Comments on: Leica’s New M6 and Solving the Film Photography Accessibility Problem

By: James Tocchio

James Tocchio — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 15:52:16 +0000

In reply to Huss. Yeah, that's really not good.

By: Huss

Huss — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 03:42:48 +0000

Here’s my beef with the new M6.

IT SCRATCHES FILM.

I kid you not. I bought one and it took four months before Leica finally fixed it correctly. And mine is not a one off, apparently there is a whole batch of them as Leica had told me that when I demanded to know why. Reason being defective pressure plates.
To make matters worse, the turn around time is now 6 MONTHS to get your brand new camera fixed if you are unlucky enough to get a bad one.

By: Ben

Ben — Sun, 08 Jan 2023 14:47:58 +0000

In reply to Gil Aegerter. Yep! I recently got a Nikon FE2 for free. Got it in an auction with two lenses for $175 and then managed to turn around and sell the lenses that I didn’t need for $100 each leaving me with a free FE2. I basically then just shoot Ilford B&W Film with it and develop and scan myself. So the whole thing is very affordable.

By: Gil Aegerter

Gil Aegerter — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 18:01:57 +0000

Excellent points about plastic SLRs vs. Leicas. Lots of cheapo SLRs out there that can be paired with cheapo fantastic glass. And if you put a little effort into things, you can get even a Nikon FM2n for less than a hundred bucks. Until about 7 years ago or so, I was paying about $2.50 a roll for slightly expired film and $2.50 for processing. Now my local camera store carries Fujicolor 200 for $15 per three-pack, and does processing with hi-res scan for $15. So more expensive, but I don’t have to do my own scanning. So shooting a couple rolls per month, I’m spending the equivalent of a few lattes per week. That’s not so bad.

By: Traci

Traci — Sat, 26 Nov 2022 23:44:34 +0000

My favorite feature of the AF SLR’s…the A[uto] F[ocus]! When I dove back into film photography during the lockdown, I went a bit crazy buying equipment. After narrowing down what I liked using, I ended up with a Canon EOS 3 (AF SLR), a Canon EOS 5Dsr (DSLR) and a Minolta SRT 101 (manual SLR). I primarily use the Canon cameras and save the Minolta for the “just for fun” experience. There is nothing quite like shooting film on an old school manual camera and the Minolta just feels good to shoot! However, the rolls shot with the Minolta are a bit of a crap shoot in the focus department since my eyes aren’t as good as they once were. I have to rely more on the distance setting than what I see. For someone without perfect vision, the auto-focus feature is a god-send; especially when going to the effort to shoot film! There is nothing quite as dis-heartening than setting up the “perfect” shot only to get your film back and realize you were just that little bit out of focus! So, let’s hear it for the AF SLR’s!!

On the Leica front, I prefer to shoot with a SLR rather than a rangefinder; but, I do have to give kudos to Leica for continuing to issue film cameras. It helps ensure there will be film cameras out there for us to buy further into the future. It would be great if Canon, Nikon and Sony would get back into the film market!

By: antoine31

antoine31 — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 23:28:29 +0000

The affordable Leica is the 111F Barnack with a 50mm Elmar lens. You can probably buy into one for $500, perhaps a bit more for a really good one. With a bit of effort it can take pictures as well as an M3, M4 or M6. I know this because I’ve owned all those M cameras and also the Barnack. Indeed, I still have my M6. It’s compact and great for travel, but I really prefer my Nikon F6. And yes, James, you are whining. A camera is a means to an end, not an end in its self. Anything else is a fetish.