Greetings to all;

I am somewhat embarrassed to ask this question, but here goes. Will the M6 take an image at the 1/50 of second flash sync mark without a flash being used? I can’t imagine it making any difference to the shutter mechanism whether it operates at 1/60-second or 1/50, it still should produce an image, shouldn’t it? I can’t remember if I’ve inadvertently ever taken a shot at that intermediate position.

Regards,

J.

-- J.L.Kuhn (james.kuhn-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov), May 03, 2002

Answers

The M6 has no way of knowing whether you're using a flash or not. 1/50 works just the same as any other shutter speed.

Jie

-- Joe Buechler (jbuechler@toad.net), May 03, 2002.

Speaking of being embarrassed, I can't even spell my own name.

-- Joe Buechler (jbuechler@toad.net), May 03, 2002.

That's OK. We just thought you were using an alias!

-- Alec (alecj@bellsouth.net), May 03, 2002.

It not only works, but:

1) it's usually the quietest speed - the slower speeds start to have some 'clockwork' noise, and the faster speeds just seem to have more 'snap'.

2) It's a great way to 'cheat in' about a half-stop of exposure - if (e.g.) your meter calls for 1/60 @ f/1.8 or 1/30 @ f/2.5, you can use 1/50 at f/2.0 and get the full use of your Summicron's aperture while still being within a tiny fraction of a stop (1/45 vs. 1/50). For that matter even if the meter actually calls for 1/30 @ f/2, I often shoot a frame at 1/50 as well, for just that little bit of extra 'shake' insurance.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), May 03, 2002.

andy -- i know exactly what you mean. one of the reasons the iiig is my overall favorite leica body is that it has so many choices in the slow-but-still-handholdable range; to wit, 30, 40, 50 and 60. i use the camera extensively for low lite work with a 50mm summilux (the current lens in LTM form) and find that these options are very useful indeed. i also make frequent use of the 1/50th on my m cameras.

-- roger michel (michel@techfoundation.org), May 03, 2002.