Advice

[begona]

Sell recent CLEd M3 and buy M6? lightmeter is only reason
Thanks

[jsrockit]

I would...but I always prefer a built in light meter.

[gshybrid]

What other cameras do you have? I sold my M6 and picked up an M4 because I wanted something different from my M9. Meterless cameras changes the way you shoot... or at least the way I shoot. Sometimes I like the more contemplative style that shooting a meterless camera requires.

[segedi]

If it were me, I'd buy a Voigtlander VC Meter II and keep the M3. When I go meterless (hasselblad) I'll take a meter reading and shoot it until the light changes and then just open up or stop down depending on need. So you can have a shoe mounted meter and it doesn't get in the way of shootin'.

[t.s.k.]

I carry a light meter with me regardless of what camera I have with me.
When the batteries die on both of my M6s, I won't replace them.
Advice? Get an M2 or M4/P.

[Chris101]

When I am shooting with a manual camera with an internal meter, like my OM-1n, I spend a lot of time adjusting the exposure. When I have an external meter for, say my M4-P, then I meter the scene and set the shutter and aperture accordingly, and make adjustments on the fly. It's much faster for me to shoot with a camera without that meter in the viewfinder always telling me what to do!

[Vics]

Me, too. I like my M3 without meter, especially since I started shooting with a wide-angle lens. I take incident readings now and then, but then I just keep shooting til it seems the light changes. I'll never sell my M3, or my Summaron 35/2.8!

[RichardB]

Yes!--Dick

[Richard G]

What Chris said. It took me years to ignore the red LEDs in the M6 viewfinder. That said, I am glad I have it and I use it and it is a very good meter and when I take that out with a 35 I carry nothing else. With the M2 I take my Gossen, but if I am out in predictable light I won't take a meter at all. The M6 is a great camera, but I would miss my M2 which is a much finer thing. The Leica M6 is an uncomplaining work horse. All those dabates about which is the best M - I have the M2 and the M5, two serious contenders - should be decided in favour of the M6. Notice I haven't actually given any advice.

[B.S.]

While having the ability/skill to get good pictures without a light meter is a good one to have, as a person who currently has a camera with a broken light meter-- Get the M6. I used my friends the other week and it was so nice to have the internal light meter available for when I needed it.

But, if you can swing it, keep the M3 AND get the M6. The M3 is pretty tops, IMO.

[retnull]

The light meter app for the iPhone works as well as any other light meter. And if you own a iPhone, it's automatically always with you. Since I realized that, I'm indifferent to any camera's light meter.

[Steve Bellayr]

Get the M6. Besides the meter it has the 35mm frameline (+28mm frameline) and carry a spare battery instead of a meter. Street shooting is fast and sometimes moving from location to location will change the reading.

[mcaplin]

I variously use sunny16, the pocket lightmeter app and a VC II shoe mount light meter with my M3. All three methods provide adequate exposure data for tri-x or similar. If in doubt, over expose. I also frame using the whole VF on my M3 for 35mm focal length. After years of SLRs with built in light meters, I find I now usually set and forget with very few 'negative' consequences.

[zauhar]

You may also be able to get a refurbished Leica MR meter for your M3. They are not that popular on this forum, but have the advantage of coupling to the shutter speed, cover a pretty wide intensity range, and they are of course "original". I got mine from QLM (Mr. Milton) and have been very happy with it.

That said, the VC shoe meter is the quick and easy alternative.

Randy

[daninjc]

I probably would - the built-in light-meter is extremely practical to me.

[ferider]

Keep the M3, add the M6. Great pair.

[rogerzilla]

M6 0.85, maybe; but nothing is built like an M3.

[drewbarb]

I sold an M6, and kept the M3. Actually, I bought another M3. I get better metering and faster shooting with and external meter, so I prefer to work that way. Clearly some here feel the same, and others find the opposite to be true. Which one are you? YMMV.

[begona]

thank you all for advices but I will keep my M3...With Summicron DR is great combination. Cheers