upgrading M4 to M6?

[Svitantti]

The 28 frameline and the meter are the things you will get in M6. Other than that it's just matter of taste mostly.

I often think I should get a body for 28mm but when I had one, I liked 35 a lot more and didn't use it... So for me I guess M4 will do just fine. Still I often think about it (M6 or M4-P). I like to meter with a Gossen Digisix and I don't feel I need an in-camera meter.

 

[JNewell]

The only functional advantage of the M4 over the M6 is the much, much better 90mm framelines in the M4 - true framelines, rather than just four bars with no corners. Other than that, M6 all the way. YMMV...using the M6 before you sell the M4 is an excellent plan if you can swing it.

 

[Pablito]

Everyone needs two bodies...

 

[ERV]

Everyone needs two bodies...

I agree with Pablito.
Keep your M4 while you try out the M6. If you can swing it, keep both.
I've never had a M4, but I had an M4-2 that I liked.
In the end, the on-board meter is the key for me.
It just makes things easier.

 

[SimonSawSunlight]

I'm in love with my M4 and if an M6 really meant a loss of built quality and operating smoothness I wouldn't want to go for that change at all. I'm very comfortable with the framelines and the viewfinder in general and I've also used a 28mm on it without any problems and without additional viewfinder...

I think the best thing for you is to just try to get an m6 for some test rolls and decide afterwards =)

 

[tedwhite]

Sheesh! I just drained my checking account to buy a pristine (really) M6, which, with an Ultron 28/1.9 mounted is much heavier than my Bessa R with Color Skopar 35/2.5, plus it doesn't have the Bessa side grip that makes hanging onto the camera so much easier, plus the brightness of both camera's viewfinders are as far as I can tell identical...so did I pay all this money for merely a quieter shutter speed?

And now I'm getting cruel angst thinking maybe I should have bought an M4 and trotted out my Sixtomat? Oh, buyer's remorse!

Well, not quite. The M6 is one helluva nice camera, but as I've never used an M4 I have no way to compare. But it nags me...

 

[Ben Z]

Sheepishly I will admit that at one time or another I've had at least one of every model of M Leica except the rangefinderless ones (M1, MD, MDa). At the time I got my M8 last year I owned 2 M6's (bought after selling MP) and 2 M4's. I have since sold both M6's. Of all the M Leicas, I like the M4 the best. Both of mine have been completely overhauled by DAG and I use MR4 meters which I recalibrated myself. The shutters are consistent enough and the meters accurate enough (with input from my own experience to interpret readings) that exposures on slide film are bang-on. There is practically no white-out or flare in the finders, and the framelines require less guesswork at normal shooting distance, compared to the M6. The M6 is a great camera, but the M4 will be the last film Leica I ever own.

 

[Roger S]

Sheepishly I will admit that at one time or another I've had at least one of every model of M Leica except the rangefinderless ones (M1, MD, MDa). At the time I got my M8 last year I owned 2 M6's (bought after selling MP) and 2 M4's. I have since sold both M6's. Of all the M Leicas, I like the M4 the best. Both of mine have been completely overhauled by DAG and I use MR4 meters which I recalibrated myself. The shutters are consistent enough and the meters accurate enough (with input from my own experience to interpret readings) that exposures on slide film are bang-on. There is practically no white-out or flare in the finders, and the framelines require less guesswork at normal shooting distance, compared to the M6. The M6 is a great camera, but the M4 will be the last film Leica I ever own.

Thanks, Ben. That's a pretty convincing endorsement of the M4. Although I've owned a couple of Leice 3s (a 3c and a 3f, which I still use), I have no history with Ms other than the M4 I have now, so your comparison is useful.

 

[dreamsandart]

When I started off in 35mm photography with an M3 it was a compromise (an M4 was new then and priced so). My ideal Leica was the M4 my mentor had. Although he used a 50mm Summicron almost exclusively on it, the 35mm was my main lens and an M4 frames just made things easier.

Finally got that chrome M4 after a few years of M3 and M2 use and have never looked back, just forward getting the black paint version I really wanted. Its the one camera I'll always have, the perfect M-series for me. Strangely to some I like the plastic tipped wind-on, and the quick-load is easy to use along with the foldout rewind, and yes I even use the self-timer now and then.

The M6 is basically the same camera feature wise with a meter. My first thoughts when the M6 came out were "wow!, an M4 with a meter", and I got one, but it never 'felt' the same. If I was recommending a good M-series I would have to say go for an M6 for features and price, but for me there is a difference I can feel - or maybe its in the head too. Whatever... if you feel comfortable about eyeing the light or use a handheld meter the M4 is a fine camera. If you really need that on board meter the M6 will do the job, or maybe an M5 would be even better.

 

[George S.]

I went from an M4-P that I absolutely loved (don't ask me why I sold it) to an M6 Classic. I don't feel any degradation in fit, finish, or feel, and am enjoying using the in-camera meter. There may be slight differences to some people, but I wouldn't worry about it. Think of the M6 as an M4 with a very handy built-in meter.

 

[mirrored]

M4-2 and M4-P have already new kind of saving, money talks. M4 not. For example brass gears and finishing materials. Or remember I wrong?

 

[tedwhite]

I think you are probably remembering right. I quite like my M6, and the meter is useful, to a point. But - Back in the 80's when I briefly had my first Leica, an M3, I carried a small Gossen Sixtomat light meter. Holding it at waist level and getting a reading went virtually unnoticed by people on the street. Then, instead of holding the camera up to my eye (people do notice) in order to get a meter reading, as I now do with the M6, which generally takes a few fiddly seconds, I could just raise the camera to my eye to frame, focus, and then pull the trigger.

In my opinion - and as far as I can recall - I was actually faster in street shooting with the M3.

So today I tried using the Sixtomat (I still have it) and ignored the M6's light meter. Somehow it seemed faster. Or not. But it was certainly less obtrusive. People think you're fiddling with your cell phone.

So maybe I can have an M4 whenever I want? Sans, of course, the brass gears...

 

[WoolenMammoth]

If I was recommending a good M-series I would have to say go for an M6 for features and price, but for me there is a difference I can feel

If this resonates with you, you'll never be happy with an M6. An M6 is a fully functional tool, but compared to an M4, thats all it is. On a good day. Its a fine camera, but if you are used to how an M4 or 2 or 3 feels, that lust will never be rekindled with a 6. If this concept doesnt resonate with you, you'll likely never understand why people like us rave about these old meterless cameras when there is an alternative that appears identical with a bigger feature set. I gotta hold it all day, I want it to feel right. My 6 never did it for me, and that was well before I found out bunches of things I really disliked about it techincally.

 

[maddoc]

If you need the on-board meter (I mean really need it ...) go for the M6. Otherwise, the Leica you own - and have used - for some time might serve you better.... The only other advantage of the M6 over the M4 is a difference of ~ 20 years in age, which might (but not necessarily) makes a difference when it comes to service (and service costs).

Personally, I much prefer the Leica meter MR4 (or a hand-held meter) over the on-board meter because I can meter without brining the camera to my eyes.

Cheers,

Gabor

 

[sliceoflight]

If this resonates with you, you'll never be happy with an M6. An M6 is a fully functional tool, but compared to an M4, thats all it is. On a good day. Its a fine camera, but if you are used to how an M4 or 2 or 3 feels, that lust will never be rekindled with a 6. If this concept doesnt resonate with you, you'll likely never understand why people like us rave about these old meterless cameras when there is an alternative that appears identical with a bigger feature set. I gotta hold it all day, I want it to feel right. My 6 never did it for me, and that was well before I found out bunches of things I really disliked about it techincally.

My M6 was my first M camera, and i still think it's a great body. I think many of you M users still recall the first time you held and shot with an M body--for me, it was the M6, and apart from the caveats that I mentioned in my earlier post, I still enjoy using it on a regular basis. Call me weird, but I like the black chrome, and the smooth leatherette covering. However, I do not like the fact that it's super easy to get finger smudges all over the VF and RF windows, since they are flush with the metal cover as opposed to recessed as on the earlier models (it's one nitpick I forgot to mention in my earlier post).

A well-CLA'd M6 is still a joy to use, given that you're aware of its quirks. However, it will still not quite feel like a well-CLA'd M4.

One other thing is that my M6 feels slightly heavier and denser than my M4. I don't know how much of this is subjective vs. factual. But I keep coming back to the concept of balance--on the whole, my M4 seems to have the right "feel," and this translates into a tool that more easily "disappears" during the picture-taking process, as opposed to one that regularly reminds you of its presence.

Ming