Leica's most iconic film camera — the M6 rangefinder with TTL metering.
The Leica M6 is a classic 35mm film rangefinder from Leica, produced from 1984 to 2002 and representing the definitive Leica M film camera for most photographers. The M6 reintroduced built-in metering to the Leica M line after the M5 meter was discontinued, combined with the traditional Leica M mechanical shutter.
The M6 uses the Leica M bayonet for all M-mount lenses, provides TTL centre-weighted metering via LED indicators in the viewfinder, a mechanical cloth focal-plane shutter that operates without batteries, and 35mm film transport. It was produced in standard (0.72x) and viewfinder variants (0.58x, 0.85x).
The M6 is the most widely owned professional Leica M film camera — it combines the clean mechanical Leica M tradition with practical integrated metering, avoiding the M5's bulk and the M7's battery-dependent shutter. The metering uses batteries only; the shutter fires mechanically without them at 1/60s and bulb.
Test TTL metering accuracy against a reference. Check mechanical shutter at all speeds without batteries. Verify rangefinder patch brightness and coupling accuracy. Inspect viewfinder framelines clarity. Test film transport with fresh batteries for metering.