RE: [Leica] M6 Unboxed

["Dan Honemann" <ddh@home.com>]

Hi Ted,

> But you haven't yet enjoyed the real reason for mounting the M6, taking
> pictures!  And if you get orgasmic while unwrapping and feeling it, just
> wait until you reveal the true meaning of playing with a new M6! :-)
> Burning film.

Ah, but I have!  I just now got back from burning through my first roll of
film: Fuji New Superia 400 on a cloudy day in DC.  I took the Epic Stylus
along too, and fed it a roll of the same film so I'd have a basis for
comparison.

What different experiences shooting the Stylus and the M6 are.  The one is
true point and shoot (though I always use it in spot mode, sans flash); the
other is purely manual, yet one doesn't mind taking the time to set the
exposure and focus the lens--it's sheer joy.

I can't wait to get the results from my virgin roll!

> Don't mess with 'er son, use what she came with and don't sweat the
> Mickey mouse stuff of the non-users.  Trust me, you wont even think
> about the neck strap unless it lets go and drops the camera!   The
> almost invisible litte markings of a neck strap are marks of a veteran
> shooter, a badge of honour that you really use the camera as a
> photographer and it's not a piece of the Holy Grail to be constantly
> wiped, admired and kissed.

So true, Ted.  My tongue was rather firmly planted in my cheek on the
unboxing post, though I was really intending to poke some fun at myself as I
have gotten carried away with this thing.  But of course the real joy is in
the shooting, and I wouldn't have spent my savings account on a Leica if I'd
intended to coddle it.  She's already earned her first stripes.

> The most important thing to keep in mind, of course with affection for
> your M6, that it's a fine piece of gear to be worked hard with piles of
> film hammered through it doing what it was meant to do, record
> outstanding pictures seen by your creative eye.

Absolutely.  With that in mind, I bought several rolls of film, all of which
I hope to run through it by the end of the weekend.  Besides the Superia, I
have a couple rolls of Tri-X 400, TMax 100, and Sensia 100.  I plan to try a
roll of Reala, too, and HP5+.  I want to experiment with a variety of film
at first, then settle on one or two max and see just how much I can do with
them.

> Just remember to turn it off each time you put her in the bag or you
> wont see those pretty red arrows, her battery will be dead!

Good point, and I already forgot to do this a couple of times.  Bag?  What
bag?  This camera lives on my shoulder now!

> Trust me, many a lens cap has great images recorded on it simply because
> the user worried too much about a smidgen of dust that can be blown off
> or can create interesting effects like a softar filter.

Yes, I've made this mistake already as well, but fortunately the TTL meter
simply blinked, reminding me (politely) to remove the cap.  That saved one
shot!

But enough of this--I need to load up the Tri-X and head back out....

Ciao,
Dan