M7's in stock, in London NOW! £1898 and absolutely no discount.....nice camera but not for me....greenspun.com : LUSENET : Leica Photography : One Thread |
I just got back from central London today and a visit to two of the main Leica dealerships - they have M7's and have already sold over twenty between them. List price of £1898 ($2750) and unlikely to be discounted for this year.So I guess it would be possible to have one DHL'd to the US (less the VAT) for around $2300...if you don't have them already?
My observations, I have made no secret of preferring the older meterless M2/M4-P and I am afraid having tried the M7 I still hold that view. Optically the viewfinder is crisp and clear but oh! - those distracting, difficult to read cheap looking floating red numerals are awful!
The body seems well finished with the exception of the rear film dial, it is fiddly, difficult to turn and seems very plasticky and rather fragile. The shutter - definitely quieter than other M's but rather strange in sound, more of a gentle dull thud than the crisp mechanical sound we are used to. As others have said the lack of the gentle buzz and whirr of the slow speed train is conspicuous by it's absence.
Everything else is typical M as we know it, solid and ergonomic. One customer already had a M7 in his bag and pulled out two M6 TTL's presumably in exchange for another M7.
This is simply my view and taken in respect of what I look for in a Leica - for those who enjoy the M6/TTL it is a possible step up - regardless of the electronic shutter and AE it is a Leica through and through, beautifully made and unlike any other modern camera available. For those of us with a love for handheld metering and fully mechanical M's thank goodness for the buoyant second-hand market.
-- Giles Poilu (giles@monpoilu.icom43.net), March 13, 2002
hello giles: which shops have them on display?
-- stefan randlkofer (geesbert@yahoo.com), March 13, 2002.
> difficult to read cheap looking floating red numeralsTime to change your glasses Giles.
Lucien
-- Lucien (Lucien_vd@yahoo.fr), March 13, 2002.
Stefan, I visited RG Lewis and (hate to admit it!) Classic Camera - whether they will still have stock I don't know.Lucien, you may be right - I blame gazing at a computer screen all day :)
-- Giles Poilu (giles@monpoilu.icom43.net), March 13, 2002.
You know the M7 gives one the capacity to shoot from the hip in settings where photography is not allowed or in crowds. Simply set to a specific focus or hyperfocus, set your aperture and the camera does the rest. This thing may allow some people to get alot mor shots than they did before, with dead on exposure.
-- Bob Haight (rhaigh5748@aol.com), March 13, 2002.
for those of you who plan to soldier on with your m6 (or m2 or iiig or standard), and want increased shoot from the hip/candid power, i thought i's pass along a tip. if you stick a voigtlander VC meter atop your camera, you can check exposure without putting the camera to your eye. this way you can trap focus without EVER letting on that you're taking a pic OR you can wait until the very last instant to bring the camera up to frame and focus with exposure already set. needless to say, things would be a lot simpler if the m6 had a top readout for the meter (a la nikkormat ftn among others), but this is a nice alternative.
-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), March 13, 2002.
Re: reading viewfinder numerals.....I had expected that might be a problem. Unlike an SLR the M doesn't require *absolute* matching of the viewfinder optics to eyesight, even to use the LED's. But to clearly see small numerals, it might be more critical. One of the things I disliked about the R7 was the red numerals. Much harder to see their crisp outlines than the backlit-LCD type display in the R8.Re: hip shooting. I have often used my Gossen Pilot-2 or Sekonic L- 208 clip-on meters for waist-level metering with the M6. I always wished it had had an extra set of LED's on the top plate--too late for that wish to be granted now ;>)
-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), March 13, 2002.
I believe the initial price in the USA will be about $ 2350. Sam Shoshan (classicconnection.com) is taking orders at that price. This is for camera with USA passport warranty. Definitely cheaper than in the UK
-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), March 13, 2002.
Jay, I'm still trying to find one if those L208's at a reasonable price - it seems impossible.Bob, I see what you're saying but what if that narrow spot lands on someone's black coat or a piece of bright white wall?
This is my whole reason of preferring the M4-P and handheld meter, take a careful reading (without needing to bring the camera to the eye) and stick to it, pre-set hyperfocus and shoot to your heart's delight!
No flashing lights, no twiddling knobs - just compose and bang!
I forgot to mention the tiny (and I mean TINY) dot that signifies exposure lock.....looks like a stray speck of light.
-- Giles Poilu (giles@monpoilu.icom43.net), March 13, 2002.
Same price then as a new Hexar RF AND new 35mm summicron. Pretty steep!
-- Martin Davidson (martin@foxcombe1.demon.co.uk), March 13, 2002.
Dam, with that money I could buy another M6TTL used in Mint condition, plus a brand new 35 f2 Asph. or, an M4 plus a mint 50DR & hand held light meter, or buy a rare military M2 KS15(4) and use that too...But Leica need to make the money, so I hope its a wholloping success this M7. But its not for me either. In the near future anyway. Gonna watch and see what people think in 6 months time.
-- sparkie (sparkie@mailcity.com), March 13, 2002.
Hello Giles. For those photographers who want nice even contact sheets at the press of a button and who are prepared to pay a premium there is now the M7... at last for those photographers with good Leica optics and a little difficulty with exposure calculation Leica has come to the party. Regards.
-- Sheridan Zantis (albada60@hotmail.com), March 13, 2002.
Giles, I took delivery of an M7 (0.72) two days ago and I absolutely love it. I've also got an 0.85 M6TTL as well. The M7 is streets ahead of the M6. I've also found that (for me that is) the 0.72 display is much more user friendly than the 0.85 and I wish now that I'd got a 0.72 in that as well.Read the Irwin Puts review on the M7; I'm sure you'll be impressed. He reviews various Leica products and is very objective in his writing. His address is http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/mseries/m7.html He makes some very interesting points. It's a review well worth reading.
I don't agree with you as regards the display. I find it very easy to use, a delight to look at and simplicity itself to understand. How can you call the display cheap looking?
The shutter speed dial is an excellent improvement over the M6 in that it revolves - you don't have to turn it back, just carry on turning. In manual mode, the display is the same as the M6.
The dial on the camera back is very easy to use and the exposure compensation lock appears foolproof. Maybe you didn't press the release button properly! I haven't found any problems with it and in fact, I did notice that the drop-down-back is thicker and much more substantial than the M6.
I've also noticed already that the flaring problem appears to have been erradicated on the M7. It is a nuicance at times on the M6.
In short, I find the M7 an absolute delight - the workmanship is wonderful and I'm thrilled I took the plunge and got it. It was a ridiculous price to pay but like everything else in this life, you get what you pay for. I even plucked up the courage to tell my wife what I'd done! She thought it was a good idea to get it, especially when she realised how easy it was for her to use as well!
I sometimes use a hand-held meter (Gossen) with the M6 and quite honestly, find it to be a pain in the butt! Each to his own though and good luck in your choice of cameras. I'm in love with all the Ms - aren't they wonderful and beautifully made.
Regards, Giles Young.
-- Giles Young. (youngg@middlesbrough.pds.gov.uk), March 15, 2002.