I have the fever bad to buy a M7, I would like to put my hands on a M6 or M7 and try it out. Could anybody let me know the Best place in Texas to do so. I went to a shop in Houston and they just showed me a box.I want to hold one and look at the different finders. Thanks

-- robert linney (linney@shellus.com), April 09, 2002

Answers

In the Dallas area, try:

Compeitive Cameras 214-744-5511 - Pretty good prices, but doesn't stock a lot of M-gear, this shop sells high-volume to professional photographers (in the photo-district, scary at night).

Cooter's Camera Village 214-521-4553 - This is a retail shop in the posh Highland Park area (near SMU). They sell at at near list price, but there are plenty of well healed doctors and lawyers there who don't mind paying if the service is good, which it is. They usually have a lot of stuff in stock.

Isn't this an interesting contrast and an insight into the M-world (and I don't mean ATT cellular).

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.net), April 09, 2002.

Precision Camera, 3810 Lamar Blvd. Austin, Texas 512-467-7676 owner's name is Jerry. I handled and M7 in his store on friday.

-- kirk tuck (kirktuck@kirktuck.com), April 09, 2002.

The folks at Precision Camera in Austin let me handle the M7, too, and they don't even know me (as they certainly musy know Kirk Tuck). It's beautiful, by the way.

The fellow who let me handle the M7 was curious to see the Bessa R with 35 f/1.7 Ultron that I was carrying, since he had not seen any of the Voigtlander/Cosina products (not counting the FM-10). He was impressed with the Bessa viewfinder (which is as bright as the Leica, though still somehow not quite as refined), and with the look and feel of the Ultron. And he was polite enough to volunteer that it looked like quite a nice combination, at least for under $800.

I expect to be back in there to touch again, once in a while, as I save my money....

-- John Morris (jtmorris@jump.net), April 10, 2002.