M6: first impressions of a new user

["Fantoni, Ernesto" <Fantoni@PHIBRED.COM>]

Dear LUGers,

I'm now using my M6 since 2 weeks and I'd share my first impressions
with you. I had a good opportunity to use my M6 during a business trip
to Sardinia (it's one of the most beautiful italian islands with white
sand beaches and deep blue skies) where I have had a couple of hours to
go to the beach. After a couple of slide rolls (Kodak Panther 100 Pro) I
can say I'm quite satisfied. I followed yr advices and neither a picture
is out of focus nor under/overexposed (comparing to what I had in mind)
even in presence of strong contrasts. Focusing with the rangefinder is
easier than I expected, some problems in low light only. The meter seems
to me quite easy to use and, we can say, intuitive (maybe it will became
a nightmare with more tricky subjects...I dunno ). I found very
important (as always, BTW) to read carefully the "meter" chapter of the
instruction book to understand how large the measurement area is. To be
honest the camera, after some shoots, fits very well, I can say
familiar, in one's hands. It's heavy but very well balanced and, let me
say, you really have the impression to keep a piece of history. I don't
talk about the superior precision of the mechanical controls: I can only
confirm all what I read is true. I made also some portraits at home,
shooting wide open and comparing with my Nikkor 28-70 3.5-4.5 (a bad
lens in my opinion, in spite of the so said aspherical element): there
is something different (color rendition, out of focus background) but,
at the moment,  it's quite difficult to me to tell you exactly what the
difference is.
The really bad point (fortunately I was prepared) is the small finder
eyepiece (it's a real Low Eyepoint): I'm a glass wearer!! Anyway the
eyepiece is rubber coated so I don't scratch my left lens and with a
50mm is relatively easy to see the brightlines, but if I would have a
28....
In few words: the M6 is fitting my expectations. I didn't expected a
camera could turn me in a genius of the Photography, but its quiet way
of operating, its almost pocketable size, its all-manual controls and
the quality of its lenses (this is still an hope as I only have 1 lens)
are drawing a new path in my photo life. To be frank I was a bit afraid
after reading, few weeks ago, the Pascal's message about his quite
disappointing experience with the M6 and the 35/1.4 ASPH. I, as Pascal,
have been a Nikon shooter for 20 years and I've carefully read the
messages on this list before ordering the M6 and I found them very
useful and reasonable. So, thanks a lot to the list members  for the
interesting level of the topics discussed: this mix of technical and
"phisolophical" arguments is very stimulating.I subscribed to this list
in order to understand more of the Leica world before the final step and
I got my result.
Finally I decided to go for Leica because I found an exasperated tech
level was driving me far from the goal: the picture. All the ads of the
recent hi end SLRs, no matter for the brand, have a common note: "you
have to care only about subject and composition:the camera will do the
rest". I found this philosophy to drive me exactly on the opposite side.
I don't refuse any tech progress, I only say I want to be very careful
in choosing what really helps me to improve my pictures and this is not
always what the marketing people wants. 
What I have realized is that I don't have to compare the M6 to any SLR
only from a tech point of view: it's simply a different way to approach
photography and you have to be ready and mature for it.
Any comment will be apreciated.

Ernesto Fantoni

PS: Pascal is still posting to  the LUG, so he stayed with Leica, I
guess.