The M6 ​​is back, the Leica icon of film photography

A light pressure is all it takes: the lever of the transport mechanism slides forward softly but firmly, while a small, characteristic clicking noise confirms the progress of the film. The exposure number indicator barely moves, indicating that this will be the ninth shot of the 36 available with the supplied roll.

Technically, the Leica M6 – an updated edition of the iconic analog camera that the German brand produced from 1984 to 2002 – is now ready to shoot. However, we need more time: to first adjust the aperture, then to set the shutter times, until in the exposure meter (inherited from the Leica MP and now updated with anti-reflective treatment) the red arrows on the side do not give way to the dot. in the center, a sign of correct exposure. And then, finally, to focus on the subject, strictly manually, taking the right time to perfectly superimpose the two images generated by the rangefinder.

In the name of Photography

In an era dominated by digital and speed, the rebirth of the M6 ​​is above all an act of love towards “conscious analog photography, understood as the antithesis to the deluge of digital images”. These are the words of Stefan Daniel, Executive Vice President of the Leica Technology and Operations sector who, on the stage set up for the gala evening in the Leitz-Park in Wetzlar (headquarters of the brand), recalled how the M6 ​​was a milestone in history of the company, sold in 175 thousand units over 18 years of presence on the market.

The return to production of the M6 ​​is also a tribute with which Leica honors its history and tradition, dusting off and relaunching a manufacturing capacity and expertise that it has been able to preserve over the decades: when it continued to produce film cameras with the M7 models, MA and MP; but also when Stefan Daniel himself, in the mid-00s, chose to “save” the older production machinery (and today impossible to replicate) by transferring them to the new Portuguese factory instead of sending them to landfills. A wealth of skills, experience and artisanal tools unique in the world, which today have allowed Leica to put back into production in a relatively very short time a camera consisting of over 1500 pieces, all of which are produced in-house.

Reviving the analog

“The time had come to revive analog, and the M6 ​​was the perfect camera to do so – explains Jesko Von – not only because it represents the leitmotiv of the M series, the model whose functionality, design and quality have inspired our modern digital, or because we still had the machines to produce it, but also because the demand is growing rapidly “. There was a moment, in the mid-’10s, after a long decline in sales, “when we sold only one analog camera a day globally – continues Von – and looking back, it’s incredible that we decided not to stop production. Yet we have continued to believe in it, and now demand is growing rapidly, so much so that we have already returned to the production levels of 2006 “. The public is a mix of loyal customers, collectors and young people, with the latter being increasingly attracted to film photography and, more generally, to the rediscovery of analog in various sectors including music, as confirmed by the recent return of vinyl.

Taking pictures slowly

Once the camera has been set up, it’s time to shoot: in front of a mirror placed in the center of the square overlooked by the hotel and the Leitz-Park museum, we allow ourselves an analog “selfie” of which we will see the result only a few hour later, thanks to the printers that Leica summoned specifically to develop the many rolls impressed by journalists and guests from 30 different countries. A way of experiencing the creation of the image that slows down to become a ritual, which gives weight and importance to every action and choice, which restores sacredness to the simple act of activating the shutter. A process that certainly cannot replace that offered by digital – extraordinarily more efficient – but which is complementary to it, enriching and completing the experience of every photographer.

An icon, improved

The 2022 Leica M6 comes with a 0.72x magnification rangefinder which is now internally painted in matte black capable of absorbing 99.9% of the light, while all optical surfaces are treated to eliminate reflections, perhaps the only weak point of the original M6. The shell has also been revised: While the cover of the previous model was made of die-cast zinc, it is now milled from solid brass and protected with an abrasion-resistant black enamel. The red “Leitz” logo stands out above everything, just like in the original from 1984. Available starting November 3, 2022 at Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store and authorized dealers, the Leica M6 will be on sale at a price of € 5,050. (body only), VAT included.

We tested it with a re-edition of the splendid Summilux-M 35 f / 1.4, a lens that made Leica history and known both as the “Steel Rim” (for the stainless steel front ring), and as the “King of Bokeh “. Presented in 1961, it has been in production for 35 years and is now finally back on the market with a version that fully respects both the vintage design and the optical layout, at a price of € 3,850 including VAT.

The Oskar Barnack Award 2022

Simultaneously with the launch of the Leica M6, the award ceremony of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2022 took place at the Leitz Park in Wetzlar. This year the winner was Kiana Hayeri with Written on the Ice, Left in the Sun, 8-year project that tells with great force the often very difficult conditions of women in Afghanistan. For the Newcomer category, on the other hand, the very young German photographer Valentin Goppel prevailed with the series Between the Yearswhich documents the life of a group of his peers during and immediately after the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.