cabophoto Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 Hi, I just read the announcement that Leica stops production of the M6 (TTL). There will be a final batch of 999 cameras, with special engraving. You can read about it at http://www.leica- camera.com/produkte/msystem/m6ttl/index.html (in German) and at http://www.leica-camera.com/produkte/msystem/m6ttl/index_e.html (in English) Carsten http://www.cabophoto.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry_ting2 Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 True to form, yet another special Leica memorial edition.Can someone guess up to now, how many different variations of M6 collectibles Leica created ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chip l. Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 This had been brought up in another thread. Question raised was what does "imprint" mean? Yet another silk screening? Oh to die so young.... Chip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucien1 Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 <http://www.leica-camera.com/produkte/msystem/m6ttl/index_e.html> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_brown4 Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 I can't wait for the 50th anniversary M3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giles_poilu Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 Quote from sales blurb:<p> "As collectors´ items, the cameras have special serial numbers ranging from 001/999 to 999/999 and are delivered in a <b>valuable wooden box.</b> Also included is a <b>certificate signed by Hans-Peter Cohn, c. e. o. of Leica Camera AG, and Ralf Coenen, c. o. o. of Leica Camera AG.</b>"<p> Well, that box and certificate sure sound impressive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabriel_roca Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 The saddest part about all this is quite simply that this is the end of the 100% mechanical rangefinder ala Leica M. What a wonderful piece of durable, no nonsense equipment the M6 was and still is. Hopefully the Germans will see the error of their ways and eventually bring back some sort of reincarnation of the totally mechanical workhorse. Cheers. -Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 Yes I do think it is a rather sorry state of affairs that Leica no longer make a fully manual, mechanical camera of any type. Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucien1 Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 > that this is the end of the 100% mechanical rangefinder ala Leica M Who have said that ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_kallo Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 Hey, the VC R2 is still a manual body. Maybe they could rebadge it now or something: M(anual)R2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_kallo Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 oops, that should have been "mechanical" not "manual" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_michel Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 so what fully mechanical 35mm cameras remain?? the om is gone. the fm-2 is gone. the leica is gone. the k1000 is gone. besides the voigtlander bessa, what's left?? i should add that, apart from the blad 500 series, the rolleiflex fx/gx, and a few eastern european offerings, fully mechanical mf is a dying breed as well. will there be no fully mechanical cameras (new) at all in five years?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_carson Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 The FM-3a is fully mechanical , it just doesn't have metering or AE without batteries. All shutter speeds work without batteries, unlike the M7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry_ting2 Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 Got to give credit to Leica for creating a demand again by sending out "signals" on the supply side that the mechanical M6's production has stopped, and then as a token tending to us Leica bleeding hearts, it comes out with 999 of the last and the greatest. Well if you all believe that, I've got beachfront property for sale in Montana. I'll bet you 10:1, down the road another mechanical equivalent of the M6 classic will be marketed under another special/commemorative/the absolute last of the last/presented in exotic wooden box/signed by the CEO, COO etc etc........then I hope the demand for it falls miserably just like the "Leica 0 (zeros)". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_collier2 Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 It is no great surprize as people have been voting with their pocket books ever since the M7 came out. It also would not surprize me to find out that there actually has been no production of M6TTLs since the M7 was released. There are no 0.72x TTLs left and this special edition comes only with either the 0.58x or 0.85x finders. Sounds like a clever way to clear out dead stock at a premium. You have to admit that Leica AG has some very smart marketing people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry_pfile Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 Henry-I'll take a piece of that action! John, Don't know if they're that clever. They just know that 1.) They have to clean out their parts bins 2.) There are at least a 1,000 folk in the universe who will buy one to keep their "one of almost everything Leica" collections complete and 3.) They know a high margin when they see one. Best, Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red dawn Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 Hi it wouldn't be so bad if the M7 is still able to function completely without using batteries. The Nikon FM2 / FM3a is able to do that. Both that and the Bessa R2 are able to trigger flash without batteries too, unlike the M6TTL or M7... So obviously, the M7 is lacking in many ways compared to the SLR or rangefinder alternatives. As it stands, Leica can no longer call themselves a maker of solid reliable battery independent mechanical cameras. And neither can they call themselves a player in the digital photography arena. End of an era for the M6? Sounds frighteningly like the end of an era for Leica..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland_schmid Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 The other day, a friend of mine spoke to a Leica repairman in Switzerland and this guy told him that there is a new simplyfied M 6 in the pipeline. We still can hope... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igor_osatuke Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 A simplyfied M6? I think the current M6 is already as simple as it gets. How to make it simpler? Maybe a one-piece film advance lever, no cover on the PC connector, fewer threads on the battery cover, what else, what else??? I do not envy the Leica engineers working on making a simpler Leica. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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