chris_livsey Posted December 18, 2008 Share #1 Posted December 18, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) It was mentioned in another current thread that the more reliable optical DX reader was to be preferred. Is there a know serial no from when this was fitted as standard and I think the original finder was replaced by the MP type so again is there a serial no at which this occurred ? In short after which serial no range was the M7 "perfected" ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 18, 2008 Posted December 18, 2008 Hi chris_livsey, Take a look here M7 changes question. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted December 18, 2008 Share #2 Posted December 18, 2008 By coincidence, I asked MK only yesterday as to whether they still fix the older M7 "issues" under warranty. They are making enquiries with Solms and I will let you know when they come back to me. AFAIK, the warranty fix didn't touch the finder, just the DX coding reader, and the tendency for the meter to hunt for a shutter speed on occasion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
guywalder Posted December 18, 2008 Share #3 Posted December 18, 2008 Is there a know serial no from when this was fitted as standard and I think the original finder was replaced by the MP type so again is there a serial no at which this occurred ?In short after which serial no range was the M7 "perfected" ? There is no perfect camera..... There is however a thread with the serial number you want, just do a search Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_livsey Posted December 18, 2008 Author Share #4 Posted December 18, 2008 There is no perfect camera.....There is however a thread with the serial number you want, just do a search perfected in quotes implies not perfected but something in that area. the site search I find rather cumbersome and tends to bring up too many hits to find the exact match, often it is possible to ask politely and be given the answer with any more recent information added by the generous posters to this forum. Thank you for your input. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted December 18, 2008 Share #5 Posted December 18, 2008 Somewhere around 2885000 (2003 - I think) for the upgrade finder and somewhere in late 2006 for the optical reader. I'd do what I did (haha) which was to ask the sellers if the M7's I was looking at if they had the optical reader. My reasoning was this: it's impossible to know for sure if they finder has been upgraded unless you can tell by looking through it (many sellers don't know) or if you take it apart. The optical reader is easy to check for by inspection - you can do it yourself if you have a photo of the area. I assume that any M7 that has the optical reader either came from the factory with it, and thus will have the upgraded finder, or was sent back to Leica for the upgrade, in which case the finder was most likely upgraded as well. If I'm not mistaken, the DX reader is an expensive upgrade, on the order of $400-500 and is not covered by warranty, while the finder upgrade is much cheaper ($150-200ish) and was covered by warranty. I could be wrong about the prices and warranty coverage. I'm also pretty sure that the viewfinder can be done in the US, while for the DX reader, the camera needs to go back to Germany, which makes for a longer trip for those of us in the US. As a result, I waited until I found a used M7 with the DX reader already upgraded. At some point, I'll send it in for a CLA and ask them to check to see if the viewfinder is upgraded. It still flares a bit, but not as bad as my M6. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bernd Banken Posted December 18, 2008 Share #6 Posted December 18, 2008 as you will see in the link, from May 2004 Leica introduced the new finder for the M7. A different layout of a mirror and an additional lens inside the viewer has a better behavior against the "white out" effect coming from strong sidelight. More contrast and better framelines are the result of this modification. My modyfied M7 had the s/n 28862xx finder version 0.58. Leica M7 mit verbessertem Sucher und erweiterter Garantieleistung | photoscala Bernd Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bernd Banken Posted December 18, 2008 Share #7 Posted December 18, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Somewhere around 2885000 (2003 - I think) for the upgrade finder and somewhere in late 2006 for the optical reader. I'd do what I did (haha) which was to ask the sellers if the M7's I was looking at if they had the optical reader. My reasoning was this: it's impossible to know for sure if they finder has been upgraded unless you can tell by looking through it (many sellers don't know) or if you take it apart. The optical reader is easy to check for by inspection - you can do it yourself if you have a photo of the area. I assume that any M7 that has the optical reader either came from the factory with it, and thus will have the upgraded finder, or was sent back to Leica for the upgrade, in which case the finder was most likely upgraded as well. If I'm not mistaken, the DX reader is an expensive upgrade, on the order of $400-500 and is not covered by warranty, while the finder upgrade is much cheaper ($150-200ish) and was covered by warranty. I could be wrong about the prices and warranty coverage. I'm also pretty sure that the viewfinder can be done in the US, while for the DX reader, the camera needs to go back to Germany, which makes for a longer trip for those of us in the US. As a result, I waited until I found a used M7 with the DX reader already upgraded. At some point, I'll send it in for a CLA and ask them to check to see if the viewfinder is upgraded. It still flares a bit, but not as bad as my M6. It's quite the opposit way round: The DX update was done under warranty, but the modifed finder cost around 300.00 € in 2007 when I remember well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted December 18, 2008 Share #8 Posted December 18, 2008 It's quite the opposit way round: The DX update was done under warranty, but the modifed finder cost around 300.00 € in 2007 when I remember well. Ahh, didn't know that. Thought I had read somewhere you could send in your M7 for the finder upgrade for free... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_n Posted December 18, 2008 Share #9 Posted December 18, 2008 I had both the VF upgraded to the MP type and the DX reader upgraded to the optical type under warranty through NJ. The VF was done in NJ and the DX reader in Solms. In addition Solms gave the camera a thorough CLA. The camera is now in fantastic shape and I was thinking about selling it but now I think I'll keep it as a backup. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_livsey Posted December 18, 2008 Author Share #10 Posted December 18, 2008 Peter,Bernd and tgray thanks for posting, most helpful. There are obviously a lot of possible combinations of upgrades out there for the M7 s/h and at least now I know what to ask. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolo Posted December 18, 2008 Share #11 Posted December 18, 2008 Peter,Bernd and tgray thanks for posting, most helpful. There are obviously a lot of possible combinations of upgrades out there for the M7 s/h and at least now I know what to ask. Chris, the definitive test for the viewfinder upgrade is the orange stripe on the box. It was introduced for that very reason. See pic. If it hasn't got that, stay away. Just make sure that the Serial numbers line up. I bought mine 3 months ago. IMO, just get the latest VF and send the DX reader in for an update when it suits under the warranty programme. Rolo 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! Quote 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/71650-m7-changes-question/?do=findComment&comment=751062'>More sharing options...
chris_livsey Posted December 18, 2008 Author Share #12 Posted December 18, 2008 Chris, the definitive test for the viewfinder upgrade is the orange stripe on the box. It was introduced for that very reason. Rolo Hat Tip to Rolo and Seasons Greetings from W Lancs Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterv Posted December 19, 2008 Share #13 Posted December 19, 2008 Thanks Rolo! Just checked and my M7 box has the orange stripe. Always wondered about whether I had the new viewfinder, but never knew for sure. Turns out one should read what's in the box when buying something I was just too nervous I guess... Does anyone have a picture of the optical DX reader? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted December 19, 2008 Share #14 Posted December 19, 2008 I've seen a picture of it on the internet. Just look in the area where the film goes. If you see a row of 5 or 6 gold contacts, you have the old style reader. If you see a row of 5 or 6 grayish squares, you have the optical reader. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted December 19, 2008 Share #15 Posted December 19, 2008 Just make sure that the Serial numbers line up. I bought mine 3 months ago. IMO, just get the latest VF and send the DX reader in for an update when it suits under the warranty programme. MK are still checking for me whether the warranty programme still exists. It will have to wait until the New Year now, I suspect, but it's by no means certain that they will still do the DX reader work for nothing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted December 19, 2008 Share #16 Posted December 19, 2008 I've seen a picture of it on the internet. Just look in the area where the film goes. If you see a row of 5 or 6 gold contacts, you have the old style reader. If you see a row of 5 or 6 grayish squares, you have the optical reader. Mine has a row of what look like plastic "pyramids", not gold contacts. 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! Quote 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/71650-m7-changes-question/?do=findComment&comment=752186'>More sharing options...
peterv Posted December 19, 2008 Share #17 Posted December 19, 2008 Hi Andy, would this be the old style, or the optical DX reader? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted December 19, 2008 Share #18 Posted December 19, 2008 I don't know - I was hoping you'd tell me I think it's the old style, as I get the "hunting for the correct exposure" thing going on sometimes, and some oddness if I set the ASA reader to "DX" Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted December 19, 2008 Share #19 Posted December 19, 2008 I lied about the gold contacts. I assumed they were gold since other exposed contacts in the camera are (like for the ISO wheel). That is the old style. Here's a photo of the two styles: Typical M7 reliability? - Rangefinderforum.com Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted December 19, 2008 Share #20 Posted December 19, 2008 Thanks Tim. Agreed that mine is definitely an "old style" Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.