C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Leica R6 (1992) occupies a unique position in the R-series lineage: it is the only R body between the Leicaflex SL2 (1974) and the R8 (1996) that uses a fully mechanical shutter independent of battery power. While the R3, R4, R5, and R7 all used electronic shutters that required batteries for any operation, the R6 returns to a horizontal-travel titanium shutter — mechanically similar in concept to the Leicaflex — that fires at all speeds without a battery. The meter requires a battery (one SR44) but the shutter does not; the camera is fully usable in manual exposure without any electrical power at all.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
The R6 is the mechanical purist's R body — a fully manual, titanium-shuttered Leica SLR that runs entirely without electronics except for the light meter, harking back to the Leicaflex tradition in a modern R-mount body.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Leica R bayonet (3-cam; ROM not supported) |
| Years | 1992–1999 (R6); R6.2: 1993–2002 |
| Shutter | 1s – 1/1000s + B (R6); 1/2000s (R6.2), horizontal titanium |
| Flash sync | 1/100s |
| Meter | TTL centre-weighted, EV 1–18 (battery required for meter only) |
| Modes | Manual only |
| Viewfinder | Pentaprism, 0.84× |
| Weight | ~660 g (body only) |
| Battery | 1× SR44 for meter (shutter works without battery) |
| Mechanical fallback | Full (all shutter speeds work without battery) |
The R6 was developed at Leica's Solms facility in response to direct feedback from professional users who had moved from the Leicaflex SL2 to the R4/R5 and found the battery dependence of those bodies limiting in demanding field conditions. Cold weather in particular was a concern: lithium batteries perform better than alkaline in the cold, but any electronic shutter fails completely when the battery is exhausted or fails.
The horizontal-travel titanium shutter was a retrograde engineering choice in some respects — by 1992 virtually every other 35mm SLR used a modern vertical-travel metal-blade shutter capable of 1/2000s or faster sync speeds. The R6's 1/1000s ceiling and 1/100s flash sync were conservative by contemporary standards. Leica acknowledged this with the R6.2 (1993), which retained the mechanical character but upgraded to a 1/2000s top speed.
The R6 was Leica's answer to photographers who loved the R-mount lens catalogue but found the R8's electronic dependence problematic — and who were willing to accept manual-only exposure in exchange for absolute reliability.
The R6 is the mechanical safety valve of the Leica R system. It is the body to take into extreme cold, into humid jungles, into conditions where battery failure is a genuine professional hazard, or simply by photographers who prefer the discipline of full manual exposure. With any 3-cam R-mount lens, the R6 delivers Leica-quality images with the simplicity of a Leica M rangefinder — set aperture, set speed, meter if needed, shoot.
For collectors, the R6 occupies a special niche as the "honest" R body that does not compromise on mechanical integrity for the sake of automation. It is often compared to the Nikon FM2, Canon F-1, or Olympus OM-1 as a statement of mechanical SLR philosophy.
The R6.2's 1/2000s upgrade makes it the definitive mechanical R body — most buyers seeking a mechanical R camera prefer the R6.2 for its faster top speed, though used prices reflect this preference.
Leica R bayonet mount (3-cam for full open-aperture metering; 2-cam for stop-down; 1-cam Leicaflex lenses stop-down only). Full R lens range compatible. Key lenses: Summicron-R 50/2, Summilux-R 50/1.4, Elmarit-R 28/2.8 ASPH, Summicron-R 90/2, APO-Macro-Elmarit-R 100/2.8. No ROM coupling (R6/R6.2 predate ROM lens indexing). Accessories: Motor Drive R (winder capable); cable release; Leicavit-style grip; SCA-system TTL flash via adapter; interchangeable focusing screens.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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