Looking for stories/experiences on using the new TTL version of the M6. Anything about the shutter speed dial, extra lights in the viewfinder, etc. Not going to write a check tomorrow, but ya never know.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), July 21, 1999

Answers

I have used an M6 TTL .85 since April this year. Previously I had used an M6 (.72 viewfinder) for about 5 years.

Observations, minor and major (actually only minor).

Ergonomics: My hands are small, and I swear that I can tell the difference of 2mm in the height of the camera. It feels and handles differently, gripped in my right hand. On balance (ha ha), it feels more secure in my grip than the older body. I tend to carry around my camera in my right hand rather than have it around my neck, and the old camera would cause my palm to cramp after a while. The bigger body seems to be more comfortable to hold. YMMV.

Viewfinder: I could swear, initially, that the viewfinder was darker. This may be a peripheral vision thing, as the new camera is black, and my old one was chrome, and the old camera probably reflected some peripheral highlights into my viewing eye causing an impression of brightness. I speculate. More likely, it is the increased magnification of the new finder. LUGers have reported the same phenomenon, and debated it, inconclusively, as they usually do :-)

Focusing light/dot. The new camera has a bright red spot between the two familiar old arrow leds.

I was very skeptical of this addition before getting the camera, but it is a great improvement, in practice. The old system was less positive, as you sought to balance the meter out, judging relative brightness of the two opposed triangles. The new meter is much more positive. Exposure just 'snaps' in, when the red dot lights up, and this is a time saver. The overall picture taking routine is speeded up and is more fluid.

I'm not a flash user, so I can't comment on the TTL, save to say that it seems that

1) partial spot metering is not best suited for flash exposure 2) 1/50 synch limits of course, daylight synch. 3) Basically this feature is designed to add a low light fill-flash capability, or so it seems.

-- Mani Sitaraman (msitaraman@asialtd.com), November 15, 1999.

I don't own an M6 TTL, but I've tried one out. FWIW here's my impressions:

It looks and feels larger than the M6. This is a step in the WRONG DIRECTION. I'm still always tempted to grab my IIIf instead of my M6 because of its size. It seems silly to have made the M cameras larger, just for the sake of adding an obsolete flash technology.

The shutter speed dial is backward from every other camera I own, and every other camera that I've ever used. Because of this, I found the M6 TTL to be confusing, and slower to use. Maybe some folks will find this to be and improvement, but I think its silly.

I couldn't find anything about the M6 TTL that would make me want to upgrade. In fact, if I had to replace my M6 for some reason, I would most likely get another M6 (non-TTL), or maybe an M4.

-- Joe Buechler (jbuechler@toad.net), November 15, 1999.

Oh yes, the shutter speed dial. Its easier to grip and turn, and offers less resistance. But the fact that it revolves the other way is no intuitive use with the meter, especially not if you are using an older M6 body as well. You are always going the wrong way on one or the other body. They should have left it as it was, but I vote yes for the larger size.

I agree with Joe, the M6, new or old is too large; quite a bit bigger than old manual compact SLRs such as the Nikon FM/FM2 or Olympus OMs, as measured from baseplate to top plate. The screwmount Leicas are more grippable for the same reason.

On balance, I agree with Joe on the TTL feature as well. Who really needed it?

-- Mani Sitaraman (msitaraman@asialtd.com), November 15, 1999.

Oops, that should read "I vote yes for the larger sized shutter speed dial".

-- Mani Sitaraman (msitaraman@asialtd.com), November 15, 1999.

I've gotten quite adept at turning the shutter dial of my M6 classic (and older M bodies) in the proper original direction. I'm afraid the new dial would only confuse me.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), November 16, 1999.

I have been using the M6 TTL for the last three months and have found it to be very notional to use. I did not have the earlier version of the M6 so I do not have the problem with the shutter speed dial turning in the other direction. I did borrow the earlier version for a test and have found the new readout of the exposure in the view finder much easier to use with the dot in the center. The "off" position on the dial is a god send since I know I would have the problem of running the battery down. Currently the only lens I am using with it is the new 35mm f/2 ASPH Summicron and I can not say enough about how happy I am with it. The contrast is the traditional Summicron look and the lens is tack sharp. I would trade the body for an earlier m6 long before I would let go of this lens!

-- Don Douglas (douglasandweil@dellnet.com), January 20, 2000.

The "Off" position isn't really much of a godsend. The M6 and M6 TTL are pretty much identical when it comes to turning off the meter. On both, the meter turns off when you release the shutter. On those rare occasions when you put the camera away with the shutter tensioned, you can set the shutter speed to "B" which, appropriately, turns off the meter.

So, what's the point of the "Off" position? I suppose it makes some potential buyers feel better. After all, a Hexar has an "Off" position, a G1/G2 has an "Off" position, automatic SLRs have an "Off" position.

It will also probably mislead a lot of people into thinking they need to turn the camera "off" every time that they put it away. This will make the M6 TTL slower to use.

-- Joe Buechler (jbuechler@toad.net), May 27, 2000.

I have drained the battery once by putting my M6 back side down in the camera bag. The shutter release was pressed (but not released) by the camera bag insert and the shutter tensioned and not in 'B'.

A Lock is more desired to lock the shutter and meter and not using the 'B' or 'OFF' to just turn off the meter. I consider this is the desgin flaw in Leica M6.

-- Kenny Chiu (amchiu@worldnet.att.net), May 27, 2000.

Just a small additional note to say that on the TTL the "B" position does not turn off the meter. It turns off the display but the meter is still powered. I am afraid I cannot say why this is so just that it is so.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@home.com), May 29, 2000.

I have a TTL .85x and I'm very pleased with it. However it was not my first choice. I tried to get a M6 HM but couldn't find one. Apparently Leica only made about 5,000 or so. I could of purchased a brand new M6 non TTL for $200 less than the newer model but in the end decided to go with the M6 TTL. I find the appearance of the non TTL M6 slightly more seductive but hey at the end of the day it's how the camera performs that counts. In this regard the newer TTL has some advantages as far as I can see. The exposure metering apparently is more senstive than the non TTL and I like the extra dot in the middle of the two triangles, which reduces reduces to just the dot when the exposure is right. The larger speed dial and the more logical way it turns are an improvement in my opinion. However I never used an older M6 'classic' for any length of time and I have sympathy for those that after many years of turning a shuuter speed dial one way would have to get used to turning it the other way. The dial and aperture ring now just turn in the direction of the pointed part of the triangle which points to the center of the screen, i.e. if the right triangle is glowing then the shutter speed and aperture ring are turned to the left. Sounds like no big deal, but it is very easy to use. I don't have any problems with the extra 2mm of height in the new body and my hands are very small, about the size of an average female. Mind you 2mm is not very much but it is noticeable appearance wise and the TTL model definately looks more square at the top than the M6 'classic'. I don't know whether I made the right the right choice as regards the 0.85x viewfinder but that's another issue. There is an excellent review on the new TTL at www.lhsa.org/ located in the Viewfinder section under 'featured articles from Viewfinder, volume 32 No.1, 1999' entitled "M6TTL-User Report by Tom Abrahams". Would I buy another TTL in preference to a non TTL version? The answer would have to be 'yes'.

-- terry ashton (mahv@xtra.co.nz), October 15, 2000.

John, thanks for clarifying what "B" does on the M6 TTL. It makes sense, because the TTL flash still needs to work on the "B" setting, so the meter has to be on.

That still doesn't make the "Off" position a "feature". Its just something that the designers were forced to add, because they had to modify how "B" worked.

As a point of curiosity, what shutter speed fires when the dial is set to "Off"? Is is "B"?

-- Joe Buechler (jbuechler@toad.net), October 17, 2000.

Yes Joe, the TTL fires 'Off' the same as 'B' i.e. the shutter stays open as long as the shutter release is depressed.

-- Terry Ashton (mahv@xtra.co.nz), October 24, 2000.

This seems to be the oldest Leica M post in this site, just wanted to look back in prespective, how this place has been developed, in my own opinion this site is one of the best and most complete Leica encyclopedia ever.Cheers Tony.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), July 14, 2001.

Hello Tony.

out of curiosity I also went to the oldest LEICA M site. This forum has soon reached post no. 1.000.

Nice record and thanks to you for your neverending effords with these strange creatures called Leicaphiles (or so).

Best wishes and good shooting

-- K. G. Wolf (k.g.wolf@web.de), January 06, 2002.

Hi Tony! Good question. I have a TTL since a year and a half ago and am very happy about it. I like the dial direction and the fact that to turn it off I just have to think of closing the lid on my bottle of Tequila. I don't hate the OFF (as most non-TTL-classicists do) and I usually never turn to OFF anyways (except when I shove it into the bag). Don't know if I could ever get used to having to deal with two different dial directions on two different Ms. I've spent a lot of time looking at everything that all M2s, M3s, and M4s have. I like the fact that some of these have a self-timer. If I buy a second M, I'm getting more and more sure that it will be a second TTL (this time in chrome instead of black). That's all.

If you spend as long to find out what you will always love -- as I do -- then you'll end up being as happy as I am (I think).

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), January 07, 2002.