Leica M7 and personal care

[Annibale G.]

Hello, Could you suggest me what I can do for my M7 about maintenance, personal care and so on?
Do I have to put my attention in some point when I use it , or she, to prevent damage , injury?
What can I do to have a long life M7 ?
Annibale

[michael_boylan]

Annibale,

Preventing injury? Yes, be careful not to drop it on your toe!

Seriously, the M7 is as tough as any camera ever has been. Treat it like you would any other camera gear and it'll outlast you. Older Leicas - with clockwork shutters - benefit from a Clean Lubrication and Adjustment (CLA) every few years but I'm not sure what the recommendation is for the M7's electronic shutter. Maybe someone else will know.

Michael

[bill]

Annibale,

Don't worry too much; just use it. Mine has clonked into a number of doorways and walls when slung from a shoulder, not to mention a couple of floors when dropped. These things are built like tanks.

Regards,

Bill

[enboe]

Annibale,

Welcome to the world of Leica users. Do not hesitate to ask your questions here, as I expect with your new-found enthusiasm you will be answering the questions of others in short order.

A couple of thoughts. I carry a microfibre cloth everywhere I go with a camera. I prefer a free cloth to one of those cloth on a clip devices as the cloth is easier to clean every couple of months. By the way, the cloth cleans up very nicely in a bath of 25% windex, 75% water, followed by 3 water rinses and air drying. Back to the cloth. I use it to wipe off any dirt, dust, and smudges wherever they accumulate on my M's. I take a gentle touch with warm breath to the lens elements, but it works for that too.

Now, the next protective item is highly dependent on what types of clothing you wear. If you wear garmets with metal zippers, buttons, or trim, you might want to consider a half-case to keep the same from scratching the outside of the camera. The bottom portion of current case 14870 or 14871, or one of the gorgeous half-cases from leicatime.com, will all do very nicely. You can also choose one of the older half-cases for an M, but they will obstruct your view of the back plate dial.

Now, if you're obsessive, which I'm not, a 1/2" x 3/4" piece of black electrician's tape applied to the top ends of the camera will mitigate strap wear too. I had to draw a personal line at that one, but many forum members swear by it.

Using these simple tricks, I have over 500 rolls through my M7 since 2002 and it looks fresh and new, with a little light rubbing on the ends where the strap attaches. I have confidence that I'm good for life with this camera, with the possible exception of a once-every-thousand-rolls trip back to Leica for a quick check/cleaning.

Enjoy!

Eric

[abrewer]

It is remarkable that we refer to these photographic instruments in anthropomorphized terms...they do become an extension of self (as Leica is touting in its current ad campaign).

One practical hint: when storing the camera always put the lens open to its widest aperture and release the shutter.

Thanks.

Allan

[peter_n]

Annibale one thing I do is exercise the 1/60 and 1/125 speeds between each roll of film, they are mechanical and benefit from 3 or 4 shutter firings every now and then. One other thing (not strictly maintenance) is that the batteries in new Leicas can die pretty quickly. Buy yourself a pair of new batteries and replace the batteries if the camera suddenly doesn't work one day.

Enjoy your M7 it is a truly wonderful camera!

[Annibale G.]

Thanks awfully guy

[ron110n]

Don't forget to turn it off when not in use. I'll be truthfull, I forget to turn-off my M7 95% of the time. Of course it tolls your battery, but should last twice longer if you turn it off. About the electronic shutter, only Leica NJ (in the US) can fix the electronic shutter. It needs to be hooked-up to a digital diagnostic and calibrating machine. That machine is a Leica propriatory design and they don't intetent to share it to repair centers. Although repair centers can job it out to them. <<Never forget to carry a spare battery>> it don't matter if it's 76S or OEM. It's better to have either / or that non at all. I learned that the hard way.

Congrats with your M7, I find the camera idiot-proof especially for an occasional idiot like myself. =)

-Ron

[thrid]

Obviously dropping it or banging it into something is something you want to avoid, just like with any other camera.

The camera isn't sealed against rain or extremely fine dust, so beware of that. I've shot mine in the rain (pull it out, take the shot and wipe it off) and in the desert without a problem. Just keep in mind that it's not sealed like a Canon 1-v and you'll be ok.

If you shoot near the ocean, wipe the camera down with a sligthly damp cloth, to clean the salt off.

Send it to Leica every 10 years to get the lubricants changed. They will decay and stiffen with age. Using the camera will prolong the lifespan of these oils.

I keep a spare set of batteries taped to the camera strap.

Wear any scratches to the finish with pride. ;-) The M series cameras are very tough and designed for professional use. Unless you do something drastic, your M7 will probably outlast you.

[bsmukler]

Just a few more ideas: I would buy a few of those tiny compressed air cannisters to use on the body (not the lens!) if you happen to use the camera in dusty conditions. The air safely blows dust and grit out of tiny crevices around the controls, case seams, etc.

Be careful using the microfiber cloth around electronics (such as the button batteries). As noted in the manual, the microfiber can pick up a static charge and interfere with the batteries and so on.

Leica makes a neoprene strap--I forgot the part number--that protects against rubbing the finish near the strap eyelets on the camera body.

Probably the most important thing is a protective camera bag, especially if you live in an area where the camera will be subjected to temperature shifts (e.g., from below freezing to room temperature). The bag helps you let the camera slowly come back to room temperature to avoid condensation problems.

Apart from that, I agree: It is a very tough camera, and you shouldn't worry about it.

[leitz_not_leica]

When in the field, I use my shirt tail, really. When done shooting for the day, I use a damp cloth on all the gear I took with me.

[jc_braconi]

Originally Posted by abrewer

It is remarkable that we refer to these photographic instruments in anthropomorphized terms...they do become an extension of self (as Leica is touting in its current ad campaign).

Allan

So seems logical to take care as much as you take care of yourself !
Best wishes
JC

[bill]

...oh, and finally,

don't use it as a doorstop...

M7 doorstop.jpg

Regards,

Bill

[wilfredo]

And don't store it where you keep the SPAM.


Happy Shooting,
Wilfredo
Benitez-Rivera Photography

[bill]

Damn spam gets everywhere...! My filter failed to catch this one...

Regards,

Bill

[robsteve]

Originally Posted by bill

Damn spam gets everywhere...! My filter failed to catch this one...

Regards,

Bill

Reminds me of the Monty Python skit where the restaurant specialized in Spam. How did it go "spam eggs spamm spamm and spamm or eggs spamm spamm and spamm"?

[bsmukler]

Spam classic?

[bindrar]

I agree with Eric and the microfibre. I had trouble finding the focus and it was because the windows were smeared with finger prints - a quick clean and it was fine.

I also have the Artisan & Artist half leather case and strap. It smells really good when you take a photo (smelly vision) (it is calf leather I think). The strap has a backing so that the metal rings do not rub against the body. I got mine from Photovillage.com in NY. I also have the Rinu case in which I transport it with my laptop and papers every day (it holds it attached with the 35mm or 75mm summicons with room for a Sekonic light meter.

[nomad]

Nobody has mentioned not pointing it at the sun. I have no experience with the M7, but I know the sun would make burnt toast of my Leica MP and IIIa shutters.

Regards and Merry Christmas.
David

[mdb]

Originally Posted by robsteve

Reminds me of the Monty Python skit where the restaurant specialized in Spam. How did it go "spam eggs spamm spamm and spamm or eggs spamm spamm and spamm"?

The Monty Python sketch you refer to is actually the source of the Internet term "spam". In the sketch, vikings start to sing "spam spam, wonderful spam" increasing in volume and drowning out the dialogue of the other characters (until told to be quiet). On the internet, unsolicited commercial email (or "spam") drowns out the email you want to receive, and is increasing in volume all the time.

So, it has nothing specifically to do with Hormel's luncheon meat

wikipedia (as always) has the full story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_%28Monty_Python%29

See also http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spam