M series under 2000 dollars which one?

cosmonaut

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If you had just under $2000.00 to spend on an M series camera which one would you buy and why? I am looking at the M6's. I do want one with a meter.
Thanks again in advance.......
 
A lot of people love the M5s here, but if you have the money then you might want what the new models offer. The M6 is a great camera. It has some flare problems with the focusing patch in bright sunlight. I found this for the first time this summer and it has bothered me for one shooting situation in a year. The M6 TTL doesn't have the flare problem but will eat batteries faster. TTL is nice if you plan to use flash, otherwise there is not much difference between the the two M6s. If you like the feature set of the M7 camera, then you'll have to find a deal, I've seen them for just under $2000, or you could consider the Zeiss Ikon---a very well respected camera around here.

I'm happy for you. Such a nice choice to have to make!
 
If you are patient, you can certainly get an M7 for under $2000. I believe that a month or two ago one sat in the classifieds here for a couple weeks at $1800 or so. Good luck.
 
agree about recent prices for the M7. great for buyers, not so good for sellers. i'm pretty sure you can find one in your budget, if not $200-250 beneath it.

i've owned an M6 and M7 and prefer the M7 as a shooter. AE is nice to have in changing light. better coatings on the VF. if you go M7 make sure you get one with the eyepiece sealed. early ones weren't.
 
MCTuomey said:
...AE is nice to have in changing light...

Oh no, now you're gonna get it. Well lets make it the both of us.

I too would hold out for an M7. It is a great shooter, and if you're going to have one body why not get the one with the AE? As MCTuomey says, it is indeed nice to have at times, and the M7 is great in manual mode as well.
 
I offered an M7 chrome on RFf at $1850 and there were no takers so I sold it on the bay. The M7 has an amazingly quiet shutter.
 
MCTuomey said:
agree about recent prices for the M7. great for buyers, not so good for sellers. i'm pretty sure you can find one in your budget, if not $200-250 beneath it.

i've owned an M6 and M7 and prefer the M7 as a shooter. AE is nice to have in changing light. better coatings on the VF. if you go M7 make sure you get one with the eyepiece sealed. early ones weren't.

I would add that getting one with the upgraded VF and optical DX reader would be a consideration as well. My M7 is in Solms getting those upgrades, under Passport warranty. If I were selling (I'm not!) I would factor that into the price.

Harry
 
sirius said:
The M6 is a great camera. It has some flare problems with the focusing patch in bright sunlight. I found this for the first time this summer and it has bothered me for one shooting situation in a year. The M6 TTL doesn't have the flare problem but will eat batteries faster.

Are you sure the M6 TTL doesn't have the flare problem, because I'm shopping for an M6 myself? I'm having a really hard time deciding between the Classic and the TTL.
 
You can definitely find a nicely priced M7. I was lucky to get one for $1750 a few months ago, and absolutely love it. Hate to say it, but I haven't touched my M6 in months.

If you're not afraid of ebay, you can find some amazing deals from some people that honestly don't know what their goods are worth. Of course you also run the risk of scam. So you'll have to weigh the options.
 
For two or three hundred you could have an M6 viewfinder upgraded. I did it to mine and noticed quite a difference. I still get flare on occasion, but faaaar less than I used to and mine is a .85 classic, supposedly one of the worst of all Leica's for flare.
 
ijohnnyz said:
Are you sure the M6 TTL doesn't have the flare problem, because I'm shopping for an M6 myself? I'm having a really hard time deciding between the Classic and the TTL.
The TTL has the problem as well, at least mine did. If you are patient Cosmo, you would be able to get an M7 for less than $2K. If you are really patient and scour the forums every day you can pick up an MP for that price too.
 
the late M6 are fantastic cameras. The M6TTL has the flare problem - I would pass on these. For $2K and alittle patience no problem getting M7 for under $2K.

I have the M6, M7, and MP. Have not used my M7 in a long time. Sometimes I think about selling it but have not crossed that line because it is such a great camera.
 
Flare also applies to the M6, not just M6ttl. Read here:

http://nemeng.com/leica/020b.shtml

and:

http://www.cameraquest.com/leica.htm (scroll down to notes section)

Having owned an M6, I think the flare complaints are overblown, except for maybe the 0.85 M6, as Andrew Nemeth points out.

The best metered Leica for the money, imo, would be a late M6 classic. You can find one for around $1000 in great shape.
 
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