Leica M7

[db <boise@compuserve.com>]

>>It never ceases to amaze me how often there's talk about a new Leica M. 
Why is this? Are you all dissatisfied with the currect M6? Sure, the M6 is
an obsolete camera, but does this automatically mean there's is to be a
successor to this hugely succesfull camera?<<

It never ceases to amaze me that people claim the M6 is an obsolete camera.
 It is not obsolete if you consider its function and attributes.  It is a
mechanical camera that is not battery dependent, therefore it will work
when other cameras won't due to simple failure of an electical circuit or
the lack of batteries.  When viewed for what it is, a mechanical camera,
what makes it obsolete?  Is there another rangefinder camera currently
being produced that will function with or without batteries?  The Contax G
and Konica Hexar are delightful cameras, but without batteries they are no
more than a dead weight.  Same goes for any battery dependent SLR. 
Certainly there are a rash of auto-everything SLR cameras on the market
today but there is still room for a finely made mechanical SLR.  If that
were not true Nikon and Contax would not be selling them.   

Obsolete might be appropriate if there was a better design mechanical
rangefinder camera out there that does what the Leica M camera will do.  In
my opinion there isn't.  Part of my criteria for choosing an M camera was
that very attribute.  I can still photograph when batteries are either dead
or simply not available.  Granted there are more sophisticated camera
designs out, and certainly they meet the needs of many photographers, but
when your criteria is non-electric dependent rangefinder, the M is the best
unit going.

I am all for Leica making an M7 (as envisioned by speculation, an
electrical camera) but not at the expense of discontinuing the classic M6
because for me the M6 is anything but obsolete.  

My 2 centavos
Don