Re: [Leica] if we're gonna talk about an M7

["Bryan Willman" <bryanwi@seanet.com>]

Having experience with Contax G2 and system, Canon EOS,
and of course M6, I offer the following suggestions for an M7,
things that would seem doable, using the same body tooling
and thus keeping the same size.  Note that these are changes
that, taken together, would cause me to run and buy a couple
of M7s, assuming some rational price.

1. Go to an electronic shutter, to get:
    a. reasonable flash sync speed, and hope of fill flash
        1/50th is just too slow.  125th or 250th would be good.
    b. aperture priority automatic exposure.  should be able
        to be very fast. 
    c. as quiet or quieter than the current shutter.
    d. release as smooth, predicitable, and instant acting as now.

2. A "zoom" version of the finder that would allow use of
    21mm and 24mm lenses without separate finders or
    "goggles", good size image for 35/50/75, and a larger
    image for ease of composition and focus with 90/135.

    While at it, arrange for only 1 frame line to appear at 
    a time in the finder.

    As an alternative, find a way for the rangefinder spot
    to be "reported" into the finder for a 21 or 24.

3.    Do not build a motordrive into the camera.  Motors
        make noise, and from what I've seen, Leica is not
        very good at them.  Do, however, keep the motor
        drive lug so motors, rapidwinders, etc can function.

        A new and improved add-on motor would be OK,
        but it would have to be much better design than the
        winder-M.

4.    Do not attempt autofocus.  For autofocus to be a win,
        the camera and lenses must be just wicked fast at it.
        Only the very top-line (large, heavy) SLRs can do it,
        and they fumble badly in circumstances in which the
        M6 works very well indeed.

5.    Put a proper on/off switch on the camera.

6.    Since my good friend Paul showed me the finer points
        of loading an M6, I've concluded that it's best to leave
        that as is.  However, somehow fastening the bottom to
        the camera (with a lateral hinge maybe?) so it can't
        be dropped would be a good thing.