Any Leica M2, M3 or M6 users here?

cambsno

cambsno

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Am currently lusting after one of these!!!

Ideally would love an M9 but they are mega bucks. I like dabbling in film so a film Leica is one option. The M6 appeals as it meters, but they are more. The M2 or M3 are more affordable and a classic camera, I just love the look.

How are they to use, and any good 50mm lenses that are 'affordable'?
 
The prices of M2 and M3 have stabilised a bit recently - I have no real interest in them (it's a trap!), but that's what I've seen over the last 6 months or so in terms of pricing.

I believe Jim (menthel) owns - or owned - a Leica M6? I'm sure he'll be along shortly.
 
It depends on what functions you like best. The M6 is amazing and meters as you say, but it is full manual where as its successor (M7) has AE function if you think you would benefit more from that more? Which could be another camera to consider.

I personally love the M6 and the M3 but the dials rotate differently on both
 
I do have an M6. Simple thing that works very well. It has a meter but will work without, takes easy to source watch batteries and is small and discrete. Having handled an M3 as well, I preferred the M6. It has a decent selection of frame lines and focussing is good. The only problem is sometimes flare in the rangefinder patch.

As for an affordable 50mm, there are various makes that come cheaper than the newer leica ones. I have the voigtlander 50mm f1.5 that is a screw fit and use it with an adaptor. These are great, modern lenses and start are available second hand (rarely) but shold be around £300. Older canon and nikon screw fit lenses can also be used with adaptors. Some of the slower leica old lenses can be had for similar money if you look around and can accept one that is a bit more used.

I may actually be letting go of all my leica gear in the near future (M6, M9, 35mm summicron, voigtlander 50 and 90mm elmarit) as I am just not using it enough. Once I decide one way or the other I may well stick up an advert.
 
menthel said:
I do have an M6. Simple thing that works very well.
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:lol::lol::lol:

Never having used a Leica before, Nick lent me his M3 at the Greenwich meet (then wandered off for half an hour while I carried this expensive thing around, somewhat terrified I might lose or break it!), and then Jim let me have a look through the M6. Somehow the latter felt better, but I'm not sure why. I did find the complete lack of lightmeter in the M3 rather scary...

[EDIT, I don't know why, as I was taking reasonable pictures for 5 years on my old Werra 1 before getting anything with a meter!]
 
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I've had an M6 for many years and love it, although don't use it very often any more as I don't use film much these days (not sure I should admit that in this part of the forum!). If you've not used rangefinders before you may find it a bit of an adjustment - some people love it and others don't, it's a personal thing. I'm quite local to you (work in Cambridge) so maybe we could meet up some time and you could have a play with it if you want? I'll have to prise it out of the hands of my son who's using it for his A-level photography course...

There are several options for lenses. Obviously Leica's own will be "the best" and the most expensive. Voigtlander are much cheaper but still very good. Zeiss make a small range of M-mount lenses which are priced somewhere in between. There's a huge number of screw-mount lenses which you can fit with a screw-to-M adapter, so you could get an older Leica lens that will work just fine. But it's a slippery slope - once you're onboard you'll always have a more expensive lens you'd want to "upgrade" to :) However good your current lens is, there's always that £6000 Noctilux calling your name...
 
I have a M2 and love it. Looks beautiful and handles superbly. The subtle click of the shutter and the smooth as butter wind on are mesmerising.

Easier to load film than the III series.

I went for the M2 over the M3 for the framefinder on 35mm lenses, but if you don't use these then there's little difference.

I use Leica screw lenses with an adapter...need a separate adapter for each focal length, but I use 3rd party adapters and they are cheap and work just as well. So opening up all the old screw lenses makes it easier.
 
Oh, I forgot to include all of the russian lenses you can get and again use with an adaptor. I have no knowledge of those at all so will let someone who understands it all a bit more tell you about those! ;)
 
No M4 love? Ok I'll do it then: the same classic build quality of the M3/M2, a viewfinder that doesn't suffer from flare that plagued the later Ms up to the MP/M7, a more modern angled rewind crank, split film advance lever and faster film loading of the M5 onwards. Love mine! Though they don't show up as often as the others. No meter either.
 
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FruitFlakes said:
No M4 love? Ok I'll do it then: the same classic build quality of the M3/M2, a viewfinder that doesn't suffer from flare that plagued the later Ms up to the MP/M7, a more modern angled rewind crank, split film advance lever and faster film loading of the M5 onwards. Love mine! Though they don't show up as often as the others. No meter either.
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Fair point but they are more than the m3/m2 i believe.

There is no real tangible reason for wanting one, i just do!!
 
Good thing about Leicas is that their value doesn't really change, so as long as you look after them you can sell on without much (if any) loss, or even make a profit on them if you find that you don't find the M suited to your style of shooting.
 
FruitFlakes said:
Good thing about Leicas is that their value doesn't really change, so as long as you look after them you can sell on without much (if any) loss, or even make a profit on them if you find that you don't find the M suited to your style of shooting.
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Try explaining that to the wife!
 
cambsno said:
Try explaining that to the wife!
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Without wanting to kick the can of worms, I bet the same can't be said for a pair of shoes.
 
RaglanSurf said:
Without wanting to kick the can of worms, I bet the same can't be said for a pair of shoes.
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rofl

A big part of the choice of the M2 for me was the budget... could only afford an M2 or M3 at the time...the later models were all a bit more expensive. Not sure if this is still the case.
 
Steve said:
A big part of the choice of the M2 for me was the budget... could only afford an M2 or M3 at the time...the later models were all a bit more expensive. Not sure if this is still the case.
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The M2 was of course the budget model of the time, but for the most part their second hand value is about the same - a clean M2 can definitely sell for as much as an equivalently clean M3.
 
freecom2 said:
The M2 was of course the budget model of the time, but for the most part their second hand value is about the same - a clean M2 can definitely sell for as much as an equivalently clean M3.
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Seems to be little between the 2, with the 4, 5 & 6 normally costing more.

The one thing putting me off is that I did have a russian zorki for a while. Although fun, it was a pain to load film, not a very good viewfinder and very clunky. But it was only £40!
 
cambsno said:
Seems to be little between the 2, with the 4, 5 & 6 normally costing more.

The one thing putting me off is that I did have a russian zorki for a while. Although fun, it was a pain to load film, not a very good viewfinder and very clunky. But it was only £40!
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The Leica iii are more difficult to load, but the M series are as easy as any SLR.
 
ped said:
The M4-P and M4-2 are generally cheaper than the German made bodies, and every bit as good.
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The M4 seems to be a couple of hundred pounds more expensive than M2 or M3
 
While we're talking Leicas and rangefinders and stuff, can someone enlighten me, please? I understand generally how the rangefinder works (baseline length, angle, do the maths). And I can see how a coupled rangefinder will work for a non-exchangeable lens like my (now late) Canonet QL17, with its little focussing lever. What I can't see is how it works with exchangeable lenses that are focused manually with the lens. How does the rangefinder mechanism "know" where you've focused the lens? Is there a mechanical coupling (some sort of gear) between the lens and the body?

Confused of Kenilworth!
 
Hi Chris

Normally there's a little tab hanging down into the lens cavity. A cam on the lens will push the little tab backwards as you move the lens barrel thus moving the rangefinder.

If you take off the lens and prod the tab you'll see the mechanism work.
 
Ah thanks, amazing what wonders were done with little cams!
 
ChrisR said:
Ah thanks, amazing what wonders were done with little cams!
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I find it amazing that these purely mechanical objects can (relatively) accurately open and close a shutter for 1/500 of a second.
 
Steve said:
I find it amazing that these purely mechanical objects can (relatively) accurately open and close a shutter for 1/500 of a second.
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Not quite purely mechanical as when the shutter lever is pressed it simply prods the tiny shutter monkeys into action. Hence you have the well known problem of old cameras = old shutters = old monkeys, therefore they're a bit slow to react, giving shutter lag.
 
RaglanSurf said:
Not quite purely mechanical as when the shutter lever is pressed it simply prods the tiny shutter monkeys into action. Hence you have the well known problem of old cameras = old shutters = old monkeys, therefore they're a bit slow to react, giving shutter lag.
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There's a monkey in my camera???

should I be feeding it anything?
 
Steve said:
There's a monkey in my camera???

should I be feeding it anything?
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They feed on the fumes from film.

Which is why cameras need to be used, otherwise the monkeys die :(
 
In the case of my Nikon F, Sover Wong must have taken it for a visit to smell Ilford's manufacturing plant when he serviced it:

NikonF.jpg


Quite impressive for a 50 year old mechanical camera.

PS sorry to bring the discussion round to Nikon :-) .
 
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