Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/03/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Jon, I have had my M6HM or 0,85 for about a month now. I did take it to Rome for two weeks ( just back a couple of days ago). I have waited for this model since they told me at Leica that they could not put a M3 finder in my first M6 and retain the metering (1986) and then they said that they could not make me a black,non-engraved M6J for a reasonable price. They sometimes take a long time to react. Well enough griping, I shoot about 40 rolls with the 0,85 in Rome and London ( about 50 % of the film used). With the 50 and 90 it is a gods end. You can actually see what is happening in the frame with the 90 and the 50 is big enough to give you a good eyeful and still retain the M-facility of being able to see whats going on outside the frame. I did run some rolls through it with the 75 prior to going and it works very well, it feels like you are shooting with a 50 Nocti or -Lux. With the 35 you are basically getting everything you can see through the viewfinder and probably a bit more as you cant see the lines ( at least not with glasses). My judgement is that it is a very worthwhile M camera, I would not not recommend it as your first M6, it doesn't work that well with the 35. I will use it as my 2nd body, a regular M6 with the 35 on it and the HM/0,85 with the 50 or 75/90 combination is a rather complete camera package ( its what I call a 90% package, you can do 90 % of most photography with that set of 2 bodies and 3 lense and the extra 9% would be a 21 Asph ( the remaining 1% needs really specialized stuff).. The only marginal problem I had with 0,85 was that the rangefinder patch occasionally " flared out" on me.i,e it went white and difficult to see. This was not a big problem, it happend when the light was strong sidelight ( left hand side) and in all the cases I only had to shift the camera a fraction to get the patch back. For all the complains about Leica, the camera functioned flawlessly, very smooth release and no sense of looseness or faulty functions. If you have been using the regular M6 it takes a bit of thinking to correct for the meter on the M6HM. The meter pattern for the 35 takes in a larger porton of the viewfinder than on the regular M6 ( a function of the viewfinder) and after 10 years of shooting with the regular M6 I have established subconscious parameters for my metering, particularly with the 35 ( my preferred lens). Occasionally with the HM I kept thinking that I had screwed up as I was mentally metering with the smaller acceptance angle of the regular M6 and strong sidelights or specular highlights that I thought were outside the "meter pattern" interfered with the values. This is not a criticism, just a matter of getting used to it. I did find that I used the 90 more than usual with the HM, composition is easier and judging from the first batch of 40-45 rolls of black and white rolls that I have run, focussing accuracy is improved with the bigger frame. In short I like it and congratulate Leica on a good design, and yes I have taped over the red dot!!! Tom A