MP or M7

[sometimesmaybe]

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On 2/22/2025 at 3:02 AM, username said:

my point was just that suggesting a CLE based on fears of electronics dying makes no sense, as the CLE's are dying just the same

currently on ebay CLEs are selling for around AUD1,000. M7s are selling for AUD5,000 plus. just pointing out the loss (in financial terms) is vastly different if either suffers some kind of electronic failure.    

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[erl]

Worried about electronics failure? Well they all will eventually. But a hell of a lot have kept going for extraordinary times.

I also bet the car you drive is controlled by electronics. Does that worry you?

I have a very old Leica M7 from way back.it is fine. Of the 10 or 20 or 30 cameras I own, my M6 & M7 are my (currently) go to cameras. They are just a joy to use and one only needs to know the differences between their functions to choose 'which one today'.

[Jon Warwick]

On 12/2/2024 at 1:11 AM, brickftl said:

 

My favorite camera and which I'll continue to shoot is the M11Monochrom.

Mine too; I absolutely love the natural-looking files that come off the M11 Monochrom, with wonderfully extended tonal range and "real texture" in the fine details.

In fairness, I've felt that way for all of Leica's Monochroms, ie, getting rid of the color filter array creates a sufficiently different rendering to my eyes.

Interested what film you're shooting with the MP? ....color film (to complement the B&W off the M11 Monochrom), or B&W film?

 

 

 

[davidmknoble]

I enjoy the M7 in auto mode using the EV +|- but the dial is backwards to every Leica except the M6 ttl.  I love my MP’s for general film work and I’ve shot them all day even when the battery dies. I like that better than a limit of 2 shutter speeds on the M7 without a battery. 

Edited March 7 by davidmknoble

[brickftl]

28 minutes ago, Jon Warwick said:

Mine too; I absolutely love the natural-looking files that come off the M11 Monochrom, with wonderfully extended tonal range and "real texture" in the fine details.

In fairness, I've felt that way for all of Leica's Monochroms, ie, getting rid of the color filter array creates a sufficiently different rendering to my eyes.

Interested what film you're shooting with the MP? ....color film (to complement the B&W off the M11 Monochrom), or B&W film?

 

 

 

I'm all over the place with film stock, still trying various ones to see which one I'll eventually land on. For b/w, currently I've got a roll of TMax loaded in my M6 classic and Tri-X loaded in my MP, so we'll see how they work out. But I've also liked Ilford HP5 and XP2. I shot these with HP5: https://brick.smugmug.com/Photography/2025-2-14-Key-West-film-scans. And these were shot with XP2: https://brick.smugmug.com/Photography/2025-1-6-Key-West-scans

For color I've tried Extar 100 (examples: https://brick.smugmug.com/Photography/2015-1-18-Key-West-film-scans-Ektar-00) and Portra 400 (examples: https://brick.smugmug.com/Photography/2024-12-18-Key-West-film-scans

 

[erl]

10 hours ago, davidmknoble said:

I enjoy the M7 in auto mode using the EV +|- but the dial is backwards to every Leica except the M6 ttl.  I love my MP’s for general film work and I’ve shot them all day even when the battery dies. I like that better than a limit of 2 shutter speeds on the M7 without a battery. 

I take your points and accept that concerns you, but the 'backwards' shutter dial is not really an issue on the M7 if you regularly use 'Auto' mode, as I do. I see the logic in dial rotational direction and I find it mildly confusing when using my M6 (original rotation), but at those times I am in complete manual mode, so thinking about the contradiction between the VF red  is indicators and the dial is just forcing me to concentrate. Beyond that, the M7 is soooo much faster. Carrying spare batteries for the M7 is a habit I learned with the M6, which can also go flat. Be prepared, but above all, enjoy using them.

[davidmknoble]

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@erl, agreed!  That is why I said I enjoy the M7 in Auto mode!  It’s a lot like the Nikon F2’s.  My favorites are still the M3 and MP’s, but I’m sure we all love the cameras we use, like you said!

[alphonse2501]

On 3/7/2025 at 9:26 PM, davidmknoble said:

@erl, agreed!  That is why I said I enjoy the M7 in Auto mode!  It’s a lot like the Nikon F2’s.  My favorites are still the M3 and MP’s, but I’m sure we all love the cameras we use, like you said!

I believe shutter-speed priority autoexposure on Nikon F2 is only works with the cumbersome motorized units. Only F3 and onward models have AE for both aperture and shutter.

Canon New F-1 have Aperture Priority AE by attaches AE Finder FN, and mounts motor drive/winder for shutter-speed AE.

[250swb]

9 hours ago, alphonse2501 said:

I believe shutter-speed priority autoexposure on Nikon F2 is only works with the cumbersome motorized units. Only F3 and onward models have AE for both aperture and shutter.

Canon New F-1 have Aperture Priority AE by attaches AE Finder FN, and mounts motor drive/winder for shutter-speed AE.

The FE was the first to offer built in AE in 1978. The F3 followed a year later. The F2 used the very rare DS-12-EE module for AE, and in those days a specialist device, today they can cost £4000 to £5000.

Edited March 12 by 250swb

[davidmknoble]

11 hours ago, alphonse2501 said:

I believe shutter-speed priority autoexposure on Nikon F2 is only works with the cumbersome motorized units. Only F3 and onward models have AE for both aperture and shutter.

Canon New F-1 have Aperture Priority AE by attaches AE Finder FN, and mounts motor drive/winder for shutter-speed AE.

You are correct, I was thinking more about the ability of the F2 to adjust the shutter speed completely variable and it would mechanically use that shutter speed (i.e,. in between standard speeds) and so metering was precise.  But, that is not aperture priority and I think you are right, I looked at my F3 and that would be one of the early ones from Nikon.  I misspoke!