Review: Leica M6 TTL (The Best Film Camera They Ever Made)

Last Updated on 06/26/2026 by Chris Gampat

The Leica M6 TTL has everything that a photographer could possibly want in a Leica camera.

There was a time when I believed the Leica M4-P to be the best camera that Leica ever made–and in some ways I believe it to still be superior over the Leica M6 TTL. The Leica M6 TTL is just easier. But if you’re a photographer that is a true master of the Sunny 16 method, then the Leica M4-P could be all that you need. With the Leica M6 TTL the ability to shoot at events with a flash becomes much easier due to the TTL flash capabilities. And for that reason alone, most photographers will probably stick with the original Leica M6.

Admittedly, I almost didn’t buy the Leica M6 TTL. Instead, all that I really wanted was a Leica M6. However, my good buddy Michael Rubenstein sold it to me for an unbeatable price. I took it with the consideration that if I ever wanted to use the TTL capabilities, that I had it. Generally speaking, I really do like the look of flash when combined with film. The results from my Hexar AF and my Natura S are gorgeous. And I could easily see myself shooting with a Leica M6 TTL, zone focused, and using a flash to illuminate my subject. In some ways, it goes against the Leica philosophy. But in other ways, it adheres to the belief that documenting and capturing the decisive moment is paramount.

The Leica M6 in 2026

Before I go deeper into this review, I’m going to do something that most photographers and journalists do: give credit to a real one. The wonderful photographer who sold the Leica M6 to me was former Sony Artisan Michael Rubenstein. He met with me I believe in late 2019 at the Norwood Club in Manhattan, I gave him the money, then loaded up some CineStill, and I made a frame. And I will never forget what Mike said, “I was just part of your first image with that camera.”

Years of solo entrepreneurship and life in general as a high-functioning blind man have lead me to not feel things immediately in the moment. I don’t regret that I didn’t, but the words from Mike always resonated with me. And that is how I began my journey with the Leica M6.

Since then, it has joined the Fujifilm Natura S and the Nikon F2 as my standard for testing 35mm film. It is also sometimes my standard for reviewing M-mount products. And trust me, it’s been through a lot. This camera has come with me through snow, rain, sleet, hot, cold, parties, photo bros, people who hate Leica owners, etc. I’ve even used it in self-defense once — again, I’m just being real here.

Despite all of this, the rangefinder at one point went out of alignment. So I sent it to Leica for a CLA. Originally, they quoted me at somewhere a bit north of $1,000. But when I read the work that they’d do, I immediately dismissed it despite their protests. In the end, they only did a rangefinder cleaning and adjustment which ended up costing me around $100 or so.

In 2019, I paid around maybe $2200 or so for this camera. With it being in my possession for nearly 10 years now, it has more than made its money back for me. I haven’t used it for a paid photography gig, but I have surely used it for articles for this publication. That, in addition to film, have all been made back. And that’s the wonderful thing about a piece of gear that you can invest in and will continue to work for you. But more importantly, it’s also great for a camera that can always pretty much be repaired. I can’t take my Nikon F2 to Nikon for servicing and I’m sure that Fuji would laugh at trying to repair my Natura S.

But Leica? Certain products are things that they know last a lifetime. Before I bought the M6, I owned a Leica M4P. Then I sold that. I now own an M6 and a Leitz Minolta CL that has a broken spool. And it’s costly to do the work to repair it. Plus the light meter is shot. If the spool gets fixed, I can still use the camera but the light meter just won’t work. And that’s fine because I know how to do Sunny 16.

Up above this article are a plethora of photos that I’ve shot with the Leica M6. I know this because in our archives here at the Phoblographer, we label images often. There’s 200+ more where this came from.

If I had to buy the Leica M6 all over again and I was in a similar situation that I was in back then, I’d totally do it. It’s kind of like what I understand about NY Real Estate, it just keeps getting better and after a while you look past the initial amount that you spent. There are times that I’ve considered selling it, but there’s no point. I still use it enough and I like it. Plus, it only gets better with time. So if you’re considering buying a Leica M6, I say go for it. There’s a new edition too, but you don’t really need that.

Gear Used

I used the Leica M6 TTL with various lenses from Leica and 7Artisans.

Tech Specs

All that you truly need to know about the Leica M6 TTL is well said by Ken Rockwell

“The M6 (1984-1998) has only two simple > < LED arrows in its finder for the meter. There is TTL ambient light metering, but no TTL flash control, no flash-ready bolt in the finder, and no central “OK” LED.
The newer M6 TTL (1998-2002) added TTL flash and a bigger, better shutter dial, and that’s about it. For serious photographers, either are spectacular cameras.”

Ken Rockwell

Ergonomics

The Leica M6 TTL is a camera that is almost identical to the Leica M6 save for one thing. Right by the lens release is another button that holds a battery for the light meter. And then of course there is the mount, the rangefinder windows, and everything else that a Leica user will come to expect. Oh, and to that end–you can also expect that red dot.

On top of the Leica M6 TTL is the slightly larger shutter dial. You’ll also find the film advance, film counter, hot shoe, film rewind knob and the shutter release here.

Turn to the back of the camera and you’ll find the ISO dial. This along with the film plate are very important. You’ll even find a small spot for a PC sync cable here.

The bottom of the Leica M6 TTL is just like any other Leica. You open it up here to load film and unload it.

Build Quality

During our testing of the Leica M6 TTL, we took it out in the rain with a variety of lenses. Leica cameras aren’t rated with weather sealing. In fact, the heads of marketing told me directly that they’re not. They wouldn’t even try to act like they are. However, the engineers and product managers often tell me that the cameras and lenses were designed with that already built into the cameras. Indeed, I’ve heard horror stories of things that Leica cameras have survived. And as you see in the image above, we took the Leica M6 TTL out into the rain a few times. It was awesome. It was fun. I wouldn’t really recommend it.

My camera is still fine. And you should know that even if someone spills some jungle juice on the precious extension of your eye, it should still work.

Ease of Use

Using the Leica M6 TTL is pretty straight forward. If you’ve never used a Leica before, then so much about it will annoy you. But if you’re willing to understand the philosophy of why and how it works, you’ll discover that it’s wonderful. To use the Leica M6 TTL you simply load some film into it, set the ISO, half press the shutter, meter the scene, adjust your exposure, and shoot. Of course, you need to pre-focus and all that good stuff. But the process makes you much more a part of the image that most modern picture taking does.

With all this said, the Leica M6 TTL and Leica film cameras in general probably aren’t the simplest for most folks to use until they really sit with them. Once they do, photographers will realize that using a Leica is a really tactile experience. Ergonomically, they just seem right. Function-wise, they blend right into what you’re doing.

Metering

In all of my testing with the Leica M6 TTL, I haven’t once had a problem with the metering. You can read the meter and expect that your scene will render close to how it does with most digital cameras in evaluative metering mode. But at the same time you should remember that this is film. If something feels off, then it probably is. At a time like that I resort back to sunny 16 methods.

Images

Conclusions

I enjoy the Leica M6 TTL. It’s a beautiful camera that slings around me well and functions flawlessly. I’d be telling a lie if I said that I didn’t like sometimes wearing it like a piece of photographer’s jewelry. But it’s also fun to shoot with. Most photographers will only need the Leica M6. But if you want to make the commitment to shooting events and using film the way so many photographers are these days, then the Leica M6 TTL is probably the right choice for you.