Buying my First Leica

Hello to all. I have shot rangefinder cameras for years and years

but was never able to afford a Leica. I used to shoot a Contax G

system and I am currently using Bessa R cameras and am about to buy

a Leica M6 used. I have just a few questions and any help would be

much appreciated. I chose the M6 because of the meter. I wear

glasses and shoot mostly 35mm and 50mm lenses. I also shoot a

Konica Hexar 90mm lens occasionally. I wear glasses. Is a .72

viewfinder the right one? One of my main concerns is diopters. Are

there diopters made to fit the eyepiece? I need an "0" diopter.

Are the diopters easy to find? Thanks in advance for any input on

the camera itself, Rick

I shoot mostly 28mm and 50mm and I wear glasses also. For eyeglasses wearers, I suggest the .58 viewfinder for anything wider than 50mm and the .72 viewfinder for lenses longer that 50mm. If you shoot only 50mm then flip a coin. P.S. The 35mm framelines on the .58 viewfinder are perfect for eyeglasses wearers.

I have a Bessa R3A/Summicron 50mm and, as you know, it has a 100 percent VF and framelines only down to 40mm. Because I wear glasses, I did not risk buying a 40mm lens because I knew (from many reliable hands-on reports, including here on the LF) that the 40mm framelines were partly or wholly invisible to specs wearers. The 50mm Summicron/50mm frames are just about OK for me with a small (but useful) area visible around the outside of the 50mm frame on the R3A.

 

By the same principle, I would get a 0.72 if I only used 50mm + and a 0.58 with 35mm+

 

I would seldom use a 90mm, but a 90mm f/2.8 should be fine on the 0.58

 

Talking about meters, I think you should really go for a good used M6 TTL 0.58 whilst you can still get them. (Bear in mind that from now on 0.58 is an 'A La Carte' option for brand new Ms so all the nice condition 0.58 M6 TTLs have had a bit of a 'lift' in the used market.)

I am sure you have seen it.....<div></div>

Trevor, I think the information about the other viewfinder magnification versions may not necessarily be true. As far as I know, only cameraquest.com has any mention of it. Leica's website still lists the other magnificaions, and you can still buy them new from the stores.

 

Rick, I wear glasses and I also mainly use 35mm and 50mm lenses. Personally, I think that the 0.72x magnification is best suited for these lengths. A 0.85x means that the 35mm framelines becomes too difficult to see; a 0.58x means that it becomes harder to use the 90mm lens, and would not be as easy to focus as the others.

Go for an M6TTL with .58 finder. You will appreciate the difference if you wear glasses. Try it and see.

Trevor: my Nikon diopter attachments from Nikon FM2/FE2 fit the Bessa R3A eyepiece

perfectly. Now, I don't have to wear my eyeglasses when I use the Bessa and can easily see

all the framelines. The Bessa rapidly is becoming my favorite RF camera.

Rick, I really like the .58 finder for a 35 and not so much with a 50. The frames seem too small and the 75 frames really clutter it up. The images above that show the different views is pretty deceptive in reality. With glasses a .58 finder, when used with a 35, is not going to show you nearly as much space outside the frame lines as demonstrated in the .58 35mm sample photo. I can use a .72 finder with glasses pretty well since I have flexible frames that allow me to get my eye close to the eyepiece. If at all possible try to see a .72 and .58 body in person before making a decision. If you really like a .58 you are stuck with having to get an M6 TTL, whose SS dial turns in the opposite direction from most Leicas. This has been covered to death already. Good luck and have fun.

I find it extremely difficult to see the 35mm framelines on my .72 when wearing glasses. No issue with a 50mm.

TAKE THE 0.58! I wear glasses and with the 35mm, there is just enough space to see out of the frame, not like the illustrations above show. You should really try it out for yourself.

 

I split my 4 lenses into 2 cameras. 24m, 35mm with the 0.58 and 50mm, 90mm with a 0.85.

 

Works great for me!

Jim, thanks for the FM2 eyepiece tip

I wear glasses and have no touble seeing the entire 35mm frame in any of my Leicas which are all 0.72. I can even use the 28mm frames with a little looking around, though I don't own a 28mm lens so it isn't a real issue. The .58 was never available in a standard M6 so you'd need to find an M6TTL which will cost more money. As to diopters, the Leica finder's native diopter is -0.5 so you would want to get a +0.5 to get back to 0.

Thanks to everyone for the info. I have a a couple of more months before I purchase one. I am in the Dallas area so there are several places where I can find a couple of the different bodies and check the viewfinders myself. Thanks Ben for the info on the diopters. I am assuming that they are fairly easy to find. I have diopters on both my Bessa R2 and R3A. I was at an art festival a few weeks ago and ran into an old friend that I had not seen in years. He was shooting a Leica M6. I played around with it and was very impressed with the way the camera is built and the way it operates. I love my Bessa R's but I really liked the feel of that M6. Thanks once again to everyone for their help.