Leica to announce a new M-mount M6 film camera in Oct 2022

Bill. I have no idea...... i'm just passing on what i read from someone who is in Wetzlar this week.
 
In all fairness, the original M6 was a slightly underperforming camera for 1984 that stayed in production for far too long without an update. Heck, it was probably the Hexar RF that forced the M7 as a counter. The original M6 should have had aperture-priority auto exposure, as every other 35mm professional camera at the time did. So they would have to use an electronic shutter. Who cares? No one spending 10k on new digital Ms complain about the electronic shutter in those.
 
In all fairness, the original M6 was a slightly underperforming camera for 1984 that stayed in production for far too long without an update. Heck, it was probably the Hexar RF that forced the M7 as a counter. The original M6 should have had aperture-priority auto exposure, as every other 35mm professional camera at the time did. So they would have to use an electronic shutter. Who cares? No one spending 10k on new digital Ms complain about the electronic shutter in those.

The Hexar RF didn't exist until 1999, which means the M6 had already been in production—and sold well—for fifteen years by the time it "forced" the M7. The Nikon FM2 (a professional grade Nikon introduced in 1982) was the same as the M6, only an SLR instead of an RF, with manual match needle metering. The top of the line cameras by that time (Nikon F3, Canon F1, etc) were electronic cameras with more features, but I know from personal experience both as a working freelance photographer at the time (and in the photofinishing business that I worked for to make a steady paycheck) that the Nikon FM/FM2/F/F2 and Leica M6/M4-P were the most popular 35mm cameras in use by most pros and free lancers at that time. Most of us didn't trust electronic shutters or autoexposure for another decade and more.

2022 is not 1982 or 1984. What is now considered consistent, reliable, and "the norm"—that is, an electronic-shutter camera with autoexposure—is not what people like me considered then. The world of camera equipment is very, very different today.

Personally, I still prefer all mechanical film cameras. And Leica M bodies sans meters. My '78 M4-2 (the M that saved Leica from implosion after the horrendous failure in the market of the M5 and the disaster of the CL due to warranty claims) is still working well. And yeah, I'd buy an M-A in a heartbeat. Maybe I will next year, when I send the M4-2 in for its long-overdue shutter overhaul... 🙂

G
 
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I find it a strange move from Leica to re-introduce the M6. Seems to me they only want to use up their M6 parts. Why would people buy an M6 instead of an MP?

The MP is an improved M6. From time to time Leica makes a few of them. I have an MP since 2002. A workhorse.

gelatin silver print (heliar 50mm f1.5) leica mp

Erik.

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It seems that when it comes to the light meter LEDs people tend to forget that the M6TTL had that red dot in the middle.

A question, is this new camera the same size as an M6 or has it grown a bit in height like the M6TTL?
 
If it helps garner more appreciation for analog film from generation X, Millennials, etc into the fold all the better right? Simple demand and supply. What other company besides Leica are making new quality film bodies? Lomo? Disposable film camera? LLL are currently making a replica Leica body to be released this year I understand.

Who cares about the environment with all that chemical developer flushed down the drain right? With digital that e-waste is offloaded to the larger companies to deal with. Much like electric cars and the battery waste...

Yep now let's take photos of nice landscapes with our film bodies!
 
Why would people buy an M6 instead of an MP?

The MP is an improved M6. From time to time Leica makes a few of them. I have an MP since 2002. A workhorse.

Well, part of Leica is nostalgia. My first true love in Leica was the M6. I truly loved it and I really like the way it looks. I get what you are saying, but this m6 (2022) is no slouch. It is every bit of a Leica M as any other. We all have our preferences in aesthetics and the small differences between each M model. The M6 is very popular on the used market.
 
It is quite a few millimeters, it seems to have got a whole 39mm thicker...but hang on, there must be an error somewhere, particularly when the flange to film distance MUST be the same.
 
It is quite a few millimeters, it seems to have got a whole 39mm thicker...but hang on, there must be an error somewhere, particularly when the flange to film distance MUST be the same.

So going from 38mm to 40mm is a 39mm difference? I am not a scientist, but using a scientific calculator which is accurate out to six decimal places, I'm getting a 2.000000mm difference, which could possibly be the result of the updated ISO dial on the back. I am sure some intrepid blogger will dismantle the MP and M6 reissue in due course and give us the real skinny. Patience is a virtue.

What I am interested in is whether Leica gave a goody bag to all those attending the launch of the new M6 and, if so, what was in it. Someone posted above that he got four free trips to the breakfast buffet at the hotel. He was pretty positive about the whole experience. He even bought a new M6. So it appears that Leica followed the motherly advice: the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, except in this case it was the way to a man's wallet. No word on who paid for the flight over and the hotel.
 
We already know without a doubt the RF mechanism and shutters are the same; right?

I just spoke with my Leica dealer, Tony Rose. He said he was told the MP/M6 reissue circuit boards are the same. If I get a call-back from Leica USA I'll re-confirm that.
 
........

-In an interview session I asked what the re-release of the M6 means for M repairs. He said it absolutely ensures production of new parts that can be used for older cameras. (He also said that when the M6 was announced internally, Leica's service center staff rejoiced because the resurgence in film has meant an increase in older bodies sent in to be brought back up to spec.)
This includes the M6 light meter. Actually, Jesko said that one of the difficulties in bringing the M6 back was sourcing similar parts for the meter's electronics. Great news for anyone with a currently-meterless M6.

......

I would be very pleased if my old M6 could have a new meter when it finally needs replacement (not yet). The shutter dial goes in the same direction in the new M6 as my old one, not in the reverse order like the M6TTL and M7.
 
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