Initial thoughts:

There’s something about the Leica M6 that prompts you to take mirror selfies. I don’t know if it’s the fact that the M6 might just make you feel cool even though you know a mirror selfie is a little, well mid 2000’s or maybe Benj Haisch is to blame for his awesome selfie taken in Paris. Either way, whether you wear a tiny little beanie and take selfies or don’t; you’re going to love this little camera and want to carry it with you everywhere you go. The Leica is a true range finder film camera that has a built in light meter, mechanical shutter and offers manual focus only. If you want to dive into the specs, go here [ here ] but as far as using the camera specs aside I’ll dig into that a little more.

For the past year I have carried my Leica M6 for elopements, weddings, couple sessions and travel landscape photography. It’s been with me across Colorado as I offer film coverage options for all of my local elopements and sessions here. It’s been with me to a few different states and across the world to Iceland for an elopement. There’s something about the Leica M6 that just feels right. I don’t exactly know how to put it into words, but when you pick it up you’ll know if it’s for you or not. There’s also the range finder aspect that isn’t for everyone, but more on that later. So far I’ve shot hundreds, maybe a few grand worth of film through it while using the Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 lens and the Summilux 50mm 1.4

Leica M6 Experience For Wedding Photography

The thing about shooting with a range finder film camera and it being a manual focusing system is it truly forces you to slow down. And yes, you can get fast and you will be faster with focusing as you practice and photograph more but in my experience so far it will force you to slow down, no matter what but that’s in comparison with DSLRS with autofocus lenses. And who’s to say that burst mode with an insanely fast focusing system is the way to go? The below elopement photos were all taken with my Leica M6 on Kodak Professional Portra 400.

For landscape photography or travel photography in general I think the Leica M6 is a great choice. The below image was taken on the M6 on Kodak Professional Porta 400 somewhere in Iceland

The Leica M6 is an awesome camera for landscapes. I have heaps of photos I could share from all over Rocky and Iceland and I’m really happy with most of them. I do struggle sometimes with keeping my horizons straight, it’s always been a thing for me on digital too so it might not having anything to do with the M6.

Sunset off Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park Photographed on the Leica M6 Portra 400

The M6 makes a great carry for a date night in Rocky to watch sunset. When I shoot I typically lean on the more underexposed side which you can see here. The tricky thing with that is you can lose detail in the image vs with a digital it’s the other way around. I’m trying to push myself a bit more and shoot properly exposed or pushed a stop or so to retain more detail and more range.

Using the Leica M6 for Weddings

I’m not sure that the M6 is the most practical decision for an elopement or wedding but it honestly comes down to a few things. If you enjoy shooting with rangefinders and the slower pace that a manual focus film camera brings then you might just love it. There’s also the simplicity of the camera which is honestly one of my favorite things about it. You have the top dial that’s easy to see and set your shutter speed and the built in light meter really couldn’t get any more simple.

The Leica M6 is incredible and the most basic camera all at the same time. Don’t ask me how it’s possible, just try shooting with one and you will understand. Now that I’ve had the M6 for several elopements it’s become a staple for me and I’ll continue to carry it with me as part of my wedding photography gear.

The Leica M6 is such a small non intrusive camera that it really, really allows you to blend in with the crowd and document from a guest perspective.

Lake Isabelle Elopement on 35mm Film Photographed on a Leica M6

What I don’t like about the Leica M6

Honestly, there’s not much to not like about it. If I had to pick a few things I would probably start with the price point which is both good and bad. It’s amazing that these cameras hold their value so well and even can increase in value. And at the same time the entry point to get what is truly a pretty basic camera is steep. At the time of writing this I think you can find a used Leica M6 for around $2,800 USD which for the same price you could buy 10 Canon-AE1s but they don’t have the famous red dot or make you want to wear a tiny beanie and take mirror selfies. I don’t love the film backing plate, after loading and unloading a few rolls you start to adjust to it but it just feels odd. It’s kind of like opening a can with a lid and needing to remember to use the can opener to put it back on and not leave the plate somewhere.

If you photograph with a manual focusing lens and especially a range finder, you’re going to miss focus. And you might really miss focus a lot as you learn the system but I say embrace it especially when you get lovely surprises. The other nice thing is in 2024 the intentional blurry photo thing is very much a trend and in and seems to be staying around so it couldn’t be a more perfect time to get an M6.

I love the colors that the Leica M6 produces. The below image was taken on Kodak Professional Portra 400 which is one of my favorite film stocks. It was developed and scanned by Nice Film Club which by the way you can use my referral [ here ] to get a roll developed for free.

Is the Leica M6 for you? Does the M6 work well for wedding photography?

It’s hard to answer those questions but I think they are worth considering. If you like small film range finder cameras that offer only manual focus lenses, then yes. If you’re someone that shoots high speed weddings, burst mode and are less on the documentary style of weddings than probably not the best option for you.

In summary I’ll continue to carry the Leica M6 with me to photograph elopements and weddings! I love the simplicity of it, the colors it produces, the size and overall user experience. I’ll most likely keep taking some mirror selfies with the M6 as well and pushing its limits.