Jump to content

M7 - I just took the plunge


Shadow Blaster

Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I just ordered an M7 with the 50/1.4 Summilux and can hardly wait. The salesman tried to gently steer me to an MP, but I am attracted to the aperture priority feature of the M7. My only concern is the durability/"robustness" of the M7 compared to the MP, simply because of the electronics. Without the benefit of direct experience with either, can anyone shed light on the the issue of durability of the M7 & the MP? I will be taking the M7 on ski trips and climbing trips and expect (hope?) it will be up to the task! Anyhow, I am really excited to be entering the world of Leica.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Congratulations! And welcome to the forum. I have no MP to compare, but the M7 is magnificently constructed. Working with it gives great confidence, I'm certain it will perform splendidly for many, many years and ski trips. best...Peter

Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome to this forum, and no worries, the durability of the M7 will almost certainly exceed yours :). Early M7's had an issue with the DX reading feature, but if your new M7 is a current spec model, it will have the contactless DX reader and should not psoe any problems at all. If the film cartridge drops out of the camera body by itself, then you have the current version. If pulling is needed to remove the cartridge, the camera may still have the old gold plated contacts pressing against the outer surface of the cartridge, but I do not think this will be the case.

 

Enjoy your new camera!

 

Andy

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've had my M7 for about seven years (mine is one of the first), and it has been back to Leica once for a broken shutter. No great tragedy, as I took the opportunity to get the MP finder put in at the same time... Other than that, after hundreds of rolls, it has been solid as a rock - and is my 'go-to' camera when I'm feeling lazy :)

 

My only advice is to always make sure you switch it off when not in use and keep a spare battery with you - I lost a day of shooting recently in China when the battery died far away from a store...

 

Other than that, congratulations, and enjoy the wonderful camera in good health!

Link to post
Share on other sites

The M7 meter will fool you a bit when shooting snow scences, as will most meters. Be sure the read the manual on this point. Otherwise one hardly needs the manual, except on Day One perhaps.

 

Robust? Yes, but do not abuse. Robust inside, but do not drop it on a concrete floor.

 

MP or M7? I have had M6s and I have M7s. The mis-rate due to exposure is much, much lower with the M7, but how much lower will largely depend on what type of pictures you shoot. For landscapes on a tripod, the difference M6 vs M7 will be nil.

 

Have fun, and I hope your camera will arrive soon.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Though I personally like the MP much more, the low-light capabilities of the M7 make it very attractive.

 

Congrats on taking the plunge.

 

I have a couple of M7s and love them. I am about to order an MP and I'm intrigued about the low-light capabilities of the M7. Can you please explain?

 

Cheers,

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have a couple of M7s and love them. I am about to order an MP and I'm intrigued about the low-light capabilities of the M7. Can you please explain?

 

Cheers,

 

The electronic shutter allows much longer shutter speeds on Auto.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

Link to post
Share on other sites

Congrats to the OP and welcome to the forum! :) The M7 is a wonderful camera and it will give you years of reliable service. I use both M7s and MPs and my personal preference is currently leaning to the MP, as oddly enough I take more notice of the meter in the MP and seem to get more accurately exposed shots on average. The M7 is brilliant for slides though and absolutely great on AE when you are shooting street and the light level is changing rapidly. If you are travelling with the M7 my only concern would be very hot & humid environments, I think you need to be careful with any electronics in high humidity.

Link to post
Share on other sites

for M7, I hate the plastic battery door cover, and the cheap body cover.
If you don't like the body cover on the M7 you should try the MP. That is really bad. I think Leica should look at putting 3M's Griptac-type cover on their bodies.
Link to post
Share on other sites

I to am a recent M7 owner/shooter. Having been spoiled with AutoFocus Zooms on (SLRs and DSLRs) the adjustment while shooting is bedeviling. The camera is doing a superb job so far...now if I can improve.. then the pictures will! Love the look and feel of film and Leica, just quite a learning curve for me.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hey congrats on the M7! I'm also new to Leica M and this forum.

 

Having worked in electronics for about 30 years, I wouldn't worry about that part of the camera, at all. How long has all of the cheap electronic junk worked for? Years past the time it got trashed.

 

I think you may have made the right decision on the M7 over the MP for your initila M. I got a used .72 MP (coming from a Contax IIIa with a dead meter), and AE is something I didn't think I wanted, and now I do. Having to think less about exposure gives you more time to worry about focus, as you can see from my example below, I couldn't get the camera focused on Jupitor while I correctly changed the aperture.

 

This will also give you sometime to think about what VF your MP to have also.

 

Have fun-michael

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

The electronic shutter allows much longer shutter speeds on Auto.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

 

Surely one can use the B setting for exposures of any length? With reciprocity issues with most films this is often easier than using auto settings which of course do not take this into account.

 

Rgds

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...