I predict that before too long we'll be seeing posts like the following:

1) I bought a Leica M7 because it's supposed to be the best automatic camera made. How come all my pictures are out of focus?

2) I just sold my children so I can buy an M7. Should I get silver or black?

3) Here are some naked pictures of my girlfriend, Beatrice, taken with my new M7...

4) I have an M2, two M3s, an M5, a Leitz-Minolta CL with Rokkor lens (not the overrated Summicron) and an M6TTL. Should I sell my M6TTL and my Leitz-Minolta Cl, but keep the Rokkor lens, to buy an M7? Or should I sell one of the M3s and the M5? Or I could sell the M2, but I like using the Rokkor on it sometimes...and if I decided to sell the Leitz-Minolta CL later... maybe I could switch to Canon lenses and buy adapters to use them on the M7...

5) As a Leica photographer, using the M7 allows me to spontaneously implement my Leica vision, and to internalize and incorporate it actually, in order to realize and employ my Leica philosophy so that the results are truly Leica photographs, some of which are from the realist school, while others, as you can clearly see, are from the exaggerist paradigm...

etc., etc....

Anyone else care to make any prediction?

Dennis

p.s. Allow me to apologize in advance to those who are offended by such frivolity.

-- Dennis Couvillion (couvilaw@aol.com), February 25, 2002

Answers

"My M7 never comes out of the house, never" "I cant wait for 2008 for the AF M8, I am sure that will be the best camera" "Henri Cartier would DEFINATLY buy this camera, why shouldnt I?"

just a few

-- mike (thearea19@aol.com), February 25, 2002.

Pretty funny guys, keep em coming. Best chuckle I've had on this site in a couple of days. Let's load up our Lomo's and take some pictures. Ron

-- Ronald Wills (youngdeer@earthlink.net), February 25, 2002.

Here's my contribution:

The 7 makes all the difference. I never noticed the bokeh of my M primes until they sat on the 7. Not the 6, not the 5, not the 4, not the 3 or the 2... but the 7. When I pet the top cover, the brass beneath speaks to me... and its then that I know there is a God.

Y'know, a different spin on the Gibson rhetoric in the PDF brochure. The antithesis of more matter, less art. Polonius would feel right at home with the M7 marketing team.

;-)

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), February 25, 2002.

What about --- Which is better the Hexarlander G2 or the M7 ?

-- Art McLaughlin (captmcl1@aol.com), February 25, 2002.

What does "Spin" mean, as used by journalists these days?

-- Ray Moth (ray_moth@yahoo.com), February 25, 2002.

hahahahah....absolutely love it. many of us will laugh but are now aware thanks to you....not to make such stupid posts. Thanks Dennis

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), February 25, 2002.

ROTFLMAO

Thanks Dennis!

-- David (pagedt@chartertn.net), February 25, 2002.

I'm glad I bought an M6ttl. I'd had enough of all that electronic BS with the gear I got rid of to get the Leica.

-- Ted (zenspector@aol.com), February 25, 2002.

A REAL POSTING FROM A FEW MESSAGES DOWN--

There will much discussion of the M7 vis-a-vis the M6, M6TTL, Hexar, Bessa, etc., but I am sure the M7 is in my future.

Given a kit with an M6TTL 0.58, a 35mm Summicron, a 50mm Summicron and a 90mm Elmarit, which M7 body makes sense? This is a question of lens usage and viewfinder magnification given the handling charateristic changes that aperture priority implies for the M7.

It seems to me that AE benefits longer focal lengths more than wider lenses. The selective field of view seems to force more exposure setting adjustments than the wider fields of view. So, does an 0.85 M7 for use with the 90mm and 50mm lenses make most sense, thus using the M6 0.58 for the 35mm and eventual 28mm lenses? Or does it matter at all?

Your thoughts are welcome...

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.net), February 25, 2002.

"2) I just sold my children so I can buy an M7. Should I get silver or black?"

Now thats getting down to the brass tacks of what the M7 is all about. To funny!!!!! :0) Scott

-- Scott Evans (scottevans@attbi.com), February 25, 2002.

I'm predicting that.......I won't buy one anytime soon.

-- Dave Doyle (soilsouthlessspam@cox.net), February 26, 2002.

I usually use Nikons, but I borrowed a friend's M7 last week and shot a few rolls with it. What an overpriced piece of junk! It was heavy, the exposures weren't very accurate, and I was almost afraid to touch it was so damned expensive! Need any more proof? Well, the pictures I took with it aren't any better than the ones I take with my Nikon . . .

(based on an actual post I saw about a year ago on a different forum, with a only few minor modifications)

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), February 26, 2002.

I have inside information that the M7.2 will be an all mechanical no electronics camera that will essentially be an updated version of the M2. A well known Leicatologist have tested the prototype and concluded the greatest Leica ever made and unofficialy named it the M7 Prodigal because it is going to bring Leica full circle to 1954 when electronic did not cloud visions and one can concentrate on the photo and not on gimmicks. "Alas Leica is finally the king of a niche where nobody want to be." Other news....the new 50mm Noctilux ASPH is available this fall for $7000 Euros. The price includes a one way ticket to Leica's newest glassworks in Estonia where you will grind your own aspherical element like a man. Mrs. Tutsoff from accounting can also grind like a man if you wish for $50.

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), February 26, 2002.

I feel sure that the M7 will give a much-needed boost to Leica's sales this year. I'm afraid, though, that there will be some disappointed users who will happily shoot away in AE mode, trusting that the shutter speed is being selected for them but forgetting to use exposure lock on every shot. The selective metering pattern is likely to cause incorrect exposure if not controlled.

-- Ray Moth (ray_moth@yahoo.com), February 26, 2002.

You folks are a tough act to follow. But let me try anyway.

1. I just bought an Olive "Antique Road Show" Commemorative M7 for $5000. Will it hurt the electronics if I keep it in the unopened box for 10 years until the value goes up?

2. In the last year I bought Black and Silver M7's 0.58, 0.72, and 0.85. Tomorrow I'm going out to buy the Commemorative "Antique Road Show" M7 in either Olive or Gold. If I cannot decide which, I'll morgage the house and get both. My problem? My wife says she's fed up and is leaving me. Is there a Leica Singles Club?

-- Alex Shishin (shishin@pp.iij4-u.or.jp), February 26, 2002.

Antiques Roadshow Commemorative? now THATS FUNNY!!!

-- mike (thearea19@aol.com), February 26, 2002.

"I've gotten the Lecia M7 yesterday, and the store owner convinced me to get a 50mm lense with it. What does the '2.o' on the lense barrel mean? And why can't I get a 28-80 lense for it? It's a pity Lecia makes the best cameras and no lenses to go with them."

"My shop has the Vöightlander 28-200mm zoom lense in stock. I've heard that Voitlader lenses can be used on Lecias, so should I get this lense?"

"leica sucks!!! their M7 is a fraud! i've asked my congressman to get legislation on the way to get the company out of business!!! the ####ing owner of that ####ing company should be handed over to usama bin laden!!!! solms should be nuked!!!! i've tried to load film into the ####ing camera and i cant get the camera back open!!! how can they sell such a ############## product!!!!!!"

-- Oliver Schrinner (piraya@hispavista.com), February 26, 2002.

You would think that leica would put in automatic film rewind in the M7 like all real cameras have.

-- greg mason (gmason1661@aol.com), February 26, 2002.

when are they coming out with an APS version? i love that little cartridge!

-- jeremyT (jerthomas@earthlink.net), February 26, 2002.

I predict:

Erwin Puts will take over moderating duties from Tony Rowlett. Membership in this newsgroup will swell due to massive sales of the M7. (Gallup predicts that the Leica M7/household ratio will soon equal that of cell phone's, or at least home computers)

Sales in Russia will plummet because Mr. Puts is obviously a biased judge, and we all know the Russian/Ukrainain Leica's are the real thing. Vlad Putin will declare the M7 a flop and all photography in Russia will either be done in Medium Format or APS.

Tony sightings, like Elvis sightings, will be seen from time to time but no one other than the Enquirer or Star will believe them.

Honest, that's what I think!!!!

-- David S Smith (dssmith3@rmci.net), February 26, 2002.

Has anyone heard when they're gonna start offering rebates on M7's?

-- Jim W (jkdub@hotmail.com), February 26, 2002.

Thanks Mike!

This just in from UPS: President Bush has ordered a massive drop of Leica M7s over Afghanistan. It is said of the one million Leica M7 to be parachuted in, a large number will be silver and goodly number will be black. A selected number will have low serial numbers aimed especially at Afghanistan's Leica collectors. Also a large assortment of Leica M lenses (no third party stuff) will also be dropped. In regard to the the wide angles there is still debate among administration officials as to whether to drop the external viewfinders separately or include them with the lenses--even at the risk of having them mistaken for Voigtlanders. Today President Bush appeared at news conference wearing an Antiques Roadshow commemorative olive colored Leica M7 around his neck and declared: "The M7 rocks."

-- Alex Shishin (shishin@pp.iij4-u.or.jp), February 26, 2002.

Just in.....The M7 has been out for two months and the Leica Forum is overloaded with whiners passing off spam as contributions. As a result Tony Rowlett has declared a state of emergency and in his attempt to curb inane posts has named three Leica Forum regulars as the "Axis of Drivel" due to their unprecedented number of posts per day.

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), February 26, 2002.

Future Press Release: Canon has just purchased Leica for an undisclosed sum, and will expand the famous German camera company's product line into high-quality lenses for office copiers and camcorders. The 3-year old M7 camera body will soon be offered with a digital film back, and be renamed the EOS 7.

-- Steve Brantley (sbrantley@nccommerce.com), February 27, 2002.

The wind lever of the M7 seems to be rougher than the M6/4/3/2? Serious predictions now...

What features would you include in your dream M8?

Why no engraving on the M7 top plate?

Why could they not have M3 style windows on the front of the M7?

Get an M6/4/3/2 for the true M camera experience.

What incident meter should I get with my M7?

I really want a chrome M7 .85. But they only have black. Please counsel me, I'm torn. Should I use my LHSA black paint camera now, or lock it away and use that as an excuse to blow another US$2500 to buy an M7? How about $5000 for a spare user LHSA and an M7?

Is manual exposure better/faster/less disturbing to the stream of consciousness than AE? (this last will generate furious, bitter debates for years to come...)

Sorry all, my sense of humor is strangely absent :-(

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), February 27, 2002.

Er, it's rather difficult to come after all those comments, some are delicious.

MMMMMMMMWWWWWahhhhhhh.

Sorry, I cannot add on top of it. "Trop Fort" as we say in French

Cheers. Xavier d'Alfort

-- Xavier d'Alfort (hot_billexf@hotmail.com), February 27, 2002.