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Ask a room full of photographers to name one film camera and a lot of them will say the Leica M6. It is small, quiet, entirely manual except for its light meter, and built around a rangefinder rather than a mirror. It first appeared in 1984, became the working tool of a generation of street and documentary photographers, and returned as a new production camera in late 2022. If you are curious about shooting film with a Leica, this is where most people start, so here is how the camera works and how to buy one without regret.
Leica M6 film camera basics
The M6 is a 35mm film camera in the Leica M system. M stands for Messsucher, the German word for rangefinder, and every M camera uses the same bayonet mount, so lenses made over many decades still fit. The body is compact and heavy for its size because it is mostly metal, and the controls are as simple as cameras get: a shutter speed dial on top, an aperture ring on the lens, a focusing ring, a film advance lever and a rewind crank.
What made the M6 special when it arrived was the light meter. Earlier classic M bodies had no built in meter at all, so photographers carried a handheld meter or guessed. The M6 put a meter inside a body that otherwise felt like the older mechanical cameras. Leica describes it as selective exposure metering through the lens, with the light balance displayed in the lower part of the viewfinder. In practice you see two small arrows. Turn the aperture or the shutter speed dial until both arrows light evenly and the exposure is set.
The battery only powers that meter. The shutter is mechanical, so the camera still fires at every speed if the battery dies. That detail is a big part of why the M6 earned its reputation for reliability.
How the rangefinder works
A rangefinder camera does not look through the lens. You look through a separate window with a small bright patch in the middle. That patch shows a second image of the scene, and when you turn the focusing ring the two images slide together. When they line up, the subject is in focus. Leica describes both superimposed image and split image focusing in the M6, and says the mechanical rangefinder is handcrafted from more than one hundred individual parts.
The finder in the current M6 has 0.72x magnification and shows illuminated framelines for six focal lengths, arranged in pairs: 28 and 90mm, 35 and 135mm, and 50 and 75mm. When you mount a lens, the matching frame appears automatically. Because the window is larger than the frame, you can see what is about to walk into the picture. Many street photographers say this is the real reason they love the system. If you want to understand the tradeoffs against a mirror camera in more depth, our guide to rangefinder vs SLR cameras walks through it.
The Leica M6 reissue
In 2022 Leica brought the M6 back as a new camera rather than a limited edition. The company says the new generation stays true to the original from 1984 and carries the red Leitz logo that early bodies wore. Leica also lists a highly scratch resistant lacquer, a solid brass top cap, robust leatherette and an anti reflective coating on the viewfinder glass to reduce stray light.
For buyers, the reissue changes the question. You no longer have to choose between hunting for a clean used body and going without. A new M6 arrives with a warranty and fresh mechanics. A used M6 can cost less, but it may need a service, especially if the rangefinder has drifted or the shutter has slowed after decades of use.
Original vs reissue: how to choose
- Buy new if you want the camera to simply work, plan to shoot a lot, and do not enjoy the gamble of used gear.
- Buy used if you are comfortable checking a camera carefully, or you buy from a seller who has serviced it and offers a return window.
- Either way, budget for at least one lens. The camera is only half the system, and many owners spend more on glass than on the body.
On a used body, check that the rangefinder patch is bright and lines up both side to side and up and down at infinity, that the shutter sounds even at slow speeds, that the meter responds, and that the film door closes cleanly. Ask how recently it was serviced and by whom.
Which lens to start with
Most people begin with a 35mm or a 50mm lens. A 35mm lens shows a little more of the scene and suits street photography, travel and everyday life. A 50mm lens is closer to how your eye frames a subject and works well for portraits. Leica keeps a full range of M lenses, and many older Leica and third party lenses also fit the mount. Start with one and learn it well before you buy another.
Which film to load first
The camera is only as good as the film inside it. A forgiving color negative stock is the easiest way to learn the meter, and our look at Kodak Gold 200 explains why it is a friendly first roll. For fine grain and saturated color, Kodak Ektar 100 rewards careful exposure. If you prefer black and white, Kodak Tri-X 400 is the classic choice for street work. Once you have a few rolls back, our guide to 35mm vs 120 film explains what changes if you ever move to medium format.
Who the Leica M6 suits
The M6 suits photographers who want a camera that disappears in the hand, who work at normal and wide focal lengths, and who enjoy slowing down. It is a less natural fit if you want long telephoto lenses, close up work, or autofocus, since a rangefinder is at its best between about 28 and 90mm. It is also not cheap, new or used, so it makes the most sense if you plan to keep it and shoot with it for years.
That is the real appeal. The M6 is a camera people keep. It does not need software updates, it does not become obsolete when a new model comes out, and it gets quietly better as you learn it.
Where to buy
For more cameras, film stocks and process guides, browse our Leica and film photography hub.
