When one is using screwmount lenses on M cameras with adapters such as the Voigtlander adapters (90/28, 75/50, 135/35) how does the M6 camera know which METER field to bring up?

If there is only one adapter for say 90 and 28mm focal lengths, how does the camera distinguish wheither it should meter for a wide angle or a telephoto lens?

Simon Wong

-- Simon Wong (drsimonwong@hotmail.com), June 02, 2001

Answers

The metering field is a function of the lens' angle of view, exclusive of the framelines being displayed. The M6 instruction book, or any decent M6 book will visually display the metering field for each lens. I personally use the next tightest frame for a quick assessment, (i.e., 50mm frame lines for a 35mm lens, 90mm frame lines for a 50mm lens), of the metering field.

The projected framelines are not linked to the meter, (as one famous Leica author once stated in his book), It is the light hitting that white circle through the actual lens that matters.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), June 02, 2001.

Are we both referring to J. Eastland? I can see where my confusion might be stemming from.

Thanks Al.

-- Simon Wong (drsimonwong@hotmail.com), June 02, 2001.

Yes Simon... that is the guy. His new book, "Leica M6 TTL Handbook" does not repeat the claim of using the frameline selector as a meter pattern altering device. I hope not too many people were led astray by the first book.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), June 02, 2001.

That ridiculously inane misstatement of fact will probably haunt Mr. Eastland to the end of his days. How it could have gotten published, some 7 or 8 years after the M6 had already been in regular production, is a wonderment. One has to imagine the author actually used that technique himself for that many years without it ever dawning on him "if the 28 and 90 framelines come up together...hmmm?"

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), June 02, 2001.

I don't know about other adapters, but when I bought my Voigtlander adapter, the sticker on the box said 50/75mm. So I am assuming that the adapter/mounts are cammed to nudge to frameline selector to the right point.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), June 03, 2001.