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Why not an "I love my M7" thread?


Pedro

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  • 1 year later...

If you're a single lens, single film shooter, I would keep the M7. It is more current from a wear & tear viewpoint, and having "A" is much quicker. I have one of the first 500 cameras, and did eventually have to have it sent in for the optical DX reader and viewfinder eyepiece sealing, and had the "MP" finder upgrade done also. Only the "MP" upgrade cost me. My 277xxxx series camera is as smooth as any MP now that it has digested a few hundred rolls.

 

One reason I can see for keeping the M6/M3 pair over the M7 is if you need to quickly switch between lenses or want to shoot two types of film. Of course you could always rent or borrow a second body if that is only an occasional circumstance.

 

Have fun shooting.

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I have two early model M7s and have not considered upgrading them largely because neither has failed in any way whatsoever, and I also hate the idea of being without them. I feel the M7 is a work of outstanding engineering, and a perfect match with the M9 for the best of both worlds. ('course, that's easy to say when I have seven electronics-free film Ms as backup.)

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I bought a M7 last year, several months after I bought my M9. I really like the slimness of the body compared with the M9, and I wish the M9 was as thin as the M7. Mine was secondhand, apparently owned by a lawyer who used it a bit, but not so much as to cause any wear.

 

The body covering is starting to peel a little from the top plate, and the circular dot on the battery cover came off. I plan to replace the covering with either black leather, brown leather, or perhaps even rich red leather.

 

It winds beautifully and has a lovely 'snck' sound to the shutter that a secondhand chrome MP I played with did not. The wind lever is a real joy to operate, and makes consecutive shooting very appealing. It appears to be pretty old, made within the first couple of years of M7 production, and it has the old DX reader but appears to have the new viewfinder.

 

I love it, and I hope to enjoy its use for many years. I passed on a clean M6 TTL, chrome MP and black paint MP because I wanted autoexposure, like my M9 and Zeiss Ikon.

 

M7 porn will come soon. :D

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That is funny.

"...seems to be pretty old,.... has the new rangefinder..."

So that'll make it about 5-6 years old.

Pretty old to me is an M3 from the 1950s or a Leica Standard from the 30's. Old is my M2 from 1965. Any M7s are relatively new for Leica M kit. A 45 year old M2 should not have a peeling cover let alone a new M7, although it might have been left in the sun a lot.

 

If your M7 is black go for the black leather or vulcanite or MP grippy stuff. For a Silver M7 then other colours are OK but if you have a brown or cognac colour then you'll need silver lenses as black won't look so right having 3 main colours, silver , brown, black. Same goes for red cover, OK if you never sell but it must be a hard colour to sell on. IMO of course, and it won't affect the image quality.

 

Better still leave it beat up and just use it. If the Red dot is falling off then take it off and paint it black and glue it back on ( need to protect the rangefinder screw behind). That will save you £200 that you can spend on film and processing etc.

 

It'll be interesting to see which you use most M9 or M7 and if you end up selling the M9 to finance an M7 a la carte instead?

 

A black chrome M7 feels like it should be used everyday by hardworking photographers so my weekend photo hobby feels like I'm letting my M7 get all sad and lonely in the bag without regular airings.

 

Enjoy, Lincoln

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  • 3 weeks later...

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I love mine which was second-hand but minty. It fits my hands better than my M9. It is a great compliment to the M9, and I am glad I followed a lot of forum fellows' advise, especially, Andy's.

 

This photo is a repost from "Other" forum. The M7, like other Leica products, is definitely one of the temptations of life.

 

Tri:)

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  • 1 month later...

Looks much sweeter than a MP....

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Can I ask, why is the M7 considered better than the MP (or M6) for shooting slide film?

 

 

...poor technique? Lack of understanding of basic principles of photography? Blame culture and its ancillary manifestations? General dumbing down of the image capturing and producing process (i.e. automation = more convenience, but less control over the outcome)? Need I continue?

 

Great camera, though. But let's not over-egg it, folks.

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I love my M7 as it's my "fast shooting" choice for street shooting. I've had terrific luck with the two I've owned. It does have the most accurate shutter ever put in a film M as well (tradeoff is battery dependence).

 

Here's mine relaxing at lunch the other day in San Francisco.

 

5824977197_fe03f302ba_b_d.jpg

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T00m,

What happened with the colour of the 35mm Elmarit? It looks to have a magenta cast but the M7 body does not. Was the image taken without the IR filter on the lens of your M8? Or does the 35mm really look non-black in certain light? I'm thinking of getting the 35 f2.5 myself you see.

Regards, Lincoln

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T00m,

What happened with the colour of the 35mm Elmarit? It looks to have a magenta cast but the M7 body does not. Was the image taken without the IR filter on the lens of your M8? Or does the 35mm really look non-black in certain light? I'm thinking of getting the 35 f2.5 myself you see.

Regards, Lincoln

 

My 35 Summarit is plain black... Excellent lens, do not hesitate, perhaps the best of the summarit range, though my 75 is great as well. Just ordered a 90.

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Because although I own two M7s, and even an M9, and six M4s, there is no love for the M7. Love is something attributed to my life, stepchildren, and wife, not the stuff aquired.

 

Love your M7. Caress it. Kiss it. Take it to bed with you. Wear it as if it were jewelery.

 

But show us pictures that cannot be done without it, and not pictures of it. We can get the later from Leica.

I hate these "I Love My ...." threads. Double Negative's pictures epitomizes what I hate. What the f*ck has that to do with photography?

Edited by pico
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I hate these "I Love My ...." threads. What the f*ck has that to do with photography?

 

Why shouldn't someone celebrate the aesthetics of their gear? We buy with our eyes as well as our hearts. Given a choice, it's why you bought the house you live in, live in the town you live in, drive the car you drive. It's why one might have a Leica body rather than the arguably better Zeiss Ikon ZI, it's why one might have an MP rather than an M6. Perhaps "I Cherish..." would be better.

Pete

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Because although I own two M7s, and even an M9, and six M4s, there is no love for the M7. Love is something attributed to my life, stepchildren, and wife, not the stuff aquired.

 

Love your M7. Caress it. Kiss it. Take it to bed with you. Wear it as if it were jewelery.

 

But show us pictures that cannot be done without it, and not pictures of it. We can get the later from Leica.

I hate these "I Love My ...." threads. Double Negative's pictures epitomizes what I hate. What the f*ck has that to do with photography?

 

What I hate is posts like this - superior, patronizing, time-wasting and depressing.

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Why shouldn't someone celebrate the aesthetics of their gear? We buy with our eyes as well as our hearts. Given a choice, it's why you bought the house you live in, live in the town you live in, drive the car you drive. It's why one might have a Leica body rather than the arguably better Zeiss Ikon ZI, it's why one might have an MP rather than an M6. Perhaps "I Cherish..." would be better.

Pete

 

I picked up a Zeiss Ikon once. It rattled in my hands like a child's toy. I put it back down and never looked at it again. Disappoint.

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Because although I own two M7s, and even an M9, and six M4s, there is no love for the M7. Love is something attributed to my life, stepchildren, and wife, not the stuff aquired.

 

Love your M7. Caress it. Kiss it. Take it to bed with you. Wear it as if it were jewelery.

 

But show us pictures that cannot be done without it, and not pictures of it. We can get the later from Leica.

I hate these "I Love My ...." threads. Double Negative's pictures epitomizes what I hate. What the f*ck has that to do with photography?

 

You're in the WRONG thread, buddy. Move along.

 

If you want to see pictures FROM my gear that's fine too.

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Because although I own two M7s, and even an M9, and six M4s, there is no love for the M7. Love is something attributed to my life, stepchildren, and wife, not the stuff aquired.

 

Love your M7. Caress it. Kiss it. Take it to bed with you. Wear it as if it were jewelery.

 

But show us pictures that cannot be done without it, and not pictures of it. We can get the later from Leica.

I hate these "I Love My ...." threads. Double Negative's pictures epitomizes what I hate. What the f*ck has that to do with photography?

 

 

...Pico, I will be forthright. Whilst I am not a fan of these threads, and even though you may have a point, the tone of your post shows a distinct lack of respect for fellow members whose palate might differ from yours. It is ugly and embarrassing. And totally uncalled for.

 

Perhaps this is an opportune moment to once again point out that this is Andreas's house, and we are all guests.

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