Leica R6 - any concerns on b uy a used one?

My R4 has a problem with the electronics - shutter not responding to changes in the dial. I don't think that it is worth repairing, assuming that I can find a reliable tech to work on it.

 

I would like to buy an R6 and I would like to know if there are things to look out for. I also own a Leicaflex SL which is a terrific camera (my third in my life)

It's not worth repairing. You can find working R4s on eBay for around $100.

 

The R6 is a good camera, but the SL/SL2 cameras are tanks and can be had for not allot more.

I already own a Leicaflex SL. I was mainly concerned about the R6. I also have a Minolta XD11 which is similar to the R4 and I shoot with Tamrons on the R4 mostly, so I may buy another XD11 body in black.

I had 2 SL2's when they came out with the "50 Jahre" version. The shutter jammed on one and the meter went out on the other. I was not impressed.

 

Just curious - didn't the SL2 take mercury batteries? How do you get around that problem with no battery availability?

When Don Goldberg went through the body when he repaired the battery contact he replaced the batteries. I would have to look to see what he chose

I would like to buy an R6 and I would like to know if there are things to look out for. I also own a Leicaflex SL which is a terrific camera (my third in my life)

I owned the original R6 for a relatively short period of time when it first came out (I lost it in a home robbery). The R6 will have the same issue as R4/5 variations with foam deterioration on the back door. It has a mechanical mechanism with electronics only related to the meter. AFAIK, it's a good camera (the R6.2 had some marked improvements, but they currently sell for about twice as much as a comparable R6). However, if I were you, I'd opt for a second SL (the best SLR Leica ever produced, IMHO), but if you must, I think you'd be okay with a clean R6, which can be had for around $400.

Thank you. I am looking at on in South Korea and one in Japan. The SL is indeed a fine camera, a tank. I liked it as much as my old M4 and M2R years ago. Digital is still my main method of photography, however. Film is hard to find and it is expensive to shoot and process. No stores where I live even carry film other than the cheap Fujicolor 200 and even that is $11 for 24 exposures. I ship off the film to a company in KS and they put it on a cd,

I had 2 SL2's when they came out with the "50 Jahre" version. The shutter jammed on one and the meter went out on the other. I was not impressed.

 

Just curious - didn't the SL2 take mercury batteries? How do you get around that problem with no battery availability?

 

This isn't much of a problem-

 

You can have the meter adjusted for a silver oxide cell when the camera is in for a CLA or just use a CRIS-type battery adaptor. I wouldn't bother using a hearing aid battery, their life is too shor.

My R4 has a problem with the electronics - shutter not responding to changes in the dial. I don't think that it is worth repairing, assuming that I can find a reliable tech to work on it.

 

I would like to buy an R6 and I would like to know if there are things to look out for. I also own a Leicaflex SL which is a terrific camera (my third in my life)

which is a terrific camera (my third in my life)

 

The R6 is prone to shutter lag, which can be annoying. DAG told me this was due to a damper in the mirror mechanism and can be corrected by cleaning.

For what it's worth: I'm a happy R6 user. I have no SL or SL2 to compare with, though.

 

There are some good points to the R6, for sure. Metering on my R6 is good, very reliable. Body is relatively small and light, and not very noisy. Viewfinder is good. The downside is the above mentioned shutter lag; I don't know if it's entirely due to the damper as the shutter release also seems to have a rather enormous travel. So, it never feels like a quick camera, it simply doesn't respond immediately. But for slower types of photography, it's hardly a disaster (I'm used to it by now). It's not an exceptionally great camera (compare it to a Nikon FM2 which costs half, and it looks very poor value), but it's nice to work with and it takes great lenses.

 

So, personally, I wouldn't rule out the R6 completely, if you can find it at a good price, it's a perfectly fine piece.

I ended up not buying an R6 but another Minolta, an XD-S, an updated XD11 meant for the Japanese market. This is a mint black XD-S, coming from a dealer in Japan. I thought that since I was using Tamron lenses on the R4 anyway, it made little sense to spend twice as much for an R6 than for a minty XD-S, which is much the same as the R4. I already have a chrome XD11 which was rebuilt a few years ago. I still have my Leicaflex SL and a couple of Leitz lenses for it.

R6 and R6.2 are good cameras and the switchable spot and center weighted metering is very nice. As a user I, preferred it to the SL as the R6 meter is much more sensitive, it has an eyepiece variable diopter, interchangeable screens, mirror lockup, and the camera is lighter and smaller. It is not a "great" camera, and is overpriced as are most things Leica, but I liked it the best of the Leica reflex bodies in actual use. It's totally manual shutter fits in with the original Leica ethos, which is partly why it is so expensive to buy these days. I preferred the R6.2 to the R6 for a few fairly trivial reasons. The XD-S I think more closely resembles the Leica R3, I assume.

The Minolta XD-S is much like the Leica R4 with metering in auto aperture and shutter as well as manual.. The Minolta XE-7 is more akin to a Leica R-3. In as much as I am using Tamron lenses right now, the body I use is not that important. The SL is used because it works and I have a couple of Leitz lenses. I don't have a Tamron Adaptall 2 mount for a Leicaflex

For what it's worth, I have used a Leica R4 for the last seventeen years (it's been in the family for 34 years, from new), and it has been a fantastic camera to access the superb optics of the Leica R lenses. The spot and full frame metering, along with all types of metering modes, means it can do everything you need it to (and a useful mechanical 1/100th shutter speed). Very straightforward, compact size and robust...(until you do something pretty dumb with it, as per my other thread).

 

John - I also hear the Minolta bodies are great - perhaps try to stretch to buy some Leica glass. I can highly recommend the 50mm f2 Summicron. The most widely available, and therefore reasonably priced, Leica lens. Absolutely superb contrast, sharpness and bokeh. You will not regret buying it! If you also have a digital SLR, with an adapter from someone like Roxsen, the Leica R lenses perform very well, though you usually need to dial in around a stop of underexposure.

My minty Minolta XD-S came today and it is really nice. As for Leica glass, I have a 2 cam 50mm Summicron and a Vario-Elmar35-70. In my past years I have owned several Leica lenses and cameras. I even once owned a Leica M2R which I bought new in 1970. Alas, I no longer have it.

The Minolta XD-S turned out to be defective and the seller in Japan has agreed to take it back. Then I looked at George Ury's website and saw an alternative. He is selling out his stock because of retirement and he has a mint R4S Mod P which I will buy for a reduced price. He will give a little back for the broken R4 that he sold me a short while ago. If any of you are looking for Leica gear (or other good equipment) you might check his website.

My mint looking Leica R4s MOD.2 came today and it looks perfect - except for one small thing. As a precaution I replaced the foam seal around the film window. The foam that came on the camera was a bit "gooey" looking. (for lack of a better word) I had some spare material and removed and replaced the foam. I will shoot some film soon. My wife and I are driving down to Virginia City next week for a few days. A great place for photo ops, especially b&w.

I have a R6.2 and tend to use it far more than my R8. It sits in "spot" metering mode and has not let me down let after quite a few years of use. I agree with others that it has a bit of a lag and the shutter has quite a clunk but I tend to use the mirror release a lot which solves that issue. With a 35mm f2.8 and a 90mm I find it a nice compact travel kit.