andybarton Posted March 19, 2013 Share #21 Posted March 19, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) IIRC, when the MP was introduced, Leica made a public commitment to having spares available for that camera for 30 years post-production (which hasn't happened yet). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 19, 2013 Posted March 19, 2013 Hi andybarton, Take a look here M7 vs. MP reliablilty?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wattsy Posted March 19, 2013 Share #22 Posted March 19, 2013 Yes, it's in the original brochure. Not sure what weight you can attach to it though. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/198816-m7-vs-mp-reliablilty/?do=findComment&comment=2276605'>More sharing options...
Falstaff Posted March 19, 2013 Share #23 Posted March 19, 2013 I understand the M7 has more moving parts than the MP, which could theoretically lead to more long term failures, but is there any any real world evidence of this? Curious as to why you asked the question. Are you thinking of getting an M7? Falstaff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyedward Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share #24 Posted March 19, 2013 Curious as to why you asked the question.Are you thinking of getting an M7? Falstaff I was thinking of buying a used 0.85x m7 for use with a 50mm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Geschlecht Posted March 20, 2013 Share #25 Posted March 20, 2013 Hello Andy, A .85 M7 with a 50mm lens is a very nice choice. Since the weakest point seems to be the possible unobtainability of electrical/electronic parts at some unknown point in the future: Why not buy some from Leica today to put away now while the camera is still a currently manufactued body? Be your own guaranteed parts supplier for the future. Best Regards, Michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted March 20, 2013 Share #26 Posted March 20, 2013 Gentlemen, there is an awful lot of over thinking going on here. If the M7 is the camera for you and the one you want, then that is the camera you should buy. You only live once. My electronic F3 is at least 20 years old and is showing no signs of slowing down. I've had my M7 since around 2006. It's never given me a problem and it's not exactly lived its life in a Luigi case. I see no reason why it should not give me many more years of service. And if it should die 20 years from now, I will give it its well deserved place on the shelf and keep shooting with whatever other M is around. That is if film is still around 20 years from now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedric Agie de Selsaeten Posted March 20, 2013 Share #27 Posted March 20, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) [Rant mode on:]The only thing I really dislike with my M7 is the DX reader and the programming around it. The optical DX reader is so sensitive that if a tiny bit of paint is missing from the canister in on one of the ISO code blocks it will read it as a return and you get an invalid iso set. It is intermittent and not constant. Try using an uncoded film canister that is white (like those from Maco) or yellow one and the reader thinks "ah, no black blocks, we have ISO5000". So I set the ISO manually and have the exposure compensation dot constantly blinking in the VF. Really, really annoying. Just bad programming. If I set the ISO manually, I decide the ISO and the camera should just not care, just flash the ISO in the finder when switched on. As it is it keeps that dot blinking to warn me that I've done something horrible and set the ISO to something it doesn't agree with. It renders the real functionality of the blinking dot useless too. As it is constantly blinking, it no longer serves as a warning that I've set +/- something. I regret having the electrical DX reader "upgraded" to the supposedly more reliable optical version. At least it didn't want to shoot Rollei Retro 100 at ISO5000. [Rant mode off] Cheers, Carl I simply don't like and even don't trust this DX reading systhem, be it in the M-7 or R-8 & 9. cameras. Nevertheless they are wondefull machines. Leica makes good money with their S-2 AF cameras. I wish the best for Leica who suffered a rough period to say the least, but that's not for me. I decide how I expose, where exactly I focus and when I shoot, not the camera. These a good ideas for the general P&S public, not for a Pro or a real Leica afficionado. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted March 21, 2013 Share #28 Posted March 21, 2013 I simply don't like and even don't trust this DX reading systhem, be it in the M-7 or R-8 & 9. cameras. Nevertheless they are wondefull machines. Leica makes good money with their S-2 AF cameras. I wish the best for Leica who suffered a rough period to say the least, but that's not for me. I decide how I expose, where exactly I focus and when I shoot, not the camera. These a good ideas for the general P&S public, not for a Pro or a real Leica afficionado. I'm no fan of the old electronic crutch and prefer manual operation, but to say that automation is not for professionals is a romantic notion that is disconnected from reality. PS: Having put hundreds of rolls through my early production M7, under all sorts of conditions, I can report that the DX reader has never failed me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falstaff Posted March 21, 2013 Share #29 Posted March 21, 2013 I was thinking of buying a used 0.85x m7 for use with a 50mm My first Leica was an M7. Soon after I bought a second one. Used them both for several years and only sold one on because I had bought an M9 and a friend wanted an M7. If you wanted, we can meet in town sometime for you to handle my M7. Send me an email if interested. Falstaff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyedward Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share #30 Posted March 22, 2013 My first Leica was an M7. Soon after I bought a second one. Used them both for several years and only sold one on because I had bought an M9 and a friend wanted an M7. If you wanted, we can meet in town sometime for you to handle my M7. Send me an email if interested. Falstaff I already have an MP, so I guess the m7's handling wouldn't be too different, so I'll buy without trying. Many Thanks for your very generous offer though, Falstaff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
underground Posted May 10, 2013 Share #31 Posted May 10, 2013 Exactly. The M7 isn't unreliable, but over the very long term, an MP will be more repairable. At some point one of the electronic parts or circuit boards inside an M7 will become unavailable. Pretty much anything inside the MP could be engineered if needed (exclude the built in meter for the purposes of this discussion). I have a Leica R3 which I've owned since new. It is totally reliable, but I fear the day should something electrical fail as it will then most likely become a nice paperweight. That said, getting on for 30yrs of service is pretty good so it's earned it's keep. I agree with your MP statement, but disagree with your M7 comment. My M7 has been dropped, slammed, bumped, a little wet in rain. It's a total work horse as far as I'm concerned electronics or not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thondup Posted May 28, 2013 Share #32 Posted May 28, 2013 Gave up my M7 two years ago. It gave me the most trouble of all my M's in the last forty years. Switched to Canon 5D 11 for a year and half but recently am back with a M7 can't get the feel of film with digital.Long live film. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiver Posted May 31, 2013 Share #33 Posted May 31, 2013 Gave up my M7 two years ago. It gave me the most trouble of all my M's in the last forty years. Switched to Canon 5D 11 for a year and half but recently am back with a M7 can't get the feel of film with digital.Long live film. Well, I certainly hope that your new M7 gives you a much better run. Off to fondle mine! My 5D Mark II was purchased as a primary camera, but then the rangefinder bug bit, and now it only shoots for work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtorf Posted July 26, 2013 Share #34 Posted July 26, 2013 I don't know about M7 since I don't own one. But the MP I owned for a while had a broken curtain. Since then I do not believe the myth that mechanical camera is more reliable any longer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted July 28, 2013 Share #35 Posted July 28, 2013 My two M7's have been good so far. The funny thing is about the whole M7/MP reliability argument is that I've heard from several people in the last couple years who had serious faults with their MPs. Nobody seems to talk about that much, though you hear a LOT about the M7s reliance on batteries and the M7s DX reader issues. To those M7 issues I say: - both cameras rely on film too, so I personally can remember to put several years worth of batteries in my camera bag - I'm pretty sure Leica will upgrade your DX reader for free I'm not saying the MP is an unreliable camera. It just seems to have this exalted status as some bulletproof mechanical work of God. The only camera I've ever had to send in for repair was an M6. It happens to the best of them. If you want aperture priority sometimes, get an M7. If not, don't. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guido Posted July 28, 2013 Share #36 Posted July 28, 2013 Leica still does the DX reader upgrade for free indeed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted July 28, 2013 Share #37 Posted July 28, 2013 Leica still does the DX reader upgrade for free indeed. Does it have to go to Solms or will Leica USA do it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted July 28, 2013 Share #38 Posted July 28, 2013 I have M7 from the first batch (s/n 2778193) [...] I like the way how the black chrome changes its look. My M7s are black plating over brass, and one is showing brass now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guido Posted July 28, 2013 Share #39 Posted July 28, 2013 Does it have to go to Solms or will Leica USA do it? Unfortunately I don't know about Leica USA since I'm in Europe. Speaking about Solms, they do it for free for sure. My M7 currently is in Solms for the MP viewfinder upgrade as well the MP/M3 classic rewind lever downgrade. I decided to have this done while M7 spare parts (as well as the company itself...) are still around I'm still waiting for a quote; if there is interest, I can share the prices as soon as Leica gets back to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbretteville Posted July 31, 2013 Share #40 Posted July 31, 2013 Leica still does the DX reader upgrade for free indeed. Parts are free, you have to pay for the work though. Also the optical reader has it's own set of quirks. Had I known them in advance, I would not necessarily have had mine changed. Carl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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