Leica M6

Leitz introduced the Leica M6 in 1984. It was the first new M model number since the M5 of 1971. The body was the M4-P's, with framelines for six focal lengths and a mechanical cloth shutter. What changed was inside. Leica's own magazine, LFI, says the M6 was possible because new electronic parts had become small enough to fit within the M4-P's dimensions. The camera added through-the-lens metering without growing in size. The shutter still runs without a battery. The cells power only the meter. The meter works in an unusual way. A sensor beside the lens mount looks at a white circle painted on the first shutter curtain and reads the light reflected from it. That is why the meter only wakes up once the shutter is cocked. Two small triangular LEDs in the finder show which way to turn the aperture ring or the speed dial. When both glow equally, the exposure is correct. The first cameras were built in Wetzlar and carry the Ernst Leitz Wetzlar name and a red Leitz badge. In 1988 production moved to Solms, and the badge changed to Leica. LFI puts sales at around 136,700 cameras up to 1998. Emulsive gives about 132,000, so accounts differ. In 1998 the M6 TTL replaced it, adding through-the-lens flash metering in a top plate 2.5 mm taller. Leica says that, counting both, it built almost 175,000 M6 cameras between 1984 and 2002. In 2022 Leica reissued the M6 with a brass top plate and finder optics coated to resist stray light.

A fully mechanical shutter with a meter on top. Every speed from 1 second to 1/1000 works with no battery at all. Dead cells only cost you the light meter. A compact way to shoot film. Emulsive gives the body as about 138 x 77 x 33.5 mm and 585 g, small for a camera with a built-in meter. The Leica M lens system. Leica's manual lists lenses from 21 to 135 mm as coupling to the rangefinder. Simple metering that suits manual shooting. Two LEDs tell you to open up or stop down. There is no automatic mode to second-guess. Bright framelines for six focal lengths: 28, 35, 50, 75, 90 and 135 mm on the standard 0.72x finder. Where it falls short: the rangefinder patch can flare and white out in bright or side light, which owners call the M6's best-known quirk. The meter only works with the shutter cocked, and a few wide-angle lenses with deep rear elements cannot be metered at all. There is no self-timer, no automatic exposure and no flash metering. Flash sync is 1/50 second. The release is light. Owners report firing frames by accident, especially with a soft release button fitted.

Advance the film first. The meter reads off a white circle on the shutter curtain, so it only switches on once the shutter is cocked. Then press the release halfway with the speed dial off B. If nothing lights, fit two fresh SR44 silver-oxide cells or one DL1/3N lithium cell. Leica's manual says no LEDs show when the cells drop below the working voltage.

Leica's manual says weak LEDs mean the cells need replacing, and that readings stay correct as long as the LEDs light at all. Brief flashing or a one-second delay is normal in very low light, near the bottom of the meter's range.

Unscrew the cap on the front of the body and look at the contacts. Leica warns that oxidation can break the meter circuit. Corrosion inside the battery chamber can be a costly repair, owners warn. Check the cap threads too: it can stick when overtightened or work loose on its own.

Point the camera at a bright scene with the sun to one side. Watch whether the focusing patch fades or turns white. Owners describe some flare as normal on the M6, and say it often clears if you shift your eye slightly or tilt the camera. A patch that is always faint suggests haze inside the finder.

Focus on something far away, such as a distant roofline, with the lens at infinity. The two images should merge completely, both side to side and top to bottom. A vertical offset or a mismatch at infinity means the rangefinder needs adjusting.

Open the back, remove the lens, set B, and hold the release open while you look at a bright light through the mount. Repeat with the shutter cocked and uncocked to see both curtains. Leica's manual warns that a lens aimed at the sun works as a burning glass.

Set 1 second and time it, then step through the slower speeds by ear. Remove the base plate and check that the frame counter snaps back to zero. Owners name a counter that does not reset as a common M6 fault.

The most discussed M6 fault. In bright or side light the focusing patch can wash out and disappear. Owners report that the 0.85x finder is worse than the standard 0.72x, and that brighter framelines make it worse. Home remedies include a small piece of tape over part of the frameline window. The lasting fix is a technician fitting newer anti-flare finder parts, often called the MP finder upgrade. Owners disagree on how much it helps. Leica's 2022 M6 reissue has finder optics coated to reduce stray light.

One owner reported a meter off by more than four stops with fresh cells. Owners on the Leica forum point to aging metering electronics in bodies more than about 15 years old, and say a service can replace the meter circuit. Others suspect a faded white circle on the shutter curtain, but say each meter is calibrated to its own circle. Compare against a handheld meter first. Meter repair is technician work, and Emulsive notes parts are widely available for the M6, unlike the M6 TTL.

A leaking cell can corrode the contacts and break the meter circuit. Light surface oxidation can be wiped off, as Leica's manual describes. Corrosion that has spread into the chamber or wiring needs a technician.

The rubberized cloth curtains can be burned by sunlight focused through the lens. Pinholes show up as light spots or streaks on the film. Curtain repair or replacement is technician work.

A knock can shift the rangefinder so the images no longer meet at infinity or sit at different heights. Owners describe vertical misalignment as something to look for when buying. Adjustment is bench work that is normally part of a full service.

Owners report rubbing or stiff advance levers, a release that sticks after a half press, and a second curtain that closes early at 1 second. These point to dried lubricant and need a full clean, lubricate and adjust. Emulsive warns that forcing a jammed advance can damage the winding gears.

Small blisters in the paint or chrome of the top plate and back are common. One owner on the Leica forum links them to corrosion of the zinc underneath, and Leica confirms the original top plate is die-cast zinc. It is cosmetic in most cases, but it does not reverse.