Advice for a prospective m6ttl buyer

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hawkhanlumist

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I have my heart set on the m6ttl with .58.

I know the dangers of the metering circuit board. I guess I will just have to take my chances.

My question is: what should I look out for when purchasing. specifically regarding the meter, are there any worrying or tell-tale signs (arrows starting to fade or be dim or flicker) that point to imminent failure?

any advice would be greatly appreciated.

best to you all, and happy shooting.
Hawker
 
Hi,

In view of what you say I'll suggest you buy from a dealer and get one with a guarantee and put a few films through it. And make sure you get an instruction book and read it.

In your shoes I'd be looking for one in very good cosmetic condition as dents etc can't usually be repaired.


Regards, David

PS Take what you read on the www about camera failures with a pinch of salt. It's usually the users who duff up cameras and every time I read about one failing for some reason others will chime in and say that their one never did that...

No one is going to start a thread to say they put a roll through a camera and it worked OK and so I guess the duds are few and far between.
 
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If you can live without through the lens flash control, and a smaller shutter speed dial that goes the wrong way intuitively, I would recommend the classic M6. Electronics are far simpler. Either way, without the meter working, both become M4s with a zinc top hat.
 
David Hughes said:
Hi,

In view of what you say I'll suggest you buy from a dealer and get one with a guarantee and put a few films through it. And make sure you get an instruction book and read it.
Click to expand...

I second the dealer suggestion. Tamarkin or someone like JCH perhaps. Or any trusted seller with a warranty. I’m not aware of any tell tale signs with them. But David is totally right, worst case an M6 becomes an M4. Not bad!
 
Ricoh said:
If you can live without through the lens flash control, and a smaller shutter speed dial that goes the wrong way intuitively, I would recommend the classic M6. Electronics are far simpler. Either way, without the meter working, both become M4s with a zinc top hat.
Click to expand...


Very true. I never needed TTL flash control, but I did want the bigger shutter speed dial so that's how I ended up with a chrome 0.58. Most of the time I just leave the batteries out and shoot it just so! The rest of the advice here is solid. If you have the means and want to try it and see if you like it, it's definitely worth the plunge. I'll part with mine when I stop breathing 🙂
 
David Hughes said:
Hi,

PS Take what you read on the www about camera failures with a pinch of salt.

...
No one is going to start a thread to say they put a roll through a camera and it worked OK and so I guess the duds are few and far between.
Click to expand...


I second that. I had a M6TTL and intensely used it for years with no problems whatsoever. Now I've had another M6TTL for a year and also used it fairly much with zero trouble. Each time I bought one I did my little risk assessment: What's the probability of failure? Very low, statistically. What are the consequences in case of failure? The M6TTL becomes a fully operational M4 - that is still an excellent camera. The risk (probabily x consequences) is therefore extremely low. I'd say go for it, if that's what you like.
 
I have two - a .85 and a .58 - and have not had any problem. Both were CLA'd by DAG several years ago and are the smoothest Ms I have. The first .85 I bought did have a problem with firing the flash and was exchanged. Keep in mind that the camera will work just fine without a battery but it will not fire the flash, ttl or otherwise, if it does not have a good battery installed. That's how the camera was designed and is different than the M6 non-ttl, which will fire a flash with or without a battery.
 
On my M6 TTL, I know the LEDs will flicker erratically with weak batteries. It puzzled me at first, but a new battery solved it.
 
I have two bodies. Their meters are always reliable, they are tough cameras and have worked perfectly since I purchased them in 2004. Now, I believe one had a problem with the flash circuitry, but I really don't care because I use flash very seldom (the best is the SF20 by the way).

Other than that, the really large shutter release dial and the fact that the meter indicators match the direction in which you need to turn the speed selector help a lot when you need to shoot fast. It's just intuitive! The little red dot on the right shines? Turn the selector to the right until BOTH dots are on and that's your perfect exposure.

Have fun shopping!
 
David Hughes said:
Hi,

In view of what you say I'll suggest you buy from a dealer and get one with a guarantee and put a few films through it. And make sure you get an instruction book and read it.

In your shoes I'd be looking for one in very good cosmetic condition as dents etc can't usually be repaired.

Regards, David

PS Take what you read on the www about camera failures with a pinch of salt. It's usually the users who duff up cameras and every time I read about one failing for some reason others will chime in and say that their one never did that...

No one is going to start a thread to say they put a roll through a camera and it worked OK and so I guess the duds are few and far between.
Click to expand...

Thanks David.

that is entirely correct. no-one ever writes that their m6 meter didn't go wrong.

but the irreplacebility is a bummer. I am going to take the plunge. And if eventually the meter goes, well, so be it.

Thanks for your suggestions

HKL
 
Andrea Taurisano said:
I second that. I had a M6TTL and intensely used it for years with no problems whatsoever. Now I've had another M6TTL for a year and also used it fairly much with zero trouble. Each time I bought one I did my little risk assessment: What's the probability of failure? Very low, statistically. What are the consequences in case of failure? The M6TTL becomes a fully operational M4 - that is still an excellent camera. The risk (probabily x consequences) is therefore extremely low. I'd say go for it, if that's what you like.
Click to expand...


Totally - and that is almost precisely what my thinking is presently. I just wanted to crowd source any extra info before I jump off.
thanks for your thoughts
 
Andrea Taurisano said:
I second that. I had a M6TTL and intensely used it for years with no problems whatsoever. Now I've had another M6TTL for a year and also used it fairly much with zero trouble. Each time I bought one I did my little risk assessment: What's the probability of failure? Very low, statistically. What are the consequences in case of failure? The M6TTL becomes a fully operational M4 - that is still an excellent camera. The risk (probabily x consequences) is therefore extremely low. I'd say go for it, if that's what you like.
Click to expand...


Correction - a fully operational m4 with a .58 viewfinder. and yes, that is an excellent camera.
 
Andrea Taurisano said:
I second that. I had a M6TTL and intensely used it for years with no problems whatsoever. Now I've had another M6TTL for a year and also used it fairly much with zero trouble. Each time I bought one I did my little risk assessment: What's the probability of failure? Very low, statistically. What are the consequences in case of failure? The M6TTL becomes a fully operational M4 - that is still an excellent camera. The risk (probabily x consequences) is therefore extremely low. I'd say go for it, if that's what you like.
Click to expand...

Ok. Well thanks everyone. I was just trying to figure out what I might look out for or avoid. But the truth is, if meter failure is so rare, it is most likely going to be hard to track down enough examples to figure out what to look for.

Thanks everyone
 
I recently sold a chrome TTL that had the beginnings of 'zincpest' ie very slight bubbling on the top plate.

This is purely a cosmetic issue that had little effect on sale price in my case but it could well be a good bargaining tool for others.

It can be hard to spot. I would be very wary of buying a chrome TTL online.
 
hawkhanlumist said:
Thanks David.

that is entirely correct. no-one ever writes that their m6 meter didn't go wrong.

but the irreplacebility is a bummer. I am going to take the plunge. And if eventually the meter goes, well, so be it.

Thanks for your suggestions

HKL
Click to expand...


If my M6 and M4 and M2 and all the others are anything to go by you ought to be happy.

I wonder about M6 repairs; not so long ago everyone was tearing out their hair, wailing and gnashing their teeth because of a dreaded error code on the Leica minilux. Regardless of what they said in the sales brochure the things failed and couldn't be repaired. Resale prices fell through the floor.

And then one day someone said that they had taken one to bits and seen the fault and repaired it and so could offer a repair service. And a little later I noticed a few people offering the part that failed for sale here and there. So I wonder if the M6 problem may go that way; after all's said and done, there are a lot of skilled people in this world and they have time on their hands at the moment. So who knows?

FWIW, I have had a new cell made for a 1930's Leicameter some years ago and there's a lot of factories in China turning out little solar powered gizmos. So the future could be brighter than we think...

Anyway, enjoy looking for and finding and using the M6ttl; just don't forget you are standing at the top of a very long and slippery slope. Try to resist getting the body and lens with matching or near serial numbers...


Regards, David
 
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