Took new M7 on LA television commercial production. Used it for production stills during work days at Pacific Pallisades location right on ocean shore line. Also shot some personal work during off time. Specifically Venice Beach and celeb photos at "Independant Spirt Awards in Santa Monica". Shot color (160 Fuji neg, and C41 Black and white ( Portra 400 B&W & some Illford). Some of the film crew were blown away that I already had an M7. Developed negs and proofs right there so I wouldn't have to take exposed film back through airport security at LAX. Also took a M6 TTL .085 as second camera. Used 21/2.8 ASPH, 28/2 ASPH, 35/1.4 ASPH, 50/1.0 Noct. and 90/2 APO. Here's my reaction: 1) M7 is quick. But if you're using M7 and M6 you have to pay attention. Occasionally I almost forgot to adjust M6 per metering because you quickly get use to the M7 selecting an aperture for you. (Remember, the situations I was shooting under were fast and furious). 2) The shutter release takes some getting use to. Technically it may have less lag time, but in practice it definately has a sort of sticking point where it locks the AE reading. It threw me a couple of times when I was under pressure. 3) The M7 did something weird during prolonged shooting with lulls in between. It suddenly failed to respond when I pressed the shutter button. And I mean failed to respond at all despite pressing hard on the shutter button. And I couldn't advance the film. I immediately flipped the on/off switch and it was okay then. I don't know if the on/off swich was slightly moved and caused it or what --but it wasn't showing the red "off "dot. I certainly do hope this is user error and not a "BUG". I think it may shut down after not using it for some period. so that will take some getting use to. 4) In back lit situations the M7 is no faster than a M6. You have to fool the meter by reading some correct middle tone , lock the AE, then recompose. With the M6 its just a matter of opening up with out all the rigamaroll. In California I had lots of back lit situations, or very bright scenes requiring different adjustments each time. I ended up with a greater % of under exposed negs than I usually get with the M6. But that's just a matter of getting use to it i suppose. 5) I do wish they would've upped the top shutter speed. Using 400 ISO B&W had me at 1/750 to 1/1,000th at f/16 even with a Polarizer fitted. After Leica announced that the shutter speed stayed at 1/1,000th, I ordered 3stop ND Heliopans for each different Leica filter size, but they didn't arrive in time. I'm in the process of scanning the best stuff from this trip, and it's slow going because the lab I used was a bunch of "piggy processors". Far as I can tell, I got 6 to 10 usable shots from each of 10 rolls of 36. Anyone else had experiences under fire with the M7?

--Marc Williams

-- Marc Williams (mwilliams111313MI@comcast.net), March 25, 2002

Answers

I certainly do hope this is user error and not a "BUG".

...And the Leica "BETA" Bug bites...

But if you're using M7 and M6 you have to pay attention. Occasionally I almost forgot to adjust M6 per metering because you quickly get use to the M7 selecting an aperture for you.
I know you meant shutter speed... But thank you for this comment -- this was/is one of my main concerns in using these two different cameras together!

In back lit situations the M7 is no faster than a M6.
I wondered about this too... and,

I ended up with a greater % of under exposed negs than I usually get with the M6. But that's just a matter of getting use to it i suppose.
and hopefully not just wishfull thinking?

My question is this: Now that you've had the M7 on a good test run, would you recommend to someone to 1) Sell your M6's and replace them with M7's; 2) Keep a mixture of both and put up with the inter-camera inconsistency issues; or 3) Just stick with their M6's? What will you do?

Thanks for the post!

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), March 25, 2002.

Yes what would you do interested.

-- Allen Herbert (allen1@btinternet.com), March 25, 2002.

Very interesting Marc, now you have a new and "diferent" camera, in my opinion, one of the things that like most of my M3's M4P's and M6 is that all work the same way, I have never been under such fire, and yes I guess a diferent camera can make you make misstakes, any way Marc, thank's for your sincere report.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), March 25, 2002.

I don't understand the part about the M7 selecting an aperture for you. It selects a shutter speed. This must be a misprint. All of these things described sounds like user error due to not being used to the camera. They should disappear with use. It seems ludicrous to make a recommendation to someone whether or not to buy an M7 based on the first few rolls of film.

Jack. Please don't blame Leica for what sounds like operator error. Underexposure in backlit situations is certainly NOT Leica's fault. This is where AE lock comes in. It is based on wrong choice of the part of the scene to meter.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), March 25, 2002.

Eliot:

My comment was not castigating Leica for the M7 or the operater... I was simply aknowledging the problems associated with the "paradigm shift" required when transitioning from a mechanical camera to one with AE. The incongruency of use between the two is what propmted the other questions as well.

Cheers,

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), March 25, 2002.

Thanks everyone. Yes, jet lag and 2 hours sleep Sunday night led to the mistaken quote of "selecting aperature verses shutter speed". As far as the backlighting reference, my point wasn't that it was Leica's fault. It was most certainly mine. However, the real point was to inform potential users that instinctive habit born of using a M for 25 years had to be somewhat overcome. It doesn't even work like the SLRs that are programmed to some degree to compensate for backlighting , or are very easy to adjust under fire. This doesn't make the camera better or worse, just different...thus the reference to "getting use to it." I opted to get an M7 .072 to fill the gap between the .058 and .085 M6s I already had. Given situations where I'm limited to one camera (like traveling light or vacations or a supplement to another "job" camera) I 'll use the M7. When, and if, I do overcome the user bugs I may switch over to all M7s. Then again I may not. To me the camera is just a box that gets you to the lenses. I've always had an M "box" with me because when all else fails it never has. Finally, I agree that no firm recommendation would be fair after just one outing. Yet 10 or so rolls shot under fire isn't to be sniff at. It's real shooting in a real situation where no one gives a s--t what camera you're using ...just deliver the film on time. This M didn't fall down on the job except that episode where it shut down..which I still chalk up to user error until I prove differently. I'll keep posting as I learn...not in "arm chair theory", but in real life situations. Sincerely, --Marc Williams

-- Marc Williams (mwilliams111313MI@comcast.net), March 25, 2002.