[Leica] M7 heaven! :-)

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>]

M7 heaven! :-)

Well OK maybe a bit of an exaggeration, however, it is very nice to work
with. Mine arrived this a.m. as planned, as she who must be obeyed was out
doing her thing! ;-)

So far I've popped a roll through it and will soup in the morning, the
handling doesn't feel any different than an M6. But the, I hate to use the
term "AE auto mode" for exposure ....... but it's very interesting and I
already know it's going to become a dream machine for fast work.

After a few checks with an M6 and a hand meter against the M7 to see how it
was reading compared to my normal use of an M6, I was pleasantly surprised.
If this camera keeps reading exposures as well as it illustrated, I don't
have any doubt it's going to have a couple of brothers very shortly.

When I'm concentrating on shooting, the worse thing for me is to use
different handling cameras, no matter how many thousands of times you've
handled them individually in the past. If they're not the same functioning
camera you'll blow pictures turning the dial the wrong way just at the wrong
time.

Example: Trying to use M4's and M6's with meters at the same time. You put
the M4 to eye and touch shutter release expecting to light-up meter
arrowheads and.............bingo, Nada! Momentary confusion, equates to
missed key moment!

Now the M6 and M7 combination wont be so bad....other than this auto AE
thing and then swing up an M6 and ..........OOPS! Bad exposure! Why? Well I
can see once one becomes accustomed to the AE and reading the shutter speed
in the viewfinder, one can be completely concentrating only on focus and
shoot moment.

Then beginning to rely on that manner of AE setting it could be very easy to
forget the M6 doesn't do AE, then in a hurried moment that requires a change
of exposure you just quickly shoot "thinking the camera is doing the AE
thing." By the time you've realized your error, re-set shutter or aperture,
the moment is lost forever..

So two more M7's shortly and the M6's will go.......? ;-) Don't rush,
they're spoken for. ;-)

Having used M's of all kinds and M6's with meters since 1985, I'm not having
any squigglies in the handling of the M7, it's just another M camera with a
couple extra bells and whistles that will make my life easier as a
photojournalist.

Updates later.
ted

Ted Grant Photography Limited
www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant


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