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We hope that your new LEICA·will give you a great deal of pleasure and wish you many years of successful photography with it.

This instruction booklet was printed on paper bleached without chlorine - an expensive pro· cess that preserves the environment, especially natural water resources.

Leica AcadelD)'. But Leica not only makes high-performance products for everything from observation to reproduction. A special service available to you is the Leica Academy. For many years. this internationally famous facility teaches photographic know-how in ap­plication-oriented seminars and training cour­ses. It meets the needs of keen photographers, both beginners and advanced students, for special training in demanding areas of 35 mm photography, projection, and enlargement. Up-to-date, well-equipped classrooms at our Solms headquarters are available for these courses, which are held by experienced in­structors, with syllabuses ranging from general photography to specialized fields of interest. They provide a wealth of practical suggestions. help, and advice. Further information and details of seminars are available from: Leica Camera GmbH, Lcica Academy, Oskar-Barnack-Strasse 11 6336 Sohns (Germany) Telephone +49 (0 64 42) 208-421.

Contents TheLEICAM6 Carrying strap Mounting the lens Removing the lens Rapid-wind lever Shutter release. Film insertion Film rewinding Holding the camera Vie\vfinder Bright-Line (rame selector Rangefinder Batteries Film speed Shutler speed dial Exposure metering Switching on the meter Switching off the meter Setting the correct shutter speed/aperture combination Meter sensitivity Low light levels Metering SpOl

Page 4 Metering diagram 26 6 General notes on exposure metering 28 7 Tips for exposure metering 30 7 Flash synchronisat ion 36 8 Use of older LEICA-M lenses 37 8 Lens design : 37 8 Focusing ring 37

10 Aperture ring 37 11 Deplh-of-field scale 38 12 Lens hoods 39 14 Bags and cases 39 16 Fillers 40 "18 Eyesighl correction lenses 40 20 LEICA WINDER M 4-P 40 20 Care of the LEICA M 6 and lenses 41 21 Alphabetical index 42 22 LEICA M lenses 43 23 Enlarger 43

Projectors 43 22 Binoculars 43 23 Replacement parts 43

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14 15 16 17 1B

Viewfinder "inuow with mirrored strip for LiED visibility in bright ligh.l Eyelets 1'01' carrying strap Depth-of-ficlu seal\; Distance scale Aperture ring Frame presdecLor kvel

19 20 21

22 23

Sase plale catch Range-view,rinder eyepiece Synchronisation sock.::t for flash units WiLh cable ISO film speed dial Tripou bushing. I' F

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The LEICA M 6 1 Battery compartmenL 7 Single-stroke rapiu advance lever 2 Savon.::t lens mount rdeiise buLLon (can also be multi-stroked) 3 Reu spot for lens alignment 8 Rangcfinuer winuow 4 Film rewinu lever 9 Shutter speed dial 5 AutomaLic frame counter no HOlshoe 6 Shutter release button with threau for 11 llrighL-hne frame illumination winelow

c,tble release 12 Rewind lever

4

Carrying strap

.~ Mounting the lens

The strap is supplied with its steel connection Grasp lens near base, align red dot on lens (3) hooks locked. To attach, first pull back the with red dot on camera bayonet (2). insert, and plastic locking slide, and remove the connector lock by turning to the right until an audible entirely. click is heard. Mount connector onto the camera eyelet (]4) and reinsert strap into upper halfcircle. Make sure that the hooks are the right way round (see diagram). Now push slide back to lock connector.

Removing the lens Grasp lens by fixed ring near base, hold down release button (2), rotate lens to the left, and remove. Avoid direct sunlight in open camera lens mount, using the shade of your body.

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Rapid-wind Il'\'er The rapid-wind lever (7) has a 30° r~ady posi­tion. allLi can be operaled wilhoUi taking the l.ErCA from your eye. [nSlead of using a sin­gle stroke. some LEICA experts prefer to give IW'l "r three short $Lrok~'s-9- -:xaclly locale-s lhe focal rll\n~.

Slmtter release The shulter release OUllon (6) is threcH.lcd to <leeL pt ,tandard cable releases.

s

Film loading The LEICA M 6. has one of the faSlest and easiest film-loading systems ever developed. bUI please read through these instructions be­fore loading film. Alwa~'s start b)' nmking sun' th,d there is no film in Ihe camera, hy turnin~ the rewind crank (6) gl~!lll}', Any rcsistanl'e indk,lles IiIm in the C<1D1~ra; see rewinding jnstruc.:tions on page W! Begin by stroking the wind lever and pr~:ssing

the release bulton. Now invert camera. lifl up baseplate latch (19). remove baseplate. and open hinged back. as shown above.

Hold the film canridge in the left hand and insert it part way into the empty chamber. al Ihe same time pulling out jusl enough film leader to reach the three. pointed posts of the lak~-up chamber, as shown by the camera dia­gram. Under ordinary conditions it does not matter if the film end eXlends through this three-post assembly. but in eXlremely cold, dry wealher the end might break off. and it is beSI (0 follow the drawing exacily. Finally, push lhe film c''irtrillge into the cam­era, press the le<ld<:r level with tile posts. and replace the baseplate by hooking the end with protruding tah over the external mounting post on the camera body. Only after replacing

the baseplate. lest forcorreClloading by genlly lensing the rewind cr<lnk. and slowly strokin the advance lever. Backward turniug of the rewind is proof of proper film Iransport. Wind on, and fire twice 10 bring the frame counter to number 1. Tip! Don't be too fussy in loading your LElC A M 6. and don't waste time trying to align lhe leader perfectly. The inner wheelan the base­plate will lIo this for you, and after a bit of pracl ice you wi II fi II d I()<lc! i 11 g 5;1 k ;md si 111pIe.

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Nole: TIle open camera back will reveal two 4 sets of gold-plated electrical contacts which are part of the light meter circuit. These are corrosion-Jrec.. and rdat ively insensitive to dirland dust. .Even so, trl:at them with respect. don't touch them. and keep th.em clean and elry.

Fillli rc"indiJJg Turn rewind levGr (4) [0 "R", unfold rewind crank, aod turn clockwist~, in arrow direct jon. until rGsistance of pulling film t:ntl from take­up posts is felt and overcome. (Alternatively. some LEICA photographers prefer to rewind the film end completely Into the cartl'idge, to prerent accidental reloading of an exposed film.) Nole: Some: brands of film arc not tap~d to lhe cartridge core, and may be separated from the core by stroking the advance lever forcefully after the last frame has been exposed. To res­cue such film, go to a photographic darkroom (or use a lighllight black CIOlh film-changing bag), and remove the M 6 baseplate. Hold the c.lmcra with the open bollom facing down. and slowly ~trok~ the <ldvancc lever and relea~e the ~hullcr a Ilumhcr of times. The film. which is completely wound around the thl,;.C-post il~-

sembly, Will slowly spi ral downward until it can be grasped with two fingers. and pulled free. This is a seldom encountered problem today. because most films are firmly taped to tbe cartridge core, but should il bappen to you, the remedy is remarkable simple.

Holding tllC LElCA The two pict t1 res above show what our LE) CA School believes is the best w,ly to hold the LEICA io order to ensure firm support. Th~

right nand holds the camera bod;.:. witl1 indes finger on tbe release bulton. anu tJllJilnb up against the plastic end of the advance lever (In its working, stand-off position). The left hand supports the lens from helow, always ready for quick refocusing. and presses the C:'lmera against tht: forehead.

An itnportant advantage of this holding me­thod is that vertical pictures can be made merely ratming the cam~ra - without changing the position of either hand. Note: For sake of darity. we have shown the LEICA withou! a leusbood. Properly designed lenshoods are provided for al\ of Lbe LEICA lenses (except those \,vith built-in hoods). These prevent stray light from entering the lens. and are especially valuable with strong side- or back-lighting.

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LEICA M 6 r3nge-tiewlillller The LETCA M. 6 range-viewfinder is a highly accurate lens-coupled rangeCindcr with lens­actuated bright-lilll:: hames tor six difJerent focal lengths, from 28- to 135 mm. Everything within the frame \vill be recorded on the film. These frames correspond to ao image field of 23 x 35 mm (slide mount format) at the closest focusing distance for each lens. At longer dis­tances the image will contain a somewhat larger subject field than that shown within the bright-line frames. The bayonet of each lensmouot automatically actuates the correcl frame (or its [ocallength, and these frames are coupled to the focusing mechanism so that parallax (the framing dif­ference caused by the displacement of the camera lens and the viewfinder) is autoffiClti­cally compensated for as the lens is foclIsed.

aod the bright-line frame corresponds to the film image. In the center of the viewfinder is a <;nmewhat paler rectangle: this is the LE1C i\ rangefinder which permits bOlh coincidence (the merging of two images of the same ohject) or split-image (the connecting of a broken subject line that runs through the ra ngefinder patch) focusing methods. All LEJCA-M lenses with Iocallengths (rom 21 to 135 mm couple to the rangefinder. Lenses trom 2i{ to US mOl automatically actuate the appropriate combination of bright ~ne frames: (28 + 90 mm). (35 + 135 mm), (50 + 75 mm). Through-the-Iens (TIL) light metering is in­dicated by triangular LEDs which appear when the meIer is turned on by light finger pressure on the release button.

Rangcfinder Iicld

Exposurc mc.lcr LED

3.5mm 135 "''-11 hri\!ht-line hright-line f.-dlnC [,,"nc

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Fl'am{' I>Fc.sckdOr JC'H>r

LEfCA-;V! kl1~l'S ,H'ltor!latically actuate their own hri,~h.t-linl~ vicI"lind'cr fr<lOles, but lhi~ is not ~lh\'ay~ lhc right kll~ for the picture. at hane\. The frame presekctor lever (18) lets you lest the composition for the other focaL lengths, The three preselector posit ions arl.:: Lewr CHJlsidc - 35 + 135 rnrn ,frames Levo ",\C:ntered - 50 +75 mm frames Lever inward - 28 + 90 mOl frames

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Rangefuutcr TIle rangefinder field i~ the pale rcctangle in (he center of the viewfinder field. If the view. finder window (13) is covered. only tile bright­lioe [cames and the ca ngefinder patcb remain visible. The bright. sharply masked rangefin­der pa teb permits (he use of eit ber coincidence or split-image rangefinder focllsing.

Coinddellce (double image) focusing Ln most cases. and paniculary (or pic III res of people. the coincidence or double-image fo­cusing method is preferable because it re­quires no straight lines in t he SUbject. Simpl~'

cover the most important part of the subject '''ith Ute rangefinder patch. tum the lens until tl1e double image appears as OUC, aile! recom­pose (if necessary) to make the exposure.

Split -image foclIsing For pictures of bui Idings or other subjects con­t<'lining straight verticalliocs, place the range­finder patch so that some line nms right through it. Now turn the lens (0 make the line conlinuous, On theoretical grOLmds, split-im­age focusing gives tbe greatest accuracy. and lhis is an import<llll foclIsing option for tlle LEICA M 6.

Double image = out of focus Broken line =out oJ focus

Coincident image = in focus Continuous line =in fOCllS \7

Ratteries The LEICA M 6 exposure meter can b..: po­wned hy ~\>,\) L~5-\'oll silvcroxide hUIIOl\1 -:e1Js. 01' lly om: ]-I'oft Ij thi lIIll cdl. Unscrew the wver plate (I). and note hattcry profile symbols and ,.+" marking ttl top when inserting the cell or cdls. Handle t:ells only by their sides. never tOllchiJJg. t.he top or bo[\om sllrfac-es. When in doubt. wupe carefully willl a clean cloth. When two sJlv,;;roxide ceUs are used. make sure thall !1oth aFe equally fresh, and from the same batch. A set of Cresh batteries will I(lst fm ahtl\1l 20 hours, if the exposure meter is swilched un continuously. Assuming IS-second measure-

JR

ments in normal lISC, this m..:ans sllfficienl en­ergy for 4.800 exposures. Batteries should he exchanged when the LEOs begin to appear weaker than normal. although the exposure meter will continue LO read accurately as long as they light up at all.)f the ceUs arc unnble to supply the minimum operating voltage. the LED display will nOl

appear. The electrical circuit can be broken by oxida­tiOll of t he battery surfaces. (Inc! the LEDs will not appear. If this is the case, the batteries. camera contacts. and cap. should be carefully rubbed with a clean cloth. Avoid usinll any chemically impregnated doth: a clean but not new ballclken:llief i, i~h;i\1.

Sih-er oxide cells The (olluwing can be llsed in the LEfCA M 6: (Type No" and principal uea of application). Ucar EPX 76 Duracell 0357 (I() L14) Varta V 76 PX

,vere:tcly FPX 711 NatioJlal SR 44 Ray-o-vac Pa nas 357 Maxell SR.:I4 Sony SR 44 Philips 357

LithiulU bal1eries The foll'owing can be llsed in tlle LEICA M 6: Duracell DLl/, N Varia CR I/., N Ccar 2 L 76 Philips CR '/.1 N

Ballery care and u,~c

Store baueries in a cool, dry place. New and used batteries - or batteries of different makes - should not be used together_ Because ballery shelf life is often similar to inuse life. a spare set should be purchased at least some months la­ter. The baueries listed here are not recharge­able. Balterie~ can be tested unly with a proper profcssionallCst instrument having the correct (adjustable) load characteristic_ Dispose of balteries carefully - never ill a fire. Tf batlery disposal depots exist where you live, w~ re­commend lhnt you use them.

Note: If lhe cnmerll is to be stored aWLI)' for" long period of time, always remove 1he blltledes.

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Switching the cxposlIJ'e meter on The exposure meter is switched on by light pressure on the shutler release button (6). providing that the shutter is tensioned (and is not set to "8"). Afler finger pressure has bet~n

removed. the exposure meter remains on (or about (12) seconds. When the shutler is re­leased, the meter is switched off and the LEDs [!O OUI. If the fi 1m is immediately wound on. as when using the LETCA WINDER, the expo­sure meter is reactivated and the LEDs light up again. If even one of the two LEOs light up. this indicates that the light meter is operat ional.

When I he shutter is released. or setLO "B-', the meter is switched off. At very low lightlevells (or with very small lens apertures), at the threshold of the light meter­ing range. the LEDs may take about one {ull second to light up.

Setting ~hlJt1er specclllens ar)cr1urc combiJJatinns ror corrt'd exposllfl~

For correct exposure metering the shutler speed llial must he set at a marked ~pccd.

Jntermediate settings will cause the LEOs to light up. but exposure readings may not be correl.:l. After a speed has been SCI. toucll the releClse button rightly. and rotate the lens aperture ring until both LEDs light up equally hrightly. When only one LED appears. turn the lens aperture ring in the direction indicated.

Thl' triangular LEDs indicate over- or under­exposure. as weU as the direction of rotat ion of (he lens aperture ring needed for correct expo­

\ sure:

~ Under-exposure of at least one f-stop. Turn lens aperture ring to the right.

~ ~ Under-exposure uf liz stop. Turn kn~ ap<:rture ring to the right.

~ ~ Correct exposure.

~ ~ Over-exposure of III stop. Turn lens aperture ring to the ler!.

Over-exposure of atlcast on f-stop. Turn len~ aperture ring to tbe left.

Leica M 6 meter sensilivity The light metering range begins at 0,063 cdf m'. The working range. at ISO 100121° is from Ev-l to Ev 20. or 2 sec (shutter speed dial position "B") at fll to If1000 sec at f/32. (Refer to dia­gram page 26).

Vel')' lOll" Ught levels If the light level is below the threshold of the exposure meter, the LbDs will !lash. Since exposure metering occurs at working aperture, the LEDs may also flash when stop­ping dOWIl. In spite of a light level below llJC

threshold sensitivity, the exposure meter remains swiched on as usual, that is, for 12 seconds after finger pressure has been remo­ved from the release buttom. [f the light level improves during lhis timo (e.g. if the picture framing IS changed or the aperture opened), lhe LEDs change from Ilashing to uninter­rupted di~play.

Switching off (he Exposure MeIer If the camera is stored in a bag or lert unused for a while, the shutter speed setting ring should be set to ~n".lllC exposure meter is now switched off.

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LEICA i\'l6 metering fields The metering field covers approxil1Ulleiv 23% of the viewfinder field corre~pondjng to the lens being used. Metering fields for the seven focallenghts have not been marked. in order 10 preserve an unclullered viewlinder. The fol­lowing reference value ilpplies for all lens focal lenglhs 'Ole diameter of Ihe circular measllring field is approximately 2fj of the short s.ide of the ap­propriate bright-line frame. This also applies 10 lenses wilh integral viewfinder allachments. sllch as the ELMARlT-M 135 mm m.s.

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21 mUI

24

, - - 1

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90 mrn 135 mOl 75mm

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28mm 35 mOl 50 mm

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26

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22 32, I 165,6 81,111 2 '2,fl ~

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Example B indicates tbat in case of candle Lighl and a speed of lllm of ISO 400127° (1 cdl m2

), one ~bould take photos with a diaphragm of 1.4 and 1/15 s. In case the lens is used, i.e. with diaphragm 11. tbe appropriate exposure time of 4 s Callnot be adjusted any mort: when using the lime adjusting knob..~s tbe maxi­mum expo~ure time that can be adjusted with this knob is I s only. without causing the LED's to flash, an exact measuring is not possible any more either. Therefore, in order to obtain lhe exacI exposure lime. one can only convert or lise Ibis diagramrne.

Metering diugram

-------- Sw • .., 7... b ~ ~

&,'" ~~t:~~8­c:> ;;, <3 808~g,,,

0,0113I 0,125 ,~ 0,26.. 0.5

1

2

• 8 16 32 63 Bv 12~

2SO

""0 1000 2000

'000 BOOO 16000

32000 113000 125000

cdlm'

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t Ei

drawing. with the empty "S·, space represent­ing the range of e,xposures longer Iban ODe

second.

Example A shows the correlation between a film speed of ISO 100/21°, a typical daytime brightness of 4.000 cd/m2

• a lens aperture of fI 11, and a shutter speed of 'hlosec. The exposure value of EV 15 can be read a t the intersect ion of the A-diagonal with the cenlral EV ~cak.

The light measuring range is shown on the right-hand side of the diagram, in cd/m1 (ciln­dela-per-square meter, aka NIT) Shutter speeds and f-stops are shown at the left. as Tv (time values) and Av (aperture val­ues), ISO speed indexes (in ASA and DIN) are showD all the horizontal scale al the top as Sv (speeLl values), and the vertical scale in the center gives EV (exposure value) Dlullbers. Tbe working range of the LEICA M 6 shutler is inLlicilted schematically by the hatched ver­tical scale at the extreme ldt-hand side of the

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Ge-neral notes on {,xpO~lIre metering MO~1 scen.:s contain an even distribution of brighl and dark subject details, and the major­ity of sunlighled sUbjects have an averogc re­flectance of 18%. This means that l8% 01 the light that falls upon these ~ubjecls will be re­flected toward the camera lens, ami this 18% reflectance corresponds to an average gray tone for which exposure meters arc calibrated. Subjects that are themselves very bright, or which have v,,;ry bright background areas (such as snow. sand. or water), renect more light toword the exposure meter. whieh will tencllO indicat<.: underexposures. Dark subjecls such as black fur, slate roofs. ar:td navy-blue uniforms. reflecl much less light, and meters tend to tndicate overexposures.

'or such special cases. 1he exposure is best measured selectively. by including only a por­lion contnining a representiltive sampling of the lUost important subject details. For exaul­pic, the bride's face should be measured, and not the whiteness of her gown. And a land­scape mock with a wideanglc kns should be metered poinling downward to exclude a good pari of the bright sky. When no such meteTtng alternative is available - or the photographer simply has no lime to

make specialized rcadings - a compensation factor of 2 x or 4 x can be used. opening or closing the lens aperture by one or two f-stops. or increasing or decreasing the exposure time. White snow uncler a clear sky with bright SUll­

lig.ht often calls for an exposure increase of 4x (or plus two f-slops) if subjects of normal re­flectance arc to be properly exposed. Similar­ly. a "normal" subject against a dark forest background may call for decreasing the expo­sure to prevent the effect of reading mainly the dark background, and thereby overexposing the important subject. Positive color slide film possess far less expo­sure latitude. and their brightness recording, rangc~ arc much ~h()rtt:r than tbose of either b&w or color nt:gativc I1lms.

Three golden rules arc: 1.1 Expose color slide films for the

highlights. and let the shadows fall where Ihey may.

2) Expose color negative films for important middle-lOne areas. and never fear overexposure.

.1) Expose b&w films for the sua­dows, and develop for tilL' high­lights.

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Exposlnc OJetctiug tips Tilt: two pil:l1m~s ahove arc very different. but Lhey share a common problem: very bright bac.kgrounds that might have led the meter to IHlderexpose their important foreground are­liS. For (he landscape, the solution was 10 aim the LEICA M 6 selective meter downward. so as to measun: practically only the foreground area.

The portrait \\7<15 metered by moving very close to the child, in order tu t,lke a reading from the face alone. I ben using this exposure for subse­quent pictures made trmm a greater distance. Jncidclllillly. you can wh: accurate LE1CA M

6 meter reading.s [rOJJl distances closer than the lens can focus. In tbe Bavarian beer tenl at right. bare light bulbs could easily have led to underexposure­even a silhoud te - of tbe Kapellmeislc:f. To

avoid this, the lens was pointed toward the lower left-hand comer of this picture to obtain an accurate meter reading for the bandstand area. This is the advantage of selective liglu-mcter­ing with the LEICA M 6: yOll measure what you want, amI know what you're measuring.

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When looking for the ide,lI pictllJC ar-:a. the ramen, is usually panned, evcn for quick snap­suots. At the same time, this helps the pho­tographer to determine if there is sufficienlly even distribution of clark and light uel<lils. A striking dt:lail in the subject is also IlCccssary for focusing. If this does not happen 10 he in the centre of an interesting picture area. the camera again ha~ to be panncd. whereby darkl light dis<\ribUtion c,Ul be checked at the saJTIe timc, The- t\\'l1 pictures above were taken in this way. Left: Focusing and exposure measurement on the boy on the right in the leIl window - pan the camera back to desired picture area - no

change in exposure value - shool. Right: fo­cusing and exposure measurement on the young lady in the left of the picture - pan hack to the desired picture arc,t - considerable change in exposure value. as DOW predomi­nantly white details arc heing registered from the measuring fidel of the exposure Older ­therefore exposure mea<;uremeot is catTied

out again by pointing the camera downwards to the far left (parl of the measuring field is even underneath the picture section)- back to correct picture an:a - shoot. On the bright beach of Acapulco the exposure value was de­termined by panning the camera Lo tbc right. and measuring outside Lhe range of the suhjecl

area. In this area there were reed hUIS, palm trees. deckchairs and people. i.e. an even Jis­tribuLion of li[!ht ;Jnu dark det<lIls. II sUl,;h suh­stitute measur.;;1I1enls <.Ire not possible. expo­sure measurement should be carried out on the light dl:tails. for exampk. thl.: light sand on the beach or in the dest::rl, the wh.ilewash_ed wall'- in a (in,;c:k village m the sno\\' on th(~ run ~f a ski slopL:. and the valu-: th-:n corrected accordingly, Opening up the diaphragm bv two stops conects the exposure value for purely white details, i.e. multiplying the shutler speed by ,'I (l:.g. ',,'Osee. instead of '/:<o",sec). Fill" lighl­coloured details such as sand, one stop is suf­ficient or twic~ tUL: shutter speed.

In sunny SD()WSCapes the cmrcc~ CXPOSllJ'C [or the areas of sunlight can be detL:rmineLl hy measuring the shade. In this case 110 cnrrcctiorl must be made. For photos of spotlighted subjects. when malw detaib of til.: subjecl ,ife in the: shadows, or for prcJOnlinanlly dark subjects. such as steam engi nes or black fiL:lds of lava. there are usually small portions of thL: picture area with a good distribution of light and J;irk details which can be measured using ~rOI metering. Jn this pic­lure taken at the balk!. lhe area for mea~un~­ment was at the far right, partly outside the picture area. If then; an; DO suitable areas, exposure measurement must be carried out on

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the dark details and a correCtion made, result­ing in a shorter shutler speed. Stopping down by half a stop (in extreme cases a whole slap) is enough. If there is a very great contrast between light and dark parts of the image. the exposure range of the films is not sufficient to rcgister all the nuances in brightness of the subject. either in the "light" or in rhe "shade". The photo­grapher can decide for himself where be wants the more detail. For example. a person can appear as a hlack silhouette (unda-exposed) in front of a correctly exposed landscape, or correctly exposed in (root of a "bleached" background (over-exposed). Measurement of

"light" and "shade" <lnct the consequent expo­sure value usually leads to unsatisfactory re­sults. because delicate differences in bright­ness arc lost both in the light and the dark areas. The landscape photo was taken after measuring in the lower right part of the piclun: (shadow of thc tree on the grass and the horse). For fast-moving subjects, there is often no time for exposure measurement. I n such cases. ex­posure measurement is carried out before­hand. Til this example, measurement was done in the lOp left-band corner. as the tapes bor­dering the racetrack provided light and dark details. Deliberate over- or under-exposure often en­

hances the characta of a picture and can used as a good compositional aid. In this landscape ph010, exposure measurcmeol was done on the fir trees aod mountain ridges on the left of tbe picture (without the sky) and the value \Vas then reduced by tWll stops.

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Use of older LEICA-M lenses Lens design All LEICA-M lenses can be used without re­ LEICA lenses all have a fixed ring with depth­striction. However. the exposure metering system does not [uJJction with the following:

or·beJd scale (IS). a rotatable focusing ring (\6) and a n aperture-selling ring (17). 17

I-10LOGON 15 tum £8 SUPER-ANGULON-IvI21 mill f 4 16 SUPER ANGULON-M 21 111m f 3.4 ELMARlT-M 28 111111 [2.8 up to Serial No. n14921.

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Flash ~Yllt:tiroriir.ation

All currently ,lvilil,lhlc flash units can he con­nected 10 the: LEJCi\ M (j via the interna­lionally standardrzcd "LIor shoe" (10). and a "PC" cord socket (~l). We recommend the use of modem thyristor-controlled electronic Oash-uruIS. Electrol]lc-[]ash units can be SVllch.ronized at " f " (1/50 sec.). or .at aLi longer ~xposure times down to "B". when special effects ilrc wanted. ']\vo f1<lsh units can be connected by lIsing both the PC socket and hotshoc.

en J:J 'S J:J s::. en <II u:

1 - f ('/so), 8Electronic flash

AG 38 1 ---> '!lo, 8

PFl B XM1B

Flashcubes

M3 PFC4

["ocusing ring The focus ring (16) shows the distance St:l and. in combination with 111e scale (15), the depth­of-field 1'<1 ngt:.

lillle practice. the aperlures can also be set in the dark.

Aperture ring The apl:-rtllrc fignres are internationally fixed. They are so designed that the amount of Jigbl reaching the film is always halved when one stops down from aperture to aperture. One stop corresponds 10 one selling on the ,huller speed dial (9). The aperllln: riag is cLick-slorred al e:ach full stop (for IllOSt lenses also half stops) in a simi­Jar fashion to the shuller speed di,,!. After a

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Depth-of-field scale Th~ plane which is reproduced the sharpest is that on which th~ lens is foclised. This greatest ~harpness decreases gradually in front of and hehind this pl<lne so that a certain range exists within which the image is, to the eye, repro­duced sharply. The depth-or-field is dependent upon the focus selling, the focal leng, h of the !em, and the aperture. Stopping down increas­.:s depth-of-field. widening the aperture de­creases it. The depth-of-field scale indicMes the range of sharpness at the set focus dis­tance. For example. using the SUMMTLUX"'-M 50 mm f 1.4 lens focused on 5 metres. the depth­

of-field at f 4 ranges from 4-8 metres approxi­mately. Stopping down to fU. however. in­creases the range to 3-20 metres.

o =

Lens hoods Each LElCA lens is supplied willI an indivi­dually-designed lens hood, Some of them can be allached in the reversed posit ion. Telephoto lenses have built-in hoods which pull out tele­scopically. The lens hoods should alway~ be used as '11ey provide. on the one hand. shade fTOm side lighting or glare, and. on the other. protection against rain drops or finger marks.

Bag~ and Clllies The e\'~r-ready case (Order No. 1450S) is re­commended for use of the LFWA M 6 with one lens from 2] -50 mm (,lpart from the SU mm f 1). The front pari is removable if the bulloJl on the rear j;" pUlihed upwards. In ad­dition. the Combi Bag (Order 1\0. 14840) is available for a camera plus up to threc lenses. \\"liihl tilt,: Universal H,l~ (Or~kr No. 14827) accommodates a C,lmer<l with up to five lenses.

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Filters All LEICA M lenses have standard-si7e filler threads. The excepton is the SUMMTLUX-M 35 mm t 1.4 which accepts Series 7 fillers in­serted into the unscrewable lens hood. When metering the exposure through the lens. any reduction in light caused by a filter is au­tomatically taken into account. However. films have different seosilivilic,~ in the individual spectral regions. meaning that the more ex­treme filters could cause deviations from the conect exposure. For example. orange fi Iters generally need one stop more exposure~ red, on average, two stops more. A universally valid correction factor is not possible as the red sensitivity of black-and-white films varies con­siderably.

E~'esight correction lenses For optimal matching of the viewfinder to lhe e~'c. correction lenses in lh<;; [ollowing strengths are available (dioptres. spherical):

+ 0.5. + 1, + 1.5. + 2. + 3 - 0.5. - I. - 15. - 2. - 3

LEICA WINDER M Either of the LEICA WTNDER M 4-P or M.J­

(from Serial No. 10350) can be Buached to the LEICA M 6 t.or automatic film transport and reselling of the shutler, for single expo­sures and series up to three !Sames per second. The winder is mounted on the camera in place of the base plate, and is suitable for all shutter speeds from I to '/",~) SeC.. incluiling B. When the winder is switched off or if the balleries are dead, the film can still be wound on manually as normal. Remote release is possible via the cable release connection.

Care of the I.EICA M 6 and lenses A lens works as a burning glass when it IS

(Ii mend at the Sl1 n. 1. e. if the sun shines eli reetly throl1g.h thc lens onto the shuller it burns a holc:: into the shuller curtain. The camera in­side mus!. therefore. be protected by using lhe lens cap. keeping the camera in its case, and leaving it in the shade. Every lens has. in addi­t ion to its name, a "personal" serial number. This. as well as the camera number whieh is engraved on lhe hotshoe of the LEICA M 6. should be noted down in case the camera is lost or stolen. Dust should be removed [rom the Quter lens dements using a soft-haired brush or. with care, a soft. clean, dry cotton cloth. The special cleaning cloths for spectacles are not recom­mended. as they arc impregnated with chemi­cab which could attack optical glass (optical glass for high-performance lenses has a Jiffer­ent composit inn to glass for spectacles). In poor condition. e. g. at the seaside. in tropi­l:al regions etc.. a colourless UVa filter can be u:;.:d to protect the front lens element against salt water spray, sand and similar. l-lowever. any additional glass surface placed before the lens (i. e. a filter) can cause undesirable lIar~

or reflect ions. in rart icular when shooting

again~;;t the light or in situations with great conlraSI. The lens hood is equally good pro­tection against fingermarks and rain.

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Alphahetical Index Page Aperture setting ring .................................... 37 Bags and cases ................................................19 Helllcry ........................................................... 1~

Bright-line frame selector lever ................... 14 Carrying strap ................................................ 6 Correction lenses ........................................... 40 Customer Service .......................................... 4~

Depth-or-field scale ...................................... :;,"; Exposure metering ........................................ 2'I

- general hints On expo~ure

metering .............................................. 28 - melcr sensitivity ................................. 23 - switching on the exposure meIer ...... 22 - tips ....................................................... 30 - very low tight levels ............................ 23

Film ................................................................. 8 - insenig the fi.lm ................................... 8 - rewinding and removing ................. " 10 - selling film speed ................................ 20

Page Filter ............................................................... 40 Fla;:;h synd11'llllisation ................................... 36 Focusing ......................................................... 37 Holding the camera ....................................... 11 L.:ns hoods ..................................................... 39 Metering Gelds ............................................... 24 Metering diagram .......................................... 26 M-Lenses ........................................................ 37

o:.:onstruction ........................................ 37 - interchangeable lenses ....................... 42 - use of existing lenses .......................... 37

Rangefindt::r .....................:............................. 16 Range-viewfinc!l;r .......................................... 1 Rapid-wind lever ........................................... 8 Shutter release ............................................... ~

Slmller-spcedJaperture combination ......... 11 Shutler-speed dial .......................................... 20 Tips on the care of camera and lensco;; ........ 41 Winder M ....................................................... 40

LEICA M lenses The LEICA M system offen; a basis for rapid. inconspicllOlJs pholOgraphy, in poor liglll such as in church or at conc~rts. The lens range reaches from 21 to }35 mm with ma.ximurn ap<:rtuJCS of f 1.4 [l nd even I 1.

Enlargers When you usc a superh camera like the LEl­CA M 6. the reprouuclion equipment should malo:.:h the camera's quality and performance. The LEICA FOCOMA1" V 35 autofocus en­larger is the perfect complement to your LEI­

AM6.

Projectors For your LEICA M 6 slides there is a compre­hensive range of versatile. easy-to-use projec­turs. with a large choice of options. Till.: LEI­CAP 200D PRADOVlT and the LElCA P 150. LEtCt\ P 155. and LEICA P 255 oller tQtaluser convenience fI nd a versatile range of optional modules. Superb optic;)l performance in combination \-vith lraditional Leica precision mechanics are the common <knominntor of all LEJCA pro­jectors.

Binoculars Superb optics arc the most outstanding smgle feaWre of all LEICA binoculars. Thev are made of ll1..: same high-grade optical glass as the world-famous LETCA lenses. Their bril­liant optical performance and exceptional re~olution ensure thaI you obtain n vivid 1111'1.:.:­dimensional image e\-en in poor light.

Customer Service For (he malotenance and. in the unlikely case of damage, repairs to your lens, please COllsultlhe Customer Service of Leica Camera GmbH or the Customer Service orany national Lcica Ca­mera agency (sec warranty card for address list). .'\~k your authorized dealer or specialist for ad­vil~e.

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.... Rcgl'$teled TriulcnlArk IUu~lr ... t[t)ll!o". d~cr4p[lnn'l. dnd IcC'hrUcal d:llllllIC not bif)dmr. nnd. m:t) bo chHne.cd \\'ithout noOcc.

1rndem>rk or rhe Le~C3 CamCIa G rou p

Leka Camel:! GmbH, Osk:ar·Barn~i,;k·SIrI.tUe II. LJ-6~36 Soln')o; Tel.fon 06~ 42 I 20S·0. T.I.r.< 06H} I 208·>JJ. T.le, 'S161O 'oic. d

eng,l 9302751 dL ~3027J/ff7.... 930276 Printed In German}' VI1I/92/CX/L