M7 Help please

[BrianUK]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hello Julian,

 

You mention manually altering the DX coding:

 

One of the things I dislike about M7, and one of the reasons I don’t use one, is the LEDs continually blinking when the film speed is manually changed from that set by the DX coding.

 

The following link might assist:

 

Leica FAQ — Leica M7

[erl]

Brian, I totally get and understand what you are saying about that blinking light, but, it is serving it's purpose. The purpose is to (keep) tell(ing) you that 'something' is not normal with your camera configuration. ie. DX coding is not engaged, you have manually set the ISO (so don't expect ISO to be correct unless YOU fix it, etc), you DX cannister does not match the ISO setting (is that what you intended?), etc.

 

I think it works well as a warning. Many times I have (on other cameras) set exposure compensation and then forgot to turn it off because there was no warning. I know, horses for courses. My roundabout suggestion is to try and find the positive spin on the function, since it is not about to go away.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[BrianUK]

Entirely understood and accepted, Erl.

 

Personally I rate all of my films different to the box speed (400 at 320 ISO, 125 at 100 ISO, and therefore find a continually blinking LED in my viewfinder an annoying and unwarranted distraction.

 

Although I have to accept, given the M7’s simplicity, that this warning feature works well for many users.

 

Great camera though the M7 is, this function just doesn’t sit well with me.

 

As you say, Erl, “horses for courses”.

[Julian H]

Hi

Thankyou Brian and Erl.

The link is very useful!

 

Are you saying that if I load a roll of ISO100 film and set the ISO dial to 100 the display will flash, just because I have not used the DX function? I'd appreciate your clarification. And how much of a PITA is the older style DX reader when you are removing a roll of film?

 

I see the flaring on the viewfinder has a partial fix on the earlier models. I guess the only way to proceed is to check out one myself on that score.

 

Cheers, Julian

[erl]

Hi

Thankyou Brian and Erl.

The link is very useful!

 

Are you saying that if I load a roll of ISO100 film and set the ISO dial to 100 the display will flash, just because I have not used the DX function? I'd appreciate your clarification.

Yes, I believe it will, because the manually set dial overrides the DX coder, when it is NOT set to DX. ie. manual ISO.

 

And how much of a PITA is the older style DX reader when you are removing a roll of film?

My M7 has the old original DX reader and I have no problem of any kind with it. I use both commercial DX coded films (set to DX mostly, but not always) and bulk loaded films I load into plastic reusable cassettes myself, which can only be set manually to ISO.

[Julian H]

Lovely Erl, thank you for the info, you have put my mind at rest on one concern. I am going to London to check one out next week.

[VictoriaC]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I am considering an M7 too. Apart from the older style DX system, is there anything else I should look for, especially with an older one? How much if a problem is the old style DX (I usually rate manually, even with DX coding). Any "first batch" idiosyncrasies to keep an eye out for? Would the RF be less flare prone than my M4-2?

 

Julian

 

The M7 that I've bought, Red Dot told me that it was registered at a dealer new in November 2007. According to the box sticker the VF has been updated to the same as in the MP and it has the new DX IR reader. I can't find fault with it (not that I'm looking!) I haven't noticed any flaring in the VF at all.

 

I 'get' the 'criticisms' that some people have mentioned and design improvements that others have wished for but… you learn to work within the parameters of the design of your toy.

 

From what I've read online, the VF and the DX reader are the only issues that people have really felt were 'off' with older M7s and Leica can and will 'fix' them if you wish.

 

Yes' the LEDs flash as a tell-tell 'warning' of sorts but that can be helpful too, especially if you play around with settings a bit as I can be prone to doing.

 

I was very tempted by an M6 and if I had not found this M7 then I would have bought one. I might do yet in the future but for now the M7 works great for me and I think I have a lot of learning to do with it first before I think of another camera.

[Julian H]

Hi Victoria

 

Do you have your M7 sorted now?

 

Thanks for your feedback. I experience pretty bad flare in my M4-2, more often than I'd like. So, flare is now something I am sensitive too. Of course, a well positioned hand works a treat but you need that hand to focus at the same time grr!

 

Anyhow, the Ms are all super tools, even my flarey friend, so I hope you enjoy your M7 experience. I am going to handle one next Thursday when I am next in London to see if it is "for me". I lust after an MP in black paint but practically, the M7 will allow me to be more spontaneous so my head says it would be the better choice.

 

Cheers, Julian

[erl]

On the point about VF flare, note that carefully positioning your eye centrally on the eyepiece does give significant improvement to the flair issue.

[VictoriaC]

I got the camera back on Thursday, at last, and it seems to be working great. I'll eventually put my first photos on flikr in a bit.

 

Thank you all for the contributions to this thread. Its been really, really helpful.

[jrh68uk]

The M7 that I've bought, Red Dot told me that it was registered at a dealer new in November 2007...

 

Yours is the same age as mine - they're probably from the same batch. I love the combination of this with the 50 'cron and equally the 35 'cron ASPH.

 

I had one problem with mine - and it took a while for me to realise it was a problem as it was my first ever RF. The vertical RF alignment was fractionally out. A quick trip to Solms under Passport warranty took care of that.

 

Enjoy - it's a lovely camera to use.

[Pangur Ban]

Steve,

Cool. Actually I have a 20-roll batch of Lomo purple sitting in the fridge as well as also lots of expired Velvia 100 slide film which I like to cross process.

Once the black and white film is done I'll stick a purple in to see how I fare with that. Are you using a filter in front of the lens with those films? I've only shot them in my Lomo or Olympus trip previously so had no filters attached.

 

I, for one, am very much looking forward to seeing the results you get out of the Leica with the Lomo film - I'm tempted to get some 120 purple for my Hasselblad.

[VictoriaC]

Going deeper in to the Leica world. I've now returned to Red Dot Cameras and bought an additional M6 TTL so that I can have a daytime and night time camera. It was £1100 and has the smoothest film advance! It feels like butter... in a good way

 

At the moment I'm running TriX in the M7 during the day and once it becomes too dark I switch over the 50/2.0 lens to the M6 and shoot cine film at 1600 ISO. Admittedly I haven't finished my first night film yet whilst I'm ploughing through daytime photos but I'm sure that will change and it's nice to have the option rather then have to stop just because it's become too dark.

[Julian H]

Going deeper in to the Leica world. I've now returned to Red Dot Cameras and bought an additional M6 TTL so that I can have a daytime and night time camera. It was £1100 and has the smoothest film advance! It feels like butter... in a good way

 

At the moment I'm running TriX in the M7 during the day and once it becomes too dark I switch over the 50/2.0 lens to the M6 and shoot cine film at 1600 ISO. Admittedly I haven't finished my first night film yet whilst I'm ploughing through daytime photos but I'm sure that will change and it's nice to have the option rather then have to stop just because it's become too dark.

 

Wow gal, you got it bad! You'll be after a Noctilux next!

[VictoriaC]

A 50/0.95 is tempting. But do I really need 0.95? The very shallow DOF is the biggest attraction… that and the fact that it could allow me to work with ISOs in low light situations. I do have a lot of 100 ISO film in my fridge especially Velvia. But if all I'm going to use is TriX and CineStill then f1.4 is probably as fast a lens as I really need or desire. How big a difference is the DOF between 1.4 and 0.95? And does 0.95 make that much difference to working in low light? Leica says that the .95 can work with just a candle… but with what film speed? And is that handheld?

[pico]

A 50/0.95 is tempting. But do I really need 0.95? The very shallow DOF is the biggest attraction…?

 

 

Shallow DOF is a sham, a fad which photographers use to obviate the background they could not otherwise rationalize. It is a cheap trick.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my Etcha-sketch.

[erl]

Shallow DOF is a sham, a fad which photographers use to obviate the background they could not otherwise rationalize. It is a cheap trick.

 

Sent from my Etcha-sketch.

Opinion, with which I disagree Pico.

 

Shallow DOF is a 'device', just like choice of film or focal length. I do agree that some practitioners cannot or do not use it wisely, but that is a totally different argument. Of course, my comment is also 'only opinion''.

 

VictoriaC, to a photographer, choosing a lens is like a painter choosing a brush or cloth or even a scraper. You must have your end objective in mind. Then you can constructively choose the lens you need to achieve that end. Understanding how any lens works requires time and dedication to its application. Not least of all a Noctilux.

 

I have had mine for probably more than 15 years now and am still discovering it's secrets. (I'm a slow learner). It can deliver magic, but also pain, just as any other lens can. It is probably fair to say it takes longer than most other lenses to break through the 'barrier'.

[Guest )-(]

Hope everyone is still enjoying their M7 (and M6TTL).

I have an M7 and a quick question I thought I would sneak in this thread rather than start a whole new thread for a simple question...

 

I have real issues getting the 'Auto' exposure to lock. I like the option of the half-stop shutter speeds this gives, but have real trouble getting the camera to lock them in.

I meter off a shadow, lock my exposure (the dot appears) through a half-press on the shutter, but find that when I reorient the camera, I often lose the lock and start getting fluctuating shutter speeds as the camera re-meters.

Is the Exposure lock on the M7 'fiddly' - is this reasonable expected behaviour? Or could my shutter button need a look? It's very annoying to be klutzing with the metering when I'm trying to take a shot.

 

Other than that bugbear, love the camera in all respects, mine has the updated VF but the original DX contacts (I think) - I get the flashing 'ASA' once in a while - but seems OK.

[Guest )-(]

Disregard the above, I figured it out. The Exposure Lock is flickering between two shutter speeds, but is still locked. Doesn't always happen, just when it locks on what must be a marginal shutter speed. As you were, ahem.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[sumolux]

Referring to a part of this thread that discussed ISO:

Is there not a way to put a piece of tape or somethign over the DX coding that will make the light NOT blink?

There are indeed many films I use at different ISO than as coded and a simple physical method might be a workaround?