I’m coming back from a decade of digital and sorting through my film cameras. I’ve decided to sell most older cameras that rely upon batteries to function. I’m keeping one of my M3s and just acquired a new reissued M6. The attraction here was the upgraded viewfinder and the likelihood that electronic parts will be serviceable after my kids inherit the cameras. I also, purchased, but haven’t received an M-A which is represented as like new. Again, the viewfinder and lower price compared to reissue was the attraction. I’m guessing that I leave myself open to possible pressure plate scratching.. so that is the downside.
My question is with regard to the reissue MP. The sales literature for the M6 makes claims as to the upgraded electronics which will be more reliable and serviceable. What I didn’t see were similar claims for the reissue MP. Does this mean that the M6 simply uses the long produced electronics from the MP, or has Leica created new electronics and used them in both cameras, but didn’t choose to market this feature with the MP?
bwcolor wrote:
I’m coming back from a decade of digital and sorting through my film cameras. I’ve decided to sell most older cameras that rely upon batteries to function. I’m keeping one of my M3s and just acquired a new reissued M6. The attraction here was the upgraded viewfinder and the likelihood that electronic parts will be serviceable after my kids inherit the cameras. I also, purchased, but haven’t received an M-A which is represented as like new. Again, the viewfinder and lower price compared to reissue was the attraction. I’m guessing that I leave myself open to possible pressure plate scratching.. so that is the downside.
My question is with regard to the reissue MP. The sales literature for the M6 makes claims as to the upgraded electronics which will be more reliable and serviceable. What I didn’t see were similar claims for the reissue MP. Does this mean that the M6 simply uses the long produced electronics from the MP, or has Leica created new electronics and used them in both cameras, but didn’t choose to market this feature with the MP?
From what I understand, the M6 Reissue is essentially the MP under the hood, sharing the same internal mechanics, viewfinder, and electronics. Only the external styling (top plate, logo, buttons, lever, engraving, finish) differs.
Similarly, the M‑A shares the same mechanical foundation but drops all internal electronics (no light meter or batteries) making its operation closer in spirit to the M3.
According to the folks at Leica Store Miami that's correct. More stable meter, battery indicator, new red led with arrows for meter indication, brass top plate, MP finder with coated optics, and something else they mentioned I forgot. I'd certainly go for it over the old M6.
Depends on what you want under the hood M6 is lighter magnesium body, MP is brass and feels hefty. My MP followed on from my M4 so I kept the idea of brass body and kept with the silver chrome like the M4. So you will carry less camera weight with the M6, whether it holds up as well for the ages.... and your generations to come, I have no idea. Likely the paint version will not be as pristine as the silver chrome in the years to come, but the brassing is also valued by many as a sign of adventures past and a life well lived. In the end with the same film and the same lens they all take the same the photo assuming the shutter is accurate.
Thanks for the replies and all seems on point. I already have the M6 reissue in hand, but I’m unclear as to if the reissue MP offers anything over the classic MP, other than warranty and the higher price.
EMH2025 wrote:
Depends on what you want under the hood M6 is lighter magnesium body, MP is brass and feels hefty. My MP followed on from my M4 so I kept the idea of brass body and kept with the silver chrome like the M4. So you will carry less camera weight with the M6, whether it holds up as well for the ages.... and your generations to come, I have no idea. Likely the paint version will not be as pristine as the silver chrome in the years to come, but the brassing is also valued by many as a sign of adventures past and a life well lived. In the end with the same film and the same lens they all take the same the photo assuming the shutter is accurate....Show more →
The new M6 is brass like the MP. Not sure where you got magnesium from.
I have both and they are the same heft.
As to the original question, the new M6 is the exact same camera as the MP but with cosmetic differences to make it look like an M6.
Desmolicious wrote:
The new M6 is brass like the MP. Not sure where you got magnesium from.
I have both and they are the same heft.
As to the original question, the new M6 is the exact same camera as the MP but with cosmetic differences to make it look like an M6.
Yes .. same camera, but if I purchase a classic used black MP, is it the same as the reissue MP? Specifically, are the metering components the same?
crf59 wrote:
According to the folks at Leica Store Miami that's correct. More stable meter, battery indicator, new red led with arrows for meter indication, brass top plate, MP finder with coated optics, and something else they mentioned I forgot. I'd certainly go for it over the old M6.
IMO the biggest benefit of either the M-P, M-A, or the new M6 is the improved rangefinder patch avoiding the cumbersome rangefinder patch flare which plagues many M4 to M7 models after Leica decided long ago in the past to change an essential condenser part inside the patch to save cost. Regarding old M6 electronics, it is a gamble in the used camera market to get a good one which will work fine for many years to come. I was lucky 10 years ago when I bought my M6 non-TTL used - it is working perfectly fine to this day. Regarding prices for which both the older M6 and the new M6 versions go for, I would now decide to go with better alternative options, i. e. a well maintained used M7 especially one of the later manufacturing serial numbers which also came with M-P viewfinder.
bwcolor wrote:
Thanks for the replies and all seems on point. I already have the M6 reissue in hand, but I’m unclear as to if the reissue MP offers anything over the classic MP, other than warranty and the higher price.
There is reissue MP?
I'm always looking for a MP as my final Leica collection, I was so exciting the reissue M6 is same as MP with slight difference.
But the reissue M6 doesn't have .58 is bummer for me who wearing glasses.
retrofocus wrote:
IMO the biggest benefit of either the M-P, M-A, or the new M6 is the improved rangefinder patch avoiding the cumbersome rangefinder patch flare which plagues many M4 to M7 models after Leica decided long ago in the past to change an essential condenser part inside the patch to save cost. Regarding old M6 electronics, it is a gamble in the used camera market to get a good one which will work fine for many years to come. I was lucky 10 years ago when I bought my M6 non-TTL used - it is working perfectly fine to this day. Regarding prices for which both the older M6 and the new M6 versions go for, I would now decide to go with better alternative options, i. e. a well maintained used M7 especially one of the later manufacturing serial numbers which also came with M-P viewfinder. ...Show more →
The improved patch is a benefit of the multicoated windows Leica introduced with the MP. In 2013, I sent my M6 TTL Millennium to the factory in Solms for the rangefinder/viewfinder upgrade and when it returned, the difference was amazing. The main reason I did the upgrade was because occasionally the rangefinder patch would disappear in a glare of white.
I sold the Millennium a few years after the upgrade and now use a M4-2 extensively which was the first M camera to have the condenser removed. At some point in it's life, the viewfinder window was coated and I have never had a problem with rangefinder flare.
bwcolor wrote:
Yes .. same camera, but if I purchase a classic used black MP, is it the same as the reissue MP? Specifically, are the metering components the same?
If you mean M6 not MP (there is no MP re-issue) - No it is not the same camera. The meter is different - the old one only uses two arrows to show exposure. Correct exposure is when both arrows are illuminated at the same level. From M6 TTL onwards the meter now shows two arrows and a center dot on the M6 TTL, MP and new M6.
The meter circuitry is different on the old M6 and M6 TTL. No longer available if something goes wrong but apparently there is an indie shop making new old M6 boards. Apparently..
The old M6 is made of zinc top plates vs brass on the new M6 and MP. The vf is much better on the new M6 and MP vs the old M6 as it is clearer and does not flare out. On the old M6 Leica removed a condenser to cut costs.
madNbad wrote:
The improved patch is a benefit of the multicoated windows Leica introduced with the MP. In 2013, I sent my M6 TTL Millennium to the factory in Solms for the rangefinder/viewfinder upgrade and when it returned, the difference was amazing. The main reason I did the upgrade was because occasionally the rangefinder patch would disappear in a glare of white.
I sold the Millennium a few years after the upgrade and now use a M4-2 extensively which was the first M camera to have the condenser removed. At some point in it's life, the viewfinder window was coated and I have never had a problem with rangefinder flare....Show more →
rollei35_warton wrote:
MP and M-A are not re-issues. They are just still in production, and same as when they were produced a decade ago.
Only M6 is re-issue.
Back to the topic, I would suggest a MP if you like a hefty feeling, or M6 reissue if you want more of a reminiscent feeling. This "pure mechanic" thing around M-A is a just a marketing. You take out the battery from MP or M6 and they are M-A then.
The frame lines in the VF are different on the M-A vs MP/M6. As there is no meter, there are no exposure LEDs in the vf which means the bottom horizontal frame line is solid, not broken to make room for the LEDs.
It gives a better/cleaner framing experience.
madNbad wrote:
The improved patch is a benefit of the multicoated windows Leica introduced with the MP. In 2013, I sent my M6 TTL Millennium to the factory in Solms for the rangefinder/viewfinder upgrade and when it returned, the difference was amazing. The main reason I did the upgrade was because occasionally the rangefinder patch would disappear in a glare of white.
I sold the Millennium a few years after the upgrade and now use a M4-2 extensively which was the first M camera to have the condenser removed. At some point in it's life, the viewfinder window was coated and I have never had a problem with rangefinder flare....Show more →
I most often see the patch flare on my M6 non-TTL, followed by my M7 (an earlier series number), and rarely seen on my M4-2. I am not sure if my M4-2 has the window coated or not since I also bought it used. Is there a specific color you see from looking outside on the viewfinder window in an angle to determine if it was coated?
As improvised fix, I used a cut-out piece of 3D polarized cinema glasses and placed it on top of my M6 rangefinder window (the window next to the viewfinder window). It made the frame lines a bit dimmer but still well visible but avoided the patch flare significantly. I suspect it diffracts and/or reflects steep light angles from the sun which is where I saw the flare most often occurring in these kind of situations. The viewfinder coating might achieve something similar.
retrofocus wrote:
I most often see the patch flare on my M6 non-TTL, followed by my M7 (an earlier series number), and rarely seen on my M4-2. I am not sure if my M4-2 has the window coated or not since I also bought it used. Is there a specific color you see from looking outside on the viewfinder window in an angle to determine if it was coated?
As improvised fix, I used a cut-out piece of 3D polarized cinema glasses and placed it on top of my M6 rangefinder window (the window next to the viewfinder window). It made the frame lines a bit dimmer but still well visible but avoided the patch flare significantly. I suspect it diffracts and/or reflects steep light angles from the sun which is where I saw the flare most often occurring in these kind of situations. The viewfinder coating might achieve something similar. ...Show more →
If the viewfinder window has a blue tint, it's been coated. The M4-2 uses the same clear windows as the M4.
rollei35_warton wrote:
MP and M-A are not re-issues. They are just still in production, and same as when they were produced a decade ago.
Only M6 is re-issue.
Back to the topic, I would suggest a MP if you like a hefty feeling, or M6 reissue if you want more of a reminiscent feeling. This "pure mechanic" thing around M-A is a just a marketing. You take out the battery from MP or M6 and they are M-A then.
This helps to clarify things. Understanding that the M6 is the only reissue clarifies everything.
Some lament that there isn’t a 0.58 option and I’m one of those. I’ll need to sell my 0.58 M6 TTL to partially fund my new purchases. I don’t shoot 28mm and 21mm is with external viewfinder, or Visoflex 2. So, 35mm and 0.72 with glasses is pretty challenging, but when shooting my M11M, I’ve never really had issues when I was shooting 35mm and not thinking about the frame lines. Also, I don’t use progressive lenses, which have narrow channels and lots of distortion. I normally wear trifocals, but for photography using viewfinders I much prefer bifocals with the seg. line placed low. The advantage of the 0.72 is that 50mm/75mm are quite nice. I don’t shoot much 90mm… need to sell them, or use them. I have a 1.4x eyepiece hiding in parts unknown. The M3 is the best ‘M’ for these longer lenses..but no 75mm frame lines. I think that the best viewfinder for the 35mm format might still be the Zeiss Ikon ZM.
BTW.. After we spend our money on the 0.72 cameras, Leica will come out with special edition 0.85 & 0.58. Right now, they are simply creating the market.
madNbad wrote:
If the viewfinder window has a blue tint, it's been coated. The M4-2 uses the same clear windows as the M4.
+1: THIS! Indeed turned out that my M4-2 has clearly a bluish tint in the viewfinder window when held angled against the light whereas both my M6 and M7 don't! This explains the difference! Looks like some former owner of my M4-2 had the viewfinder modified to suppress the patch flare, or it is actually already the new MP finder (not sure if the new MP finder also shows the bluish cast in the window?).
bwcolor wrote:
This helps to clarify …… I think that the best viewfinder for the 35mm format might still be the Zeiss Ikon ZM.
I way prefer the Leica vf compared to the ZM. With my ZM it really bothered me that the rf patch would flare out unless your eye was perfectly centered, the exposure LEDs were really hard to see in bright light, but worst of all the rf patch was fixed, and did not sync w the movement of the framelines as they corrected for parallax.
While the rf patch on Leicas is always dead center in the frame lines as both adjust for parallax together, the ZM’s patch is often off center.
Desmolicious wrote:
I way prefer the Leica vf compared to the ZM. With my ZM it really bothered me that the rf patch would flare out unless your eye was perfectly centered, the exposure LEDs were really hard to see in bright light, but worst of all the rf patch was fixed, and did not sync w the movement of the framelines as they corrected for parallax.
While the rf patch on Leicas is always dead center in the frame lines as both adjust for parallax together, the ZM’s patch is often off center.
Ah, been over a decade since I looked through the VF of the ZM. What I remember was bright large view. I still have the cameras and you just made it easier for me to sell them. I was going to mention the Mamiya 7ii, but I’m sure that my memory isn’t any better than it was with the Ikon ZM.
