Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/05/08

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Another thing I noticed about the M7
From: Nathan Wajsman <wajsman@webshuttle.ch>
Date: Wed, 08 May 2002 18:21:28 +0200
References: <B8FE6D1D.4EF2%telyt@earthlink.net>

Doug Herr wrote:

> the slippery slope of automation!  then next thing will be a slow-speed
> warning (switchable between a bronx cheer, a vibration under the shutter
> finger and pulsating LEDs); then it will be "smart" meter mode switching
> beween spot, center-weighted and matrix so you don't have to think about it;
> the automatic "features" will eventually be seen an nesessities and before
> you know it the svelte, silent M has grown to the size of an F5!

I don't think it will ever come to that, the whole point of the M7 is that they
have managed to squeeze in this particular convenience without increasing the
size or the feel relative to the M6TTL. I would not even have bought the M7 if
it did not provide the two mechanical shutter speeds of 1/60 and 1/125 as
backup.

> I figure that if the photo requires more brainpower that the gray stuff
> behind the viewfinder it's not "my" picture any more.  A couple things Leica
> did right with the M7 are the limited auto-exposure and keeping the manual
> mode as simple to use as the M6.

Agreed. And I do not believe that I use any less brainpower with the M7 than
with the M6, only I can shoot faster with the M7. And as you say, the manual
mode is totally unchanged from previous Ms. AE is not inherently evil, and at
least I have used enough brainpower to ensure consistently correct exposures (by
aiming the camera properly etc.). Any further automation would be useless to me.
I never use the program mode on my R8, for example--always either manual or
aperture-preferred. The same was true in my pre-Leica days when I was using
Pentax SLRs with all sorts of program modes.

The final fantastic feature of Leica is the backwards compatibility. When I went
to London last week I carried with me a mid-1950s collapsible 50mm Summicron,
which I promptly put on the M7 in the shop. I do not know of any other camera
system where you can put an almost-50 year old lens on a 2002 model.

In the 4 years I have been on the LUG some of the persistent wishes expressed
have been for an electronic shutter, a proper off-switch, and (a bit less
frequently) things like AE and DX coding. It seems to me that in developing the
M7 Leica has done an eminently good job of listening to its customers.

Nathan

- --
Nathan Wajsman
Herrliberg (ZH), Switzerland

e-mail: wajsman@webshuttle.ch
mobile: +41 78 732 1430

Photo-A-Week: http://www.wajsman.com/indexpaw2002.htm
General photo site: http://www.wajsman.com/index.htm


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In reply to: Message from Doug Herr <telyt@earthlink.net> (Re: [Leica] Another thing I noticed about the M7)