Canon LTM Canon P or Canon 7?

[bhop73]

I have been using my Canonet QL17 for a while and really enjoy it. I think I want to take it up a step and get a rangefinder with interchangeable lenses. I was looking at the Canon P and 7's on ebay and around the web, but was wondering what kind of opinions people here have on the two?

FWIW, I tried to search, but the 'P' and '7' make it impossible.

 

[Krosya]

You can start here
I just got a Canon 7 and I think its a nice camera. Well made and handles well. In some ways I like it better than Leica M and far btter than any Leica LTM I ever used. But than again, Bessas are very good too. Wish Canon 7 was M mount. Never used P, so cant tell, but I like the way it looks.

 

[raid]

I have two P's and I am expecting a 7 in the mail.
The Canon P is superb from a user's perspective.
It is a highly functional camera.
I got the Canon 7 with the idea that one day I may get the Canon 50/0.95.
The Canon P looks nicer than the Canon 7 [in my opinion].
The Canon 7 has three separate viewfinder settings for different focal lengths, whereas the Canon P has three frames together in the viewfinder.

The P has no meter. The Canon 7 has a Selenium meter.

You can't go wrong with either model.

 

[Bingley]

I have both cameras. I won't repeat my comments in the thread that Krosya linked to. If you go back into the archives of the RFF Canon forum, particularly for the 2003-2005 period, you'll find other threads comparing the two camera bodies. They're both incredibly well made, capable shooters, w/ different strengths and weaknesses, IMO.

That said, my Canon 7 may be for sale in the near future. If you decide to go the Canon 7 route and are interested, pm me.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

The difference between the two, IMHO, comes down to the meter. Is the meter on the 7 accurate. If the 7's meter does not meet your requirements then it becomes a P so your might as well go for the P. (I think the P is prettier.)

 

[lmd91343]

The 7 has .8 magniication value. The P has 1:1. The 7 is much easier to use with glasses. I cannot see the entire P 50mm frameline with my glasses.

Also the 7 has projected framelines that are bright and only one is visible. The P has reflected framelines that appear all at once.

The 7 has a wider bl and EBL than the P. I can accurately focus my 85/1.9, 85/2.0, and my 50/0.95.

 

[TheHub]

I've only used the P and love it. Nice heft, buttery-smooth advance, bright viewfinder and it's just a beautiful camera all around 🙂

Three great pages I've found on the P:

http://www.cameraquest.com/canonp.htm
http://www.vermontel.net/~wsalati/CasualCollector/canonp.htm
http://www.dantestella.com/technical/canonp.html

 

[KoNickon]

The P is tough to use if you're a glasses wearer -- you really have to move your eye around in the finder to see the 35mm lines. But it's a fine camera, and if the glasses issue is not a concern, then check it out. But the 7 series is really a remarkable achievement.

 

[januaryman]

I have both cameras. I won't repeat my comments in the thread that Krosya linked to. If you go back into the archives of the RFF Canon forum, particularly for the 2003-2005 period, you'll find other threads comparing the two camera bodies. They're both incredibly well made, capable shooters, w/ different strengths and weaknesses, IMO.

That said, my Canon 7 may be for sale in the near future. If you decide to go the Canon 7 route and are interested, pm me.

😱 😱 😱 😱 !!!!!!!

 

[Erik L]

imo neither has as good of a patch area as the zeiss ikon zm or leica.
however it is very useable. on my 7 i have a hard time seeing the 35 framelines. they appear at the very edge, no matter how close i place my eye. i dont wear glasses

 

[bhop73]

It's good to know that both cameras are pretty well thought of. Thanks for the comments so far.

imo neither has as good of a patch area as the zeiss ikon zm or leica.
however it is very useable. on my 7 i have a hard time seeing the 35 framelines. they appear at the very edge, no matter how close i place my eye. i dont wear glasses

I see what you're saying, however, one of the reasons i'm considering the older Canon rangefinders is price. I just searched and it seems the Zeiss is almost as expensive as a Leica.

 

[Erik L]

It's good to know that both cameras are pretty well thought of. Thanks for the comments so far.



I see what you're saying, however, one of the reasons i'm considering the older Canon rangefinders is price. I just searched and it seems the Zeiss is almost as expensive as a Leica.

used ones are around 800 vs $350 for the 7s i can see how that would affect your decision.

 

[Charles Woodhouse]

The 7 has a beautiful usable viewfinder but a miserable little rangefinder patch, and the P framelines can be hard to see. Give me one of the earlier Canons with a gold tone viewfinder any day. Shame Canon didn't switch to a bayonet mount!

 

[januaryman]

imo neither has as good of a patch area as the zeiss ikon zm or leica.
however it is very useable. on my 7 i have a hard time seeing the 35 framelines. they appear at the very edge, no matter how close i place my eye. i dont wear glasses

Of course everyone's opinion is valid but my Canon P that came back from Hama after a CLA is easier to focus than my Bessa R. The viewfinder is like new. So opinions are based on experience with various conditions of the camera. YMMV, so if you get the chance, try them out beforehand. I have 2 Canon Ps and don't think I'd ever sell/trade them. Smooth, simple, slick, silent, selenium-less. (Hey, not bad with the allteration of the S's, eh?) 😉

 

[chris00nj]

I think I was in the same situation as you few months back.

The 7 had the ugly selenium cell on it, which probably either doesn't work or doesn't work well today. While that cell might have been advanced back in the day, today I would prefer a Canon P with a new Voigtlander clip on light meter. However, I would have taken a 7 if I could have gotten it for a bargain. There are several Ps and 7s on ebay right now.

I personally ended up getting the Bessa R. The built it new meter made easy to use and the price was right ($195).

 

[Spider67]

I got my Canon 7 from a forum member some weeks ago.
I bought it as a "backup" for my Bessa R:
- solid metallic feel, heavier than the Bessa R
- very good framelines, a 135 frameline yeah nbo more guesstimating or external VF when using my Canon 135mm!
- patch could be a bit better but is OK
- my second biggest RF after the Kiev 5
- light meter is OK one f-stop difference when compared to the Digisix
- has no hotshoe! That made me hesitate a bit as I like my 21/4 CV ......but I bought it

A very good user! I got what I was hopiung for and I am working on a hotshoe project. Any suggestions?

 

[Erik L]

I got my Canon 7 from a forum member some weeks ago.
I bought it as a "backup" for my Bessa R:
- solid metallic feel, heavier than the Bessa R
- very good framelines, a 135 frameline yeah nbo more guesstimating or external VF when using my Canon 135mm!
- patch could be a bit better but is OK
- my second biggest RF after the Kiev 5
- light meter is OK one f-stop difference when compared to the Digisix
- has no hotshoe! That made me hesitate a bit as I like my 21/4 CV ......but I bought it

A very good user! I got what I was hopiung for and I am working on a hotshoe project. Any suggestions?

nope we just use the cold shoe. even the 7s only got the cold shoe.

 

[novum]

The 7 had the ugly selenium cell on it, which probably either doesn't work or doesn't work well today. While that cell might have been advanced back in the day, today I would prefer a Canon P with a new Voigtlander clip on light meter.

I was using my Canon P with the VC Meter II, but that setup sucked. The stupid dials kept slipping, and if I took the meter off the camera, I frequently ended up on my hands and knees looking for the batteries. I realize there are hacks to semi-remedy the meter's physical and mechanical shortcomings, but for the price of that meter . . .

I like my Canon P otherwise. I like it a lot. 'Course I love my M6, but that's off-topic.

 

[Bingley]

I have a P and a VC II meter, but I seldom keep the meter on the camera for the reasons mentioned by Novum. I don't meter every shot, but keep the meter handy in a shirt pocket when I'm out shooting.

(psssst... the Canon 7 I placed for sale in Classifieds is still available, price reduced)

 

[kb244]

P in my opinion is far prettier, especially with some pretty glass.

And its still quite solid. Just may not have the built in meter (in my opinion you wouldn't want it unless you went with the higher end model that had a cDS cell).