My hands-on review of the new Leica M7 is now available at...

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/leica_m7.htm

I'll be pleased to try and answer any questions about the camera here.

Michael The Luminous Landscape

-- Michael Reichmann (mreichmann@rogers.com), March 20, 2002

Answers

Interesting review of the M7 Michael. I'm itchin' to try one.

Thanks!

-- Steve Hoffman (shoffman2@socal.rr.com), March 20, 2002.

My only complaint is that the M7 should have provided an AE lock switch that locks the exposure for as long as the switch is engaged. (As on Contax bodies.)

As is, the AE lock is disengaged after every shot when the motor winder is used.

-- chris (chrislee@mac.com), March 20, 2002.

Isn't the AE lock disengaged after every shot, even if the winder is not used?

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), March 20, 2002.

To clarify the exposure-lock issue I've added the following paragraph...

"Note though that exposure lock only is in effect for one frame. If you use a motor winder, for example, all frames after the first will not have lock in effect. The way to handle this situation is therefore through the use of manual exposure settings."

Michael

-- Michael Reichmann (mreichmann@rogers.com), March 20, 2002.

Michael,

Good review, thanks, I enjoyed reading it. You may want to correct the typo in the following sentence (should be 1/60 sec):

"In the event that you lose power there are two mechanical, non- battery dependant shutter speeds available; 1/160 sec and 1/125 sec."

-- Ray Moth (ray_moth@yahoo.com), March 20, 2002.

> But the red Leica dot is still there! Thank goodness.

Michael,

That's the only point where we desagree.

IMO the Red Dot is ugly. The M7 (and all other M cameras) will be much nicer without.

-- Lucien (Lucien_vd@yahoo.fr), March 21, 2002.

How about if Leica didn't offer only a black model and a chrome model (each with a red dot) but also each without a dot? My four cents worth ::)

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), March 21, 2002.

-- Lucien (Lucien_vd@yahoo.fr), March 21, 2002.

You site is down!

-- Anam Alpenia (aalpenia@dasar.com), March 25, 2002.

Hmm, even on the above pictured M4 there's a red dot! :-)

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), March 25, 2002.