Thanks for the video. Before I bought my M6, I used three other 35mm rangefinders (Argus, Minolta, and Canon). All three were acceptable for the price; however, I needed a professional quality rangefinder with interchangeable lenses. I now shoot an M6 and an M10 with fast 21, 35, and 90mm lenses.
Great vid. The honest reason why I picked up a Leica is solely because after shooting professionally for many years and having owned nearly 50 cams, it was the only one I hadn't tried. With getting more into street photography and traveling, I was drawn to the well-discussed lore of Leica and figured I'd give it a go. I will say while it is a beautiful cam and I enjoy the "no-frills" experience, my photos from it are no better than what I get from my other film cameras.
Shooting with the M6 since 2016 - bought it for $1K used at the time which was the normal price. Now with prices around $3K, this is just crazy. The M6 is a great tool but not worth this amount of money for sure. All Leica M prices have skyrocketed in recent years, but there are other reasonable Leica M alternatives for lower cost, for example the M4 or M5. If someone really wants to spend several thousand dollars for a Leica M film camera, better get a newer M-A or M-P camera version which Leica is still making.
I did shoot a friend's M6 a couple of years ago and didn't really warm up to the rangefinder thing and the limitations it brings (long focal length / close focus ... bla bla) But I definitely should have bought it from im nonetheless - it was worth 1/3 of what I'd get for it today !!! I do love that classic 35/1.4 by the way! All in all, I'm really more than happy with my analog SLR cameras from the same time that the M4 or M6 were designed. Having said all this, Leica is a legend, it attracts us photographers like a lamp attracts a moth! And they are the only ones in the world who still make an analog system camera at all !! For this alone, we photographers should embrace and celebrate them and encourage everyone (who's got the cash) to get a Leica and keep the legend alive!
I don't need a Leica, but I want a Leica MP. Have zero experience with analog photography. Had used a Canon EOS 550D for several years in my spare time and on vacation, which of course is not to be equated with a rangefinder camera. If I have some money together and buy my MP, I will learn to shoot analog. Of course, that's what I wish for! 😊🍀
I hard a Leica M6 and it was great but I preferred the M7. I sold it for the same price I bought it around 1000 euros. But considering the prices I saw of the same camera for 2k this definitely does not worth the cost. The most important is the lens you put on it and Leica might be the best in terms of pure optic (no in body correction with films). You can go with a zeiss ikon or even an Hexar for the same experience almost…
M6 is expensive AF but I don’t regret getting it. Light meter died since but still love it. If you’re a bit eccentric and love things made to the highest standard you’re not gonna regret the purchase.
I have used an M6 when there was no digital around. I traveled with it and a set of 3 lenses to many places, it was easy as the equipment is relatively light and small. When digital cameras came out I retired it for many years in my cabinet, only took it out occasionally to clean and release the shutter a few times a year. Now, I have started to use it again, despite digital Leica and Ricoh GR iii etc. ,and I enjoy it a lot. It is not and easy camera to start with, but I will never sell mine. Today I would not buy it if I not already owned it.
Now days it's somehow hard to buy a Leica. I owned an M6 and the pictures I took where amazing, the feel of the camera, the quality of Leica lenses are imparable. But in the year of 1991, I sold it, the biggest mistake in my life, just because I thought digital was the trend. I bought instead digital cameras like the Epson, and the one of the firs digital from Fujifilm. That was my biggest mistake. Sorry Leica M6!
Leica is gewoon een camera zonder knopjes, menu’s, gadgets. De objectieven zijn prachtig, veel contrast en detail. Ook duurzaam, zijn te reviseren ipv wegwerp plastic na enkele jaren. Zijn behoorlijk waardevast, zeker de zeldzame body’s of objectieven. Ook de aanschaf bij een Leica store is een ervaring op zich. Ik vergelijk het weleens met een oldtimer vs tesla. Waar jij je plezier uit haalt is persoonlijk.
Ik persoonlijk heb geen mening over de Leica M6 omdat ik er nog nooit een gehad heb. Als ik de reviews lees is het wel een camera dat erg geliefd is bij amateur en professionele fotografen. Maar voor mijn fotografie heb ik geen Leica nodig, de plaatjes die ik schiet met mijn Pentax k1000 voldoen aan mijn manier van fotograferen, en dit al bijna 35 jaar. De onderhoud voor mijn Pentax doe ik zelf.
I am primarily a street photographer and after shooting a slrs for 8 years was convinced that a rangefinder is the best tool for street photography. Having decided to switch to a rangefinder I bought a new M6 in 1990 for $1995 with a 5 year warranty on camera. That M6 is still my main camera after 30 years of hard use and you can do the math on how much this camera cost me per year the last 30years. It has had 3 cla's in 30 years and I believe the camera works better today than it did new out of the box. Onthe street I am quicker with my M6 than any autofocus camera. I make all the decisions in taking the photographs and my camera makes none. Most people forget that you can print your negatives in a wet darkroom to make silver gelatin prints. The printing is an art form of its own , which I also love to do. Photography for me requires the hand eye coordination of great athletes. On the street your best shots are taken in a fleeting moment and the more control the photographer has, the better the photograph. In the 1950s the Leica Screwmount cameras were professional tools at profesional prices. Leica screwmount cameras are the best photography bargain currently. You get a professional camera and extremely high quality LTM lenses are in great supply. Shoot a 111F Leica for awhile and you will become a .much better photographer. I have 3 cameras with lens mounted in my street kit. 1. M6 with 35mm lens 2 Contax 11A cd with 50mm f1.5 Sonnar 3. 111F Leica with a 21mm. These 3 cameras fit in a small Domke 5H Bag and I never have to take time to switch lens when I see a shot needing a 21mm lens or a 50mm lens. FURTHER,THE Zeiss Contax 11a CD is one hell of a rangefinder camera currently sold for less than 500 bucks for a mint- example and is just as good a tool as a Leica M3 if not better. Send your Contax 11a to Mark Hansen for a cla.
I don’t know if it is worth it. If you absolutely love film and the entire analogue process and don’t mind the cost, then yes. But even then you are probably going to digitalize your analogue photos, so you are going to have to pay someone to scan them or buy your own film scanner. I think it is just more convenient to shoot digital in a digital age. I would buy a photo printer instead and print my digital photos.
The M7 is a far better camera than M6. Far more precise it give you the liberty of keeping your eye in the viewfinder while changing your aperture. Quality wise it is better than zinc M6 , finition are great and visor is far more clear than the M6. I had 20 leica and M6 was not the one I love. A very good one is M4-2 ( first 79 batch ) wich are the stronger, the clearer viewfinder ( after CLA) and the smoother M. Plus all the visor and rangefinder window are recess, protect from fingertip and sun. Plus that is the model who save Leica, thanks to Leica Canada. Alas there is very few ones ( the smallest number of all M build) and the alternative ( I had too) Ma is good but expensive.
Leicas appreciate or at least hold their value (the analog ones), so you can enjoy one as long as you want and sell it later and get all your money back. So why not?
I do own a analog digital Leica called M D type 262 and that is a perfect combination…. No screen and an analog feeling with excellent picture quality
Thanks for the video.
Before I bought my M6, I used three other 35mm rangefinders (Argus, Minolta, and Canon). All three were acceptable for the price; however, I needed a professional quality rangefinder with interchangeable lenses. I now shoot an M6 and an M10 with fast 21, 35, and 90mm lenses.
Nice video!! Thank you for sharing;)
for the money they go for now, i would get an MP
I have two M3 and a MP, it’s fun to use. But mostly I am using my Minolta XD7 for 135 now.
Great vid. The honest reason why I picked up a Leica is solely because after shooting professionally for many years and having owned nearly 50 cams, it was the only one I hadn't tried. With getting more into street photography and traveling, I was drawn to the well-discussed lore of Leica and figured I'd give it a go. I will say while it is a beautiful cam and I enjoy the "no-frills" experience, my photos from it are no better than what I get from my other film cameras.
Shooting with the M6 since 2016 - bought it for $1K used at the time which was the normal price. Now with prices around $3K, this is just crazy. The M6 is a great tool but not worth this amount of money for sure. All Leica M prices have skyrocketed in recent years, but there are other reasonable Leica M alternatives for lower cost, for example the M4 or M5. If someone really wants to spend several thousand dollars for a Leica M film camera, better get a newer M-A or M-P camera version which Leica is still making.
I did shoot a friend's M6 a couple of years ago and didn't really warm up to the rangefinder thing and the limitations it brings (long focal length / close focus ... bla bla) But I definitely should have bought it from im nonetheless - it was worth 1/3 of what I'd get for it today !!! I do love that classic 35/1.4 by the way!
All in all, I'm really more than happy with my analog SLR cameras from the same time that the M4 or M6 were designed.
Having said all this, Leica is a legend, it attracts us photographers like a lamp attracts a moth! And they are the only ones in the world who still make an analog system camera at all !! For this alone, we photographers should embrace and celebrate them and encourage everyone (who's got the cash) to get a Leica and keep the legend alive!
Agreed Tom! Keep the legend alive 😎
I don't need a Leica, but I want a Leica MP. Have zero experience with analog photography. Had used a Canon EOS 550D for several years in my spare time and on vacation, which of course is not to be equated with a rangefinder camera. If I have some money together and buy my MP, I will learn to shoot analog. Of course, that's what I wish for! 😊🍀
I hard a Leica M6 and it was great but I preferred the M7. I sold it for the same price I bought it around 1000 euros. But considering the prices I saw of the same camera for 2k this definitely does not worth the cost. The most important is the lens you put on it and Leica might be the best in terms of pure optic (no in body correction with films). You can go with a zeiss ikon or even an Hexar for the same experience almost…
M6 is expensive AF but I don’t regret getting it. Light meter died since but still love it. If you’re a bit eccentric and love things made to the highest standard you’re not gonna regret the purchase.
Yes
Unlike most other cameras, if you do buy a Leica M6, you can shoot it for a couple of years…..and then sell it for more than you paid for it!! :- )
That is a very valid argument!
I have used an M6 when there was no digital around. I traveled with it and a set of 3 lenses to many places, it was easy as the equipment is relatively light and small. When digital cameras came out I retired it for many years in my cabinet, only took it out occasionally to clean and release the shutter a few times a year. Now, I have started to use it again, despite digital Leica and Ricoh GR iii etc. ,and I enjoy it a lot. It is not and easy camera to start with, but I will never sell mine. Today I would not buy it if I not already owned it.
Another question could be, would everyone enjoy these cameras this much if they were not the most hyped film camera in the internet
Maybe they're the most hyped film cameras because everyone enjoys them so much.
Now days it's somehow hard to buy a Leica. I owned an M6 and the pictures I took where amazing, the feel of the camera, the quality of Leica lenses are imparable. But in the year of 1991, I sold it, the biggest mistake in my life, just because I thought digital was the trend. I bought instead digital cameras like the Epson, and the one of the firs digital from Fujifilm. That was my biggest mistake. Sorry Leica M6!
Leica is gewoon een camera zonder knopjes, menu’s, gadgets. De objectieven zijn prachtig, veel contrast en detail. Ook duurzaam, zijn te reviseren ipv wegwerp plastic na enkele jaren. Zijn behoorlijk waardevast, zeker de zeldzame body’s of objectieven. Ook de aanschaf bij een Leica store is een ervaring op zich. Ik vergelijk het weleens met een oldtimer vs tesla. Waar jij je plezier uit haalt is persoonlijk.
Helemaal mee eens Bernd!
Prices on M6 are all time high...becoming more a collectors item than a high priced tool
Ik persoonlijk heb geen mening over de Leica M6 omdat ik er nog nooit een gehad heb.
Als ik de reviews lees is het wel een camera dat erg geliefd is bij amateur en professionele fotografen.
Maar voor mijn fotografie heb ik geen Leica nodig, de plaatjes die ik schiet met mijn Pentax k1000 voldoen aan mijn manier van fotograferen, en dit al bijna 35 jaar.
De onderhoud voor mijn Pentax doe ik zelf.
Dat is geweldig Marcel, tevreden zijn met wat je hebt en daar het beste uit halen!
I am primarily a street photographer and after shooting a slrs for 8 years was convinced that a rangefinder is the best tool for street photography. Having decided to switch to a rangefinder I bought a new M6 in 1990 for $1995 with a 5 year warranty on camera. That M6 is still my main camera after 30 years of hard use and you can do the math on how much this camera cost me per year the last 30years. It has had 3 cla's in 30 years and I believe the camera works better today than it did new out of the box. Onthe street I am quicker with my M6 than any autofocus camera. I make all the decisions in taking the photographs and my camera makes none. Most people forget that you can print your negatives in a wet darkroom to make silver gelatin prints. The printing is an art form of its own , which I also love to do. Photography for me requires the hand eye coordination of great athletes. On the street your best shots are taken in a fleeting moment and the more control the photographer has, the better the photograph. In the 1950s the Leica Screwmount cameras were professional tools at profesional prices. Leica screwmount cameras are the best photography bargain currently. You get a professional camera and extremely high quality LTM lenses are in great supply. Shoot a 111F Leica for awhile and you will become a .much better photographer. I have 3 cameras with lens mounted in my street kit. 1. M6 with 35mm lens 2 Contax 11A cd with 50mm f1.5 Sonnar 3. 111F Leica with a 21mm. These 3 cameras fit in a small Domke 5H Bag and I never have to take time to switch lens when I see a shot needing a 21mm lens or a 50mm lens. FURTHER,THE Zeiss Contax 11a CD is one hell of a rangefinder camera currently sold for less than 500 bucks for a mint- example and is just as good a tool as a Leica M3 if not better. Send your Contax 11a to Mark Hansen for a cla.
Rotterdam ❤️
I don’t know if it is worth it. If you absolutely love film and the entire analogue process and don’t mind the cost, then yes. But even then you are probably going to digitalize your analogue photos, so you are going to have to pay someone to scan them or buy your own film scanner. I think it is just more convenient to shoot digital in a digital age. I would buy a photo printer instead and print my digital photos.
The M7 is a far better camera than M6. Far more precise it give you the liberty of keeping your eye in the viewfinder while changing your aperture. Quality wise it is better than zinc M6 , finition are great and visor is far more clear than the M6.
I had 20 leica and M6 was not the one I love. A very good one is M4-2 ( first 79 batch ) wich are the stronger, the clearer viewfinder ( after CLA) and the smoother M. Plus all the visor and rangefinder window are recess, protect from fingertip and sun.
Plus that is the model who save Leica, thanks to Leica Canada.
Alas there is very few ones ( the smallest number of all M build) and the alternative ( I had too) Ma is good but expensive.
I got a friend of mine who want to sale his Leica M6 none TTL model to me black body only for £500.00
I think u r a moran. Type same sentance everywhere
Leicas appreciate or at least hold their value (the analog ones), so you can enjoy one as long as you want and sell it later and get all your money back. So why not?
Camera snub b..s,,
Bubbly copy.
It’s Fugly when zinc bubbly