[Leica] Long term M7 satisfaction?

[Mitch Zeissler]

Thanks – that's exactly the type of long term experience I was looking for. 

Mitch Zeissler
===
Website: http://exploratorius.us

> On Jan 13, 2015, at 6:12 PM, Michiel Fokkema <michiel.fokkema at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I've had mine for 8 years and never had a problem. Still has the original
> DX reader and that still works flawless too. I have other Leica's and tried
> a Konica RF but always come back to the M7.
> 
> 
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Michiel Fokkema
> 
> michiel.fokkema at gmail.com
> 
> info at fokkemafoodtechnologyservices.com
> 
> www.photographyschool.nl
> 
> GSM:+31 (0) 615569576
> 
>> On 13 January 2015 at 19:32, Steve Barbour <steve.barbour at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jan 13, 2015, at 7:38 AM, Mitch Zeissler <zeissler at mac.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> This is to all the M7 users out there.
>>> 
>>> I've been searching high and low online for anecdotes of long term M7
>> reliability and satisfaction (and I'm talking years, not a few days, weeks,
>> or months).  I know about the early issues with the mechanical DX reader,
>> the switch to the MP viewfinder later in production, etc.  What I'm
>> interested in is whether the M7 is more/same/less reliable than an M6, M6
>> TTL, or MP, particularly the electronically controlled shutter curtains.
>> Anytime I read about an M7 issue, it's usually followed by a dog pile of
>> non-M7 users just dragging it through the mud – like it's the modern
>> version of the M5.
>>> 
>>> I've got an M7 and like it, though I've only had it for a few months (it
>> has the optical DX reader [useless for my bulk loaded film] and the MP
>> viewfinder upgrade).  I've also got an MP and like it.  I bought both used
>> in great condition, each at an excellent price, and they both date back to
>> 2002-2004.
>>> 
>>> I recently discovered that my primary hand meter (a Sekonic L-308DC)
>> doesn't measure nearly as well in very low light as the M7 does.  Actually,
>> the hand meter didn't measure anything at all (ISO 50 @ f/1.2), while the
>> M7 gave a reading of 3.5 seconds.  I've since confirmed this repeatedly;
>> once the light gets dim, the M7 begins to really shine and is able to shots
>> I simply cannot obtain with the MP.  I've got other hand meters and have
>> tested them with the same results.
>>> 
>>> Up to this point I've been leaning toward the MP and hand meter combo as
>> my primary camera.  I'm asking because whichever route I go – MP, M7, or
>> the new M-A – I'll want a second body of the same model.  That way I can
>> have a different emulsion in each camera (B+W in one and color in the
>> other), and one body can always be used as a backup whenever the other is
>> being serviced.
>>> 
>>> So based on the low light metering, I'm now flip-flopping on the M7 and
>> whether to rely on it as my main camera.  An M7 would give me all sorts of
>> benefits that the other M bodies would not, but it seems to be treated like
>> the red-headed step-child of the modern M cameras.
>>> 
>>> What is your experience with the M7?
>> 
>> 
>> My M7 was my favorite film M camera, I used it all the time for a couple
>> years. So favorite and so dependable that I took only it to Paris , where
>> it irreversibly  jammed three days into the trip. La Maison du Leica said
>> send it to Solms where repair will take some time. On my return to the US I
>> sent it to Solms, they returned it two months later, working fine, no
>> explanation for the problem, the bill was $450. I used it with out problem
>> for a year, then sold it.
>> 
>> 
>> Steve
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> Has it had the same level of reliability as the M6 or other M bodies?
>>> 
>>> If you don't want an M7 dog pile here, please send me a response
>> privately – either way, I'd like to hear about your long term M7 experience.
>>> 
>>> Mitch Zeissler
>>> ===
>>> Website: http://exploratorius.us
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
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> 
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