M6 TTL Purchase

[JonathanA]

I have recently aquired enough money to purchase my first Leica M. I'm looking at purchasing an M6 TTL for my personal use and the fact that in the fall I'm off to pursue a degree, most likely in photography. As for my questions...

- Where is the best place online to purchase a used M6 TTL for the most reasonable balance of price and service?

- Are there any specifications such as serial number, production location, etc., that I should be worried about?

- The final (and obviously most important) question...Black or Chrome? (answer with as much objectivity as possible...which means give your completely subjective opinion.)

Thanks in advance for any help,
Jonathan

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Jonathan, here are some answers to your questions:

- Where is the best place online to purchase a used M6 TTL for the most reasonable balance of price and service?

Where you find it convenient and well priced. I bought my bodies from stores and my lenses from whoever offered the best possible deal. KEH comes to mind for this kind of camera.

- Are there any specifications such as serial number, production location, etc., that I should be worried about?

Nope. All M6TTL were made in Solms, Germany. To be quite honest, all the talk about gear being of better or lower quality because it was made here or there is absolute nonsense. Don't go for it. Besides, it doesn't apply to this or the M6 "Classic".

- The final (and obviously most important) question...Black or Chrome? (answer with as much objectivity as possible...which means give your completely subjective opinion.)

This is a matter of taste, though. I bought my first body in silver chrome because most of the lenses I could afford were silver 'crons, but then, later, I purchased a black camera (long story) and all my lenses became black. Black lenses on silver camera look cool, silver lenses on a black body look really professional.

OTOH, there's the durability aspect: silver chrome has a reputation of not showing signs of use (it's true), whereas black chrome tends to look matte and lifeless... to some. I like both, and, for some crazy reason, ended up with both. In your case, just buy what you see yourself using for a while... or rather the body you find at the best price for your pocket.

Have fun and be welcome to the world of Leica domination... in which you're dominated by the desire for Leica gear! 😱

🙂

 

[BigSteveG]

Jonathan,
Tony Rose at Popflash (one of our fine sponsors) has what appears to be a wonderful M6 TTL (somewhat rare in chrome .85). I like chrome because both black and chrome lenses look great on that body. Chrome lenses on a black body look out of place. Give Tony call. Most everybody here will tell you he offers top notch service.

 

[mfunnell]

Tony Rose at www.popflash.com (one of the forum sponsors) has a chrome .85x finder M6 TTL at what looks a good price. Tony is good to deal with (I've bought one lens from him, and have no other barrow to push here). If you're not set on the TTL, he also has a black M6 classic that looks good.

...Mike

 

[mfunnell]

Tony Rose at Popflash (one of our fine sponsors) .....

Looks like we both had the same idea at almost the same second!

...Mike

 

[jky]

There was a couple in the classifieds here not too long ago. I've found the prices here in RFF from private sellers generally a little better than online merchants.
As for color.... I prefer black - no reason for this other than I think it looks nicer.
Good luck to ya!
j

 

[Leicabug]

Buying from established member of this forum or photo.net may also be a good idea. Sometimes you can get the best price here but you have to be fast. I like the chrome better because one does not have to worry about paint loss.

 

[thomasw_]

have you settled for sure on a m6 TTL? perhaps you'd consider the m5 with its TTL? i have had both cameras, and i will vouch for the m5 over the m6 TTL. i didn't believe that any older camera could compare in functionality or build quality with a new leica; that is, of course, until I tried an older M5. You can get the m5 in black chrome or silver chrome. I recommend the black because it looks so manly and it wears well, like an old friend, especially if your hands are medium to large in size. The last wetzlar hand built m5 was not appreciated in its day, but it has a fan base due its excellent build quality, superior ttl, extremely quiet shutters and wonderful rewind mechanism.

i prefer chrome in my m3 and barnack bodies, but the m5 looks more elegant and tough in black....a la james bond🙂

so are you still thinking only m6 ttl?

 

[EmilGil]

Although I got a black M6TTL myself, I can only see two reasons to choose it before the "classic". Both have TTL light metering but the one named TTL also incorporates TTL flash metering. If you already have a dedicated flash this could be a reason. The second reason is if you are planning on upgrading to a M7 or M8 later on where the shutter speed dial rotate in the same direction as on the M6TTL.

If you plan to stick with your M6 for some time and don't use dedicated flash, there is no reason to pay a premium for the TTL. I chose the TTL since I found one for a good price (rather a discount than a premium!). If I had the choice again, I'd probably go for a plain chrome M6. Chrome lens on black body looks a bit odd sometimes, black lens on chrome is no problem.

 

[JonathanA]

Thanks for all of the help so far.

I'll be checking out the .85 Chrome over at popflash as well as other dealers. I am pretty set on the M6 TTL seeing as I will most likely be upgrading to the M7/M8 at some point.

I know that the .85 magnification is made for use with lenses on the longer end (50-135) so I'm wondering what this means for the 35mm framelines and how they look. I don't shoot wider than 35 (I mostly shoot 50mm) but I want to make sure that I won't be kicking myself if I purchase a 35mm.

 

[kevin m]

The TTL flash metering might not be important if flash isn't part of your photography, but the shutter speed dial on the TTL is a HUGE improvement ergonomically over the classic, dime-sized dial. It turns in the logically correct direction (same as the exposure arrows) and the serrated edge falls just at your finger and turns easily compared to the classic, 'wrong-way' dial. 😉

 

[ray_g]

The 0.85 may be ideal for someone who does not shoot wider than 35mm. You can easily use a 35mm on that camera, the only difference is that you won't be able to see as much outside the frame as with a 0.72. And if you shoot mostly 50mm, it may be the choice for you.

 

[JonathanA]

I've decided on the .85 Chrome M6 TTL over at popflash. I just placed my order and I'm counting down each minute till the package arrives.

Once again thanks for all of the advice.

 

[steve garza]

what's that old saying....

what's that old saying....

Looks like we both had the same idea at almost the same second!

...Mike

"great minds think.....?"

 

[nikon_junkie]

There is a M6ttl .85 in the classifieds that is a reasonable price.

I owned one and found it a really nice camera. Though I didn't care for the 35mm Lux on such a large viewfinder.