M4 or M6?

[dan denmark]

i have a chance to buy one of several very clean and warrantied M4s for roughly $1200Aus or one of one M6 (clean and warantied) at roughly twice the price. i can afford either (not both, thanks) but why would i buy one over the other? any suggestions?
-dd

 

[Never Satisfied]

In general terms, the M6 is a M4 with a light meter. You should be able to pick up an excellent M6 for $1200 AUD, what state are you in??? Andrew.

 

[thomasw_]

What type of shooting will you do? Which film, print or slides? Would you be comfortable using a hand-held meter?

 

[abenner]

that's quite overpriced for an m6

 

[Anupam]

In general terms, the M6 is a M4 with a light meter.

The M6 is an M4-P with a light meter. The M4 doesn't have 28mm lines, although that might not matter for you.

 

[dan denmark]

cheers, all. andrew, that was camera exchange in melb. i thought so, too. was there today but i live five hours from melb in east gippsland so a drive in at $1.78 for diesel isn't helping the whim. only just got home.
i'm in no rush for an M as i have a few bessa bodies, the newest an L from last week, which i used in town today with teh CV 15. looking forward to souping the film tomorrow. but i thought i'd have a look around to see what was what out there.
cheers,

dd

 

[horosu]

None of the above. Leica M5 😛

 

[gertf]

You can get a Leica M5 from mainlinephoto.com.au for 995AUD right now. You may not like the M5 though?

 

[payasam]

An M6 will give you a meter and more frame lines (28 mm, as Anupam said, and also 75 mm). Some people find too many frame lines distracting. My own preference is for the uncluttered finder of the M2, but a built-in meter would have made for faster working.

 

[chikne]

m4 anytime!

 

[dan denmark]

again, cheers, all. i shoot only BW for this work. to answer a question from thomasw, i generally don't use a light meter or the electronic meters on the bessas...old school, i guess, i just "know" the light after the better part of 50 years. even my trusty old Nikon F2A which i got in the 70s has no batteries in it and goes like a trooper.
so i suspect the M4 will do the trick if the TTL metering is the only main diff; just didn't know if there were any other features i was unaware of. interesting, shooting with the bessa L, it is really only a film carriage with a shutter, pretty basic and when it comes down to it, for me, that's pretty much what any camera body is. i guess the diffs are the body make-up and mechanical reliability and all metal parts, which the L and other bessas have fewer of, it seems. again, old school, though. i love my bessas, with and without meters. oh, and i don't have batteries in the L.
thanks again. i know what to search for now.

cheers.

-dd

 

[dan denmark]

by the way, gertf, what is it about the M5 one might not like? i don't usually use frame lines, i prefer using DOF barrel focusing and a VF on top for faster shooting and i set my speed/aperture according to the "day" and just go up or down a stop when i go into shadows or reflective light. i always shoot with SS set first because of the nature of street work, which is kind of the "hobby" side of my regular studio paying work. this is the work i exhibit but i generally shoot to a theme in this style.
-dd

 

[borismach]

Buy any of them, you would not regret. Since the M4 is muh cheaper, buy it (first)...if light meter, 28mm frame, or the color of the camera (if they are different) is no issue to you.
If I were you, I'll hurry up. How can you live without a Leica M camera. Bessa can't be a substitute! You can use it as a back up though.
Cheerz
bm

 

[Never Satisfied]

DD, I'm in Melbourne and use the Camera Exchange a lot, but I'd first have a good look at Ebay and the RFF classifieds. With no disrespect to the Exchange, their prices on old Leica bodies are a little out of step with current pricing trends. I think I've seen the M6 you're talking about and it is about $2500AUD??? ... and the M4's are about $1700AUD??? Now the Aussie dollar and the US dollar are nearly 1:1 I'd encourage you to look around on the net. If you need a repair, you'll still be miles in front and Vic at the Exchange is a Leica trained tech who does a great job and is reasonably priced. Cheers Andrew.

 

[dan denmark]

cheers, andrew. i have to ring dave about something else tomorrow, i might see what he says re another price. i've done that before and they're good about it. i trust them but i agree, i have found them a bit random sometimes on pricing. and they have a sense of humour given no one could find the key to the leica room on saturday...
but a look around is always a good idea.
i've had an M3 before yonks ago but not anymore. don't ask. so i think an M4 is a good move given i really don't use the meter so much. just shot a music gig today with the RD/CV28/1.9 and also the bessa L /CV15/ and used my brain all day in available room light and was pretty much spot on the whole shoot even if i did glue myself to the wall most of the time @1/8 sec...!

ta, now back to Eurovision...

-dd

 

[Never Satisfied]

Hi DD, Dave at the Exchange is a good guy, he sells Hi Fi equipment on Saturday and getting into the 'Leica Room' can be hard. There are plenty of great M4s either on eBay or that get advertised here on RFF so you should be able to get a good idea of the average price. Good luck. Andrew.