About 2 months ago I purchased a M2 to go along with my M6TTL .85. I purchased it primarily for my 35mm Summicron-M, since I always felt that it was difficult to work with it on the .85. Well the M2 charmed the hell out of me and didn't pick up the M6 until today, when I went to get some shots of a Jazz band. Here in L.A. the sun was out in force and I can't believe how much the M6 finder flares, compared to the M2. Now that I think of it, I can't remember the M2 EVER flaring. It took me most of the afternoon to get back in the habit of totaly centering my eye with the M6, but I sure did lose a few good shots because of it. Heck, even my IIIc doesn't flare. Really annoying. Lets hope the M7 does better with the coated windows and that they are available as replacement parts for the M6. Any one see an improvement with the M7?

Cheers,

feli

-- feli (feli2@earthlink.net), May 24, 2002

Answers

Well, you can not expect everything from a US$ 2.000,00 camera. At least it has a very quiet shutter.

-- Frank (frank_bunnik@hotmail.com), May 24, 2002.

Despite the coating solution on the M7, it also flares.

-- Marc Williams (mwilliams111313MI@comcast.net), May 24, 2002.

Rumour has it that there will be a permanent fix for flare problem to be announced at Photokina. You will be able to update older cameras. I imagine it will be an expensive fix.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@shaw.ca), May 24, 2002.

Maybe it's too early so they haven't gotten up yet, but right about now a small chorus of hard-core Leica devotees is supposed to sing out: "I've never seen any flare in my M6. I don't know what you're talking about."

LOL!

-- George (davecasman@yahoo.com), May 24, 2002.

The flare is caused by frameline illumination light contaminating the rangefinder's optical light path.

My own theory is that it's due to changes in the frameline system to create better illumination for the wide 28mm frameline - since it first started to appear with the M4-P. Although some folks think it was just Leica being cheap.

I don't see any way that coating the range/viewfinder windowpanes would have a significant effect on the flare - it's like repainting the outside of your house to stop a plumbing leak!

If Leica does have a real retro-fittable fix in the works, it's probably a new design for the frameline illumination parabolic mirror, with either baffles, or a different curvature, and/or a larger cut-out hole at the point where the rangefinder image 'tunnels through' the middle of the illumination reflector.

The new reflector (with who knows how many other ancilliary parts) could be installed into older flaring cameras. At a price, as John so wisely notes.

My experience:

M4/M4-2 - virtually no flare except in extreme situations with eye very far off center.

M4-P - occasional flare

M6 - frequent flare

M6 .58 - frequent flare

M6 .85 - very frequent and very brilliant flare

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), May 24, 2002.

Without much A vs B comparison, you can easily tell my M4-2 has MUCH less flare than the M6TTL.

Funny (or sad) thing is .... the cheapo Bessa-R has virtually no flare.

-- Charles (cbarcellona@telocity.com), May 24, 2002.

I've heard that the problem reared it's ugly head when they took a condenser lens out of the finder. I think they had to eliminate it to fit the meter in there. Either way I've learned to live with it but it's stil annoying...let's hope that fix works.

feli

-- feli (feli2@earthlink.net), May 24, 2002.

George: The flare is there. It's real. I see it mainly in low- light situations, like restaurants, where the light from other people's tables is in the frame, or close by. Not much of a problem in outdoor daytime pictorial work, where you don't really need a built-in meter anyhow; big problem in difficult lighting, when you nedd an M6 the most.

Ironic, eh?

---Hard-Core Leica Devotee, With Flare,

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), May 24, 2002.

Really? With the M6 .85 I have experienced exactly the opposite. No problems in low-light, flares like Xmas tree in broad sunlight. But I do have to admit that the M6 patch is a good deal brighter in low-light than the M2. Either way, I'll never sell the darn thing.

Feli ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- George: The flare is there. It's real. I see it mainly in low- light situations, like restaurants, where the light from other people's tables is in the frame, or close by. Not much of a problem in outdoor daytime pictorial work, where you don't really need a built-in meter anyhow; big problem in difficult lighting, when you nedd an M6 the most.

Ironic, eh?

---Hard-Core Leica Devotee, With Flare, -- Bob Fleischman

-- feli (feli2@earthlink.net), May 24, 2002.

Just in case you didn't know... $5/piece, $5/shipment. PayPal to lutzkonermann@compuserve.com.

Cheers.

-- Lutz Konermann (lutz@konermann.net), May 25, 2002.

Sorry, here's the link: Shade

-- Lutz Konermann (lutz@konermann.net), May 25, 2002.

I've only seen RF flare in my M6TTL when there was a strong light on the left-hand side, just outside the viewfinder. I could overcome it by carefully positioning my eye so it was central in the eyepiece.

-- Ray Moth (ray_moth@yahoo.com), May 26, 2002.