Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/04/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Ted, I too have been pleasantly surprised by the M7. It feels like a true M and the exposure system is dead-on 99% of the time. Using 21/15/12 mm lenses does require that you do a ground reading otherwise the sky throws it a bit. What is truly nifty is the AE setting during long exposures. It will do up to 32 seconds and you can watch the countdown in the viewfinder. I still find the release a bit "notchy" compared to the M6 and other M's. You can feel the various "switches" for the meter and AE-lock and it seems that the travel of the release is a bit longer than on the M6. It might loosen up with some more rolls going through it. So far I haven't taken it off the AE setting and the 10-12 rolls shot with it have been exposed right on. One minor beef though - the battery-cover is prone to coming undone and I must admit that I would expect a bit better material in the that part. It feels a bit fragile and flimsy as it is made out of some plastic. The "lock" on the camera is a good idea. No way you will get those "interior shots of camerabag" anymore and it will probably save a lot of battery waste too. I also dread a leak in a battery as it would make the second battery almost impossible to get out if there was any kind of corrosion around it. It is also a very quiet M, less shutter-sound than the M6, almost like an old well used M2 or M3. As for longevity it remains to be seen. I suspect that the new shutter control system is a bit more complex than the old one, but one can always hope that it has been thoroughly tested prior to introduction. Well, at least every 18 years they do come up with a new camera for us to try out. Earlier this week I also got my Bessa R2 from Voigtlander/Cosina. This is a modern M2 as it has a meter built in and a very good viewfinder as well as M-mount. Comes in black and olive green. A bit noisier shutter than the M, but 1/125 flash synch speed and 1/2000 top speed. 35/50/75/90 frame lines with manual switching (like an old Canon V and VI). Of course for what you pay for a M7 you can get a couple of Bessa R2's and 15/25/50/75 or 90 mm lenses. No more plastic either, all metal body in diecast magnesium. - All this camera testing is hard work but somebody got to do it! All the best and good shooting Ted! Tom A Tom Abrahamsson Vancouver, BC Canada rapidwinder.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html