[Leica] Rapidwinder fame/2nd M6 body questions

[Alex Brattell <alex@zetetic.co.uk>]

Hi

I picked up a copy of (UK) Amateur Photographer yesterday and was pleased to
see the Abrahamsson rapidwinder featured in the news section as a Hot Gadget
to be shown at Photokina. OK so the Rapidwinder has lost some of its
mystique as a super-obscure desirable known only to the initiated, but what
the hell, I'll get one some day!

Also, there's a small piece about Leica's financial losses - 60 percent
increased deficit in the last quarter (Germany - 15 pc fall, Japan - 30pc
rise in revenue). The company is still expecting a profit for the whole year
though. I sympathise - my last quarter has been a bit awful as well!

I had got AP to read about the new Hasselblad. Silver photography is
obviously far from dead and I'm delighted with that. It looks like an
interesting camera but - it's not light, it's not fast, it's not cheap, it's
not pretty. However, it is a rangefinder with a certain elegance and I hope
it does well - I think that simple cameras force one to examine and improve
many aspects of image making in a way that automated machines do not, so I
welcome any new machine that doesn't introduce 'change without progress'
(like those Minolta cameras that can burn a roll of film in 5 seconds and
remember everything the user has done for the last 4000 hours without even
being able to make coffee).

I've now used the M6 for most of this year - still a real newbie, but I like
it enough to want a second body as I've had to swap film mid-roll too often
for jobs, changing conditions etc. In the UK, as I get the VAT (tax) back it
wouldn't cost much more to buy a new body, but this pre-Photokina 'cold war'
of rumours is making me wonder about timing.

Some questions - 

Is it true that Leica have stopped making the M6? Apart from a few words on
the LUG I can't find corroboration for this. If it's true, I should get that
2nd body now. I would wait for new product, but I'm not sure I want any more
features on a camera. Part of the appeal of the M6 is its basic 'no frills
at all' layout.

The current cashback scheme in the UK ends at the end of August - does
anyone have any idea as to what will happen after that?

Thanks in anticipation for any help
All the best

Alex