Best Film M

[semi-ambivalent]

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Yeah, but the M4 has no 28 mm and no 75 mm frame lines. Where does that leave my fine Summicron-M 28 mm Asph and Summilux-M 75 mm lenses?

If you used an external viewfinder with that 28 for a month I bet it would change the images you see with that lens, regardless the camera.

 

s-a

Edited August 9, 2017 by semi-ambivalent

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[wlaidlaw]

If anyone wants an M6 TTL Fotopia in HK have some unused new old stock for sale. I thought about getting one of these but then Ffordes sent me a list of their summer bargains and they had an M7 with Motor-M for slightly less than the M6. If DHL do their job properly (highly unlikely from French couriers) it should be here today. 

 

Wilson

[digitalfx]

Thanks for all the insights! I have narrowed it down to the Leica MP or Leica M7 as I don't want to carry around a hand meter. I like the look of the Leica M7 better than the MP so I may end going with the M7.

 

 

I just went thru this same decision process. I have been shooting with a M2 for years and owned an M4...but I was tired of carrying a separate meter. At first I was sure I wanted the M6 classic, then after doing too much research decided on the TTL version. But in the end I bought a nice M7 for only a few hundred more and couldn't be happier. Having A mode is very useful... just ignore the comments on the battery being an issue. As others have pointed out carrying a spare set takes up no space at all. So far, I'm loving the choice I made and the poor M10 sits in the bag waiting her turn.

[wlaidlaw]

I envy you with your M7. The couriers appear to have lost mine somewhere between Beauly in Scotland and Tourtour in the south of France. Tracking stopped working as of 10AM yesterday, so DHL who claim to handed it over to some nameless third party delivery agent yesterday morning, are currently trying to find where it has gone. 

 

Wilson

[01af]

The couriers appear to have lost mine somewhere between Beauly in Scotland and Tourtour in the south of France. Tracking stopped working as of 10AM yesterday, so DHL who claim to handed it over to some nameless third party delivery agent yesterday morning, are currently trying to find where it has gone.

DHL once lost a "Päckchen" (petit paquet ... don't know how it's called in English—'small parcel'? 'parcelette'? ...) which was sent my way. On my request to search and retrieve it, they said is was lost and gone. Two weeks later, it innocently arrived at my place mine de rien.

[wlaidlaw]

It is the system in France that is the problem and effectively it is broken. All the big couriers, DHL, TNT, Fedex, UPS, DPD, etc use very small, low grade, third party agents, sometimes just a one or two van company to do the final leg of the delivery. I suspect they pay these third party delivery agents peanuts and you know what you get for peanuts. As soon as the package is handed to the third party, tracking no longer works. I live in a mountain village up at the top of a 6km road from either direction and these delivery agents wait until they have four or five deliveries in the village before they will deliver, meanwhile your package has been rumbling around in their ancient van, whose shock absorbers died 100,000 km ago, for days at a time. They come up with all sorts of creative lies as to why they have not delivered, when taxed by the original courier company. The main companies keep saying they will phone you back with an update, once they have spoken to the third party delivery agency but that statement goes into the same category as: "Your cheque is in the post". 

 

Wilson

[digitalfx]

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The timing of my M7 arrival was perfect...the same morning a box arrived with film I forgot all about. I ordered this Ferrania P30 over a year ago.

Looking forward to the weekend!

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[Martin B]

Ok, I jump in: I am shooting with a combination of M3, M6, and M7. I am using each camera for slightly different purposes. I will start with the M3, my most recent purchase I made because a friend had this camera unused in his basement for many years (this is an early model from 1957 with double stroke). I had to get a CLA done with it, and now it is working perfectly. What I love with this camera is its 0.92x viewfinder - this in combination with a 50 mm M lens rocks. The field of view is larger than on my M6/M7 cameras for the 50 mm range. Last weekend I took my M3 with 50/2 lens for some street photography, and it worked perfectly. Very silent shutter, too. The camera came with the Leica meter MR which is no longer working correctly unfortunately even after battery change. But I was doing very well applying the approximate sunny f/16 rule for my shots anyway. A bit of overexposure doesn't matter with film anyway. Without the external meter normally attached to the hotshoe of the M3, the camera caught much less attention, too. With the chrome top, it looks sort of like a more modern Fuji mirrorless camera and blends well in. 

 

The M6 on the other hand with 0.72x viewfinder is my general workhorse camera when it comes to film photography. I predominantly use it with my 35/2 lens, much less often with the 50/2. My M6 is in black, so is my 35/2 lens. I taped the Leica button and the Leica M6 letters with black gaffer tape. This way the camera is very inconspicuous and doesn't attract any attention. I love the M6 for travelling - it is not too heavy, the size is right to fit in a smaller bag. The only con of this camera is the rangefinder patch flare which occurs more often than I expected. Currently I am not willing to spend $$$ to have this fixed - I can live with it for now. IMO Leica should have pulled the trigger for a recall of the M6 series due to this well-known and established issue. It was done for cost-cutting purposes which backfired badly. 

 

The M7 patch flare occurs rarely, and if it does, it sometimes "fixes" itself quickly after in the viewfinder. Definitely an improvement here over the M6. I prefer using my M7 (also with 0.72x viewfinder) when it comes to more rapid frame shooting during a parade for example where I set the camera in Av mode for a pre-selected aperture. I sometimes use the M6 for B&W film and the M7 with color film in parallel. Both make a very good combination. I personally also like the bit bigger exposure wheel of the M7 compared to my regular M6 (or M3). 

 

Off-topic here, but I wish Leica would make a digital M using the M3 viewfinder size with additional frame lines and a Sony high MP sensor. This would be my personal digital dream camera. 

Edited August 15, 2017 by Martin B

[NB23]

The M5 is pure joy.

[Matlock]

It is the system in France that is the problem and effectively it is broken. All the big couriers, DHL, TNT, Fedex, UPS, DPD, etc use very small, low grade, third party agents, sometimes just a one or two van company to do the final leg of the delivery. I suspect they pay these third party delivery agents peanuts and you know what you get for peanuts. As soon as the package is handed to the third party, tracking no longer works. I live in a mountain village up at the top of a 6km road from either direction and these delivery agents wait until they have four or five deliveries in the village before they will deliver, meanwhile your package has been rumbling around in their ancient van, whose shock absorbers died 100,000 km ago, for days at a time. They come up with all sorts of creative lies as to why they have not delivered, when taxed by the original courier company. The main companies keep saying they will phone you back with an update, once they have spoken to the third party delivery agency but that statement goes into the same category as: "Your cheque is in the post". 

 

Wilson

 

Of very little help to you I know, but I ordered an item from Germany (Rollei lens hood and case) on Wednesday evening and it arrived this morning (Friday) via DHL and Parcelforce. So they can get it right in some circumstances. 

[wlaidlaw]

Of very little help to you I know, but I ordered an item from Germany (Rollei lens hood and case) on Wednesday evening and it arrived this morning (Friday) via DHL and Parcelforce. So they can get it right in some circumstances. 

 

....and I would bet it arrived in a DHL van. It is not DHL themselves that is the problem is their system of using unaccountable and uncontactable third party delivery agents outside the larger cities in France. Interestingly I had another DHL delivery yesterday again via a third party. The driver said he was going to the next village and spotted my package sitting in the agency's premises. Now this was their regular area driver not the student they were using last week. The regular driver picked up my package and delivered it. He got a bottle of wine for his trouble, otherwise I suspect I would still be waiting. 

 

Wilson

[Matlock]

....and I would bet it arrived in a DHL van. It is not DHL themselves that is the problem is their system of using unaccountable and uncontactable third party delivery agents outside the larger cities in France. Interestingly I had another DHL delivery yesterday again via a third party. The driver said he was going to the next village and spotted my package sitting in the agency's premises. Now this was their regular area driver not the student they were using last week. The regular driver picked up my package and delivered it. He got a bottle of wine for his trouble, otherwise I suspect I would still be waiting. 

 

Wilson

 

No, mine was delivered by Parcelforce but in the UK both DHL and Parcelforce have the Royal Warrant. I have found that some of the independent couriers are pretty terrible. The best (or worst) one I heard recently was a note was posted trough the letter box stating the driver could not find the delivery address. 

[plasticman]

The best (or worst) one I heard recently was a note was posted trough the letter box stating the driver could not find the delivery address. 

This reminds me of the time I was standing talking to a friend in the door of my office building when I got a call from the courier (UPS if I recall correctly) who was delivering a lens that was on its second trip to me, and the caller said he wasn't able to get into the building, and needed to leave straight away to keep to his schedule. I looked around and about 50m away I could see a UPS van and a driver on the phone - so I walked towards it waving my arms and saying on the phone that I could see him, and he rather shamefacedly got out of the van and handed over the package. At the time I thought there was no point putting him on the spot about lying, I was just glad to finally get the lens.

 

The only reason he was ringing at all was because the lens had already been returned to sender (in another country) after a previous unsuccessful delivery attempt which I'd never been notified about, and this time I'd ensured (by ringing and writing their customer services several times) that they would actually contact me this time, when they were going to finally deliver the lens.

 

Courier services are the weakest link of buying anything online.

[michaelwj]

And we all still want free shipping...

[plasticman]

And we all still want free shipping...

Speak for yourself. I'd gladly pay more for shipping - if it was an efficient and reliable service. I've even asked if I can pay more for better packing and shipping of my choice when I've bought stuff online. Unfortunately, sellers usually only have one standard system, that they're reluctant or unable to change.

I can't actually think of anything I've bought that's been delivered for free in any case.

[wlaidlaw]

In the UK we are still lucky enough to have a system called Royal Mail Special Delivery. Ffordes in the north of Scotland use this for all their UK sendings. If Ffordes send me something in the early afternoon, I will always receive it by 8AM the next day in the south of England. It is not particularly cheap but for a service like that, it is worth paying extra. 

 

Wilson

[michaelwj]

Speak for yourself. I'd gladly pay more for shipping - if it was an efficient and reliable service. I've even asked if I can pay more for better packing and shipping of my choice when I've bought stuff online. Unfortunately, sellers usually only have one standard system, that they're reluctant or unable to change.

I can't actually think of anything I've bought that's been delivered for free in any case.

I was using the collective global "we" who I can pretty safely say want shipping (as with everything else) for free or at least as cheaply as possible.

Unfortunately this has left the shipping and distribution companies with no option than to cut costs, which leaves no better service on offer.

[plasticman]

I was using the collective global "we" who I can pretty safely say want shipping (as with everything else) for free or at least as cheaply as possible.

Unfortunately this has left the shipping and distribution companies with no option than to cut costs, which leaves no better service on offer.

I don't want to labor the point - this thread isn't about shipping or courier companies  - but I think there are people who'd prefer to pay more for safe delivery of expensive items. But as with so much else (like the airlines for instance) there's a destructive price-race to the bottom.

 

As for the thread subject: M6TTL.

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[wlaidlaw]

Yes back to the subject. This was my most recent choice. I hope it is better than my previous M7 which was a "Friday" one, not helped by indifferent (at best) warranty repairs. M7 with 85mm/f1.5 Summarex and one of Luigi's lovely straps. I have also fitted one of Steve Barnett's Thumbies, which is a great help with holding the camera single handed to focus with the other, especially with heavier lenses. 

 

BTW, has anyone got a spare black bottom plate from an M6TTL, late (post 1996) M6 non-TTL, M7, MP or M-A, which they would like to sell? The previous owner of my M7 had lost his bottom plate, so at the moment it is Motor-M or nothing. Leica Paris have one on order for me but don't know how long it might take to arrive. I tried to order it direct from the Leica shop's spares department in Wetzlar but in a burst of "how can we be of no assistance to you at all this morning", they said they could not sell to me direct, even though I am a registered professional with them but the order had to go through the local agency. 

 

If I need parts for my Porsche and neither my local agency nor Porsche GB have the parts in stock, they will still arrive late the next afternoon from Germany, at my local agency. So how come it takes Leica Paris two to three weeks to get a spare part from Wetzlar, 480km from Paris, as the crow flies? Next visit to Wetzlar I will bring this up, as it is not a good reflection on the company. 

 

Wilson

 

 

 

 

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[michaelwj]

Did I digress? Doesn't sound like me

 

Back on topic, M4.