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ReeRay

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I've never owned a Leica and the urge is great. I'm currently shooting a Contax G with a range of lenses so I'm aware of RF style shooting.

I wear specs and I gather a 0.85 would be best. I mainly shoot people and street life and see myself with just a 35mm and 90mm kit.

I'd also like metering.

My initial thought are an M6 TTL 0.85.

But I read so much about inaccurate focusing, misalignment etc etc and it's a bit disconcerting.

Leica dealers are not available here in Thailand for a quick repair/adjustment so it's essential to acquire a good, solid, accurate camera.

What would you guys suggest and what should I look for (problem wise)

Very much appreciate your guidance

Thanks
 
You dont want a .85 to use 35mm lenses while wearing glasses. I have an M4, which is a .72 finder and the 35mm frame is hard for me to see all of and I do not wear glasses! I can't imagine seeing it at all with glasses and a .85 would be even worse.
 
If you wear glasses, .85 won't do good for 35mm. It's like 28mm line in 0.72 VF if you have seen it before. That's based on my experience with M6 HM (Classic M6 w/ .85 VF).

I think you might want to consider 0.72 VF model and possibly give a magnifier attachment a try for 90mm.
 
0.58 can be problem with 90mm, you may have need 1.4x loupe to the viewfinder, but it's the best mag. for 35mm!
 
ReeRay said:
Is it a 0.58 I need then?
Click to expand...

I think it will be really really hard to frame and focus 90mm lens with .58 finder. I still think .72 is your best bet.

And from my experience, M4's 35mm line is a bit wider (thus closer to the edges) than M6 and later (M4-P and later?). If I remember correctly, newer M's 35mm line is a bit tighter than the actual FOV to squeeze 28mm line in. (not really a problem in practical use though)
 
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The range-finder is liable to go out of adjustment periodically even on "a good, solid, accurate camera".
 
I wear glasses and find the .72 is fine with 35mm but if you want to use 28mm go for the .58 (so I agree with the posts above). I have had problems with two M6TTLs and it was the same problem on each of them -- the wind-on started to bind towards the end of the roll. I sent them to CRR Luton to be repaired -- apparently it's to do with a loose screw inside -- and now they're fine. Crazy kind of problem though, considering the cost of these things. I also have an M5 & M7 and no problems with either of them so far. Having said that I do like the M6TTL very much, particularly the one with the .58 finder, and if you don't want auto exposure it offers excellent value for money. But you do risk the wind-on problem.
 
Good feedback which I'm very grateful for.

As a slight deviation - how about an M7 0.58 with updated MP view?

Batteries a problem sourcing?
 
ReeRay said:
Good feedback which I'm very grateful for.
As a slight deviation - how about an M7 0.58 with updated MP view?
Batteries a problem sourcing?
Click to expand...

That sounds like a winning combo -- my M7 has the later finder and it's great but your point about the batteries is a very good one. I was recently in Bogota and stupidly put my M7 into the Domke FX5B without switching off. Funnily enough you can get away with this with the M6TTL but not the M7. So I go on a hunt for some batteries which takes most of the day but no luck at all -- I'm sure we visited every photo shop in Bogota. But here's the point -- the M7 gives you only two shutter speeds with dead batteries so if you're a bit off the beaten track you're far better off with an M6TTL or similar provided you have a hand held meter as backup. And don't forget that the M7 uses two CR1/3N batteries instead of just one.
 
I've used the Contax G for over 10 years, shooting almost exclusively with the 45 & 90mm lenses. With the M6TTL, it's a 50mm & 75mm, so it's obvious I'm not a wide angle street shooter. My M6TTL is 0.85x, but it works for me because the widest I go is 50mm. For your 35 & 90 combo, I think the .72 finder is what you need.

You do know that the Contax G and Leica M are worlds apart in operation, the only connection between the two are the superb lenses found in each system. Good luck and enjoy!
 
Take an M2.

Leica M2, Elmar 50mm f/3.5 M-mount, TriX printed on Ilford MGIV fb.

Erik.

4019811385_88029ebcdf_b.jpg
 
Conclusion

M7 0.58 with MP updated view purchased

Bank balance now needs a breather before the lenses are bought.

Thanks to everybody for the most valuable advise

Regards
 
Hey ReeRay,

Congratulations on the M7. I'm sure you'll find it highly enjoyable. I use the .58 version of the M6TTL myself and can vouch for the usefulness of that magnification. For longer lenses, I do use one of the 1.25x magnifiers and find them quite trouble-free.

Lawrence,

I'm curious to know more about the wind-on issue you found in your M6TTL's. The winder of mine seized up toward the end of a roll on one of mine and I wonder if I've experienced the same problem that you found with yours. The rolls run through the camera since then (for a year and a half now) have been fine.

I appreciate any input.

Thanks,


-J.

lawrence said:
I wear glasses and find the .72 is fine with 35mm but if you want to use 28mm go for the .58 (so I agree with the posts above). I have had problems with two M6TTLs and it was the same problem on each of them -- the wind-on started to bind towards the end of the roll. I sent them to CRR Luton to be repaired -- apparently it's to do with a loose screw inside -- and now they're fine. Crazy kind of problem though, considering the cost of these things. I also have an M5 & M7 and no problems with either of them so far. Having said that I do like the M6TTL very much, particularly the one with the .58 finder, and if you don't want auto exposure it offers excellent value for money. But you do risk the wind-on problem.
Click to expand...
 
Me wear no glasses, M6 0.85 frames are hard to use with 35mm. .72 is a compromise IMHO. However, I love m6 TTL 0.85 finder, makes focusing 50 and 90mm a joy! it's slightly bigger then other pre-M7 Ms
 
I wear glasses too and used the M6TTL 0.85x for some time as a replacement for the M3. Slightly lower VF magnification but internal meter. That combo worked exceptional good with my Noctilux but 35mm frame lines were hardly visible.

Finally, I ended up with an M7 0.72x VF (MP-finder upgraded). With no doubt, the most "user-friendly" or easiest to use M Leica. The 0.72x is still just a compromise for 35mm FL (for that I would have preferred a 0.58x) but works well with my Noctilux and by using a 1.25x Leica magnifier, 90mm is also no problem.

For you set-up (35 + 90mm), I would recommend getting a 1.4x Leica magnifier and you should be set !

Enjoy your new camera and don`t forget to take many photos !

Cheers,

Gabor
 
For utmost reliability an M2 or M4 with a seperate light meter. If you're not planning any available darkness a selenium meter like the Weston Master V doesn't use batteries. Carry one anyway even with an M6 so you can make incident light readings.
 
The higher the magnification, the better the EBL and thus the focus accuracy is superior; hence I advise you to shoot with the highest magnification VF you can stand. I wear glasses and contacts, but contacts most of the time; without glasses, the 35mm FL is WYSIWYG; the big deal for most lower magnification fans, is having more space around the framelines. The .85x 35mm fov offers little, rather like the 35 on a M2 actually, but if you can learn to compose with both eyes open, your free-eye can tell you what is coming in and out of frame. In many ways, this technique is excellent, as you are actually getting more out of frame info. and much more accurate focusing in low light. But in order to get the benefit of a higher magnification, you'd need to go glassless, switching to contacts. I would advise this to anyone. Yet I read above you've already foregone this way...may be it will be useful for someone else.....
 
I use an M7 0.85 with the CV35/1.2 and I wear glasses. It is awesome how well i can focus in low light. The best.
 
I really enjoy shooting the M7 .58. I shoot the 35, 50, and 90 without any problem. In theory the 90 FL should be small but in actual practice it works well enough. The 35 FL is unemcumbered which makes it nice. As far as batteries are concerned I carry extras as I do film.
 
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