The day finally has finally come: I just got a new chrome .72 M6TTL and a minty-fresh used 35 ASPH cron. I'll make a plug for Chris at Mike's Camera, CO Blvd, Denver. I had done my research, and he gave me a screaming deal on the lens. This is my first foray into Leicadom after 20 some years with FM/FM2s. I burned a few of rolls at a local end-of-summer street fest with my new M6 this weekend and would like to share some observations.

First of all, wow! What a difference going from the blurry gray world of the FM2 finder to the bright as day finder on the M6! The only danger is that I occasionally forget to focus, since everything is so bright and beautiful. One thing I miss from the FM2 is the - 0 + LED readout. On the M6 it is a bit difficult for my brain to compute that the right arrow indicates overexposure and the left underexposure. BTW, I almost got a used M6 classic, but convinced myself that the two arrow readout would drive me nuts - as it seems there is no way of telling when you're near correct exposure until you've actually dialed it in. Also didn't like the teensy shutter speed dial on the classic. Another thing I miss from the FM2: seeing the shutter speed and aperture in the finder.

I have a little trouble getting my fingers on the aperture ring on the 35 cron. I'm used to grabbing the ring closest to the body instead of the ring closest to the hood. Also not quite used to the focusing knob, but think I could grow to love it.

What a difference between using the two cameras! I really felt like the invisible man with my new M6. No one seemed to care that I was pointing this little lens in their direction. No one heard the shutter. This in stark contrast to using the FM2 and people staring at me, the guy with the phallic symbol lens & SLR around his neck, and the annoyed looks I'd get when they heard the cuh-lack! of the mirror flap.

I managed several Leica-esque shots from the first few rolls with the M6 but also made several booboos. It will definitely take some time to get used to it. My spousal unit says no more Leica purchases until next year - she warns that I'm really pushing it with this $3K purchase. I'd be interested in hearing from any other folks who have made a similar equipment transition (FM2 or any all-manual SLR to an M6). I haven't decided whether to keep or ebay my Nikon gear yet, I want to get through the M6 honeymoon first.

Oh, almost forgot, in case no one has thought of this yet: on a chrome body, mask the Leica symbols with silver mylar tape instead of black tape. Silver mylar tape is used to "crop" slides and available at most photo shops. This worked well for me this weekend, but I don't know about durability of the tape.

This is a indeed a very informative forum. I was on the LUG for awhile but unsubscribed because I found it to be too difficult to wade through many off topic threads to find the information I needed. Also IMHO, the LUG has a problem with "netiquette".

-- Ken Geter (kgeter@yahoo.com), August 20, 2001

Answers

Ken,

Pleased to see you are enjoying your Leica experience. I used a Nikon F2AS for twenty years and found the transition to a Leica rangefinder easy. I only wish I had auctioned my F2AS on ebay instead trading it on my M6. I was starting to lose interest in photography before I got the Leica. I really couldn't see too much difference in the lenses (Nikon vs Leica) until I bought a Leitz V35 enlarger with a Focotar 40/2.8 lens. The 35 cron Asph is one heck of a lens and I'm sure you're going to fall in love with it.

I agree with you regarding the LUG. I too find it tiring having to wade through the multitude of off topic threads. I also find the rudeness of some contributors distasteful and uncalled for.

-- Sam Smith (Ruy_Lopez@hotmail.com), August 20, 2001.

Glad you enjoy your new M6.

Each camera type has a niche. It doesn't mean that in getting a M6 you must get rid of the SLR. A SLR can do things the M6 cannot and vice versa.

However if it is a budget problem (must sell SLR to finance M6) or a spouse issue (you cannot have more than 2 cameras), then that is a different matter...... been there, rebelled !

Or you are quiite certain that the M6 is the one and only camera for you forever and ever.......

-- Yip (koklok@krdl.org.sg), August 20, 2001.

Ken, Congrats on the move. You will NOT regret it. Listen (a little) to your spouse, and do not let yourself be tempted in extending that M outfit too much. The 'natural' process is to believe you "need" a full set of lenses: been there and remain stuck with the investment (no, in the short term, new standard M gear does NOT resell for anything near the price you paid for it).

Apart from your 35mm, you might consider a cheapo used 50 'cron, for those closer up people shots. Keep your FM2 for ALL the rest, with your most used teles and wides. You will be grateful for SLR vision with anything longer than 50mm or wider than 35mm (despite what too many of us Leica enthusiasts like to believe...).

The FM2 is a great little tool as well. Great value for money. Like the M, always as good as you are. And, with a 105mmf2.5 or a 20mmf2.8, really not as 'phallic' or obnoxious as you seem to have come to believe. Try EOS1/F5/9/R8 with f2.8 zooms for 'phallic' presence... ;-)

Have fun,

Alan

-- Alan ball (alan.ball@yucom.be), August 20, 2001.

Dont get rid of your old Nikkor lenses - Get an adapter for Nikkor on Leica M. I havn´t got a M myself, but a FM2n, and I find the 24/2,8 a gem. Does anybody have a hand-on view on this?

Take a look at:

http://cameraquest.com/adaptnew.htm

-- thomas marker (thomas@advokat-marker.dk), August 20, 2001.

It really depends on which focal lengths suits you best. If you are a 28mm, 35mm, 50mm man then the M6 is really all you need. For wide angles you can consider the Cosina/Voigtlander lenses such as the 15mm, 21mm and 25mm. They are relatively dirt cheap and quite impressive in picture quality. I don't miss my FM2 but I do have an EOS 3 with 70- 200/2.8L when I need it.

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), August 20, 2001.

I made the same transition. You should give the FM2 finder more credit for being bright-I wonder what lens you had on it ;-)

Its a bit hard to switch between the two, largely because the controls are similar enough that the differences (placement of focus, aperture rings) cause you to lose fluidity.

Stick with the M6 a while with the one lens you have. It is best as a wide angle camera, or upto a mild telephoto. And focus on people pictures-you will see results in the style of your work soon I'll bet.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), August 20, 2001.

Congrats Ken:

I switched from a manual focus Contax system that I almost always shot in aperture priority mode to an M6. The transition was pretty easy, but I put the Contax stuff aside for a couple of months and shot the Leica exclusively (in fact I almost never shoot the Contax any more). I had the 50mm 'cron at the time. You'll get used to the lack of finder information, I now have a better intuitive feel for what shutter speed I am using with the M than I ever had with the Aria. I guess it's because I manually select a shutter speed (and this affects the hand holdability) and then adjust aperture while I shoot. The shutter speed kind of nags you to remember how carefully the camer has to be held.

I'd be curious to know what film you are shoting and how you did with metering. When I first changed, I shot B&W all the time and metering was no problem. This summer I started shooting a lot of chrome and had to make some metering technique adjustments. The M has a 12mm central spot meter, not a small spot of center weighed meter like the FM2. I've gotten to where over 30 exposures per roll are correct, but it has taken some time to converge on accurate metering fom me. I guess the bottom line with an M is that you have to shoot it regularly to become proficient with it, and you have to keep shooting to stay proficient.

Good luck, and enjoy!

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.net), August 20, 2001.

You might want to gain a little more experience with the M6 before dumping the Nikons. You may find that you want an SLR in certain instances. I had several FM2ns at one time but sold them. I prefer a more selective metering pattern. I did pick up a couple of used FM10 bodies, though, as cheap, lightweight backups to my F5/F100 outfit, but since the n80 joined the party I have relegated the FM10's to beach duty...a place even my old F and F2 are too valuable to use.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), August 20, 2001.

Probably an analogy could be drawn between using rangefinders and slr. SLR users are more like paratroopers with their submission guns and their outfits for all to see whereas rangefinders users are more like snipers or assasins lurking in the shadows.

-- WONG KH (DOSI@maxis.net.my), August 20, 2001.

Ken

The M6 TTL is a beautiful camera. Don't get rid of the Nikon - you may well want it in the future - Ms really do not do everything well, but for "general" photography they are unrivalled, but a little of an acquired taste, perhaps.

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), August 20, 2001.

While I use mostly the Nikon F3 these days, the tiny FM2 is always in the bag on trips. I believe that unless you have a very narrow photographic focus (pun intended), it would be hard to give up an SLR for a 100% rangefinder system. I use both Nikon and Leica cameras, picking and choosing for the situations. Even when I am going "Nikon heavy", I usually have a M6 and 35mm Summicron in the bag for candids, or when I leave my bag in the hotel and just want to wander the city free and easy.

Concurrently, when I am going the Leica route, I have an FM2 in the bag with a 105mm f/2.5. The Leica 90mm lenses are great but ergonomically the SLR works better for me with the medium telephotos.

As long as I need to shoot macro, use fill flash at 1/250th, or simply fire away with a motordriven camera and 300mm lens, I would never be able to give up all of my Nikons (or any brand you like) for a M6 only based outfit. They don't replace each other... they compliment each other.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), August 20, 2001.

I still use my Nikon as much as I do the Leica M3 and Minolta CLE. I have such a nice lens set up for the Nikon, including macro, a few nice zooms and a 300mm ED tele-and as they say, it is already paid for. If after a couple of years you find the Nikon is just gathering dust, then you may want to off it, but I bet you'll end up using both cameras for different types of photography as I do.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), August 20, 2001.

Other than my original set of manual Nikkors from the early 70's, I sold all of my Nikkors except AF lenses and even then kept only zooms, a 20, a 50,a 100 Micro and a 300/2.8. That is my "wildlife and nature" outfit. Otherwise I went to the R system as my travel SLR because the bodies are very compact (not the R8, bought one and sold it quickly)and have TTL flash and diopter adjustable viewfinders. Initially I went with just the mechanical bodies but eventually succumbed to the R7. Aside from some annoying design quirks I've found them as well-made and reliable as the FM2, though the expense of service has been higher, but this is due to the fact that you can get an FM serviced many places while the R bodies are hard to find service for outside of Leica.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), August 20, 2001.

I shot with both Nikon SLR and Leica RF cameras for many years. After buying my M6TTL, I found I didn't use the Nikons hardly at all anymore so I sold them off. My photography is such that I only very rarely need anything longer than a 90mm lens anymore, and the M handles up to that with ease.

However, if your photography does include the need for 100mm and beyond lenses, keep the SLR around. Even if you don't use it much, it is a valuable asset in your hands.

Godfrey

-- Godfrey DiGiorgi (ramarren@bayarea.net), August 21, 2001.

At least part of this conversation is about personal preference. I have an FM2. It is a very good camera and will last forever. I have never liked the led exposure readouts. I prefer the FE2 with a needle analogue readout. Probably the reason that I have never loved the M6. Use the led readouts, but am not comfortable with them.

Otherwise, I agree with the statements above. I would keep the SLR, if possible, until I learned it wasn't necessary. I use a Nikon SLR under 28 mm and above 50 mm when I am using 35 mm.

Art

-- Art (AKarr90975@aol.com), August 21, 2001.

Thanks for all the comments and advice, unfortunately financial requirements (and my wife) may force me to sell off my Nikon gear - I will post a link here to my ebay listing if that becomes the case.

The main reason I got the M6 was the size and weight issue: I wanted a professional all-manual/mechanical camera without the bulk of big lenses. I recently got a Nikkor 200mm f4 and quickly realized that I'm not destined to be a nature photographer - basically I despise lugging and futzing with a tripod. Also seem to have lost interest in macro photography, again the !@#$ tripod, and already have too many boring close-ups of flowers, coins, bugs, etc. The bulk issue was causing me to use my FM2 less and less, opting instead for the convenience and excellent optics of my wife's Yashica T4. Indeed, I usually get better results from the T4's Tessar than from any of my Nikkors. The M6 seems to be the perfect marriage of excellent optics, small size, and complete manual control.

Just got another roll (Portra NC) back from the developer and had a much higher hit ratio with this roll, but still some misses: I think I need to back off taking everything at f2 trying to acheive the "Leica Effect". Especially at short range and of volatile subjects like my dog. I have several examples of great bokeh - unfortunately the entire image is bokeh! The nice thing about the one lens approach is that I can concentrate on learning the DOF qualities of just this lens.

A tip on using this forum (sorry if this is a "duh"): click on the "New Answers" link, then bookmark that page. If you read this forum every day, it quickly shows you which threads have been updated.

-- Ken Geter (kgeter@yahoo.com), August 22, 2001.

That's OK, Ken. The more bokeh, the merrier!

In my case, I came to Leica via Contax SLRs and G2s...I dumped everything to get my first camera and 2 lenses without (much) hesitation because I knew that, even if I wanted SLRs eventually, it would not be the Contaxes, and because I wanted to work absolutely "Leica only" for a while. Still haven't felt a need for the mirror- cameras.

If you will eventually want exactly the cameras you have now - keep 'em. The argument is that you will lose money in the long run by selling them and buying them back later (you can't successfully 'short' used Nikons, generally speaking - they aren't Nasdaq stocks)

IMHO Nikons are the SLRs best matched to Leicas (although some would say Canon) for lens color, contrast etc.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), August 23, 2001.

Welcome, Ken ! ! I also own a FM2n and kept it after getting into Leica. I really love the camera but I seldom use it now.

My transition was a bit more difficult since I got a M3, with no light metering at all. It was a real challenge to begin making decent pictures with it at first but I have extremely enjoyed the process. So much so that I bought a second M3 as soon as the opportunity arised.

I don't plan to sell my trusty FM2n however but plan to learn how to use it better after I learn photography with the Leicas. Only that, after several years I'm still learning . . .

Congratulations, Ken, and I wish you have the same as much fun as I have!

Iván

-- Iván Barrientos M (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), August 23, 2001.

Ken:

Hold on to that Nikon kit! You will need it for certain types of photography. Somewhat like you, I sold my Nikon N90S and Canon EOS1NRS kits to buy a Leica M6 TTL camera and the 35mm Summicron ASPH lens. I was getting tired of the bulk and weight of the SLR kits. I am very happy with the light weight M6 system I have now. I can carry it around my neck all day and never notice it!

I was so impressed with the quality of the Leica M lenses that I have also bought myself into the Leica SLR system. I started with a Leicaflex SL and a 60mm macro lens. That lens turned out to be a stunning performer! Since then I have purchased a number of other Leica cameras and lenses, all used equipment at reasonable prices.

For travel and vacation pictures I use the M6 TTL with a number of lenses (21/f2.8 ASPH, 35/f2 ASPH, 50/f2, 90/f2 and 135/f4). The entire outfit fits into a small camera bag. For macro and landscape photography I use the Leica SLR system. But I do not like carrying that camera bag for any length of time!

So keep the FM2 and your Nikon lenses for the moment. After a year or two with the M6, you will know for certain whether your style of photography can be done exclusively with the M6, or if you also need an SLR.................................

-- Muhammad Chishty (applemac97@aol.com), August 24, 2001.

My favorite Nikon is the FE2, and I have a pair of them. The Leica will not replace them. It rather complements them. Hang on to your Nikon.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), August 24, 2001.