Leica rangefinder flare?

[rolleiman]

Apologies if this subject has been raised before, but I've heard that M6 rangefinders have a tendency to "flare" in certain light conditions making them difficult to focus. I came across this criticism again when reading a Net review of the Bessa R2; the reviewer stating he preferred the Bessa to the M6 as the rangefinder was brighter and not prone to the flare exhibited by the M6 in bright light.

Have M6 users encountered this? Would it deter you from purchasing another one?

[zightx]

I've owned a M6 classic before and just purchased a M6 TTL. I've found the rangefinder flare annoying from time to time. It doesn't happend that often but when you're shooting in bright light/into a lightsource it happends once in a while. Try reposition the camera and keep the eye in the middle of the viewfinder.

You can get it upgraded to the MP finder which should be much less prone to flare.

[250swb]

It never really bothered me, just repositioning my eye or a very slight movement of the camera would solve it. The perceived problem seems to have gotten bigger the longer the camera has been out of production, purely because what was OK then now becomes a PITA because of the better MP viewfinder. People are less tolerant. And I think you could go a long time without even seeing the problem anyway.

Steve

[Oren Grad]

Yes, the rangefinders in my M6 bodies flare. But I can almost always work around it, and it hasn't bothered me enough to justify paying for the finders to be upgraded with the MP rangefinder components. Also, if I needed another body and found an attractively-priced M6, the RF flare wouldn't stop me from buying it.

[Pioneer]

Mine has flared occasionally. I curse a lot when it happens. It usually is not a problem but if you shoot into strong light a lot, you may want to consider holding your hand between the light source and the viewfinder. In my experience that seem to take care of the worst of the problem and it is probably a lot less expensive than swapping viewfinders. It is a bit trickier to focus when you are using one hand to shield the viewfinder but true rangefinder fans are used to little set backs like this.

[jochen]

Hello,
the viewfinder of all M-cameras from the M 2 to the M 6 have more or less flare when a very intensive light source is a little bit outside of the frame. The only exception is the M 3 which has a tolly different viewfinder. My M 6 had to be sent in for repair and by this opportunity I let exchange the front glass against the multi coated one from the MP 0.72. The result was that now the red LED's are so extremely bright, that it is sometimes difficult to balance them for equal brigthness. I contacted Mr. Erwin Puts and he confirmed my observation.

[sepiareverb]

Way more problematic on the internet than in real life. I've been shooting M bodies nearly every day for seven years and have seen this once or twice.

[rolleiman]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I'll try both the M6 and the Bessa R2 viewfinders before I decide on a purchase. It does seem a little strange though that given the high cost of the Leica, they haven't found a fix for this, even if it is not that troublesome to some. If Cosina can incorporate a viewfinder that apparently doesn't flare in a much cheaper priced camera, why can't Leica?

[jochen]

Hello,
the exchange of the front window really did improve the flare of my M 6 but on the other side now the LED's are too bright. If you follow the development from the M 3 to the MP or M 7 you cannot say that Leica was really innovative. The M 6 had the technical niveau of a Pentax Spotmatic from 1964. They did not invest huge sums into the improvement of a design that with the M 3 in 1954 was so perfect.

[Mackinaw]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I'll try both the M6 and the Bessa R2 viewfinders before I decide on a purchase. It does seem a little strange though that given the high cost of the Leica, they haven't found a fix for this, even if it is not that troublesome to some. If Cosina can incorporate a viewfinder that apparently doesn't flare in a much cheaper priced camera, why can't Leica?

Leica did fix the problem. They added a small lens into the viewfinder mechanism which eliminated the flare. MP cameras have the improved viewfinder, so they don't flare. Some folks have had the MP viewfinder installed in their M6 but most folks don't. In reality, the flare is no big deal. It rarely happens. As somebody else suggested, you may see it a few times/year. If I had a M6, I sure wouldn't worry about it.

Jim B.