My First Rangefinder- M6

[n8b]

Hello,

I just got my first RF in the mail today! I'm very excited and have put a roll through it already. I wanted to ask you how much tension should there be on the film advance on an M6? It seems awfully stiff for some reason. I made sure I loaded the film right and the counter seems to counting the frames fine, but it just seems stiff.

Thanks,
Nate

 

[merciful]

Well, "stiff" is subjective, but that's not how'd I'd describe any of the Ms I have (or have had) in comparison to any other 35mm bodies I've owned. I'd try a few without the film, to make sure that the load is correct.

 

[dcsang]

Congratulations on your first step into becoming addicted to the heft and quality that is Leica 😉

I would also suggest running a few exposures without film (i.e. dry run).

As Merciful said, stiff is subjective - it's no different than any other fully manual, well built, camera 35mm camera 😀

Dave

 

[peter_n]

Congratulations Nate! Yeah "stiff" doesn't sound right. Silly question here but the rewind lever is turning when you advance the film?

 

[Todd.Hanz]

yeah congrats! I agree, check to see if the rewind handle turns when advancing the film, worse case just rewind the film and load a new roll.

 

[n8b]

Thanks guys for the welcome! Yes the rewind knob turns when I advance the film. Perhaps its just something I have to get used to. Afterall it's this my first Leica M and I dont have any other M's to compare to.

Also, it could just be my eyes but when I focus it still 'seem' a bit out of focus or fuzzy. I line the images up but there still seems to be a clarity issue. Is there a way to test the range finder to see if its aligned properly?

Thanks!
Nate

 

[chug]

It could just be that it has sat around for a while and not had a good workout. Give it time and it should get nice and smooth. 🙂

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[Ronald M]

Mine is more or less stiff depending on the how tightly the film goes thru the cartrige felt lips. They are all different.

It should not be much different than any other M camera without film, although not a smooth a early M`s, but stiff no. I am defining stiff as hard to move, not the roughness of the advance.

 

[JayC]

I just got my first M (an M6 as well), and to me it feels "chunky" to coin a new photographic term. There are 1 or 2 spots during the wind that seem to have more resistance than others. The only other M I have held was an M3, and that seemed very smooth and even throughout the entire wind. Like butta. I dropped of my "new" camera to a shop just today for a going over. I will try to remember to post how less chunky the winding is. I hope it gets to the butta stage.
Jay

 

[jky]

I too am a new owner - 1 month with the M6. The film advance on mine is not as smooth as an F3hp, but still smoother than most cameras i've handled.

Regarding checking for rangefinder misalignment, try and focus on a corner of picture frame/mirror (anything with a 90 degree angle). I find that if the rangefinder is misaligned, it's most likely a vertical misalignment. When looking throught the rangefinder (focused on the corner/90 degree angle of a frame for example), the side of the picture frame will match up, but the base will not causing a double image to appear.

Cheers & enjoy the M,
j

 

[richard_l]

The film advance of the M6, with its steel gears, just doesn't feel as buttery as that of the M2 or M3, which has brass gears, but it should not feel stiff, rough, or uneven.

If the rangefinder of the M6 doesn't work perfectly, then it needs an adjustment.

Richard

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[peter_n]

The film advance of the M6, with its steel gears, just doesn't feel as buttery as that of the M2 or M3 [snip]

Steel is good... 🙂

 

[dll927]

Someone suggested rewinding the film if the rewind knob isn't turning. In that case, there would be little point in rewinding, since the film isn't going anywhere to begin with. At least that would be true with the usual suggestion to slightly tension the rewind knob when film is loaded. That's generally a pretty common suggestion with most 35mm cameras. If the knob isn't turning, it ain't loaded right.

 

[n8b]

It seems to have 'smoothed' out a lot since getting it. I thank you for the input. Perhaps I might need to have my VF adjusted or even upgraded- I've started to notice a lot of flare.

Off topic question: A friend is looking at getting an M6 as well and has some questions regarding age- the two M6's he's looking are 5 years apart- one was made in 1998 and the other 2002 or around that time. The older one is about $160 bucks cheaper. Should 4-5 years make a difference with these types of cameras being that they are Leica's?

Thanks,
Nate

 

[vrgard]

Unless there's some other difference between the two cameras, I would pay no attention to whether it was a 1998 or a 2002 M6. Mine's from 1990, works like a charm and has never needed a CLA. So, I would go more by condition and price rather than 1998 vs. 2002. Besides, these cameras are made to be used for years and years so that minor age difference is negligible.

 

[n8b]

Thanks for the input!

 

[plummerl]

... actually, the last M6 (classic) was made in 1998. Is the 2002 an M6 TTL? This alone, could account for the difference in price.

 

[n8b]

... actually, the last M6 (classic) was made in 1998. Is the 2002 an M6 TTL? This alone, could account for the difference in price.

Nope, they are both M6 TTL.