Is the MP Rangefinder Modification worth it on my M6?

[Icarus]

I am thinking about sending my M6 Wetzler Classic in to Sherry Krauter at Golden Touch for a full CLA just to insure it is in complete working order for the next several years and am wondering if it is worth upgrading to the MP rangefinder while I have it there. It will end up costing around $250. I have heard that the MP modification reduces flare and increases contrast for low light focusing. What are your thoughts?

 

[ckuang]

While I've never upgraded a M6 finder, I have had a M6 and now a MP, and I love the fact that it is practically impossible to flare out the MP focusing patch, while there have been situations where the M6 was difficult to focus.

Since you seems like you'll be owning the camera for a few years, I'll say it's worth it.

 

[fbf]

Send it Youxin Ye. He can do the CLA with MP finder upgrade and it won't cost you as much.
Of course, I know some people believe in Sherry's magic.

 

[rpilottx]

Don'

Don'

In my experience, the situations with flare are very rare. I would not spend the money, buy film or travel with it instead. Of course, you must decide.

 

[Mister E]

Yes. ten char.

 

[Rafael]

I had the finder upgraded on an 0.85x M6 that I once owned. My experience was that the upgrade was absolutely worth the money.

 

[John Lawrence]

If the camera needs work to be done on it, then yes I would have the finder upgraded at the same time. But if there is nothing wrong with the camera, then I wouldn't even bother sending it for a CLA.

John

 

[Livesteamer]

Sherry Krauter upgraded the finder on my M6 .85 non ttl and it made a big difference. It was well worth it. I have two M6's Wetzlar with the .72 finder and I'm not sure it's worth doing on them. Flare is rarely a problem with the .72 finder but it was a big problem on the .85. I agree with others, don't do a CLA unless it is needed. My two early (1985) M6's have never been opened and work fine. If it's not broke, don't fix it. Joe

 

[MCTuomey]

I agree with John. I went for the upgrade on a M6 Wetzlar (.72 VF) that I owned. At the time the camera needed some work and it made sense to combine the repairs with the upgrade. While it did make a difference in patch contrast, it was not a dramatic one in my experience: a "nice to have" rather than a "must have."

 

[Pablito]

I had it done by Sherry to my M6 .72 finder, biggest improvement was in low-light focusing, flare never bothered me that much. But like others, I would not do a CLA if camera is working properly. Waste of time and money.

 

[RichardB]

I am thinking about sending my M6 Wetzler Classic in to Sherry Krauter at Golden Touch for a full CLA just to insure it is in complete working order for the next several years and am wondering if it is worth upgrading to the MP rangefinder while I have it there. It will end up costing around $250. I have heard that the MP modification reduces flare and increases contrast for low light focusing. What are your thoughts?

If your M6 is working satisfactorily at this time, a CLA is a waste of money. Wait until something is wrong.
I have an M6 0.85 and I have not upgraded, yes it does flare at times but I also have two M7's with 0.85 finders, both of which I have the finders upgraded with no objective effect.
In any event Leica built the camera and can maintain the camera, I only have Leica service my M's.-Dick

 

[jljohn]

I found the upgrade on my M6 .72 well worth the money. It made a huge difference in my everyday usage. I use my camera indoors near windows a lot, and the side light caused a lot of white-out in the rangefinder patch, and the low-light focusing capacity was much improved because of the increased contrast provided by the upgrade.

Jeremy

 

[Icarus]

The reason I am thinking of getting a CLA on my M6 Wetzler is that it is having resistance in the middle of the film advance stroke. It is smooth until the mid-point where I have to then pop it to get it to advance and then it finishes smoothly. Has anyone else had this issue? It has been a while since I have shot a M camera but I don't remember my last M6 having this mid-stroke break point. Also I have been shooting the 40mm Cron without a hood and this combination certainly flares more than any rangefinder I have ever had. Maybe its the lens (no hood) as I have heard they are prone to flare issues, especially without a hood.

 

[Calzone]

I had Sherry perform the MP finder upgrade, when I had a CLA. My rangefinder would not be in focus at infinity, and the camera which I bought used on Ebay came with a dead frame counter.

I find that the contrast of the RF patch is only slightly better, but under low light focusing was easier and the problems with whiteout went away. I thought the money was well spent.

My M6 is also a Wetzlar version. Evidently the covering had to be skillfully peeled back to be reused to service my camera. Also I sent Sherry my 75 Lux for a cleaning and to be aligned with my body. Sherry told me to, "Save my money," because my lens was so clean, but she matched the lens to the camera.

I'm glad I had Sherry work on my camera.

Good luck.

Cal

 

[Darshan]

Hood (or no hood) should not have anything to do with VF flaring.

 

[Rafael]

Also I have been shooting the 40mm Cron without a hood and this combination certainly flares more than any rangefinder I have ever had. Maybe its the lens (no hood) as I have heard they are prone to flare issues, especially without a hood.

As Dan is suggesting, the upgrade to the finder is meant to eliminate flare in the viewfinder which is most noticeable as white-out of the rangefinder patch under certain lighting conditions. This flaring can be seen when you are looking through the finder but has no effect on your film. If the issue you are seeking to correct is flare in your photographs, the finder upgrade will do nothing for you.

 

[Ronald M]

If you have been encountering the whiteout problem, then yes . If not, then no.

A temp fix is to rotate the camera, focus, & recompose.

I have had it happen one time since I bought them in 1985.

What does bother me every time I use them is the crappy frame lines they have compared to the M2 types. Corners are missing, in fact entire sides are missing if you eye is not centered exactly and then it is not perfect. I would pay anything to see this is fixed. A current MP mask maybe would do it, ask Sherry. As long as you go that far, you may as well complete the transformation if cost is low.

 

[palec]

During the first 10 seconds of using M6 I got flare in it's viewfinder, while I'd never seen this problem with M3. For me it was very annoying. It depends only on you if you consider it worth doing.

 

[Icarus]

During the first 10 seconds of using M6 I got flare in it's viewfinder, while I'd never seen this problem with M3. For me it was very annoying. It depends only on you if you consider it worth doing.

Yes the "flare" I have been discussing is viewfinder flare not image flare. I talked to Sherry this morning and I am going to have here do the full CLA as well as the MP upgrade. She thinks the film advance issue needs to be addressed and believes the upgrade will correct a lot of the flare issues. I just got my M6 Wetzler and now off she goes.

 

[MCTuomey]

No better time to do it than while she's dealing with other fixes.