(2/2) Leica talk | the story HOW I got my Titanium Leica M6
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 พ.ค. 2020
- Most of the people only talk about why they want to get or got a specific camera. However, especially with used, old, analog cameras I think the story behind how a specific camera made it's way into one's hands is just as exciting as the motivation to buy that camera. In this video I will therefore tell you the whole story about how I bought my Titanium Leica M6 - pretty much by coincidence.
Video recorded on my Sony a7II.
Music (non-profit use):
"Rain" - Lee
"Bubbles" - Kiyoto
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Where to find me
INSTAGRAM: @karinmajoka
WEBSITE: www.karinmajoka.com
Your uncle will much rather live in your M6 than in the money... you made a really good decision.
I guess Im asking the wrong place but does someone know a tool to log back into an Instagram account?
I somehow lost my login password. I appreciate any help you can give me!
@Maximilian Tommy instablaster :)
@Rogelio Alonso Thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm waiting for the hacking stuff atm.
I see it takes quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
@Rogelio Alonso It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. Im so happy:D
Thank you so much, you saved my account!
@Maximilian Tommy You are welcome =)
The Leica M6 I bought in 1998 was stolen in 2012 as I was checking out of a hotel in Beijing. I was devastated. It took so long for me to save up enough money to buy it, I knew I would never own another. Then in 2017 a used one in mint condition showed up in the local camera shop where I had purchased my original Lecia M6 new. The owner knew I was looking to replace it and called me. Turns out the owner had bought the camera new in 1999 for a trip to Africa. He decided that he didn't like rangefinder cameras and put it in a closet when he got home. Seventeen years later he died and his wife put the camera up for sale. She said her husband probably hadn't put 10 rolls of film though it. The plastic scratch guard was still on the baseplate. I sent it off for a CLA and I now have an M6 again.
Oh no, the first part was heartbreaking to read. I can feel your pain, it must be awful to get robbed of a piece of gear that was an acquaintance for 14 years. But that's a nice little coincidence that you could pick one up in the same shop you bought your first one from! Glad that you have an M6 again, that's a good guy shop owner right there. Thanks for sharing this story! :)
Love this story, it was meant to be!!
Wonderful story and I am sure your uncle is smiling down when he sees the happiness it has given you. I bought my Leica M6 about six months ago and feel.the same way about mine.
What a wonderful story! As a lover of Leicas, I really think there is no other camera which makes you want to pick it up and go out to shoot. They are unique in that and a joy to use. I hope you get to use that camera for many years to come, even a lifetime. Enjoy!!
The 70 euros clip in the start of the video almost gave me a heart attack the first time I watched..... after watching multiple times it still makes my heartbeat go through the roof lol
I Hate Photographers hahaha! I made this video and even I get a mini heart attack sometimes when seeing the preview
Perfect story. That m6 will always remind you of your uncle. It just became a family heirloom.
It does a lot indeed, every time I pick it up, I think of him. I will never ever in my lifetime let it go. :)
Love your story. You should definitely keep that M6 for as long as you live.
My M6 story: I had two. I moved from New York to Paris in 1998. My most valuable possessions were my 2 M6's and 35mm summicron from the 70s (the lens I used for 99% of my work), 50mm dual-range summicron, and 21mm. During my first few years in Paris, I lived in a 'chambre de bonne', a 6th floor tiny maid's room, with just a sink, toilet in the hallway. The building's concierge lady's son, a young hashish dealer, passed by my room one day and asked me for a glass of water. He saw my Leicas on my desk. Several weeks later, when I returned to my room one morning, my room had been burglarized, the young asshole had stolen one of my M6's, the 50mm and 21mm lenses. Couldn't prove it was him. My 2nd M6, with the 35mm lens, was left in a taxi in Rome in the summer of 2012 when I went there to assist a close friend who had had a severe problem.
After I lost my 2nd M6, I figured it was God's way of telling me that I needed to move on from Leicas, or that it was maybe karma payback for thefts committed in past lifetimes. I couldn't afford to buy another M6 with a 35mm lens, so I returned to 35mm SLR, what I had started out in photography with. Today, I have two Pentax LX's, one with a 35mm Pentax lens from the 70s, the other with a Leica 50mm summicron R adapted for the Pentax (which I bought for 280 euros). I am very happy with what I have today. I am done with the rangefinder.
I hope you are taking many beautiful pictures with your M6.
The fact that money from your uncle was put towards something that will probably last generations more makes the camera even more special.
A very touching story. I think your uncle wanted you to buy the Leica and leaving you the gift was his way of saying, "I love you, Karin". Thank you for sharing.
That was very lovely put, thank you!
I recently got into analog photography about a year ago. I had a roommate during my time in Chicago that was shooting medium format and developing in the bathroom of our apartment and it totally pushed me over the edge to start my analog journey. I started with a Canon AE-1 that I bought from offerUp (really cool story too but for another day) and couldn't stop shooting from there. When I got back to Miami (my hometown) I had really bad Gear Acquiring Syndrome and was thrift-shopping and ebaying a bunch of amazing film cameras 35mm & medium format. I had also just started my first job out of college, so I would bring my crazy film cameras to work every day. One of my coworkers would see me gush over my cameras and would always tell me "I have this old camera at home I use it for decoration! When I find it I'll give it to you you can have it!". I never thought much of it because I thought it was probably a cheap SLR i already own. Months went by and I started getting more and more into street photography, watching street documentaries, and of course, looking at Leicas. I help out with bills at home so I could never afford a body or lens in one shot, but I also felt like I was too much of a beginner to own one just yet (even though I think my shots are pretty good so far). I was even looking into zorkis because I wanted anything that might feel a little bit like a Leica. Fast forward to mid-march and the start of the Pandemic, my coworker is moving into a new apartment and she send me a text: "Found the camera! It's yours!". I opened the text and it was a freaking Leica M3 with a 50mm Summicron (I'm a 50mm shooter). I told her it's an expensive camera and that she can keep it if she wants. She insisted I keep the camera. I went to her place to pick it up and I was so excited. The shutter was jammed and it was dirty, but I could afford to send it off to get a good CLA. Now it looks brand new and works like a dream. It's my daily shooter. I still feel like I don't deserve it yet, but it somehow ended up in my lap. Working to get better everyday to live up to the camera!
No way, my heart just skipped a beat, a Leica M3 with a Summicron 50 - that's insane! Wow, what a lucky guy you are! :) Very loyal that you told her about the value of this camera and what a nice coworker to insist on you having it. It sounds like it's in very good hands right now, so I am sure she made the right decision! Thanks for sharing. :)
@@KarinMajoka Thank you! You're so sweet! I'm sure you're uncle is so happy and proud of you. Love your story it really seems like he wanted you to have it.
Also, love your videos so much cant wait to see more! :)
I bought my M6 in 1985, after shooting with manual Yashica, Konica, Minolta, Nikkormat, Nikon and Canon cameras, then I evolve to a Leica M6 w/40mm rokkor, like today, I shot with similar format digital cameras. Loved using and learning about the various camera systems, I ended up with the fujifilm x100f, which is a great camera as well. But, moving to retirement, I decided to go back to the best camera system, Leica. I really wanted a M10 w leica glass, but, it would have cost me about $10K...wow...so I decided on the M240 w/50mm summary, great price for me...i saved all my cameras as collector items, maybe I will sell them one day... I'm used to by 100 feet of film, and rolled my own rolls of film, which is one of the reasons. I'm was glad digital came along...if maintain film photography, maybe you should consider buying bulk film, and doing your own developing...saves a lot of money, and you always had fill on hand..
Wow, that sounds like you have been through a lot of camera systems! Nice to hear that you found a good system for what you do today, M240 with a nifty fifty sounds like a pretty awesome setup. I do buy my film in bulk (usually) and I develop and scan it myself, which indeed cuts a lot of the costs :)
Hearing your story reminded me of an event from my childhood. I was 13 years old and wanted a guitar more than anything, but had little money. There was a music store downtown in my little town and one day I fell in love with a guitar they had. I mowed lawns and shoveled snow and saved every penny that came into my hands for more than a year and every time my parents went into town I would go to the store and look at "my" guitar. Finally one Saturday in the summer I had saved enough and talked my mom into taking me to the music shop. I walked in and -- the guitar was gone, the space where it had hung was empty. I was devastated. They had other guitars, of course, but not like this one. It was perfect. It was beautiful. It smelled like fresh wood and lacquer and, well, it was too much. I turned to leave.
The old guy who ran the shop came out from the back of the store. "Are you here for the guitar?" He asked. "Some other fellow was looking at it and I was afraid he might buy it so I put it in the back. Let me get it for you."
Enjoy your Leica. Some things are meant to be. 😉
Never sell an M Leica. Everyone I know who has regretted it. You have a camera for a lifetime. Maybe two or three lifetimes.
While I agree on keeping the Leica's, the lifetime statement is pretty wild. They do go broke, especially the older ones. They're not easy to service, especially the M5, and they're not even a lifetime old. Bold statement.
@@Niele160 mmm I have an early serial M3, it has around 70 years, recently CLA'd and works like new. I wouldn't keep a digital Leica, but I would definitely keep an analog Leica. I once sold a black TTL M6 for about 1400USD, these days that specific model runs for about 3,000USD. Do I regret it, yes I do.
What I would suggest if you wanna sell one is to sell it on a fair price to a friend or college, not just a random buyer...
That's my 2 cents :)
@@barboshaa Leica M4 here, never CLA‘d.
Leica M5, needed a complete overhaul last year with new shutter cloths.
Leica M8 used a lot not a single service needed.
Leica M9-P also used a lot not a single service needed. So why on earth should a digital Leica not last?
That’s an awesome story! It was fate when I got my M2 as well. I had been wanting an M but didn’t have the money, I went into my local shop to buy a few rolls of film and stopped in front of the used camera shelf. They didn’t have anything I was interested in and walked over to the checkout counter. The guy ringing me up noticed me looking at the used gear and asked if I was looking for anything in particular. I asked if they had any a Leicas, just taking a shot In the dark. He said, “well actually, we literally just got one yesterday and it hasn’t been priced or put out yet... Want me to get it?” Of course I said yes, so he went in the store room and came back with a little brown leather case, he opened it up and there was a mint condition silver M2 inside. I figured it would be more than I could afford, but he said “it’s going to need a CLA because the slow speeds stick, but I don’t want to go through the effort of sending it out before selling it.” I asked how much, “how does $300 sound?” I paid for it and was out the door before he could change his mind haha
Wow, that's an absolute steal! Even with a couple of hundred bucks for that CLA this is still a bargain. This made me realise that simply asking sometimes pays off big time. Incredible story, thanks for sharing! :)
@@KarinMajoka Same here, I got my M4 for 500 Euros last year via eBay Kleinanzeigen. I just made a good offer for an untested camera.
Fantastic! Just came across this video while digging deeper and deeper into the M6 rabbit hole after a lucky purchase of a mint M6 and mint 35 summilux the other day. It’s a long and interesting story, and similar in many ways to yours. These kinds of serendipitous and personally meaningful, memorable experience are, I’m convinced, very real.
You worked with the Self Aware Universe. Another success story.
What a wonderful story! Enjoy your M6. I bought an M6TTL a few years ago. Much less drama. I had been researching them, looking on ebay, not finding one that gave me a good feeling that the particular one would be in the shape I wanted it to be in, or be a transaction I would want to pursue. Most of the ones in the US either didn't quite seem right, or I wasn't sure of the seller. Many great cameras were available in Japan, felt reliable, were more expensive, but I didn't want to deal with the hassle of an international transaction, customs, etc. Then I found one in California that was in great condition, the seller gave off good vibes, so I made an offer and went to bed. In the morning I saw there was a counteroffer splitting the difference in price and it was reasonable. A few days later it arrived in the mail.
I can imagine the struggle you had finding one! So nice that you finally managed to finde one from a good seller. Thanks for sharing. :)
What a lovely story! The Best I've heard this year😊
Such an incredible story, this was meant to be. Sorry for your loss. I believe your uncle is with you and your M6.
Great story! You will love that camera. My Leica M2 never leaves my side.
I dont usually post comment on youtube videos but yours video was so touching. What a great story behind the camera.
I have a leica m6 myself, been aiming it for a long time but could not make the decision cause it was not a cheap gear to afford in instant. But then i went off for a vacation trip in Japan and saw one in great condition with a very good deal so i crushed my credit card...🥴 Now i can see the price has gone up already. I am so grateful i made that decision compulsively and the camera has become my best buddy for every weekend.
Thanks so much for your kind words, I really appreciate it! And congrats on your acquisition - even though it was compulsive it sounds like you made the absolute right decision. Have fun shooting your buddy; my M6 also makes my weekends so much better!
I love this story. I bought an m6 Titan last week after the birth of my son. You’re 100% right in the importance of capturing family memories. 🙌
Hi, Karin
I watched these two videos about your story of the Leica M6 and found it quite moving and human. These are superb cameras and they do sell for a premium price, even used. I am looking for a 50mm Summicron lens for my M3 and wonder how many pints of blood will be needed to get one. But your story of losing that loving Uncle and joining your family for a birthday celebration-eventually getting enough money to purchase that M6 that you put on hold-is particularly moving. I respect and applaud your patience, and know fully your about your hopes and a moments of anxiety. I worked my way through college, and during those lean years, fine photography was only a vision. I graduated and then went to evening classes after work to earn my Masters degree. I have some experience about living lean and just being patient until I could pursue photography with better gear. Now on eBay I try to buy the gear that has been refurbished by the seller or camera shop. It costs a little more in the near term, but given this analog equipment is vintage & used, it seems a prudent move to get it in the best condition. I have had gear that failed in a middle of a shoot. You have made superb use of your M6 and the results that you post show us you have a vision and the ability to capture life in a brief moment. You images are not just of things or places, but rather they get us to ask where we are, how did this place become like this and what was the history. I think a good photo should stir one’s curiosity and emotions about life and place. In the ideal, they should get us thinking of how connected we are on this earth-and that we should use whatever media possible to improve life & awareness. I send you my best wishes and a virtual hug for your good work. Keep smiling and taking pictures.
It feels like ages ago when I posted the videos about my M6, but still to this day I think about this story a lot. Especially last November (the anniversary of when it all happened) was really moving for my family and me, but this story kind of keeps me smiling. Even though I only owned this M6 for 1,5 year, it has been a trusty and reliable friend that is a pleasure to use. I can relate to those lean years since I started studying. I think the way you do it, to invest a bit more but get a camera from a reliable source if the best way to do it! All the best and greetings from Germany.
@@KarinMajoka Karin, So good to hear from you. Leica makes superb cameras that are meant to last and be serviced as if they were a fine watch. As you can see from the results, there is a reason Leica is in demand-even used--by serious amateurs and professionals alike. Your story about family is perhaps what we all should remember. I believe no matter where we go or how much professional success we may achieve, your most precious memories will always be family. It is fun to share holiday dinner w family. Good food is meant to be shared with those you love. With this pandemic it has been harder to venture forth and take photos, or even to connect with loved ones. I sometimes wonder if during these unique times we should be recording the images of our cities-and even images of those who are less fortunate. How we respond to difficulties might be worth recording-safety considerations, notwithstanding. Politics and the resistance to sheltering & masks have created unnecessary tensions, but maybe those of us who can record images might help tell the complete story later. I hope things return to normal, but human nature & bad politics have made that process slower. I don’t know if I could share my email address, because I find my thoughts on many issues tumbling about. All the best from here in California. Be safe and keep smiling.
This is trully an amazing story. I came here by TH-cam recommandation and I thank them for that. You really made my day. I am sure your uncle (wherever he is) is happy and proud you bought the camera that was obviously made for you, and can now produce even better art.
I was lucky enough to be able to pay my Leica directly from a store, and as such I don't have such a story to tell. However, I look to it differently now knowing your story.
Thanks so much for your comment, this means a lot. Well, I think buying a Leica directly from the store (whenever this was) even though this is hardly possible nowadays is a great story in and of itself! :)
Thank you for your lovely story of your Leica M6. It’s one of those things that draws us to become Leica shooters. Once someone makes the decision to get, or, rather, falls in love with Leica and must join in the family, it creates a storyline for each individual’s Leica adventure. I shoot an M3 for film, and my emotional attachment to this amazing machine is indeed “cheezy,” but the camera makes me feel something special every time I pick it up. It feels made for me, which is a tribute to the designers and engineers who, over 60 years ago (!) made this enduring masterpiece. Your story really touched my heart.
Beautiful story and lovely family connection. I'd been looking for an M6 for a couple of years and found one on eBay it all looked good but sadly after having it a week the shutter broke. The repair bill was going to be £900 so in the end I traded it in to a camera shop for repair for a digital camera so I lost a lot of money. I said I would never buy another Leica. However a year later I walked into a camera shop in Bristol and they had a beautiful M6TTL 0.58 for an amazing price fully boxed. The last owner had really looked after it. I did not have the money for it but I knew it would be gone if I didn't buy it. I went and sat in a cafe and had three coffees working out what I could sell of my equipment. Like you I have a collection of vintage cameras. I worked out that my credit card bill would not come until the beginning of the following month so that with the savings I had and 3-4 weeks to sell some gear I could probably just do it. If not I would end up paying interest on my credit card. Anyhow I went back and brought the camera with a 35mm Voigtlander Lens. 3-4 weeks later I had sold enough of my gear to help cover the cost. I still use digital for some projects but I love my Leica. I recently had to get it valued for insurance and discovered it now actually worth more than when I brought it but I doubt I will sell it. Thanks for sharing your story.
Puh, so relieved that the story took a good ending! I can imagine how you must have felt after your first Leica broke done. But it's nice that you had the courage to buy the second Leica (that sounds incredible btw!) and make it work, must have been the right thing. Enjoy! :)
“you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” - Steve Jobs
Very inspirational quote, so on point. All the dots will be connected eventually. Thanks for sharing. :)
I love your video and story. That camera is beautiful, genuine piece of craftsmanship.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! :)
This story went like how you might have found the love of your life. I loved it, simply excellent! Congratulations on your M6, it's a solid piece of gear for the rest of your life.
It felt a bit like it as well! Thanks. :)
That’s an incredible story and it’s wonderful the love you will have for this camera and how it came to be yours.
Thanks so much for your comment, I really appreciate it! And even though it’s been over a year now since I got the camera I am still very happy about it ⚡️
That was such a good story. I think you did the right thing with buying the camera with the money, it makes it that more special than just buying a M6 a year later when the M6-jar was full. At least you now have something tangible that you will use every day and that will remind you of your uncle instead of having the money sitting in the bank until you have to use it for an unexpected car repair or something which would make for a negative memory. For my story, i randomly found a Mamiya C330F at the thriftstore for 10 euro and that made me discover filmphotography. Since then I did the same thing as you by going to every yardsale or fleamarket and buying/cleaning or repairing/selling film camera's so i had a separate pot in order to buy camera's I wanted to try out.
Thanks for your comment, this is so so true. Now of course I know that there wouldn't be any other thing I could have spend that money on better, but it was still not an easy decision back then. And woooow, that's a bargain on the C330F! Such a cool camera to introduce you into the world of photography! :)
Love your story. Can’t wait to see some more of your work.
Thanks for your comment Jessica, I appreciate it! :)
lovely story. The M6 is amazing, what I don’t like at this titanium version is the leather and the white numbers on the exposure dial.
My story is not so emotional. I was looking for a M2 in good condition made in my year of birth. One day a Leica-dealer offered a M2 made in 64, yes I’m a pretty old guy :-(
Everything seems to be perfect. But after checking the camera, I realized that the exposuretimes were to long. So I sent the camera back to fix the issue. 14 days later the camera came back. The exposuretimes were correct, but the glass of the viewfinder was broken, the leather was damage and there were a lot of scratches and depression. What a f..
I stopped the deal. 8 month later, I’m happy to find my 64-M2. I love this every-day-camera, specially with my 1.4 50mm and my 2.0 35mm.
For scanning the film, I use a lightpanel and a digital camera. For developing is „Negative Lap Pro“ a perfekt plugin to Lightroom.
I can see why you dislike the leather and the shutter speed dial, visually it might not be for everyone. For me I absolutely love both and think it works great together and makes the titanium a bit „special“ looking compared to other M6 models. But taste differs I guess and I also love the sleek look of the black one for example. Thanks for sharing your story, so nice to hear that you found your dream camera after those ups and downs. I have not tried negative lab pro yet but heard a lot of good reviews on it.
@@KarinMajoka I don't wanna dislike the titanium version. I like the bronze color of the metal. But I think it's very difficult to read the shutter speed in sunny conditions.
negative lab pro needs Lightroom 6 or higher. The last version works perfect with LR 7, which I don't use because I don't like the rental system from adobe. There is a free 15 shots version from negative lab pro. Using a Leica or Hasselblad or... and looking for perfect results is the drop out for a payable scanner fo me. Thats the reason why I'm scanning my negatives with an high resolution camera and developing the files with NLP.
That’s awesome! Really touching story! Enjoy watching the video.
Super cool story. My local Leica store in Amsterdam knew I was always looking for a MP. After some years they called me about a MP that was used but still had the first roll of film in it. I traded it in to my banged up M4. I got a very good deal and I am very happy with it.
What a nice story! A used MP in which not even once roll of film was shot in sounds like a dream :)
When I “switched back to film” in 2016 I bought a mint silver M6 off of eBay. I shot with it for almost 2 years but to be honest I enjoyed my Nikon fm2n more, so I sold the Leica. I was able to recover all the money invested, and that’s the good thing about film leicas.
Even though you did not enjoy shooting it as much, it sounds like it was still worth the buy for exactly that: to find out what you enjoy and what you don't. I don't think the time will ever come that old Leica M cameras will be worthless. :)
why that ? actually ave a F2 and FM2 and wanted to buy a M6.. but don't think its worth it..
I am sorry for your loss. Though I do not believe in fate or destiny, it is a touching and beautiful story. Thank you for sharing, keep up the good work.
Thanks for your comment, this means a lot. :)
What an awesome story - enjoy it! 🥳
Hey! I'm so happy watching this video hearing your story now, because I just got a M6J myself today, similar kind of serendipity, dicovering the camera online out of blue and it happends being bvery close to me, totally feels like destiny. Cheers
This is one of the most beautiful camera purchase stories I've ever heard. Congratulations and may that camera bring a wealth of memories to you and to your loved ones.
Thanks a lot, I appreciate you taking the time to comment! So far it has severed me very well and captured a lot of memories and I am sure it will continue to in the future :)
Great story, i really loved the whole background, so special that all happened, happy for you, thanks for sharing that story
thanks for commenting, really appreciate it! :)
Beautiful story. I wish you many happy years with your beloved camera
My M6 story is quite out of the ordinary. All in all, I ended up paying nothing for my Leica setup. I have always wanted a M6, ever since I started photography back in the 90's. About 7 8 years ago, I found my camera on a Danish online auction site. It was a package of the M6, a Summilux 35, a Summilux 50 and a Summicron 90. I was a student at the time and wanted a M6 and thought, I'd never get this, but I put in a bid that was well over my budget thinking I could buy it with my Mastercard and sell some of the lenses to to save my losses. As the auction site is not very well known and doesn't appear in Google searches, noone else was bidding, so I won the bid! I got the camera and lenses and actually sold the 50 and 90 (I'm a 35 kinda guy) and got more back than I paid for it all, which I put into a Elmarit 90, ending me at 0 moneys spent.
So basically: Free M6 with Summilux 35 and Elmarit 90. SUPER lucky!
I do miss the Summicron 90 tho...
I love the stories behind this purchase! I'm jealous!
That was a great story, Karin! Your Uncle was watching you above and wanted you to be happy. You should keep the camera for life. :)
It is a beautiful story! thanks for sharing it, it is probably the first m6 video I watch from start to finish in a long time. I do believe it was meant to be yours, congrats! I look forward to seeing more videos and pictures! you got yourself a new sub
Those were very kind words - thanks a lot for watching and commenting! There will be more coming for sure! :)
Such a lovely story. Look after it well and enjoy the journey. Also .72 is perfect for your 35mm preferred lens. Solid choice.
It's been an awesome journey with my M6 so for, excited for what there is to come. Thanks!
Amazing story. Definitely sounds like it was meant to be!
Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it! Goethe
What a beautiful quote - thanks for sharing!
That’s a rollercoaster of emotions!
i'm on a spree watching your videos today!
I do have a very sentimental story with my film cameras as well. I studied Fine Arts (Sculpture) and later intermedia. One of the classes i took was photography, that in the University of Porto is only taught with film. When i told that to my father, he gave me his Praktica Super TL (35mm German made) that he bought in the end of the 70's. This was the camera he used, to shoot the first pictures of me when i was born in 85. It had a true impact, and i almost cried, since when i was a kid he would never let me play with it, or only let me shoot some pictures very occasionally. It felt like i was getting his approval "you're a grown up guy, you can shoot it now" :) . A few months later, we were supposed to start working with 120 film, but the Hasselblads from the University can't be brought outside of the studio/classes. I was commenting to my father that i was really keen on shooting 120 film outside, but most probably impossible in a short term, since 120 cameras are quite expensive and hard to find (even the flea market cheaper ones are rare, 120 was never a much popular format in Portugal). To my surprise, he went to his closet and after some search pulled out an ADOX Golf 63 (German made as well) folding camera, and offered it to me. I can't say enough times how sentimental this was to me. It became even more sentimental after i learnt the story behind it, since i had no idea this camera existed in my home: This Adox was my fathers first camera, with which he learnt photography, darkroom, everything. This was the camera my father used for shooting the first pictures of him and my mother after they got married in the mid 60's, the first camera to shoot pictures of my brother (who is 18 years older than me). The story of how he got the Adox is even more interesting: There used to be a local photography shop in my hometown, where we would always take our rolls to be processed and developed before digital was a thing. This Adox camera was bought by the shop owner in the 50's, to be used as his main camera for wedding photography for many years, until he sold it to my father. There was a gap of almost 60 years since the camera was bought by the original owner, until it finally landed on my hands. I get goosebumps everytime i think about all the pictures that were shot by these two cameras (my two main film cameras, i have gotten others in the meantime).
I could have already invested in other cameras, and of course an M6 is on my permanent watchlist, but i'm just too damn attached into shooting with these, for what they represent.
I'm lucky that my father is still alive, and with good health (especially in a Covid-19 dystopian context). I don't do photography for a living, but i think i can state that 70% of the days in a year, i carry one of these two cameras with me, mostly the Adox, for its small and compact size. I would never put away these cameras, or sell them, and i've actually already broke the 200m world record running away from some strange folks who wanted to steal the Praktica from me.
I can't imagine how sentimental your M6 must be for yourself, with the whole story behind it! And trust me, i'm sure your uncle is smiling every time you press that shutter!
Hey Pedro, thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful story! I have to admit that I also almost had to tear up when reading since there is so much more than just one story to your cameras: but it’s several stories, several lives that were accompanied by those two cameras and are also connected through these cameras. It truly is insane to think that the cameras we are shooting today where the cameras our baby pictures were taken with - or even the (baby) pictures of our parents. Of course cameras are mainly tools but stories like these just prove me over and over again that those tools have emotional value. I owned my Leica M6 for over a year now and still to this day every (!) time I pick it up or even just look at it I think of my uncle, which I could not be more grateful for.
Good story, and I like your lesson learned: to make photos of family and friends while we can.
Beautiful story and momento as a reminder of the love you guys had together.
Thank you for your kind words 😌
Wonderful story! How cool that you not only have your dream camera, but also have the connection with your beloved uncle.
This month it’s been a whole year ago when I got the camera, so currently I am thinking about this even more. Thanks a lot for your comment, I appreciate it!
Really cool story about how you got your Leica. That Titanium is gorgeous!
I never comment on videos but I had to comment on this. This is a story with so much heart! Thanks for sharing! When I get my own M6 (someday) I hope my story will be even half as special as yours. 😁
In two days it will be exactly one year ago since the day I got my Leica M6. So currently I think about this story and everything involved and connected to it a lot. Thanks so much for taking your time to comment, I appreciate it! ⚡️
Just came across this video - so happy for you. I really miss my Leica M6
Thanks for your comment, I can understand why, it's a wonderful camera!
Amazing story! Great video!
The Argus C3 was my first rangefinder. The Minolta Hi-Matic 9, the Canonet QL17, and the Contax G1were my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rangefinders. The Leica M6 was my 5th rangefinder. The M6 was my first Leica rangefinder and it was my second Leica camera.
My first Leica camera was an M1. The M1 did not have a built-in rangefinder. When I was in college, I primarily used the M1 on a microscope. On occasions, I would add two adapters that allowed me to attach a Nikon 20mm wide-angle to the M1. After I graduated, when I needed the funds, I sold the M1, the adapters, and the microscope.
When I was working at a newspaper, I sometimes needed a quiet rangefinder to photograph golf tournaments, funerals, weddings, audio recordings studios, and classical music concerts.
When I could finally afford a Leica rangefinder, I considered the M2, M6, and MP. When I found a good deal on a Titanium M6, I bought it. Based on my work with my Nikon SLRs with 35mm f/2, 85mm f/1.8, and 20mm f/3.5 lenses, I knew that I wanted similar lenses for my Leica. Over a period of time, I was able to buy a 35mm f/1.4 Zeiss Distagon and a Leica 90mm f/2 Summicron. The last lens I purchased for my M6 was a 21mm f/1.4 Summilux.
Such a sweet story, subscribed!
Thanks for dropping by and thanks for staying! :)
Great story, great pictures and I think your uncle would approve ;) ohh and awesome video!
Congratulations on your new Titanium M6. Great story, you will never regret your decision to buy the camera.
thank you! There was not a single second of regret after buying, so I think so too! :)
Thanks your story🙏🏻😊
Very exciting circumstances under which you got hold on this outstanding camera. Congrats👍🤗
Not to forget your passion, your enthusiasm to film Photography and with a rangefinder camera- a Leica.
Couldn´t be better😉
Whish you all the Best.
Have clicked the Bell.
Keep up and Stay Well 👍☺️
thanks so much, this means a lot. :) Stay safe!
A wonderful story--you made the right decision! I'm sure you're doing your uncle proud with the work you're making on the m6.
Thank you so much for your comment, I appreciate it!
What a beautiful story. I imagine your uncle would be happy to have helped you with your dream. And you get to remember him every time you pick up the M6.
HAHAH I almost had a heart attack thinking the intro was real
Trust me: I wish... 🙃
Some things are just meant to be. Call it fate. Love the story and the link with your uncle/family.
I would have offered $50. My story isn't as good as yours, but a little over two years ago I bought myself an M4 as a birthday (also in November) present. According to the serial number it was made the same year as me. Anyway, I love my M4. I've made some nice images and also some bad images, but it's a great little camera. Thanks for this video.
Thanks for sharing your story, really appreciate it! Pretty cool, that your M4 was made in the same year you were born, that's a nice little extra. And: the M4 is a beauuutiful camera as well and I think bad images sometimes need to happen in order to make the good images possible. :)
Great story, you made me want this camera a lot!
This little series was addicting to watch. It made me want to get a Leica even more! lmao. I loved both videos. Subscribed :)
Thank you! :) Videos, that's how it starts and after a couple you will find yourself browsing ebay. ;)
Seriously! Beautiful story of how you came to own your camera and exactly the same reason why I took up film photography. At first I just enjoyed documenting Street photography, then I started to photograph at family events, now during these crazy times.. I'm documenting important memories with my family and the environment. I bought the Minolta CLE for my birthday this year and I don't think I'll ever sell it. With that said, I'm also saving up for my own M6! Maybe my wife will get me one for our baby shower 😅
Very well put, glad to hear that you also use photography to document memories during crazy times like these. I was very close to buying a Leica CL one day which is almost identical to the Minolta CLE - really beautiful cameras! Enjoy shooting with it and good luck saving up for that M body. :)
Lovely story. Enjoy it
You’ve got some great videos here. I think everyone can relate to the anticipation of getting their dream camera, regardless of the brand. Good thing that mechanical cameras last a lifetime :D
Exactly! Or sometimes even for more than just one lifetime. :) Thanks for taking your time to watch my videos!
Love your story!
Thank you!
very touching story :) thanks for that Karin
Such a great story! Almost same happend to me. Never was thinkin' about getting a Leica M6, nor a Leica at all. Now I'm into it. Over three years the bug got me. Hell of expensive times... now I'm a proud owner of an M2, M6, M8.2 Safari and a M240 with Leica and Voigtlander lenses. Take care! Greets, Gerhard
... besides... my grandpa was the first owner of a Leica IIIb in Germany in 1932....
The very first owner of a Leica IIIb ever ever? Wow, that's a pretty impressive fun fact, he probably had to camp in front of the Leica store for days back then. Thanks for your comment and congrats on that impressive collection. :)
@@KarinMajoka My granpa payed 3 months salary for it ... my grandma wasn't happy about it...
its a lovely story Karin .!!:)
When I buy a camera from the internet (outside of professional camera shops) I always assume that they don't work as advertised and I need to repair or at least CLA them and have that in mind when making an offer or outright purchasing it. Since repairing old mechanical cameras is kind of a hobby to me, I more or less actively looking for cameras offered as being broken. Got some good cameras that way.
If you have the necessary knowledge and gear to fix them up, this is really a great strategy to find some gems! I have been doing some minor work on cameras, but I don't think I would be capable of doing a full CLA, but I admire everybody who does.
What a nice story. Congratulations on your M6 titanium. Enjoy shooting with it.
Thanks! You have a Titanium M6 yourself, don't you?
@@KarinMajoka yes I do ;-) and I felt exactly like you when I saw mine at the Leica store back in 2018. Your video brought back those memories. Thank you!
Love stories like that. Congrats
What a good insight and this so fitting for such a jewel
Thank you so much! :)
Amazing story, Karin. I hope you never part with that camera. I'm much older than you are, and back in the day the Nikon F and Leica M3 were the best cameras, and I managed to get both of them. Still have them to this day, but my eyesight is no longer good enough for manual focusing. I definitely won't sell them, as they have a place in my heart.
Really enjoyed this story! Incredible how things align so perfectly in timing.
Inspires me to make a video on how I managed to obtain a second hand Leica M. ✌🏻
Thank you, I appreciate it! So cool, let me know once the video is up, I will check it out 😊✌🏼
@@KarinMajoka When it’s done, I’ll send a little nudge :-).
Awesome story! Congrats!
I got my Minolta XG-2 out of the trash. I was in school and the physics rooms just renovated, so they threw away some stuff. And there I am standing in front of this grey container box looking at it and see some weird stuff, some lightbulbs even a toothbrush. And there I see some kind of strap, I grab it and pull out the Minolta in disbelief. I got a Minolta XG-2 with the original strap in an okay condition. Because I like old stuff and already liked old cameras I of course took it home. I didn't know how to use it but the rewind lever was stuck. So I opened up the case and tried fix it. After not succeeding I checked the battery and switched them out. But that didn't fix it either. So I put the old ones back in and wanted to put in on shelf, but before I just randomly decided to press the shutter again and it worked! I don't know why, but the relocating of the batteries fixed the issue of empty batteries. After buying a lens, with supposedly glas fungus, and a film at the local photo shop. I started my hobby. A week after I got my camera, I randomly decided to look again in the bin, also because I wanted to show a friend of mine where I got a camera from. And after showing my friend where I got the camera I searched around a bit and pulled out a Voigtländer Vito CL. Unfortunatly with a stuck shutter that I don't know how to fix. But yeah that's how I found my two cameras... in the trash. I'm still very happy of this lucky coincidence.
What an AMAZING STORY. Keep that thing for life in memory of your uncle.
Thank you! I will for sure
Wow!!! Loooove this video!!! I've been waiting for it. It's soo good. And I damn near cried about the part of your Uncle. I think you know me when it comes to this stuff, it was meant to be and the universe brought it to you. But, that's sooo crazy, way better than my story hahaha.
Btw, love the bits you add in the video to help with the storytelling, the shot in fridge etc. The beginning is hilarious hahaha. I was like, "noooo...she didn't buy it at a garage sale did she???" haha. Keep up the good work. Your channel is becoming one of my favorites. I just turned the bell notification on. You're the first one actually haha.
jae rose thanks for your comment Jae, it seriously means a lot to me! Back then I did not know what law of attraction was, but after I heard you talking about it in one of your videos I instantly knew that this was precisely what happens when I got my M6! And it’s not about which story is better or whatsoever, every story is individual and beautiful in its uniqueness and meaning. :) the loss still hits very deep, but I tried to not be too emotional. However, the story wouldn‘t be complete if I did not mention my uncle at all, so I am glad that the importance came through even though I kept it short.
Filming, storytelling and all that stuff is still pretty new to me, so feedback like this helps me a lot, glad you liked it! I hope to make more videos in the future (and improve even more) 💪🏻
K!!5566555565€665arin Majoka
While I don't know anyone who have gotten a Leica m6 for that low. I did go on Reddit one day and scrolled down the Leica subreddit group to find someone holding a bag with a Leica M3 inside with the Savers tag for 3.50. And yes it was 3.50 like the elderly couple in South Park with the woman saying 3.50.
No way?! That story is one of a lifetime that probably everybody has wished for! Lucky person who found the Leica for such a steal. Thanks for sharing :)
Beautiful story!
Beautiful story. Condolences to you and your family.
Thank you, I truly appreciate it.
That was inspiring. Thanks for sharing
Lovely video, good work
thank you! :)
What a cool story!
Your story is beautiful and I’m sure your uncle would be proud to have helped you with his gift.
Please don’t ever sell your M6. I’m sure you’d regret it.
Your quest for your M6 is much more interesting than mine. I got mine on eBay from Japan.
That was a beautiful story, and yes, it was meant to be. ❤️
thank you! :)
nice story and a lovely camera. Some things in life go beyond money.
hi karin, die Geschichte ist so herzerwärmend und super, dass ich für den Kommentar hier kurz meine heiße Pizza zur Seite legen muss (und das heißt was haha). Es freut mich, wie sich alles gefügt hat und ich kann komplett nachvollziehen wie es dir ging, als die Kamera nicht mehr online war. Tolle Story, danke fürs Teilen und sei froh das so erlebt zu haben. Trotz des Verlustes...:) Grüße Andreas
Hey Andreas, vielen Dank für diese große Ehre, dass das Stück Pizza deiner Hand für diesen Kommentar kurz weichen musste - ich weiß das wirklich zu schätzen. 🙏🏼 bisher bereue ich keine Sekunde die Kamera gekauft zu haben und bin auch nach wie vor noch irgendwie baff wie sich letztendlich alles gefügt hat. Liebe Grüße! :)
Your uncle is watching you and smiling from heaven as you fire your M6!
♥️☺️
Gratuliere! 👍🏼
Nice story, you could argue that coincidences don't happen, maybe someone is looking after you from where ever he is ;-)
Thoughts like these really warm my heart. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it!
I think your uncle would be pleased with your purchase: he would certainly appreciate to have given you the mean to acquire something you love. Despite not being able to do that in person, knowing he would pass away, he was thinking about your birthday and was able to give you something to treasure and, through which, remember him.
Thank you for your kind words!