M6 Mini-Rant

djon said:
Serious question: Is the M6ttl as physically rugged as its brainless counterparts (M6et al)?
Click to expand...
Lest someone gets the wrong idea from your question.... If by "brains" you are referring to TTL metering and it's associated electronics, the original M6, the M5, and even the lowly CL, all have "brains" (i.e. TTL metering).

Richard
 
The CL and M5 have electro-mechanical "Brains" with CDS cells and galvenometers, while the M6 meter is all-electronic, SPD's, IC's, and LED's.
 
Right, the M5 and CL are defunct, have issues.

Again, my question: Is the M6ttl more rugged than Voigtlander R2/3? :bang:

By "rugged" I guess I'm referring to the meter itself as well as to the possible vulnurability of the rangefinder. We've all read worries about Voigtlander's rangefinder and some (it's confusing) Ms are also thin skinned.

Which is tougher? Equal in a bar fight? Equal survivability, cared for reasonably well, in bad weather or the desert? 😕
 
After reading about Voigtlander RF's and framelines getting knocked out of whack, they do not make an impression as a rugged camera. After reading about M6 light leaks, I would always keep one in a fitted case.

Looking at my "beater" Nikon S2, the 219th made and owned by painter for 30 years who must have used it as a hammer, it gets my vote for #2 position. The Canon 7, which G-Man now has, took a fall so hard that it sheared the solid glass prism used for the framelines. It was a rear lens cap when I got it. Got the glass shards out of the gears, glued the prism back together, got the framelines working, everything worked. Joe even poked his finger through the frameline window, and it just kept on going. Most rugged RF I've ever seen.

So, you want a rugged, feminine camera. How about the Limited Edition Leica M6 Titanium Xena Edition?
 
"... why do you think the M6TTL has more brains than the M6 and earlier models? Answer that, and I'll give my 2¢ worth on its relative wimpiness or non-wimpiness."

I don't care about other Leicas, all I'm interested in is relative photographic utility of the current M6TTL Vs Voigtlander. I've got plenty of galvanometers already in my F1s, don't need more time travel. I have zero interest in Leica history/collectability (though I do shoot a IIIC sometimes).

Is the M6TTL tougher or more wimpy than the humble, ugly, cheap Voigtlander?
 
You are deliberately being evasive. Why did you refer to the M6 as "brainless?" I'm just curious. It's one of my favorite cameras, and I just wondered what would prompt anyone to say that.
 
djon said:
Which is tougher? Equal in a bar fight? Equal survivability, cared for reasonably well, in bad weather or the desert? 😕
Click to expand...

Whic is tougher? Which will last longer? My money is definitely on the Leica.
 
> You are deliberately being evasive.

Of course, this is a Mini-Rant thread.

I cannot say which is tougher, I have not owned either one and have not seen anyone bang the two together. My Two M3's and M2 outlasted the Argus/Cosina's by a long time. With that, my money would be on the Leica. I would still keep it in a fitted case before pounding a Cosina Voigtlander with it.
 
richard_l said:
You are deliberately being evasive. Why did you refer to the M6 as "brainless?" I'm just curious. It's one of my favorite cameras, and I just wondered what would prompt anyone to say that.
Click to expand...

Probably because it hasn't an electronic "brain" in it.
 
> Must be a question for Photo.net.

YES! You will reel in a lot of cool-headed, objective information over there!

Be sure to include the "more Feminine Cameras" when comparing the Leica and Voigtlander to the Canons, use the terms "brainless" for the M6, and "humble, ugly, cheap" Voigtlander.

I can see the mushroom cloud rising now.
 
SolaresLarrave said:
I guess the test would be this: which camera would you use to hit an attacker with?

Quick, don't think much!

That's your answer.
Click to expand...

Contax RTS with PMD. All the sharp corners needed and sturdy enough to shoot a picture of the attacker later.
Then I'll use it to hammer the nail into the wall on which I'll hang the picture.
 
Voelker, yeah! Contax RTS!

Actually, I did see the camera/lens/hood used by a CIA stooge to assault someone demonstrating against our aggression in Vietnam: Nikon, blood, flesh.

The stooge was an "officer" of the " Stanford University Photo Club."
 
djon said:
Sounds like nobody here knows enough first-hand about M6TTL or CV to comment. Must be a question for Photo.net.
Click to expand...


john kelly, i don't see the question over at photo.net yet.
i'm disappointed cause i REALLY can't wait for the answers.

joe, your leica ignorant moderator...🙂
 
Think of it in money terms you can smash up 3 or 4 R2's four the price of a M6 (not much help if you're in the middle of a job) . As for fending off an attacker try 3kg's of Pentax67. Seriously I photographed in some dicey places (eg the Gaza Strip) and the 67 is my number one choice for a camera to defend youself with and I thought about this seriously (with the wooden accessory handle of course)


Yours in homicide by medium format

Toby
 
Opinion.

1. M6 TTL is probably about as structurally sound and mechanically tough as any Leica M. Neither it nor the M6 is as buttery smooth as many of the earlier Ms, but only because of slightly looser mechanical tolerances and steel gears instead of brass.

2. The electronics for the flash metering is more complicated than ordinary TTL metering, so much so that the M6TTL's body had to be made taller than the M6 in order to accomodate it. The more extensive the electronics, the greater the opportunity for component failure. While it is much too soon to draw any firm conclusions about the longevity or toughness of the M6TTL's electronics, the mathematical probability of electronic failure would be greater than that of the M6 (and obviously greater than that of the M2 though M4-x).

3. For all that, I deserve to give another, more personal opinion. Most Leica users have no use for M6TTL's flash control capability, and in any case it is only a minor convenience which can easily be dispensed with by any avid flash user who knows his/her equipment. I'll take the M6 over the M6TTL, and if I could have only a single Leica, it would be the M2.
 
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