How common are M6 Classics with the .85?

[Ken Ford]

I'm considering saving for a second M6 body so I can dedicate my .72 to my 35 and a .85 to a 75. I know there weren't many made, but how common are the M6 .85 bodies on the used market? Do they bring a premium over .72s?

 

[coelacanth]

I had one until recently. (Now a fellow RFF member has it) There are only 3130 0.85 M6 Classic ever made, so it's relatively rare. I believe the typical price is a bit higher than regular M6 Classic, but not crazy high.

I decided to let go and stick with M4 for its simplicity, but I didn't think the infamous flare problem was a concern at least for my use. I think you won't regret it.

 

[Ken Ford]

Glad to hear that about the flare! I was happy enough with how a 90mm worked on my M3 that I think a .85 with a 75mm would be just fine.

I have a 1.25x eyepiece magnifier now that I use on my .72, but if I'm going to dedicate a body to each of my main lenses I'd rather optimize my choices.

 

[raid]

I chose a 0.85 M6 and I like it. If you face flaring, just move around your eye a little and it will be gone. It is great for 50-135 and for fast lenses.

 

[kshapero]

I have a 0.85 M7 and use it with a 35mm lens, great focusing power.

 

[FrankS]

I wear eyeglasses and had difficulty seeing the 35mm frame lines in the M6 .85 that I sold.

 

[Livesteamer]

I have an M6 .85 non ttl. The only new Leica body I ever bought; thanks Dad. At first I was unhappy with the flare in the finder as I work indoor, available light. Earlier this year I sent it to Sherry Krauter for a finder upgrade and now it is my main camera. I am shooting a bunch of little kid pictures as I work in a big church nursery. I am using a 50mm Summilux asph, often at .7 meters, always at f2.0 or f2.8. The M6 .85 rangefinder gets me right on the money even with very thin depth of field. It's a great camera for what I do. I almost never put a 35mm lens on it so if you are a 50mm or longer person, it might be right for you. Good Luck, Joe.

 

[Ken Ford]

I wear eyeglasses and had difficulty seeing the 35mm frame lines in the M6 .85 that I sold.

Shouldn't be a problem here, Frank - I'll keep the 35 on the .72 plus use it for the 28 and 40, and the 75 and 90 would go on the new .85. Primarily the .72 would be my 35 and the .85 the 75.

I have an M6 .85 non ttl. The only new Leica body I ever bought; thanks Dad. At first I was unhappy with the flare in the finder as I work indoor, available light. Earlier this year I sent it to Sherry Krauter for a finder upgrade and now it is my main camera. I am shooting a bunch of little kid pictures as I work in a big church nursery. I am using a 50mm Summilux asph, often at .7 meters, always at f2.0 or f2.8. The M6 .85 rangefinder gets me right on the money even with very thin depth of field. It's a great camera for what I do. I almost never put a 35mm lens on it so if you are a 50mm or longer person, it might be right for you. Good Luck, Joe.

I wasn't aware the anti-flare upgrade could be done to the .85. Good info, thanks Joe!

 

[sepiareverb]

From what one reads on ebay it is among the rarest of the Leicas, yet I see more of these on ebay than almost any other non .72 model.

 

[Pablito]

I had Sherry do a finder upgrade on my M6 classic and it was worth it. But don't expect a miracle. I had it done because it improves focusing in (very) low light, not because of flare. Never understood the big deal about flare you just move your eye a bit and it's gone like Raid says.

 

[Livesteamer]

My early M6, 1738457, is not bad for flare but my M6 .85 non ttl was much worse. a big disappointment after spending that much money on a new Leica. The finder upgrade for the early .85 was $300 but it was well worth it to me. It made a big difference in low light. It tempts me to have my early .72 M6 upgraded. Later .85 models came with the finder upgrade but I do not know when that started. Joe

 

[raid]

I think that my 0.85 model is not an early one, so maybe mine has been changed too?

 

[Livesteamer]

As I understand it, none of the M6 .85 non ttl finders were of the upgraded MP standard. That came later but I don't know when. Joe

 

[35mmdelux]

The rarest mags are the .58, not the .85s. None of the M6 .85 non ttl finders were of the upgraded MP standard since the MP finders were issued after 2003, long after the M6 had seized production.

 

[Turtle]

I have one and it is great. Livesteamer makes a good point re flare as it all depends on how you use it. Shooting indoors with big bright windows at oblique angles is a nightmare for finder flare and you cannot always get rid of it by moving your eye as you have to be so precise to catch the unflared angle. These circumstances are much less common outdoors but indoors, semi backlit, you are going to know what flare looks like. I have had it so bad I literally cannot focus no matter what I do, but hey, I shoot outdoors 99.9% of the time and can use a different camera indoors if I must.

The 0.85s probably fetch about a $100 premium, but remember they are all late model M6s of 1998 so many are naturally cleaner than the average M6. I thoroughly recommend one and think the represent great value compared to a 0.85 MP/M7. don't accept any BS about them being worth a lot more than 0.72s or super rare because thats rubbish. There are 3100 or so and they are regular M6s.

 

[__hh]

My early M6, 1738457, is not bad for flare but my M6 .85 non ttl was much worse. a big disappointment after spending that much money on a new Leica. The finder upgrade for the early .85 was $300 but it was well worth it to me. It made a big difference in low light. It tempts me to have my early .72 M6 upgraded. Later .85 models came with the finder upgrade but I do not know when that started. Joe

A bit off topic here, but.... apart from being verbally told that a VF has been upgraded to an MP finder, how would one know? Is there a way to verify?

Can one tell by comparing it to a non-upgraded VF side-by-side?

Thanks.