bob338
Well-known
Juan Valdenebro
Truth is beauty
bob338
Well-known
i can honestly say that had i not blindly stumbled into an M8, i would have kept my M7 forever. i traded it for an MP Classic to use it for b/w. i think i'm done buying cameras...
bob
bwcolor
Veteran
I have limited experience in that I have an M3, M4 and soon an MP upgrade on my M6TTL .58. I really didn't save much money going with the M6TTL, but honestly, the Zeiss Ikon's viewfinder is the cats meow and I decided on a couple of Ikons vs. going with the M7. I really view the question of Ikon vs. M7 as more relevant.
gliderbee
Well-known
For the price of an M7 and keeping your eye on classifieds and eBay, you could buy a M6ttl AND a ZI: my S/H ZI costed me $800, and it looks very good, with two slight scratches on the top plate. You would have best of both worlds imho.
Stefan.
Stefan.
user237428934
User deletion pending
Buying an M6 was a mistake some years ago. I never got used to the full manual mode. Lack of an AE was the reason for selling it lately.
menos
Veteran
When I bought my 0.85 M7 in the end of last year, the prices were so down, that there were several nice user M7 bodies, that went what normally a good M6 TTL was going for 2 month before.
If an AE Leica is, what one would like to have, the M7 is not an bad or expensive buy anymore.
The MP though as a mechanical body is another story, as the prices seem to fluctuate, but stay quite high.
It seems, they are back to almost 2.000,- EUR again, whereas I have seen several bodies already for as low as 1.800,- EUR.
Both no prices, where I would get weak with two film bodies already in the bag (plus certain other brand film cameras).
I really would like to try a ZI though sooner or later.
filmtwit
Desperate but not serious
I'll ask again:
Do the M7's have a history of electrical problems?
How inaccurate are the M6's shutter speeds?
MCTuomey
Veteran
Ques 1: no, as far as I know. I'm sure if you look long enough you'll find people who'll cite problems. Neither of the two I've owned and used presented any problems at all. Not much of a sample, but it's my experience.
Ques 2: i've used 2 M6 classics. if they were off, it wasn't by anything more than 1/3 stop and only at the highest 2 speeds. both had CLAs prior to my use.
bwcolor
Veteran
My father used only slide film with his Argus C3 and he managed plenty of good shots throughout the fifties and sixties. Certainly, the M6 is the equal of the Argus.
alun severn
Established
@filmtwit: (1) M7 electrics -- yes, I'd say there are well documented problems experienced by SOME (not all) owners re. the auto DX reader and associated circuitry problems. My own (still about a year or a little less left on its warranty) has been to Solms three times -- once to replace the DX reader, once to correct a malfunctioning circuit board, a third time to correct some lingering (but minor) electrical faults that produced anomalies in the display of shutter speeds and the little flashing dot that indicates exposure compensation (i.e. on occasion these were displayed in the finder even with the camera set to manual).
(2) M6 shutter speeds: a complete red herring...
(2) M6 shutter speeds: a complete red herring...
peter_n
Veteran
As stated above and given the nature of the internet, there are plenty of reports, but it's impossible to know what percentage they represent. It's probably small. I had two M7 bodies and I thought the electrics in the 0.72x might have been a bit dodgy but was never sure. I did get the optical DX reader fitted. So in my sample of two I had one that I occasionally wasn't too sure about, and that was mainly odd stuff in the LED display (could have been completely fine - I didn't study that manual too carefully). I never had a problem with shutter speeds in either of the M7s or in the M6TTL either.
Tim Gray
Well-known
Yes, but... If you get a newer M7 or one with the fixes, they seem to be very reliable. The major problems of the M7 as far as I can tell were threefold:
- unsealed viewfinder eye piece - dust can get in
- pre-MP style viewfinder that flares
- electrical DX reader
Most cameras have the first fixed, a lot have the second (after serial number 2885xxx I think), and some have the third. I think getting the third fixed is free, maybe even after warranty.
The third one is the big electrical problem. The cameras have a tough time reading the DX codes sometimes. Also film can be tough to get out of the camera. Get one with the optical DX reader and you should be fine - I've had zero problems with mine.
There are some isolated reports of other problems, but this kind of stuff can happen with any camera. Including MPs.
As far as inaccurate shutters, I think the word is that at higher shutter speeds, all mechanical Ms can get off, and I think a lot of them are off by about a 1/3rd of a stop if I remember correctly. In most situations, you have nothing to worry about. If it gets off, send it in to get adjusted. The word on the street is that the M7 should be better with this because the timings are electronically controlled, so those values shouldn't drift like they can in a fully mechanical system. Of course, I don't really know; this is just from what I've read on the internet
filmtwit
Desperate but not serious
Thanks folks. I'm re - assessing my next possible purchase.
Tim Gray
Well-known
I should say (have said it in the past) that I like my M7 way more than my M6.
