love/hate my M6

[tedwhite]

Using my newly-acquired M6 is proving more difficult than expected. Coming from a lifetime of SLR's progressing from the early Pentax H1A and H3V (both meterless), to the metered Pentax Spotmatic line - SP, SF, etc. - and then on to the Minolta Maxxum 7000 (the first AF SLR as far as I know, introduced in about 1984) to the wonderful Maxxum 7, and finally ending up with the Pentax DSLR, moving to an M6 is a serious wake-up call for me.

I'd obviously gotten lazy, expecting a camera to focus and select the proper aperture/shutter speed in something like one second and mostly pictures taken with these cameras came out just fine. However, I find that, in a way, with the M6, I'm back to the old meterless Pentax H1A. Why? because with the H1A I would venture out on San Francisco's streets, take a meter reading with my old Sixtomat on the sunny side of the street, another reading on the shady side, memorize both, and then set out for a day of shooting.

With the M6 I'm constantly looking at those glowing, intrusive red arrows and missing shots while I fiddle to make both be on at the same time and the same shade of red. Further, trying to line up the "two faces" to be in focus also takes time - and again a shot is missed.

So today I tried the H1A way: took meter readings as described above, memorized them, then set the lens at an f:8 hyperfocal for shade and f:16 for sun (all at 125th of a second - ISO 100) and pretended that it was an elegant point-and shoot. Haven't seen the results yet.

It's sort of like going from a Lexus to an old Porsche type 356. The only thing the Lexus doesn't do is drive itself. Driving an old Porsche is a dramatically different experience. There's no auto tranny, there's a somewhat quirky manual shifter that demands attention. There's a clutch - remember them? There's no ABS, instead there's a pronounced tendency to oversteer and toss it's little tail out when you least expect it, causing your adrenal gland to arise from its slumber. Forget power steering and airconditioning, on and on. Forget GPS, get out the damned road map.

But once you figure it out - the Porsche that is - you've really got hold of something. With the Lexus, the most difficult thing to figure out is the owner's manual.

And thus my love/hate relationship with my M6. I expected that, lazy sloth that I am, it would be easy, a virtual walk in the park. A Sunday afternoon meander through Sonoma wine country in the effortless Lexus.

So here I am with a camera designed in the same decade as the Porsche 356. Except now it has a light meter and film loading is mildly improved.

Am I going to sell my M6? Hell no. I'm going to figure it out if it's the last thing I do (at my age, one hopes it's not quite the last thing one does).

So there it sits, on the passenger seat beside me as I drive my Passat to work each day; neck strap wrapped round the seat belt in case of a sudden vehicular misadventure; a small, black reminder that it's time to step up to the plate, to quit sniveling, to get off my lazy butt, and to re-learn what I so long ago forgot.

[FrankS]

Excellent Ted. Stick with it!

[Tom A]

Ted, the Lexus will get you from point A to B with minimal fuss - but no excitement either! The 356 will get you the same distance and when you get there you have the satisfaction of having driven it - tail out, roar and burble from the exhaust and sore muscles from clutching and shifting - but you did it - not a black boxed integrated circuit adjusting suspension and brakes as you moved along.
How often does one sit down and replay a drive in a modern, fully automated car. With the 356 (or M2/M6) you think back- Ah, that turn, I could have taken this line through it instead!
One way of getting the M feeling is to alternate with the M6, batteries in and a roll, next roll pop out the batteries and shoot a roll, guessing exposures and run the two and see which works.
I think the analogy with the 358 applies more to the m2 than the M6 which is more like a 911 - a bit civilized and slightly less scary in the hairpins.

[Gabriel M.A.]

The M6 clearly needs TTL framing, autofocus and 3D matrix metering


Hang in there.

[oldoc]

[quote=Gabriel M.A.;972930]The M6 clearly needs TTL framing, autofocus and 3D matrix metering

Like it needs four holes in the shutter curtain.
Stick with it Ted.
You'll love it, and be proud of what you get.

[maddoc]

Quite my experience, too.... When I had my M6 or MP checking the "right" exposure and fiddling with aperture or time was quite time-consuming until I learned to "ignore" the LEDs ...

With my M4-P (or M2) it is easier, no on-board meter no fiddling with exposure settings. I sometimes use a hand-held meter (less and less recently) or the meter of my M5, though.

I think RF cameras are about speed and the ability to take photos in low-light, not about precise framing / composing the shot. Just my $0.02 of course ...

Cheers,

Gabor

[aperture64]

The first time I rented an M6, I didn't like it at all because it was NOT my SLR. It was slow, everything in the viewfinder was in focus, and the meter was different. I swore it off and went back to my SLR. But the quality of the camera and the images that came out of it made me want to buy one and think of it as another type of photographic tool. Since I had always taken better photos with an all manual SLR years before owning the AF SLR, I eventually started to use the Leica more often and eventually ditched the SLR altogether. Been hooked ever since. It's not for everyone though, but at least give it a long-term shot.

[photogdave]

I couldn't agree more Ted. My first M was the M4 so I got used to "set it and forget it" with my incident meter.
When I got my M6 I also hated the LED arrows and found I wasted a lot of time fiddling to get what the camera thought was the correct exposure. I tended to fall back to the incident meter or Sunny 16.
Then I got the CL with its match-needle meter and WOW - what a great system! If only my M6 had this meter and VF information. The CL is now my daily use camera - but of course it's not as versatile as my M6.
So now my M6 actually gets more use than the M4 and I've found a nice balance of going by Sunny 16 first and the LED meter second. I can't really describe the process but it's something that's evolved and works well for me. I guess you could say I glance at the meter but I don't let it override what my brain told me first!

[WoolenMammoth]

the CL has the best meter of any camera I have ever used.

I mostly hate my M6, but the loathing is directed at the accuracy of the framelines more than anything else.

An M4 cures all these woes.

[HuubL]

Originally Posted by WoolenMammoth

the CL has the best meter of any camera I have ever used.

I mostly hate my M6, but the loathing is directed at the accuracy of the framelines more than anything else.

An M4 cures all these woes.

I can tell, you're not a member of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted M5sons

[Doug]

Ted, you could remove the battery from your M6 to get rid of the blinkin' lights, making it more like my M2! I figure the best reason for a built-in meter is to serve the AE system.

[WoolenMammoth]

I know, I dont have one, the meter would be entirely the reason. I really dont like shooting with a meter in a viewfinder anymore, so havent given in to that M5 lust. When I put a camera to my face, taking a light reading is the last thing I want in the forefront of my thought.

[usagisakana]

I bought the m6 with the idea that I might use the meter.. but so far I haven't bought batteries for it and I don't know that I would now. I really enjoy using it with a handheld meter, as I was doing beforehand with my old himatic. Give it a go without the meter sometime.

[tedwhite]

Thanks, all of you, for the comments and encouragement. Yeah, I'll pull the batteries out and give it a go. And Maddoc, you're right about "precise framing." If I want to do that I've got a Rolleiflex. As for going to work at 80, it's the kind of wonderful job that I'd do for nothing and can't believe they're actually paying me in the bargain. (Let's hope the Board of Directors never reads that sentence!) And the extra income allows me to make frivolous purchases. Like an M6. ;-)

I manage a birding center/bookstore and its 45 volunteers at the side of an endangered river - the San Pedro (you can google it). And it's only part time -28 hours per week. So I get to hike around and ride my mountain bike on the trails after work.

The birders (such a serious bunch!) come from all over the world and mostly carry giant DSLR,s buckled to tripods and fitted with enormous white telephoto lenses. You could buy a good used car for what some of these kits cost. And you should see the looks when I wend my way through these folks with the tiny M6.

Anyway, it's not a bad job for an old guy. And don't ask me about birds. I know virtually nothing about them. We have card-carrying ornithologists for that.

So I'll be carrying the old Sixtomat in a pocket for occasional use with my newly meterless Leica.

Tip: How to get into bird photography on the cheap, assuming some readers may be inclined that direction.

Buy a used DSLR Pentax 10D or istDS. With a $25 adapter most all of the old Super Takumar lenses buckle right on and they're now dirt cheap. Of course they become preset lenses. I bought a 300mm f: 4 for a modest sum. On the DS it becomes the equivalent of a 450mm lens, which is about the minimum focal length needed for bird photography. The kit was less than $500 and works just fine.

[shadowfox]

My eyes grew bigger with each post...
Not only Ted is 80, drives to work, wields an M6, and does forum-chatting,

he also got a Rolleiflex, apparently a Pentax buff, rides a mountain bike, got a cool job, and is able to make fun of it too...

Ted, you're my hero!

[sepiareverb]

I'm not bothered by the M VF readouts, MP/M7 or M6- after SLR's they are quite minimal! One bonus of the M7 is the adjusted brightness, I do miss that on the MP's in low light sometimes.

Such precise exposure to have both LED's glowing equally bright seems overkill- I'd say just get close till you're more comfortable with the camera. If in doubt, shoot a second frame.

[John Bragg]

Hi Ted.

Love my M6 now and using it is second nature. Rangefinder focussing is deadly accurate for slow deliberate use but most of the time I pre set the apperture and shutter speed and set to hyperfocal distance with the 50 or 28mm. Makes snap shooting a doddle in street use. I also find myself constantly aware of changing light and making small adjustments accordingly. I usually err on the side of over rather than under exposure and that gives a better chance if there is no time to be precise with settings. This approach makes for more stealthy use as you are spending less time messing around before shooting. Capture the decisive moment, not 15 seconds after it has passed forever ???

[clayne]

Honestly, this is why I avoided an M6 classic and picked up an M4 instead when I first got my Leica. No nonsense raw tool was what I was looking for.

Now that being said, and what was mentioned by others, there is an easy solution: remove the battery.

[Benjamin Marks]

Each photographer needs to figure out what tools work for them. And each has to figure out what each tool is good for. An M6 is not for every task, although it does what it does superbly. Live with the camera for a while and see what it is trying to teach you about how to see your world.

Ben Marks

[Merkin]

Ted- One method of getting used to the meter on your m6 (assuming you don't want to always carry your handheld meter) and to speed up your shots is to treat your m6 like it is in shutter priority mode with your fingers as the motor adjusting the aperture. Choose a shutter speed that you feel will most likely work for apertures from f8 or 11 up to 16 or 22 (if you have f22 on your lens), and then just adjust the aperture in that range according to your meter. With this range of apertures, you should be able to pick a focus distance that will be within the range of sharpness for all of your shots, so you don't necessarily have to worry about taking 30 seconds to insure that your RF patch is perfectly lined up.

I think i can speak for all of us when I say that you are an inspiration to all of us. You are more active than most people 60 years your junior. I salute you, sir.

[tedwhite]

A nice comment, Merkin, and much appreciated. As Ben said, an M6 is a tool, but not for every task. You can't do long stuff and you can't do macro, but as I've only got three lenses that'll fit it (CV28/2, CV 35/2.5, Canon 50/1.8) I make do in their ranges. For everything else I use my new Pentax K20D. The array of lenses for this critter range from 24mm to 300mm, plus a 50mm macro. Also, what I'm leaning toward is the Leica for black and white photography. I can develop B/W at home and scan it into my plustek. For color the K20D works well.

Caveat: I've got a huge chunk of Fuji Provia ISO 100 slide film in the freezer (a gift from my son when he went totally digital) so currently the M6 has that in it.

I went around "downtown" Bisbee the other day - it's the height of the tourist season here - and anticipating some of your suggestions, used the 28mm at hyperfocal. Just banged away with a tri-x handload. The pictures were nothing to send off, but surprisingly, all were in quite sharp focus. Kudos to the CV 28/2.0.

Biggest problem today, after switching to the 50mm Canon, was that infernal infinity lock. Missed several shots. I will disable it tomorrow. I've used it so rarely that I really don't know what it does, though I suspect after learning it that I'll fall in love with it.

Clayne says I can turn the M6 into an M4 (exit battery). He's got a point: no more fiddling with red arrows!

[Steve Bellayr]

Let me recommend this: Preset shutter speed. Focus first. Turn fstop. Arrow on right brighter than arrow on left. Remember Zen. You must function as part of the instrument and without thinking. Keep working with the instrument eventually it will become part of you.

[35photo]

Originally Posted by Steve Bellayr

Let me recommend this: Preset shutter speed. Focus first. Turn fstop. Arrow on right brighter than arrow on left. Remember Zen. You must function as part of the instrument and without thinking. Keep working with the instrument eventually it will become part of you.

This is really good advice! That's what I do pick a shutter speed and then work the aperture. At first yeah the M6 was diffcult coming from using SLRs, but in time the camera became a part of me. I would practice using the camera with no film just focusing on different things, firing the shutter just getting a really feel for the camera. I think it was the shutter release for me that was hard in terms of being able to hold the camera steady and firing the shutter. It was just so different from my Nikon autofocus camera it takes awhile just keep using it and practicing with it. Even after using the M6 for 10+ years, when I got an M4 last year the shutter release was different and the viewfinder as well, than the M6 so I had to get a feel for that and practicing with it....as they say practice makes perfect.....

Marko

[cidereye]

Originally Posted by 35photo

This is really good advice! That's what I do pick a shutter speed and then work the aperture. At first yeah the M6 was diffcult coming from using SLRs, but in time the camera became a part of me. I would practice using the camera with no film just focusing on different things, firing the shutter just getting a really feel for the camera. I think it was the shutter release for me that was hard in terms of being able to hold the camera steady and firing the shutter. It was just so different from my Nikon autofocus camera it takes awhile just keep using it and practicing with it. Even after using the M6 for 10+ years, when I got an M4 last year the shutter release was different and the viewfinder as well, than the M6 so I had to get a feel for that and practicing with it....as they say practice makes perfect.....

Marko

Myself, I didn't really have a problem moving from many years of SLR cameras to RF's, maybe made easier that I started with the Contax G1 & G2 true - moved to an M8 & M2 and then sold the M8 to buy an M6 recently. But I will say that I have found the M6 (TTL 0.85) difficult to adapt to after using an M2, I honestly thought having a metered M would be quicker to use than an un-metered one but for me that's not been the case. I still find it far quicker to take an initial meter reading with my small Sekonic L-208 and just shoot only then having to alter f stops by the odd 1/2 stop->stop for changing light/shadow when necessary.

For me personally I have no other option but agree with Tom A that the M2 is the best M Leica. But hey, YMMV obviously.

[tedwhite]

Remember Zen... Yes, and your line recalled "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," one of my favorite books back then.

Your recommendation is essentially what I used to do back in the '60s and '70s with my old Asahi Spotmatics. For street shooting I'd select a shutter speed, usually 125th, take a meter reading on the shady side of the street, another on its sunny side, memorize the two f-stop settings, and then all I'd have to do was focus.

And those cameras did indeed become part of me. Some day so will the Leica. I haven't got there yet. But that's not because of the camera, after all it's just a light-tight box like all other cameras, it's really the RF system that's taking a bit of getting used to. 40 years of SLR's is not an easy habit to break. My photog friend Shigley likened it to flying from Kennedy, landing at Gatwick, renting a car, and suddenly the world's gone bonkers: steering wheel's on the "wrong" side, and as you enter the roadway, so are the cars.

A bit extreme for an analogy, but maybe not. The real difference is that I'm not completely sure what the camera's getting when I look through the finder, nor do I have a clue about what's in focus and what's not. Practice should answer those questions.