Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/02/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> Date: Wed, 19 Feb 1997 10:32:59 -0700 (MST) > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > From: bholmes@frii.com (Ben Holmes) > Subject: Re: Price for M6J Leica > Reply-to: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > >Hubert Nowotny wrote: > >> > > > >> The M6J is a different camera than the M6. It's by far more stable, > >> more quiet > > > I'm missing something. The J cameras are built on the M6 chassis. They have > the M6 shutter. They have the M6 meter. How are they more quiet, more stable > (define stable please)? The only differences were external. That is direct > from the sales lit. Ben, "stable" is meant as "less vulnerable". The interior mechanism is of increased solidity (e.g. the mechanism which creates the shutter speeds). I didn't see that myself as I didn't open the camera. The technician who told me that did. He has seen and repaired many M and other cameras, lenses etc.. He's trustworthy. Maybe its written down somewhere that everything is equal. It's simply not true, however. Surely the principle of the M6J is the M6, the difference in many places is _how_ it's made. You'll always find people who'll tell you "there's no difference but in the price". (Choose a subject you like most. The answer is the same.) Chances are high that those people never touched the items they're talking about ... More quiet: Take it and feel. Release the shutter. Take a M6 afterwards, do the same. The M6 - all of a sudden - appears to be more "noisy", more "shaking" when the shutter is released. That's meant by "smoothness" - and that's important for the "feeling" and, especially, when taking pictures at available light ... Please note that we are talking about measurements with _really_ fine scales! I'm definitely able to take photographs at available light also with "normal" M6es - and I love to do so. But - there exactly is the difference we're talking about. Whenever there are two products which offer - in principle - the same thing discussions start "is the quality difference worth the price difference". When you fall in love with a rare Leica lens and you _want_ to have it, it's easily possible that you had to pay a fortune to fulfill your dream. Was it worth the difference? Thousands of dollars? The answer is different, individually. Did _I_ fall in love deep enough to be as stupid as to pay the difference? Or, put in other terms, is the performance difference worth the price difference _for me_? As both differences, in price and in performance/quality are suffered and felt differently from one individual photographer to another. Some people don't see a difference at all. It's all small boxes ... Why don't we all use Lomos? Drive Ladas? Where is the boundary? That's the stuff that debates are made of. It's great to do the debate (if you are in the mood for that). But we won't answer the question one for all. As there is no answer one for all. Never. Period ... (And that's one point which makes life worth living, BTW ...) However, there's not too much use in creating of or debating about myths. There have been 1600+ M6Js and that's it. There are far too few M6Js to make up a mass movement ... AND: The M6 is a fine camera, don't forget about that! HTH and have a fine day Hubert * Von/From: HUBERT NOWOTNY, CTR Hatzenberger & Nowotny OEG * A-1040 Wien/Vienna, Kettenbrueckengasse 16 (Austria, Europe ...) * Tel ++43-1- 586 20 22 - 0, Fax ++43-1- 586 20 22 - 24 * hubertn@ctr.co.at, http://www.ctr.co.at/ctr/