheld meter enables you to set the exposure without raising the camera to shooting position. I think the handheld meter is therefore more discreet.

Richard