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Leica M6 basic question.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 11:40 pm    Post subject: Leica M6 basic question. Reply with quote
I was in Manchester with my AKA Relle taking some shots. Its first roll. and a few people commented what a cute camera it was including this Japanese guy of about 25 years old. He was fascinated by my little camera and took some photos of me with it with his Leica M6.

Indulge me I know little about Leicas and I could find this out easily on google but...

...He was using an old Canon rangefinder lens on this, and I told him Russian rangefinder lenses were not only cheap but really good quality. he seemed unaware they existed.

Later I thought "is the M6 a bayonet mount? and how was the Canon attached?"
Just curious.


PostPosted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 11:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The M mount has the same register as the M39 mount so you just use a small, cheap adapter.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 12:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
What Ian said. Years ago I bought a Leica M3 that had a 50mm f/3.5 Elmar attached. I wasn't aware until some weeks later that the Elmar was actually an M39 lens. The adapter mates so well to an M39 lens that you don't even know it's there unless you're looking for it. The M39 lens's focusing cam even engages the M camera properly so focusing remains accurate.

Personally I find it rather intriguing that this Japanese fellow was shooting an M6 with a Canon rangefinder lens. I would have asked him about that.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 9:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I expect Canon, Nikon and the other 1950s rangefinder optics are quite common in Japan. I expect the cameras are too, but they are not very advanced, similar to a FED or a Zorki, so doesn't surprise me people shoot M series Leicas with 1950s RF glass over there.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 10:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
The M mount has the same register as the M39 mount so you just use a small, cheap adapter.


I thought as much, but didnt know the RF cam worked too.

cooltouch wrote:
What Ian said. Years ago I bought a Leica M3 that had a 50mm f/3.5 Elmar attached. I wasn't aware until some weeks later that the Elmar was actually an M39 lens. The adapter mates so well to an M39 lens that you don't even know it's there unless you're looking for it. The M39 lens's focusing cam even engages the M camera properly so focusing remains accurate.

Personally I find it rather intriguing that this Japanese fellow was shooting an M6 with a Canon rangefinder lens. I would have asked him about that.


I did and he told me the camera body was available cheap so he bought it and bought the Canon lens later because it was way cheaper than a Leica one at the time. I told him about the forum and he was very interested.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 6:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
I expect Canon, Nikon and the other 1950s rangefinder optics are quite common in Japan. I expect the cameras are too, but they are not very advanced, similar to a FED or a Zorki, so doesn't surprise me people shoot M series Leicas with 1950s RF glass over there.


I can't agree with the idea that the Canon rangefinders weren't very advanced. Canon kept some traits common to Leica rangefinders, but even from early on, Canon's cameras were on a different evolutionary path. I've owned a few Canon rangefinders and I've always regarded them as being well put together and have even appreciated a couple of features that Leica cameras lacked -- one is a built-in rangefinder magnification switch, which shows the frame of view of a 50mm, 100mm, and 135mm lens. It's nice being able to use this switch and dispense with having to use a separate optical rangefinder. I also will set it to the 135mm setting for improved focusing accuracy, the select the correct magnification to compose the photo. Second, Canon had a unified rangefinder/viewfinder window in their cameras from the early 50s onward -- something that Leica didn't manage until the introduction of the M3.


PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 4:38 pm    Post subject: canon RF=Leicavit Reply with quote
One of the Canon RFs also had a collapsible rapid- wind lever at the bottom of the camera so that it would be like the Leicavit. Huge optional closeup devices were also a feature.

p.


PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 5:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You should not use the cheapest adapters when turning L39 into M. It's a rangefinder system and this adapters have to be extremely precise or you will get misfocused pictures.
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