Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/01/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Well folks looks like we've entered a new era and the world is not the same. Time to go out and buy all new underwear! Stick our heads in the sand and hope it all blows over! Or set off firecrackers and start pouring the single malt. Turns out there will be NOT - NO Leica M7 forever. Or "forever" is like never saying you're sorry! Looks like I'm off to some nation with no extradition to the USA. I'm told on impeccable authority just off the phone and E-mail with real Germans in Germany that indeed the M7 is about to be foisted upon us at the PMA in February and available soon after. For awhile there it seems that Leica was about at that time to discontinue the current M6 TTL in favor of this M7 but was talked out of it. As my source said: IT WAS M5 TIME ALL OVER AGAIN! And interestingly it seems the dies and machinery that made the M6 classic are still much in the ready position. Maybe they've got them all set up in the underground factory!!?! They haven't melted them down to coin some new Leica money. And we'll be seeing more of those M6 classics! Perhaps in limited edition special models… I say bring back a Viso to go with it! Perhaps all it needed is a 90 finder with a higher viewpoint for the Viso to fit a TTL. But i sidetrack. Back to the M7. The one which is really going to happen. It seems that Herr Cohn was adverse to calling it an M7 but was talked out of it by some Leica marketing people. Leica marketing people?!! Not an oxymoron perhaps! :) Leica needs a nice kick in the pants. Is that news? Actually I thought Leica was doing just fine but what do i know? The M6 was doing quite well and it's modern ASPHs have revolutionized modern 35mm optics. A shrunken R8 was in order. An R8 SHRUNK But they also have to make money. And they needed more stuff happening in the black department is our impression. That is why they brought in Herr Cohn in the first place I'm sure. STILL A CLOTH SHUTTER! Still a 50th sync! But with a new Leicaflash that will sync to 1000th of a seconds which goes with it! This has been done before with the Olympus. A pulsating flash emulates a flashbulb I think is the way it works. (I'd suggested this on the LUG I'm sure that's where they got the idea from!:) I guess it's an M6 TTL with some modifications. An ON off switch over to the side. Different batteries. No internal drive. I've got a sneaking feeling we'll be reading all about it first in the Viewfinder first but I'm sure they'll also have some stuff on the Leica site. Me I've got 2 bodies, a classic, a TTL, both .72's. I'd thought my next body soon coming up would be an M6 TTL .58. But now I'm going to wait to see the M7. I'd think they'd have that in .58 soon. Actually i won't be waiting. I'd not get the body till after march anyway. By the way unlike so many of our most known - discerning - and otherwise very nice people: Sherry Krauter, Roy Moss, Jim Marshall, Marc James Small, Tom Abrahamsson, Seth Rosner, Richard Wasserman and many others whose names don't quite come to mind? I'M NOT DOWN ON THE TTL!!! I LOVE mine just a tad better than my classic!!! My classic is my backup body and i use it with my Viso now. The slight extra height on the ttl I can't see what the problem is on that. Wished it worked better with my Viso but LOVE the TTL!! We'll see what happens with this new Leica flash which is coming out. How it works on M6 TTL bodies. Amongst myriad other items and issues… It's a whole new ballgame folks! Time to get a new mit! Mark Rabiner Portland, Oregon USA http://www.markrabiner.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html