Buy a M6/M7 – What should be considered?

[andrew01]

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From what I can see M7’s sell for 50% more than M6’s (M7 around 3000£ or €. Agree that the prices for both are crazy high at the moment but it doesn’t look like the trend will be reversed any time soon.  MP’s are also silly money for what is essentially a slightly nicer version of an M6.

If I was buying an M camera in the current market I would probably look at an M4-2.  I have seen these at dealers for around £800.

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[Martin B]

17 hours ago, Paul Verrips said:

The M7 electronic shutter WILL NOT work without battery power,

BUT 1/60 + 1/125 shutter speed WILL work without battery power.

 

Whatever you choose, spend money for a CLA, my personal opinion is that the M7 is undervalued by the average Leica M addict.

I prefer the M7 towards the M6.

But it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Good point, I wasn't even aware that the M7 also has the option to work without battery at these two speeds. I state corrected! Fortunately I never ran out of battery power on any of my M cameras. I agree that the M7 is a bit underrepresented when it comes to M film camera models. Nevertheless, its price has significantly gone up after Leica stopped manufacturing it. It is also overpriced now IMO. As I said, it is a good camera. 

[Martin B]

5 hours ago, analog-digital said:

The M6 is hype and way too expensive. M7 is also increasingly sought after. Why not an MP?

Because the MP goes even used for $5K. This is about $2K more than M6/M7 prices already go for. The MA is about $4K used in good condition but has no light meter. 

[Martin B]

4 hours ago, andrew01 said:

From what I can see M7’s sell for 50% more than M6’s (M7 around 3000£ or €. Agree that the prices for both are crazy high at the moment but it doesn’t look like the trend will be reversed any time soon.  MP’s are also silly money for what is essentially a slightly nicer version of an M6.

If I was buying an M camera in the current market I would probably look at an M4-2.  I have seen these at dealers for around £800.

Good deals can still be found for M5 models which have also light meter. Main cons here are bigger size and the moving arm before releasing the shutter needed for the M5 light meter which is known to potentially cause issues over time. The M4 series is great, too as long as no light meter is okay - for me the internal meter is a must-to-have for the price even I also have a M3. But I always dislike that the M3 has no internal meter. But opinions vary here since it comes down to personal preference. 

[erl]

Style/subject of shooting is the deciding factor in camera selection. I have 2 M6's and 1 M7. I have used both extensively for shooting weddings and stage/theatrical work. For my style of shooting, the 'fat spot' metering of these cameras is ideal and very accurate with minimal adjustment required. For the subject I mentioned, the centre of interest is nearly always in the centre of frame. Especially with stage work where the outer edges of the stage are often black or under lit. An averaging meter style would be problematic then.

\That said, not everyone shoots what I do, so your preference can differ. Definitely, the AE mode in the M7 is vastly superior to the M6 metering for any action pictures where you must just 'point & shoot'. The AE mode IS very accurate in these situations, with some exceptions. eg. shooting vertical frames in narrow tall alleys. The contrast range is usually more than any meter can monitor accurately. Then it is 'manual ' only. YMMV.