Re: [Leica] 10 reasons why I need an M6

[Paul and Paula Butzi <butzi@halcyon.com>]

At 02:52 PM 4/22/98 , you wrote:
>Ok, I'm ready to FINALLY get an M6.  While discussing this with my 
>wonderful and generally understanding wife, she said "why do you need an 
>M6?"   Her best question was "what will it do for me (her)?"
>
>I guess other than a whole bunch of intangible reasons combined with a 
>small amount of lust, I didn't have a _good_ answer.  So my question to 
>the LUG is why do we need a camera like an M6? 

I bought an M6 because:
* I wanted a small, unobtrusive, non-intimidating, discreet and quiet
camera to use to
  make photographs of my children, without a need for a strobe.
* I wanted the camera for that work to have excellent lenses to partially
offset
  the limitations imposed by the pathetically small 35mm negative.
* I wanted to hand-hold the camera, as opposed to working off a tripod,
  and I wanted to work in relatively poor light, so I wanted 
  fast lenses and a body that was relatively free from vibration when
  the shutter is released.
* the M6 qualifies.  The lenses are excellent even wide open.  The camera
is small,
  unobtrusive, very quiet.  Because there's no reflex mirror, releasing the
shutter
  produces almost no vibration.  I've had good success making exposures
  as long as 1/15 second even with a 90mm lens, and have several nice
  exposures that were made at 1/8 second, handheld.  

I've since discovered it's an excellent camera to carry with me everywhere
I go, and I seem, to my surprise, to be producing a visual diary with the 
thing - a nice, unexpected benefit...

On the other hand, it's useless for closeup work compared to an SLR,
and it's useless if you need long lenses (long being longer than about
90mm).  For those things, I use an SLR.  And for work off a tripod, I 
see no reason to work with such a small negative, so I use a 4x5.

But if you have to hunt for reasons, perhaps you should take whatever
camera you currently have, and buy some film, and make some
photographs.  The M6 (or any other camera) is not the be all or end all
of cameras - it's just a tool, useful when applied to problems for which
it is suited.   If those aren't the problems you're facing, buying an
M6 will not improve your photography.  (Unless you are *collecting* 
cameras of course.  In that case, none of the above applies)

Ignore the person who suggested you divorce your wife because 
she asked you to explain why you needed an M6.  If you're a 
creative person, your spouse will naturally try to encourage that 
creativity. Part of that  encouragement will be seeking to keep 
you from pursuing dead ends, such as the often mistaken belief 
that what is holding you back artistically is your equipment.  
Sometimes your equipment holds you back, but more often it's 
your commitment and willingness to do the hard work.

Suggesting, even in jest, that you should break your commitment 
to your wife over a trifle is at best in extremely poor taste and at 
worst indicative of deficient moral character.

- -Paul