Re: [Leica] To M7 or not to M7, c'est la question - LONG

[Paul Chefurka <paul@chefurka.com>]

On Tue, 02 Jul 2002 22:19:38 +0100, Simon Lamb <simon@sclamb.com> wrote:

>What I don't quite understand is, if Ted, Tina and others find the AE of
>such benefit to get many more perfectly exposed images, why didn't they a
>long time ago purchase one of the competitors (that accept M lenses) that
>have the M7 features and much more?

I can only speak for myself, but I did indeed buy one of the "pretenders to
the throne" - the Hexar RF, which is the camera I think you're referring
to.  I still think the feature set offered by that camera is very
attractive, but IMNSHO that attractiveness was undercut by the
implementation of the package as a whole.  As they say, the devil is in the
details, and for my tastes the RF missed on a number of important details.
The finder is too dark, the shutter button feels numb, and the shutter lag
is very annoying.  I don't like the motor-only film advance  with no option
for a silent advance when you need it.  I also had a number of misloads,
which are vanishingly rare when I use an M.

Others may love them, but when the M7 came out my Hexar was the first piece
of gear to get a "For Sale" sticker.  Call me a traditionalist or call me
someone who is willing to pay for what he wants, but to paraphrase Lloyd
Bentsen, "I've known Leicas.  Leicas are friends of mine.  You, sir, are no
Leica."

Paul

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