M7, I'm in the market. What's best, what to avoid?

T

twopointeight

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I want an M7. Are there some serial number batches to avoid, or prefer. What about the upgrades? Which ones are worth it? Price? About $2,000 for mint- or ?
 
It's best to avoid...The M7. Zeiss Ikon man! Save some bucks!

If you must grab an M7, I haven't heard any real big batch reliability issues. Obviously the more recently produced models are preferable, but the whole line isn't that old to begin with. Just make sure you trust the seller, that's the best move you can make.
 
Newer models have the MP finder upgrade; better flare resistance. Also have better DX coding. Not sure when that happened though, seem to remember being later than 3 million serial number.
 
2000 is about the ballpark for average one i'd say. there was a topic here about the prices of used bodies rising, but i haven't been in the market for awhile so i'm not 100%.

but i think the price is slightly higher for mint/boxed.
higher than that for an .85x mag and higher than that for a .58, cause those are somewhat rare from what i've seen.


and since it was brought up, a pet peeve of mine is when people ask about a product and someone brings another one up...it's not answering the question posed.
 
Thanks so far. I'll be looking at a nice M7 tomorrow. How would I know if the MP finder is upgraded and the DX improved? Walter I see you have a Plustek 7600i. What's your quick opinion on that? Satisfied? (And hope it doesn't count as a pet peeve?)
 
Make sure the VF is sealed (above 286xx) to avoid dust getting into the inner works. At some point the M7 came with the upgraded MP finder -- not a deal breaker. The upgraded optical DX is good to have. $2,000 for a good cond M7 is about the going rate today.
 
It doesn't :p

I am satisfied with the scanner. After comparing it with Coolscan 8000, I don't see a real difference in A3 size prints. The dust removal is fine for color, although I don't shoot much color. The film profiles are fine too. I have not scanned any slide film, so I can't comment there.

Scan times are OK. If you don't shoot a huge volume of film, I definitely recommend it.
 
New MP finder

New MP finder

To my knowledge the MP finder comes with serial numbers starting with 2885***. There are few around with new finder below that serial.

Go for it
Steve
 
M7s like the one in the classifieds right now do not show up in the classifieds very often. I have no connection to the seller but recognize that he is an established forum member. I think the camera is priced fairly and is one to jump on if you don't need a 28mm frameline. I agree that $2000 is about the going rate for a nice clean .72 M7. Add a premium for the documented factory MP finder, for the .85 finder and super clean condition and you have the one in the classifieds. My sense is that M7 prices have a hard floor at about $1800 and you could look for a long time to find one in any condition for less than that, and would never find one with the MP finder.
 
Matthew Runkel said:
M7s like the one in the classifieds right now do not show up in the classifieds very often. I have no connection to the seller but recognize that he is an established forum member. I think the camera is priced fairly and is one to jump on if you don't need a 28mm frameline. I agree that $2000 is about the going rate for a nice clean .72 M7. Add a premium for the documented factory MP finder, for the .85 finder and super clean condition and you have the one in the classifieds. My sense is that M7 prices have a hard floor at about $1800 and you could look for a long time to find one in any condition for less than that, and would never find one with the MP finder.
Click to expand...

Well said, agreed.
 
I bought my M7 0.58 recently for USD2350 and had the optical DX reader factory upgraded at no cost. They even checked everything and replaced my leatherette for free. It doesn't have the MP finder from what I can see. Serial #2854xxx.

The 0.58 finder is highly recommended if you wear glasses and like using 28mm and 35mm lenses.
 
Any camera that Leica has had back will likely have the finder upgrade, and likely the newer DX reader as well- it seems that this was done as a matter of course most of the time? My .58 has the upgrades, my .72 does not- neither is very different in use, tho the .72 does have DX issues from time to time where the .58 does not.
 
A used M7 should be around US$2000 (with box etc) and have the optical DX reader / improved VF.
 
Regarding the newer MP finder, do not take for granted that numbers above 2885*** have it installed. My My M7, with a number above this did not have the new finder. I just had it replaced by Leica. There was a charge for this plus I also had a complete CLA. The upgrade to the DX reader is still done at no charge.
 
I haven't used either the M7 or Ikon, but I have an M2. You might look at Ken Rockwell's reviews of both. Basically, he says: the Ikon is a better shooter. Better meter, the automatic DX-ISO function works properly, and it has a convenient hinged back, rather than the kludgey Leica disassemble-the-camera routine. The Leica has a more satisfying "thunk" when you shoot it, but in practical terms the Ikon is better. Plus, you can get a package deal with a Planar 50/2 or Sonnar 50/1.5, both great lenses.
 
WalterM said:
2000 is about the ballpark for average one i'd say. there was a topic here about the prices of used bodies rising, but i haven't been in the market for awhile so i'm not 100%.

but i think the price is slightly higher for mint/boxed.
higher than that for an .85x mag and higher than that for a .58, cause those are somewhat rare from what i've seen.


and since it was brought up, a pet peeve of mine is when people ask about a product and someone brings another one up...it's not answering the question posed.
Click to expand...


And that doesn't happen much around here normally ... right?

:D
 
If this particular M7 needs the MP finder, optical DX, and a CLA for good measure, is there any difference in time or costs or quality between DAG and Leica service?
 
If you send it to Leica, they will upgrade to optical DX for free. A lot of people get a free CLA out of it too, but I did not.
 
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