trading my m6 for cle and m-rokkor

[john_pears]

Am I crazy just bought a cle with m-rokkor. I will have to let go of my m6 to fund it. I decided I really wanted a camera with ae for my main camera and that if i have to meter id rather do it all mannually. I would have really liked a zeiss ikon but this way I get to keep my m2 as well for back up and shooting on days I want to pretend I can use sunny 16.

 

[x-ray]

I'd say you're certifiable. A CLE in addition but not instead. I'm not sure the CLE can be repaired if certain things fail. I might be wrong but that's my understanding.

 

[taemo]

if you want an AE RF but don't want to spend on a ZI or M7 then about the Voigtlander R2A or Hexar RF?

 

[Range-rover]

Why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[leicapixie]

I'd say you're certifiable. A CLE in addition but not instead. I'm not sure the CLE can be repaired if certain things fail. I might be wrong but that's my understanding.

That is my understanding also..
The CL(Leica-Minolta) and CLE (Minolta) have metering problems.
The RF base is short, limiting accuracy with fast lenses..
I know some folks on RFF are very happy with their CL/CLE.
I also know of some friends who had major problems..

The M6 is a good camera.
Maybe not as finely built as my M3, but more than sufficient.
I would never do such a swap.

 

[aizan]

sell all of it, pick up an m7. problem solved!

 

[photomoof]

I'd say you're certifiable. A CLE in addition but not instead. I'm not sure the CLE can be repaired if certain things fail. I might be wrong but that's my understanding.

That was true when I owned a CLE years ago, it can only have gotten much worse. Cute camera, but just the wrong shape and size for my hands.

 

[BillBingham2]

Gotta buck the trend......a fine move.

The M2 is a classic M and while I loved my M6, there is something about an M2 that to me put's it in category few others are in.

The CLE is a different sort of camera, fun, small, very usable.

Well done Sir.

B2

 

[Huss]

Am I crazy just bought a cle with m-rokkor. I will have to let go of my m6 to fund it. I decided I really wanted a camera with ae for my main camera and that if i have to meter id rather do it all mannually. I would have really liked a zeiss ikon but this way I get to keep my m2 as well for back up and shooting on days I want to pretend I can use sunny 16.

Excellent move! I love my CLEs. Really fine machines.
They both have much brighter RF patches than my Bessa R3A (they are as bright as my Leica Ms), as well as much easier to read shutter speed info in the VF.
You owe it to yourself to get a 28mm lens, as the CLE has the best VF in rangefinder world for the 28mm focal length. (better than my old M-E, my M5, my M240).

 

[Fuchs]

Mmmmmmm. I've been there. Went back to the M6, and an Hexar RF for the days I want to shoot AE. The CLE suffers an unforgivable lack of AE lock, that at least for me, is a real dealbreaker. The shortage of repair parts was also a permanent concern at the back of my head.

 

[Huss]

No AE lock? No problem! Just slap it into manual (remembering the reading) or use AE compensation.

 

[Doug]

Sounds like a fine idea to me, John! I have two CLEs, as the first one quickly became a favorite.

Some folks worry about repair and parts, likely based on logical speculation. I don't hear about anyone with a dead CLE, though I suppose there must be at least one out there! My local repair guy observed that the circuit board is not an integrated system, rather it has discrete off-the-shelf components that are theoretically replaceable. Also, that board has a lot in common with one or more Minolta SLRs.

The only maintenance issue I've faced with mine has been dust/dirt accumulating in the rotary switch contacts under the shutter speed dial. The viewfinder diodes will go wonky every once in a while, and the fix is for a tech to remove the dial and clean under it.

Enjoy the CLE, great little camera that pulls well beyond its weight.

 

[kuvvy]

I enjoyed my CLE while I had it. I considered it my Leica when my other RFF mates and I went shooting together and they had their Leica M whatever. I still like its size, viewfinder and of course it's able to mount great lenses. Never could get a decent exposure on Auto though so I tended to shoot manually with a tiny Digisix handheld meter.

Paul

 

[Bingley]

I wanted AE, so I bought a new R2A (I didn't want to spend the $$$ on a ZI or an M7). The CLE is a very attractive camera but I also have concerns about whether it can be repaired if something went wrong. I don't see the Bessa as replacing my Leica Ms, however.

 

[lic4]

in my experience, the CLE is far more reliable than Leica.. Even the rangefinder is more robust and stays adjusted through normal use. Shutter speed timing is more accurate too. I am glad the CLE has a bad reputation; it keeps the price down. The forty is perfectly situated between fifty and thirty five. If you're into owning a minimal, no-nonsense setup, the CLE is the way to go. Buy two more bodies if you're worried about reliability. Three bodies cost as much as an M6.

 

[rfaspen]

The CL and CLE are for folks with a certain hand size/shape. I still have mine and it certainly works well for what it is, but it doesn't hold well for me. I'm constantly unlocking the lens mount, and have had lenses start unmounting during use! ...and it doesn't hang on a strap around my neck correctly. But if I had smaller hands and held my cameras differently, I might love the CL/CLE. And I could always get a half case to make it hang on the neck strap "correctly". Hmmm, that might help with the holding issue too.... Hmmm.

Although I don't own a Zeiss Ikon, Hexar RF, or M7, I've held and used them all. And I'd have all these queued up as contenders before the CLE if I needed AE. [Personal preference]

 

[x-ray]

I have my second CL. I bought one new when they came out and had nothing but problems. It went back to Leica several times under warranty. I finally sold it and never regretted it.

Last year I decided I wanted another CL with or without an operating meter. I wanted it to stick in the console of my car with a couple of small lenses. I bought one that the meter worked in but it was seriously inaccurate. I decided if I could get it fixed it would be a problem again down the road so I bought a Voightlander meter I and just put it in the hot shoe. This was the solution and I like the camera but nowhere as much as my M's. I'm a longtime M user and would never think of swapping a perfectly good M for a CL/CLE. These are old cameras and always had problems. Some repair parts for the CL are gone and that's fact. I understand this is the case with the main board in the CLE also. Despite what one other person said, the CL/CLE are no where as robust as M's and weren't designed to be. They were the answer to the amateur market and the M was designed to satisfy the professional market in both features and durability. The CL and CLE were fairly short lived and for a reason. The RF is no where as good or as accurate. It might be bright but it's not designed for the accuracy needed for faster or longer glass.

You have both sides of the answer here so take your pick and best of luck with your choice.

 

[rfaspen]

Oh that's right! We're talking about trading an M6 for a CLE....

Ummm, I have a CLE 🙂 Let's talk.

Seriously, when put in this context I would not consider such a trade (unless I'm the one with the CLE, which I have by the way). If you feel the draw of a CLE, I would suggest getting one *in addition* to your M6 (and M2 I see). Whew!

 

[shadowfox]

Don't sweat it!
You only need one *and exactly one* Leica M body. You still have your M2, enjoy your CLE and make tons of photos.

 

[Godfrey]

Am I crazy just bought a cle with m-rokkor. I will have to let go of my m6 to fund it. I decided I really wanted a camera with ae for my main camera and that if i have to meter id rather do it all mannually. I would have really liked a zeiss ikon but this way I get to keep my m2 as well for back up and shooting on days I want to pretend I can use sunny 16.

I had a CLE briefly but didn't like it as much as the CL; a personal preference I guess. I have the CL and M4-2 bodies now. If I wanted an M-mount film body with AE, I'd sell those two and buy an M7.

G