Leica is rumored to bring back the Leica M6 film camera in October.
"There are still some questions I do not have answers for (yet):
Leica M6 Classic or Leica M6 TTL?
Price?
Limited edition?
Any improvements over the original M6?
Why was the M6 chosen and not the M3? Did they find some old new stock M6 parts/cameras?
Why not improve the Leica MP further instead of bringing an old model back to life?"
p.1 #2 · Will Leica bring the M6 film camera back to life?
Fred Miranda wrote:
Why was the M6 chosen and not the M3? Did they find some old new stock M6 parts/cameras?
Why not improve the Leica MP further instead of bringing an old model back to life?"
Clearly, the Leicarumors guy never searched for Leica M6 on Youtube. But it seems the Leica marketing department did (if this rumor is true)
p.1 #4 · Will Leica bring the M6 film camera back to life?
The only way Leica will make a cheaper camera is if they up the price of the MP/MA by 20-30% and then sell whatever it is they come out with for the current price of the MP.
I don't see the incentive. If they want to sell more film cameras all they have to do is drop the price.
Alternatively, what I would really like to see and I'd pay the £4k they want for an MP today is this: take the M7 and canibalise a vertical shutter from the digital line and voila. So now you have an M body that does 1/4000 and has a shutter that won't drift or bounce, you know like when you try to shoot 1/1000 on the mechanical Ms and you actually get 1/672 and some faint dark bands as the curtains chase each other..
p.1 #6 · Will Leica bring the M6 film camera back to life?
I'd like for Leica to bring out a new CM - i.e. high end P&S.
They already have the M series covered and I can't see them bringing out a 'modern' version seeing they cancelled the M7 because people only wanted to buy basic mechanical film Ms.
The rumor mill (!) claims that the new film Leica has been out in the field being tested for the last 9 months or so.
If it was a re-released M6, what's to test? It would be an MP in slightly different clothes.
So that suggests something different.
Then again, we could all be strung along again.
FYI the solid resource who got banned from 1-camera-forum for spilling the beans one too many times says it will just be a limited edition re-intro M6. Which would be a huge disappointment because the last time I counted, Leica had made 22 different limited edition M6s! I am not kidding.
p.1 #7 · Will Leica bring the M6 film camera back to life?
Desmolicious wrote:
I'd like for Leica to bring out a new CM - i.e. high end P&S.
They already have the M series covered and I can't see them bringing out a 'modern' version seeing they cancelled the M7 because people only wanted to buy basic mechanical film Ms.
The rumor mill (!) claims that the new film Leica has been out in the field being tested for the last 9 months or so.
If it was a re-released M6, what's to test? It would be an MP in slightly different clothes.
So that suggests something different.
Then again, we could all be strung along again.
FYI the solid resource who got banned from 1-camera-forum for spilling the beans one too many times says it will just be a limited edition re-intro M6. Which would be a huge disappointment because the last time I counted, Leica had made 22 different limited edition M6s! I am not kidding....Show more →
He got banned for arguing with the admin(s) over posting photos taken with the M11 too soon. They didn't seem to mind the leaks he would post, so it was probably about the unfairness aspect of him dropping photos while all the official reviewers waited until the official date.
p.1 #9 · Will Leica bring the M6 film camera back to life?
Desmolicious wrote:
Great idea to bring back a camera inferior to the one that replaced it, that is still in production, and charge more money for it.
Progress!
p.1 #10 · Will Leica bring the M6 film camera back to life?
Glad I own my non-TTL M6 classic. The first M camera which I bought in 2016 - for $1100 in EX quality with original plastic box and red inlay.
My suspicion why the M6 rangefinder was chosen over the M3 is due to streamlined production - the M3 would have required the now unique 0.91x magnified view whereas the new M6 is likely offered with 0.72x as for most other current models. Leica can simply use the MP rangefinder also in this new M6 which will automatically lead to one big improvement over the old M6: no more rangefinder patch flare issue!
Also the M6 is since a while the most hyped Leica film camera in online media. Leica simply might have followed the "demand" here. I don't expect prices for the old M6 to drop much either after this new M6 is offered - because Leica will likely put it out in a high price range similar to the MP.
p.1 #11 · Will Leica bring the M6 film camera back to life?
summmers wrote:
absolutely. i would have liked to see the m7 come back. all of us that have film m's on the mind already have the mp/ma to choose from.
I bought the M7 as my second Leica M after the M6 because I saw a decent deal for it a year later. IMO too much electronic stuff in it over the M6 - the DX reader I would love to turn off, and the viewfinder has too many blinking icons. I still prefer my M6 over the M7 for this reason.
p.1 #12 · Will Leica bring the M6 film camera back to life?
retrofocus wrote:
Also the M6 is since a while the most hyped Leica film camera in online media. Leica simply might have followed the "demand" here. I don't expect prices for the old M6 to drop much either after this new M6 is offered - because Leica will likely put it out in a high price range similar to the MP.
The M6 indeed is the most hyped film M, but that is because it’s the most affordable way to get an M with a built in meter (M5 doesnt count as it does not have the traditional form). And this is obviously used. I’ve met a bunch of photogs who want an M6 because they see that as attainable even though it is still really expensive at $2500. But the dream is a new MP which to them would never happen as it is almost $6k. Even a used one is significantly more than an M6.
So I don’t think a new M6 appeals to the hype crowd as they would not be able to afford it. A new M6 would be a limited edition - 23rd version! - that would be bought by those who have the money to buy new Leicas.
p.1 #13 · Will Leica bring the M6 film camera back to life?
Desmolicious wrote:
The M6 indeed is the most hyped film M, but that is because it’s the most affordable way to get an M with a built in meter (M5 doesnt count as it does not have the traditional form). And this is obviously used. I’ve met a bunch of photogs who want an M6 because they see that as attainable even though it is still really expensive at $2500. But the dream is a new MP which to them would never happen as it is almost $6k. Even a used one is significantly more than an M6.
So I don’t think a new M6 appeals to the hype crowd as they would not be able to afford it. A new M6 would be a limited edition - 23rd version! - that would be bought by those who have the money to buy new Leicas....Show more →
If Leica re-issues a new M6, it will likely cost around $4-5K is my guess. This will be the standard version and more expensive special edition versions will follow after which focus on collector demand. Difference between MP and new M6? Rewind knob and body design. Maybe difference in the meter display, too.
p.1 #14 · Will Leica bring the M6 film camera back to life?
From a manufacturing perspective I’m curious about Leica’s manufacturing footprint dedicated to their current MA/MP film cameras and how it would need to change (or maybe it already has) to accommodate this new rumored film M(6). Buying a new film MP (less so for the MA) has always been a waiting game. How will this be any different for this new rumored M(6)?
From a photographer’s perspective, I’m a bit underwhelmed
p.1 #15 · Will Leica bring the M6 film camera back to life?
retrofocus wrote:
Difference between MP and new M6? Rewind knob and body design. Maybe difference in the meter display, too.
MP has brass top plate as well. The difference in meter display would be that the MP has two arrows & a dot, which is similar to the TTL M6, rather than the two arrows that you & I would be used to in the M6 'Classic'.
p.1 #20 · Will Leica bring the M6 film camera back to life?
Oldwino wrote:
I’m so bummed. I was hoping for a M4 reissue.
Why? I briefly had an M4 recently (briefly because the seller said it was just serviced and perfect but it had shutter issues), and already owning an M-A (also M4-2 as well as others), I was happy to have a valid reason to return it because the M-A is a new M4. Unless you think an angled rewind crank makes it an entirely new camera.
The film advance levers are interchangeable.
