LEIGA@M 6

Instructions

ErnstLeitzWetzlarGmbH
We wish you every success with your new
LEICA M 6. Please remember that LEITZ
service only begins with this manual,and
that the followingare also available:
LEITZ I nform at ion Service
Any question on 35 mm photography,pro-
jection, enlarging and binoculars can be
answeredby telephoneor post bythe Leitz
lnformation Service.
Mondays to Fridays,8-12.00 and 13-16.00
on (06441) 292436.
ERNSTLEITZWETZLARGMBH.,
I n fo rma tionS er v ic e,
Postfach 2O2O,
D-6330 Wetzlar,
West Germany
Gustomer Service
OurTechnicalServiceDepartmentis ready
to undertake maintenance of your LETCA
M 6 or any repairsthat may become neces-
sar''
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2
ERNSTLEITZWETZLARGMBH',
TechnicalService Department,
Postfach2027,
D-6330 Wetzlar,
West Germany
Outsideof Germany,the local Leitzagency
can be contacted.
LEICA School
The LEICASchool is another part of LEITZ
service. lt was founded to meet the wishes
of many keen photographersfor thorough
further training in photography,projection
a n d e n l argi ng.
The coursesoffer an extensiveprogramme
and providemany practicalsuggestionsas
well as a great stimulus.
Further details and registration forms are
availablefrom:
ERNSTLEITZWETZLARGMBH.,
LEICASchool,
Postfach 2020,
D-0330 wetzlar,
West Germany
 Gontents page
TheLEICAMO 4 Meteringdiagram ..26
Carryingstrap 6 Generalnotes on exposure metering . 28
Mo u n ti n gt he lens T T i p s fo r exposuremeteri ng . . .. . 30
Removingthelens ....... 7 F l a s hs y n c h r o n i s a t i o n .... 96
Rapid-windlever g U s e o f o l d e r L E I C A - Ml e n s e s .... gT
Shutter release g L e n sd e s i g n .. 97
F i l mi n s e r t i o n. . g F o c u s i n rgi n g. ...... gT
F i l mr e w i n d i n g ..... 10 A p e r t u r er i n g . ...... 97
H o l d i n gt h e c a m e r a ...... 11 D e p t h - o f - f i e sl dc a l e ...... 3g
V i e w f i n d e .r. . ...... 12 L e n sh o o d s .. gg
B r i g h t - l i nfer a m es e l e c t o r ....... 14 B a g sa n d c a s e s . . . ....... gg
Rangefinder... .....16 Filters .. 40
Batteries .....1g E y e s i g h ct o r r e c t i o nl e n s e s ...... 40
F i f ms p e e d . . . ...... 20 LEICAWINDERM4-P ....40
Shutterspeeddia . l .......20 C a r eo f t h e L E I C AM 6 a n d l e n s e s. . . . . 4 1
E x p o s u rm e etering ....... 21 L E I C AM l e n s e s .... 42
S w i t c h i n go n t h e m e t e r ... 21 Enlarger ...... 4g
Settingthe correct shutter P r o j e c t o r.s. . . ...... 4g
s p e e d /a p er t ur ec om bina ti o n ... 22 B i n o c u l a r s. . . ...... 4g
M e t e rs e n s i t i v i t y .... 2g R e p l a c e m e npta r t s ....... 4g
L o w f i g h tl e v e l s ..... 2g U s e i n t r o p i c a lr e g i o n s .... 49
M e t e r i n sg p o t . ..... 24

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The LEICAM 6
1 Automaticframe counter 7 Battery compartment
2 Shutter releasebutton with thread 8 Bayonet lens mount release
for cable release button
3 Single-strokerapid advancelever 9 Red spot for lens alignment
(can also be multi-stroked) 10 Hotshoe
4 Film rewind lever 11 Depth-of-fieldscale
5 Shutter speed dial 12 Distancescale
6 Rangefinderwindow 13 Aperturering
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14 Bright-lineframesilluminationwindow 21 Synchronisationsocket for flash
15 Framepreselectorlever units with cable
16 Viewfinderwindowwith mirrored 22 ISO film speed dial
strip for LEDvisibilityin bright light 23 Tripod bushing,l/q"
17 Rewindlever
18 Eyeletsfor carrying strap
19 Range-viewfindereyepiece
20 Base plate catch
Garryingstrap
The strap is suppliedwith its steel con-
nectionhookslocked.To attach,first pull
backthe plasticlockingslide,and remove
the connectorentirely.
Mountconnectoronto the cameraeyelet
(18) and reinsert strap into upper half-
circle. Make sure that the hooks are the
right way round (see diagram).
Nowpushslidebackto lockconnector.

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Mounting the lens
G r a spl e n s near bas e,alig nre d d o t o n l e n s
(9) with red dot on camera bayonet (8), in-
s e rt,a n d l oc k by t ur ningt o th e ri g h tu n ti la n
au d i b l ecl i c k is hear d.
Removing the lens
Grasp lens by fixed ring near base, hold
down releasebutton (8), rotate lens to the
left, and remove. Avoid direct sunlight in
o p e n c a mera l ens mount, usi ngthe shade
o f y o u r b ody.
 t t o'5n)+/1.-l
Rapid-wind lever Film loading
The rapid-windlever (3) has a 30" ready po-The LEICA M 6 has one of the fastest and
sition,and can be operated without taking easiest film-loading systems ever deve-
loped, but please read through these
t h e L EIC Af r om y our ey e.l n s te a do f u s i n ga
singlestroke,some LEICAexpertspreferto instructionsbefore loadingfilm.
give two or three short strokes. Always start by making sure that there is
O exactly locates the focal plane. no film in the camera, by turning the rewind
crank gently. Any resistance indicates film
Shutter release in the camera; see rewinding instructions
The shutter release button is threaded to on page 10!
accept standardcable releases. Begin by strokingthe wind lever and pres-
sing the releasebutton.Now invertcamera,
lift up baseplate latch (20), remove base-
p l a te , a nd open hi nged back, as show n
above.
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Hold the film cartridge in the left hand and
insertit part way into the empty chamber,at
t he sa me ti m e pullingout j u s t e n o u g hfi l m
leaderto reach the three pointed posts of
the take-up chamber,as shown by the ca-
mera diagram. Under ordinary conditions
it does not matter if the film end extends
through this three-post assembly, but in
extremelycold, dry weather the end might
breakoff,and it is best to follow the drawing
exactly.
Finally,push the film cartridge into the ca-
mera,pressthe leaderlevelwith the posts,
and replace the baseplateby hooking the
end with protrudingtab over the external
m o u n ti n g p ost on the camera body. Onl y
after replacing the baseplate, test for cor-
rect loading by gently tensing the rewind
crank,and slowly strokingthe advance lev-
er. Backwardturning of the rewind is proof
of proper film transport. Wind oh, and
fire twice to bring the frame counter to
n u m b e r1 .
Tip! Don't be too fussy in loading your
LEICA M 6, and don't waste time trying to
align the leader perfectly.The inner wheel
on the baseplatewill do this for you, and af-
ter a bit of practiceyou willfind loadingsafe
a n d s i m p l e.
Note: The open camerabackwill revealtwo
sets of gold-plated electrical contacts
which are part of the light meter circuit.
These are corrosion-free,and relativelyin-
sensitive to dirt and dust. Even so, treat
them with respect,don't touch them, and
keep them clean and dry.

Film rewinding
Turn rewind lever (4) to "R", unfold rewind
crank, and turn clockwise, in arrow direc-
tion, untilresistanceof pullingfilm end from
take-up posts is felt and overcome. (Alter-
natively,some LEICAphotographersprefer completely wound around the three-post
to rewind the film end completely into the assembly,will slowly spiraldownward until
cartridge,to prevent accidental reloading it can be grasped with two fingers, and
of an exposed film.) pulled free. This is a seldom encountered
Note: Some brandsof film are not taped to problem today, because most films are
the cartridge core, and may be separated firmly taped to the cartridge core, but
from the core by strokingthe advancelever should it happen to you, the remedy is re-
forcefullyafter the last frame has been ex- markablysimple.
posed.To rescuesuch films,go to a photo-
graphicdarkroom (or use a lighttightblack
cloth film-changingbag), and remove the
M 6 baseplate.Hold the camera with the
open bottom facing down, and slowly
stroke the advance lever and release the
sh u tte ra n um berof t im es .T h ef i l m ,w h i c h i s
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Holding the LEICA
The two pictures above show what our
LEICASchool believes is the best way to
hold the LEICAin order to ensurefirm sup-
port.The right hand holdsthe camera body,
with indexfingeron the releasebutton,and
thumb up againstthe plasticend of the ad-
vance lever (in its working,stand-off posi-
tion).The left hand supports the lens from
below, always ready for quick refocusing,
and pressesthe camera against the fore-
head.
An importantadvantage of thisholdingme-
thod is that verticalpicturescan be made
merely rotating the camera without
changingthe positionof eitherhand.
Note:Forsakeof clarity,we haveshownthe
LEICAwithout a lenshood.Properlyde-
signedlenshoods areprovidedfor allof the
LEICAlenses(exceptthose with built-in
hoods).Thesepreventstraylightfrom en-
teringthe lens,andareespecially valuable
with strongside-or back-lighting.
11
LEICA M 6 range-viewfinder
The LEICAM 6 range-viewfinderis a highly
accurate lens-coupled rangefinder with
lens-actuatedbright-lineframes for six dif-
ferent focal lengths,from 28- to 135 mm.
Everythingwithin the frame will be record-
ed on the film.Theseframes correspondto
a n i ma g ef ield of 23x 35 m m (s l i d em o u n t
format) at the closestfocusingdistancefor
e a ch l e ns .A t longer dis ta n c e sth e i ma g e
will containa somewhat largersubjectf ield
t h a n th a t s hown wit h i n th e b ri g h t-l i n e
frames.
The bayonet of each lensmountautomati-
callyactuatesthe correctframe for its focal
length,and thesef ramesare coupledto the
focusing mechanismso that parallax(the
framingdifferencecaused by the displace-
ment of the camera lens and the viewfin-
der) is automaticallycompensated for as
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.,.r.i;*ira,ikd&ii*.;'..-.',:
th e l e n s i s focused, and the bri ght-l i ne
fra me c o rrespondsto the fi l m i mage.In the
c e n te ro f the vi ew fi nderi s a somew hatpal -
e r re c ta ngl e:thi s i s the LE IC Arangefi nder
w h i c h p ermi tsboth coi nci dence(the merg-
ing of two images of the same object) or
s p l i t-i mage(the connecti ng of a broken
s u b j e c tl inethat runsthroughthe rangefi n-
der patch) focusing methods.
All LEICA-Mlenseswith focal lengthsfrom
2 1 to 1 3 5 mm coupl e to the rangefi nder.
Lenses from 28 to 135 mm automatically
actuate the appropriate combination of
b ri g h tl i neframes:(28 + 90 mm), (35 + 135
m m ) ,( 5 0 + 7 5 m m ) .
Through-the-lens(TTL)light metering is in-
dicated by triangular LEDs which appear
w h e n th e meter i s turned on by l i ghtfi nger
pressureon the releasebutton.
: ,,:.;r,fi*'&;i,
 {$

35 mm 1 3 5m m Rangefinder
bright-line bright-line field
frame frame
Exposure
meter
LED
13
Framepreselectorlever
LEICA-M lensesautomatically actuatetheir
own bright-line
viewfinderframes,but this
is notalwaysthe rightlensforthe pictureat
hand.Theframepreselectorlever(15)lets
youtestthe composition for the otherfocal
lengths.The three preselectorpositions
are:
Leveroutside- 35 + 135mm frames
Levercentered- 50 + 75 mm frames
Leverinward- 28 + 90 mm frames

14 www.orphancameras.com
 i;4:/t'

28mm+ 50mm+75m

15
Rangefinder
is t he p a l ere c ta n g l ei n
T h e ra n g e f inder f ield
t h e ce n te r of t he v iewfi n d e rfi e l d . l f th e
viewfinderwindow (16)is covered,only the
bright-line frames and the rangefinder
patch re m ain v is ible.T h e b ri g h t, s h a rp l y
masked rangefinderpatch permits the use
of either coincidence or split-image range-
f ind e rfo cus ing.
16 www.orphancameras.com
. t 1*,
Coincidence (double image) focusing
In most cases,and particularlyfor pictures
o f p e o p le,the coi nci denceor doubl e-i m-
a g e fo c u si ngmethodi s preferabl ebecause
it requires no straight lines in the subject.
Simplycoverthe most importantpart of the
s u b j e c tw i th the rangefi nderpatch,turn the
l e n su n ti lthedoubl ei mageappearsas one,
and recompose (if necessary)to make the
exposure.
Split-image focusing
F o r p i c tu resof bui l di ngsor other subj ects
c o n ta i n i ngstrai ghtverti call i nes,pl acethe
ra n g e fi n derpatch so that some l i ne runs
ri g h tth rough i t. N ow turn the l ensto make
th e l i n e conti nuous. On theoreti cal
g ro u n d s , spl i t-i magefocusi ng gi ves the
greatestaccuracy,and this is an important
fo c u s i n gopti on for the LE IC AM 6.
.r .-,1.,
Double image: out of focus Brokenline: out of focus

Coincident image: in focus Continuousline= in focus

 hours,if the exposuremeter is switchedon
continuously.Assuming1S-secondmeasu-
rements in normal use, this means suff-
icient energy tor 4,800 exposures.
Batteries should be exchanged when the
LEDs begin to appear weaker than normal,
althoughthe exposuremeter will continue
to readaccuratelyas long as they lightup at
all.lf the cellsare unableto supplythe mini-
mum operatingvoltage,the LEDdisplaywill
not appear.
The electricalcircuit can be broken by oxi-
dation of the battery surfaces, and the
LEDs will not appear.lf this is the case,the
Batteries
batteries, camera contacts, and cap,
The LEICAM 6 exposuremeter can be po-
should be carefully rubbed with a clean
wered by two 1.S5-voltsilveroxidebutton
cloth. Avoid using any chemicallyimpreg-
cells,or by one 3-volt lithiumcell.
nated cloth; a clean but not new handker-
Unscrewthe cover plate (7), and note bat-
chief is ideal.
tery profilesymbolsand "+" markingat top
when insertingthe cell or cells.Handlecells
only by their sides,never touchingthe top
or bottom surfaces.When in doubt, wipe
carefully with a clean cloth. When two
silveroxidecells are used, make sure that
both are equallyfresh, and from the same
batch.
A set of fresh batterieswill last for about 20

18 www.orphancameras.com
Silver oxide cells Battery care and use
Thefollowingcan be used in the LEICAM 6: Store batteriesin a cool,dry place.Newand
(Type No., and principal area of applica- used batteries - or batteries of different
t io n ). ma k e s - shoul d not be used together.B e-
cause battery shelf life is often similarto in-
Manufacturer Gameras Hearing Watches
Aids use life,a spare set should be purchasedat
least some months later.The batterieslist-
EVERREADY S76E
ed here are not rechargeable.Batteriescan
MALLORY MS 76 H MS76H 10L14
MAXELL SR 44 F be tested only with a proper professional
NATIONAL G 13 G13 test instrument having the correct (adjus-
RAY-O-VAC RS 76 G RS76G table) load characteristic.Disposeof batte-
UCAR EPX 76 s76E 357
ries carefully- never in a fire. lf battery di-
VARTA V 76 PX v 76 HS 541
sposal depots exist where you live,we re-
Lithium batteries c o m m e n d that you use them.
The followingcan be used in the LEICAM 6:
DURAC E LLDL 1/ 3 N Note:
VARTACR 1/3 N lf the camera is to be stored away for a
long period of time, always remove the
batteries.

19
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Shutter speed dial (22\ is calibrated in DIN degrees (above)
Shutter speeds from 1 to t/rooosec are on and ASA indexes (below). In current ISO
the speed selector dial (5), which is firmly practice, the film speed setting shown in
click-stoppedat all of the engravedspeeds. the illustrationabove is either ISO 100/210,
Intermediatespeeds can not be set. When or simply ISO 100.
t he d i a l i s s et t o " 8" , t he s h u tte r re m a i n s
To set the index for the film being used,
open as long as the release button is pressthe spoked center of the settingdisc,
pressed,and the lightmeter is switchedoff. and rotate to align either of the two arrows.
T h e symbol" V " ( : 1/ 50s e c ) i s th e s y n c h ro -
Upon release,the disc will spring back to
nizingspeedfor electronicflash units.(Lon- th e s a m e l evelas the surroundi ngri ng,i f i t
ger exposuretimes can also be used when has been properly set.
special effects are wanted). Film speeds from ISO 6/9"to ISO 6400/390
Film speed can be set; see table of intermediatevalues
The ISO film speed dial of the LEICA M 6 at right. ISO is the internationalstandards
organization.
20 www.orphancameras.com
The followingsettings are possible:
Scale Sensitivity Scale Sensitivity
rso (ASA/DrN) rso (ASA/DrN)

6/ go 6/ go 200124" 200t24"
- 8/100 - 250125"
- 10/110 - 320126"
12112" 121120 400127" 4001270
- 16/13" - 500/2go
- 201140 - 6401290
25t't50 251150 800/300 800/300
- 32116" - 1000/310
- 401170 - 1250132"
50/180 50/180 1600/330 1600/33"
- 64/19" - 2000t340
- 801200 - 2500/350
100t210 1oot210 3200/360 3200/360
- 125122" - 40001370
- 160/230 - 5000/380
6400/390 6400/39"

Exposuremetering reading.Lightfrom this spot is reflectedto a

Exposures aremeteredthroughthe lens,at
the workingaperture. Thereadingis selec-
tive,by lightreflectedfroma whitespoton
the centerof the focalplaneshutter(when
tensioned). The unevenness of the white
coatingdoesnot meanthat the manufac-
ture has been at fault, but, rather,that a
thick,completecoatingcannotbe applied
to the rubberizedcloth shutter curtain
without the shutter performancebeing
influenced. The irregularstructureof the
meteringspot in no way affectsthe meter
photo diode with a collecting lens which
can be seen at about 11o'clock inside the
open mount. The lens f-stop and shutter
speed for correct exposure are indicated
by the appearanceof two triangularLEDs
(>{ which appear in the viewfinder,with
equal brightness. lf the shutter speed is set
first, it is easy to adjust correct exposure
with the lens aperture ring, as the arrows
also indicate the direction of needed rota-
ti o n .
21

Switching the exposure meter on
The exposuremeter is switchedon by light
pressureon the shutter releasebutton (2),
providingthat the shutteris tensioned(and
is not set to "8"). After finger pressurehas
been removed, the exposure meter re-
mains on for about 10 seconds.When the
shutter is released,the meter is switched
off and the LEDsgo out. lf the film is imme-
diatelywound on, as when usingthe LEICA
WINDER,the exposure meter is reactivat-
ed and the LEDs light up again.
lf even one of the two LEDslight up,this in-
dicatesthat the light meter is operational.
22 www.orphancameras.com
When the shutter is released,or set to "B",
the meter is switched off.
At very low light levels (or with very small
lensapertures),at the thresholdof the light
metering range,the LEDs may take about
one full second to light up.
Setting shutter speed/lens aperture
combinations for correct exposure
For correct exposure meteringthe shutter
speed dial must be set at a marked speed.
Interrnediatesettingswill cause the LEDs
to light up, but exposurereadingsmay not
be correct.
After a speed has been set, touch the rel-
ease button lightly, and rotate the lens
apertureringuntilboth LEDslightup equal-
ly brightly.When only one LED appears,
turn the lens aperturering in the direction
indicated.
T hetri a n gularLE Dsindic a teo v e r-o r u n d e r-
exposure,as well as the direction of rota-
t io no f th e lensaper t ur er i n gn e e d e dfo rc o r-
rect exposure:
f-stop.
Tur n lens aper t ur eri n g to th e ri g h t.
Turn lens aperture ring to the right.
Turn lens aperture ring to the left.
Turn lens aperture ring to the left.
LEICA M 6 meter sensitivity
T h e l i g h t m et er ing r ang e i s fro m 0 .1 2 5to
125000 cd.tmz(NtT).
The working rangeat ISO 1OOl21o is from EV
0to EV 2 0 , or l s ec at t ll t o r/ro o o s e c a tf/3 2 .
.,:',t'n*. .-l
Very low light levels
l f th e l i g h tl eveli s bel owthe threshol dof the
exposure meter, the LEDs will not appear.
At th e th reshol d of the meteri ng range,
w h e n th e l i ghtl eveli sj ust at the borderl i ne,
th e L E D smayappearforashortti me,ei ther
s i n g l eo r together.
The exposure meter will remain switched
o n a s n o rmal .
ln spite of a light level below the threshold
sensitivity, the exposure meter remains
s w i tc h e don as usual that , i s,for 10seconds
after finger pressure has been removed
fro m th e rel easebutton.l f the l i ghtl eveli n-
c re a s e s d uri ng thi s ti me (or i f the pi cture
fra mi n gi s changed),the LE D smay l i ghtup.
23
LE|CAMOmeteringfields
The meteringfield covers approximately
of the viewfinderfield corresponding
230l/o
to the lensbeingused.Meteringfieldsfor
the seven focal lengths have not been
marked,in ordertopreservean uncluttered
viewfinder.The followingreferencevalue
appliesfor all lensfocallengths:
Thediameter of thecircularmeasuringfield
is approximately Tsof the shortsideof the
appropriatebright-line frame.Thisalsoap-
plies to lenses with integral viewfinder
attachments,such as the ELMARIT-M
135mm t12.8. 90 mm

21 mm 28 mm
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24
135mm 75 mm

35 mm 50 mm
25
Metering diagram
'sof^?;
,';3 * ;T# # S'H',#H
-0,125

'4 0,25

\^ 0,5
I
I
",'rl
') 2
I
"'4
4 0
l6
"4

:x
f2
"4 6il
r25

"4 ffi

:1
5{n
.lm

xm
"rl {m
"Z im
"/ 16m
"s )4 32m
Tv
l/r5 *" /l t25m
'tl30 ,O cd,lmz
,)
r/d) +/
l,1?5 ,n
./
In 9,2
r/fln
r/tm

L
www.orphancameras.com
26
 Th e l i g h t m eas ur ingr an g e i s s h o w n o n th e
right-handside of the diagram, in cdlmz
(candela-per-square meter, aka NIT).
Shutter speeds and f-stops are shown at
the left, as Tv (time valures)and Av (aper-
ture values).
ISO speed indexes (in ASA and DIN) are
shown on the horizontalscale at the top as
S v (sp e e dv alues ) ,and t h e v e rti c a l s c a l ei n
the center gives EV (exposure value)
nu mb e rs.
The working rangeof the LEICAM 6shutter
is indicated schematicallyby the hatched
verticalscale at the extreme left-handside
of th e d ra wing,wit h t he em p ty " 8 " s p a c ere -
pre se n ti ngt he r ange of e x p o s u re sl o n g e r
t ha n o n e s ec ond.
ExampleA shows the correlationbetween
a film speed of ISO 1OOl21o, a typical day-
time brightnessof 4,000cd/mz,a tensaper-
ture of f/11,and a shutter speed of l/zsosec.
The exposure value of EV15 can be read at
the intersectionof the A-diagonalwith the
central EV scale.
Example B shows that with a film speed of
ISO 400/270 and the brightness of candle
l-*d.**'""-,';.r.. .-::ru*..,.
light(1cd/mz),correct exposureis cibtained
with a lens aperture of f 11.4,at a shutter
speed of t/rssec., and the central vertical
scale shows this to be an exposurevalueof
EV 5.
T h e d a s hed l i ne extendi ng from the B -
diagonal to the TV (exposure time) scale at
the far left shows that if the lens aperturef/
11were to be used, the requiredexposure
time would be 4 sec.
Because the longest exposure time that
c a n b e m easuredi s one second,di rectme-
te ri n gi s n ot possi bl ei nthi s case,and the re-
q u i re de xposureti me must ei therbe cal cu-
lated - from an apertureof f/5.6 or larger-
or read off from this diagram.
27

General notes on exposure metering
Most scenescontainan even distributionof
br igh ta n d d ar ks ubjec tdeta i l s a
, n d th e ma -
jority of sunlightedsubjects have an aver-
age reflectanceof 18%.Thismeansthat 18%
of the light that falls upon these subjects
will be reflected toward the camera lens,
and this 18%reflectancecorrespondsto an
averagegray tone for which exposure me-
ters are calibrated.
Subjectsthat are themselvesvery bright,or
which have very bright background areas
(suchas snow,sand,orwater),reflectmore
lightto w a rdt he ex pos ur em e te r,w h i c h w i l l
tend to indicate underexposures.
Darksubjectssuch as blackfur, slate roofs,
and navy-blueuniforms,reflect much less
light,and meters tend to indicate overex-
posures.
For such special cases, the exposure is
best me a s ur ed s elec t iv e l y ,b y i n c l u d i n g
only a portion containinga representative
samplingof the most importantsubject de-
t ails.Fo r e xam ple,t he br id e ' sfa c e s h o u l d
be measured,and not the whitenessof her
gow n . An d a lands c apem a d e w i th a w i -
dea n g l e l e n s s hould be m e te re d p o i n ti n g
28 www.orphancameras.com
downward to exclude a good part of the
I
bright sky.
When no such meteringalternativeis avail-
a b l e - o r t he photographersi mpl y has no
ti me to makespeci al i zedreadi ngs- a com-
pensation factor of 2x or 4x can be used, ti
o p e n i n go r cl osi ngthe l ensapertureby one t
or two f-stops,or increasingor decreasing
th e e x p o s ureti me.
W h i te s n ow under a cl ear sky w i th bri ght
s u n l i g h t o ften cal l s for an exposure i n-
crease of 4x(or plus two f-stops) if subjects
of normalreflectanceare to be properlyex-
posed.Similarly,a "normal"subject against
a dark forest background may call for de-
creasingthe exposure to preventthe effect
of readingmainlythe dark background,and
thereby overexposingthe important sub-
ject.
Positive color slide films possess far less
exposure latitude,and their brightnessre-
cording ranges are much shorter than
those of either b&w or color negativefilms.
Threegolden rulesare:
1 ) E x p o s ec o l o r s l i d ef i l m sf o r t h e
h i g h l i g h t s ,a n d l e t t h e s h a -
dows fall where they may.
2) Expose color negative films
for important middle-tone
areas, and never fear over-
exposure.
3) Exposeb&w films for the sha-
dows, and develop for the
highlights.

29
Exposure metering tips
The two pictures above are very different,
but they share a common problem: very
bright backgroundsthat might have led the
meter to underexposetheir importantfore-
ground areas.For the landscape,the solu-
tion was to aim the LEICA M 6 selective
meter downward,so as to measure practi-
cally only the foregroundarea.
The portrait was metered by moving very
close to the child,in order to take a reading
from the face alone,then usingthis expo-
sure for subsequentpictures made from a
greaterdistance.Incidentally,you can take
accurate LEICA M 6 meter readings from
30 www.orphancameras.com
distancescloser than the lens can focus.
In the Bavarianbeer tent at right,bare light
bulbs could easily have led to underexpo-
sure even a silhouette of the Kapell-
meister.To avoid this,the lens was pointed
toward the lower left-hand corner of this
pictureto obtain an accuratemeter reading
for the bandstandarea.
This is the advantageof selectivelight-me-
tering with the LEICA M 6: you measure
what you want, and know what you're mea-
suring.
31
When lookingfor the ideal picturearea,the
camera is usually panned, even for quick
snapshots.At the same time, this helpsthe
photographerto determine if there is sutfi-
ciently even distributionof dark and light
details.A strikingdetailin the subject is also
necessaryfor focusing.lf this does not hap-
pen to be in the centre of an interestingpic-
ture area, the camera again has to be
panned, whereby darl</light distribution
can be checked at the same time. The two
picturesabove were taken in this way.
Left: Focusingand exposuremeasurement
on the boy on the right in the left window -
pan the camera back to desired picture
32 www.orphancameras.com
area- nochangeinexposure value- shoot.
Right: Focusingand exposuremeasure-
menton theyoungladyinthe leftof the pic-
ture- panbacktothedesiredpicturearea-
considerable changein exposurevalue,as
now predominantly whitedetailsare being
registeredfrom the measuring fieldof the
exposuremeter- thereforeexposuremea-
surementis carriedout againby pointing
the cameradownwardsto the far left (part
of the measuringfield is evenunderneath
the picturesection)- backto correctpic-
ture area- shoot.On the brightbeachof
Acapulcothe exposurevaluewas deter-
minedby panningthe camerato the right,
and measuring outside the range of the
subject area. In this area there were reed
huts,palm trees,deckchairsand people,i.e.
an even distribution of light and dark de-
tails. lf such substitute measurementsare
not possible, exposure measurement
shouldbe carriedout on the lightdetails,for
example,the light sand on the beach or in
the desert, the whitewdshed walls in a
Greekvillageor the snow on the run of a ski
slope,and the value then corrected accor-
dingly.Opening up the diaphragmby two
stops correctsthe exposurevaluefor pure-
ly white details,i.e.multiplyingthe shutter
speed by 4 (e.g. lAzssec. instead of t/soo
sec.). For light-coloured details such as
sand, one stop is sufficient or twice the
shutter speed.
In sunny snowscapesthe correct exposure
for the areasof sunlightcan be determined
by measuringthe shade.In this case no cor-
rection must be made.
For photos of spotlighted subjects, when
many details of the subject are in the sha-
dows, or for predominantlydark subjects,
such as steam engines or black fields of
lava,there are usuallysmall portionsof the
picturearea with a good distributionof light
and dark detailswhich can be measuredus-
ing spot metering. In this picture taken at
33
the ballet,the areafor measurementwas at
the far right,partlyoutsidethe picturearea.
lf there are no suitable areas, exposure
measurementmust be carried out on the
dark detailsand a correction made, result-
ing in a shorter shutter speed. Stopping
down by half a stop (in extreme cases a
whole stop) is enough.
lf there is a very great contrast between
light and dark parts of the image,the expo-
sure rangeof the films is not sufficientto re-
gister all the nuancesin brightnessof the
subject, either in the "light" or in the
"shade".The photographercan decide for
himselfwherehe wantsthe more detail.For
34 www.orphancameras.com
example,a personcan appearasa blacksil-
houette (under-exposed)in front of a cor-
rectly exposed landscape,or correctly ex-
posed in front of a "bleached"background
(over-exposed). Measurement of "light"
and "shade"and the consequentexposure
value usually leads to unsatisfactory re-
sults, because delicate ditferences in
brightnessare lost both in the light and the
dark areas.The landscapephoto was taken
after measuringin the lower rightpart of the
picture (shadow of the tree on the grass
and the horse).
For fast-movingsubjects,there is often no
time for exposure measurement.In such
 cases,exposuremeasurementis carried
out beforehand.
In thisexample,measure-
mentwasdonein the top left-handcorner,
as the tapes borderingthe racetrackpro-
videdlightand darkdetails.
Deliberateover- or under-exposure often
enhancesthe characterof a pictureand
can usedas a good compositional aid.In
this landscapephoto,exposuremeasure-
mentwas doneon the fir treesand moun-
tainridgesontheleftof the picture(without
thesky)andthevaluewasthenreducedby
two stops.

35
 Use of older LEICA-Mlenses
All LEICA-Mlensescan be used without
restriction.However,the exposuremeter-
ing systemdoes not functionwith the fol-
lowing:
HOLOGON 15mm f 8
SUPER-ANGULON -M 21mm f 4
-M
SUPER-ANGULON21mmf 3.4
ELMARIT-M 28 mm f 2.8
up to SerialNo.2314921.

Flashsynchronization Electronic flash 1-t('/so),8

All currentlyavailableflash units can be
connected to the LEICAM 6viatheinterna- AGSB
tionallystandardized "hotshoe"(10),anda Flashcubes 1 * l/so, B
"PC"cord socket(21). PFl B
Electronic-flash unitscan be synchronized at)
l)
XMlB
M3
al " t" (t/sosec.),or at all longerexposure t
-o PFC4
E
timesdownto "B",whenspecialeffectsare o
(U
wanted. l.L
Smallflashbulbssuch as the AG-l,AG-3,
and FlashCubes,can be synchronized at
speedsfrom t/sodown to 1 sec.and B.
Twoflashunitscan be connectedby using
both the PC socketand hotshoe.

36 www.orphancameras.com
Lensdesign
LEICAlensesall have a fixed ring with
depth-of-fieldscale(11),a rotatablefocus-
ing ring (12)and an aperture-setting ring
(13).

Focusingring similarfashionto the shutterspeeddial.Af-

Thefocusring(12)showsthe distanceset ter a little practice,the aperturescan also
and,in combinationwiththe scale(11),
the be set in the dark.
depth-of-field
range.

Aperturering
The aperturefigures are internationally
fixed.Theyaresodesigned thattheamount
of lightreachingthe film is alwayshalved
when one stops down from apertureto
aperture. Onestopcorresponds to oneset-
tingon the shutterspeeddial(5).
The aperturering is click-stoppedat each
fullstop(formostlensesalso halfstops)ina

37
Depth-of-field scale F o r e x a m pl e, usi ng the S U MMILU X @ -M
Theplanewhichisreproduced thesharpest 50 mm f 1.4lens focused on 5 metres,the
is that on whichthe lens is focused.This depth-of-fieldat f 4 rangesfrom 4-8 metres
greatestsharpnessdecreasesgraduallyin approximately. Stopping down to f11,
frontof andbehindthisplaneso that a cer- however, increases the range to 3-2O
tainrangeexistswithinwhichthe imageis, metres.
to the eye,reproduced sharply.Thedepth-
of-fieldis dependentuponthe focus set-
ting,the focal lengthof the lens and the
aperture.Stoppingdown increasesdepth-
of-field,wideningthe aperturedecreasesit.
Thedepth-of-field scaleindicatestherange
of sharpnessat the set focus distance.

www.orphancameras.com
38
Lens hoods
Each LEICAlens is suppliedwith an indivi-
dually-designedlens hood. Some of them
can be attached in the reversed position.
Telephotolenseshave built-inhoodswhich
pull out telescopically.
The lens hoods should always be used as
they provide,on the one hand,shade from
side lightingor glare,and,on the other,pro-
tection against rain drops or finger marks.
Bags and cases
The ever-ready case (Order No. 14 S05) is
recommended for use of the LEICA M 6
with one lens from 21-50 mm (apart from
the 50 mm f 1).The front part is removableif
the button on the rear is pushed upwards.
In addition, the Combi Bag (Order No.
1484O)is availablefor a camera plus up to
three lenses,whilst the UniversalBag (Or-
der No. 14827) accommodates a camera
with up to five lenses.
39
Filters
All LEICAM lenseshave standard-sizefilter
threads.The excepton is the SUMMILUX-M
35 mm f 1.4which accepts Series7 filtersin-
serted into the unscrewablelens hood.
When meteringthe exposure through the
lens,any reduction in light caused by a fil-
ter is automatically taken into account.
However, films have different sensitivities
in the individualspectral regions,meaning
that the more extreme filters could cause
deviations from the correct exposure. For
example,orangefiltersgenerallyneed one
stop more exposure; red, on average,two LEICA WINDER M 4-P
stops more. A universallyvalid correction Eitherof the LEICAWINDERM 4-P or M 4-2
factor is not possible as the red sensitivity (from Serial No.10350) can be attached to
of black-and-whitefilms varies conside- the LEICAM 6 for automatic film transport
rably. and resettingof the shutter,for singleexpo-
sures and series up to three frames per se-
Eyesight correction lenses cond.The winder is mounted on the camera
For optimal matching of the viewfinderto in place of the base plate,and is suitablefor
the eye, correction lenses in the following alf shutter speeds from 1 to lAooosec., in-
strengths are available (dioptres, spheri- cluding B. When the winder is switched off
cal): or if the batteries are dead, the film can still
+ 0 . 5 ,+ 1 , + 1 . 5 ,+ 2 , + 3 be wound on manuallyas normal.Remote
- 0 . 5 ,- 1 , - 1 . 5 ,- 2 , - 3 release is possible via the cable release
connection.

40 www.orphancameras.com
FF Care of the LEICA M 6 and lenses
A lens works as a burning glass when it is
a i med at t he s un.T h e c a me ra i n s i d emu s t,
therefore, be protected by using the lens
or insituations
withgreatcontrast.
hoodisequallygoodprotection
germarksand rain.
Thelens
against
fin-

cap, keeping the camera in its case, and

leavingit in the shade.Everylens has,in ad-
d i ti o nt o it s nam e,a " p e rs o n a l "s e ri a ln u m -
ber. This, as well as the camera number
k wh i ch is engr av edo n th e h o ts h o e o f th e

n
LEICA M 6, should be noted down in case
the camera is lost or stolen.
Dust should be removed from the outer
lens elements using a soft-hairedbrush or,
with care,a soft, clean,dry cotton cloth.The
special cleaning cloths for spectacles are
not recommended,as they are impregnat-
ed with chemicalswhich could attack opti-
cal glass (optical glass for high-perfor-
mance lenses has a different composition
to glass for spectacles).
In p oor c ondit ions ,e .g . a t th e s e a s i d e ,i n
tropical regionsetc., a colourlessUVafilter
can be used to protect the front lens ele-
ment againstsalt water spray,sand and si-
milar. However, any additional glass sur-
face placed beforethe lens (i.e. a filter)can
cause undesirable flare or reflections,in
particularwhen shooting against the light
41
LEICA M lenses such as in church or at concerts.The lens
The LEICAM system offersa basisfor rapid, rangereachesfrom 21to 135mm with maxi-
i n c o n s p i c u o u sp h o t o g r a p h y ,i n p o o r l i g h t mum aperturesof t 1.4and even f 1.

www.orphancameras.com
42
Enlarger Replacementparts
Picturestaken with a high-qualitycamera C a m e r ab o d yc a p 1419s
deserve high-qualityreproduction. Carryingstrap 'l42\g
For enlarging,a top-class unit with auto- Flashsynchronisation socketplug 1SS2O
matic focusing is available-
thE FOCOMAT@ V 35.

Proiectors
Leitz has a range of projectors for all needs
and uses. They offer ease-of-useand ex-
pandibility.The most important common
feature of PRADOVIT@ projectors is excep-
tional optical performance,together with
trad it ional LEITZprecision.

Binoculars
T RIN OVID@ binoc ular s d i s ti n g u i s hth e m -
selvesin particularthrough superlativeop-
tics. They use the same glasstypes as the
world-famousLEICA lenses.The high per-
formance with great resolution and con-
trast ensureshighest possibleimage qual-
ity even in poor light.
Use in tropical regions
Beforea longtrip to the tropics,it is possible
to have the cameraand lensestreated with
a fungicide by our TechnicalService.The
outfit is then protected againstfungus for-
mation to a large extent.

-, 43