I know this video isn't recent but I recently bought an M6 TTL and was searching UA-cam for M6 related content when I came across your video. It's so wonderful to hear you talk about your camera with such passion. I shoot a lot of film and have a couple of old Rolleiflex TLRs which I feel much the same about as you do about your M6. It's a very difficult thing to explain to someone who either isn't a photographer or perhaps is a photographer but only shoots digital and just doesn't "get" film or film cameras and what makes them special. I have only just taken ownership of my M6 but I truly hope I feel as strongly about it in a year's time as you do about yours. All the best.
Hello from Singapore! 1. I agree with you. I like to have control when I 'mess' with the exposure triangle. I grew up with analog film cameras and the cusp of digital cameras. I miss film photography... 2. Yes, film photography is not cheap. I'm switching between film bodies and digital toys (albeit with vintage lenses... for the control, no less) 3. I had a Leica Q. Sold it. Coz it was easy to lose control. 4. Thanks to you, I'm leaning towards an M6 TTL... or maybe an M5 for its larger shutter dial and spot metering.... hmmm....
I have a Leica M6 TTL 0.72 which is now 22 years old. Externally you can see some imperfections due to use but, until now, it has never let me down. Never had a mechanical problem, shutter speeds are still perfect as is the rangefinder. Leicas cost a lot but are worth every penny.
I like the idea of a 0.58x viewfinder, and shoot a lot of 28/35mm but in the case of shooting with an 80mm lens, is it ridiculous to even do with a 0.58x viewfinder because the frame lines would be so small? Maybe with a 1.4x magnifier?
My favorite thing about the M6 TTL is the shutter speed dial design. The increased size make it easy to operate with one finger while the rotational orientation aligned with the light meter display is just common sense design. Small details like this stand out on a camera that is so simple in nature. I feel that the smaller shutter speed dial that rotated in the opposite direction made sense back when Leica M cameras were designed to take an external light meter that was mounted on top of the camera (along with the shutter speed dial itself) as those cameras did not have built-in meters. Had it not been for the M5 debacle, I doubt that Leica would have returned to the old shutter speed dial design on the original M6, but by then they were likely afraid to try anything else. For that matter, had it not been for the poor sales of the M5, I doubt that the M6 would have ended up looking anything at all like it did. While the M5 was a debacle in terms of sales, that camera actually struck me as a fairly innovative design overall relatively speaking. Given that you wear glasses, I can appreciate your desire for the 0.58 viewfinder. You mentioned the moldy camera strap that came with your M6. Did the camera itself not suffer any such damage (such as in the viewfinder optics)? I've owned my M6 TTL since new. Back in 2000, my purchase was a response to the rapid growth of digital cameras in the marketplace as much as anything else. While I do appreciate the build quality and find the camera very enjoyable to use, I can't honestly say that I feel more emotionally attached to my photography because of this. My emotional attachment tends to come from what I'm seeing through the viewfinder. Thus I made plenty of great images with my old Minolta XD11 SLR (which is why I also own a Minolta CLE). Despite the fact that I bought a Leica, I do feel that their cameras are overpriced, especially these days. Based on my experience the cost of a M6 has definitely outpaced inflation. It strikes me that there is far more hype surrounding Leica cameras these days than back in 2000. To be fair, there are no shortage of cameras that now strike me as being overpriced. I still have a Yashica T4 Super D that I bought back in the day and can't believe the sort of money some are willing to pay for these cameras today. Such is the reality of supply and demand. Thus I'm particularly interested to see what Pentax ends up doing and whether or not they'll actually end up producing a new film camera for the masses.
I know this video isn't recent but I recently bought an M6 TTL and was searching UA-cam for M6 related content when I came across your video. It's so wonderful to hear you talk about your camera with such passion. I shoot a lot of film and have a couple of old Rolleiflex TLRs which I feel much the same about as you do about your M6. It's a very difficult thing to explain to someone who either isn't a photographer or perhaps is a photographer but only shoots digital and just doesn't "get" film or film cameras and what makes them special. I have only just taken ownership of my M6 but I truly hope I feel as strongly about it in a year's time as you do about yours. All the best.
Hello from Singapore!
1. I agree with you. I like to have control when I 'mess' with the exposure triangle. I grew up with analog film cameras and the cusp of digital cameras. I miss film photography...
2. Yes, film photography is not cheap. I'm switching between film bodies and digital toys (albeit with vintage lenses... for the control, no less)
3. I had a Leica Q. Sold it. Coz it was easy to lose control.
4. Thanks to you, I'm leaning towards an M6 TTL... or maybe an M5 for its larger shutter dial and spot metering.... hmmm....
The M6 is a GRAIL camera, i LOVE my M6 CLASSIC, just an amazing tool for sure!
I have a Leica M6 TTL 0.72 which is now 22 years old. Externally you can see some imperfections due to use but, until now, it has never let me down. Never had a mechanical problem, shutter speeds are still perfect as is the rangefinder. Leicas cost a lot but are worth every penny.
I like the idea of a 0.58x viewfinder, and shoot a lot of 28/35mm but in the case of shooting with an 80mm lens, is it ridiculous to even do with a 0.58x viewfinder because the frame lines would be so small? Maybe with a 1.4x magnifier?
I have glasses, fyi, that's why the 0.58 appeals to me.
My favorite thing about the M6 TTL is the shutter speed dial design. The increased size make it easy to operate with one finger while the rotational orientation aligned with the light meter display is just common sense design. Small details like this stand out on a camera that is so simple in nature. I feel that the smaller shutter speed dial that rotated in the opposite direction made sense back when Leica M cameras were designed to take an external light meter that was mounted on top of the camera (along with the shutter speed dial itself) as those cameras did not have built-in meters. Had it not been for the M5 debacle, I doubt that Leica would have returned to the old shutter speed dial design on the original M6, but by then they were likely afraid to try anything else. For that matter, had it not been for the poor sales of the M5, I doubt that the M6 would have ended up looking anything at all like it did. While the M5 was a debacle in terms of sales, that camera actually struck me as a fairly innovative design overall relatively speaking. Given that you wear glasses, I can appreciate your desire for the 0.58 viewfinder. You mentioned the moldy camera strap that came with your M6. Did the camera itself not suffer any such damage (such as in the viewfinder optics)?
I've owned my M6 TTL since new. Back in 2000, my purchase was a response to the rapid growth of digital cameras in the marketplace as much as anything else. While I do appreciate the build quality and find the camera very enjoyable to use, I can't honestly say that I feel more emotionally attached to my photography because of this. My emotional attachment tends to come from what I'm seeing through the viewfinder. Thus I made plenty of great images with my old Minolta XD11 SLR (which is why I also own a Minolta CLE). Despite the fact that I bought a Leica, I do feel that their cameras are overpriced, especially these days. Based on my experience the cost of a M6 has definitely outpaced inflation. It strikes me that there is far more hype surrounding Leica cameras these days than back in 2000. To be fair, there are no shortage of cameras that now strike me as being overpriced. I still have a Yashica T4 Super D that I bought back in the day and can't believe the sort of money some are willing to pay for these cameras today. Such is the reality of supply and demand. Thus I'm particularly interested to see what Pentax ends up doing and whether or not they'll actually end up producing a new film camera for the masses.
Wich Kind of Lens do you use on your M6?