Canon P or Canon 7

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daveandiputra

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Hi..

Very new to this forum..heck even very new on rangefinder photography..🙂

So I got an offer on an P with 50 1.4 with maybe 80-90% condition but today received anatoher offer for a 7 with the body maybe the same condition with two lenses the 50 1.4 and 100 3.5 both the lenses maybe only 60-70% and the 100 even with fogging..

the P I actually handled and feels nice, meanwhile the 7 only through photos..but now on to the price..the P is actually more expensive than the 7 for about $100.

what do you guys think?

I'm very grateful for every suggestion you guys give me..


Best Regards,


Dave Andiputra
 
The P has a nicer feel and is more elegant, but I preferred the 7 for it's finder. My favorite RF focal length is 35mm so I need a camera with 35mm frame lines. If you really like 1:1 finders and 50mm lenses, the P might be more to your liking.
 
I, too, own both the P and the 7. The P is a little lighter and smaller than the 7, but not by great amount. They are BOTH terrific cameras. Although I agree w/ the points made by Chris and Wes above, you've been offered 50 mm lenses (or a 50 + 100), and either body will do just fine w/ that FL, particularly if you're starting out. So I'd base the selection on the lens. Given your description of the condition of the 50/1.4 on offer w/ the P, and assuming it was w/in budget, I'd go for that if I were in your position. That lens has a great reputation (I don't own one, so I can't speak from experience), and one in good condition w/ a P would be a terrific starting kit. One other point: the 7 has no accessory shoe, while the P does. Thus, if you ever want to go wider than a 35, you will not be able to attach an accessory viewfinder on the 7. My two cents. Good luck!
 
Lots of the Canons are fogged, good tecco will remove.
The meter on the 7 can be repaired and is still useful, though the simpler P has less to go wrong.
Not much difference unless you are a wide angle person when you will have real difficulty finding the accessory shoe for a 7. Or I thought there was an add on accessory shoe...

Noel
 
Wes -- You're not being argumentative at all! Yes, an accessory shoe is available for the 7, and yes it's hard to find (not that I've looked). I also find the 35 mm framelines on the P hard to see (I wear glasses), although if one is street shooting (incl'ing taking hip shots) it may be a moot point. I don't find the P's multiple framelines distracting, however, when using a 50 mm. YMMV.

Having said all that, I'm going to be taking my 7 w/ me later this month on a trip to the Sierras, which will include landscape photo ops. I'm looking forward to using that camera's viewfinder for more careful framing and composing w/ both 50 and 35 mm lenses.

If I were in David's shoes, though, and w/ all the caveats about being w/in budget, I'd still take the P w/ a 50/1.4 that's in the condition described.
 
So..

So..

the store that selling the P is actually have a 7 but with only one lens and the same price as the P, so i've handled both camera and arguably the P is alot more beatiful 🙂
If I eventually go for the 7, what should i keep a look out for?

i've heard that the shutter is commonly wrinkled on canon rangefinders, the P has that condition but the mechanism seems to be okay.. dont know much about the 7 right now, cause the location is on a different city..

not really worried about lenses because there will be little chance I will get another lens beacuse of the avaibility, except if i buy the new cosina's... and going about with only one/two lens is not a problemo, I've lived with my EOS 3 and a 50 1.4 for about 5 years now...

now about repairing the 7 meter is it really possible?because it is selenium right? isn't that you have to replace the selenium to get it working again

Many thanks guys...

best regards

Dave
 
oh yeah..

oh yeah..

And for a very struggling phothgrapher here..🙂 love the handling of both, but the P is more a looker...😛

the 100$ diference is actually a good factor (the P is more expensive)...

P with 80-90% condition
50 1.4 80% condition

compared to

(I've got only the seller statement and some photos here)
7 with 80-90% meter working and all fucntion is working
50 1.4 bad body condition from the photos, but the seller says the optics good.
100 3.5 good body but with fogging on the inside
 
I have a 7 for one reason, I have the 50mm f/0.95 lens. Otherwise I would probably take the P, considering it has the shoe mount and is just a nicer looking and feeling camera. The 7 is a bit bulkier, although both are very well built, of course.

Also check out photoethnography.com for comparisons and information about both cameras.
 
Canon Ps and 7s often have wrinkled shutters (mine do). Not a big deal. Do you know if the 7 on offer to you has a working meter? There's a thread on RFF about replacing the meter on a 7. In thinking about the price on the two offers, you may want to factor in the cost of getting the 100 cleaned. That would narrow the $100 differential between the two kits, if not eliminate it entirely.
 
I have both. Although the multitude of always visible framelines in the P distract a little, its 1:1 finder is a pro vs the .80 or so finder of the 7. They're both the same width, but the 7 is a bit higher. The 7 weighs 50g more than the P, but it is said that the P has a thicker housing. What I like about the 7 is that the shutter can be locked. It saves a lot of film when you're used to immediately transport film after a shot.
 
If you have either a 7 or P, you will not miss anything. Both are the best-users, best-selling, so (in terms of collector value and rarity) cheapest CANON RF's.

If you compare viewfinders of a 7 and a P, both very good, you cannot say which is best in terms of ghosting and stuff.

If your main focal length is 35mm and you wear eye glasses, buy a 7 (their metal eyepiece is a eyeglass scratcher nonetheless)

The P is the best city shooter around whereas the 7 is the best universal camera.

If you prefer 85mm over 100mm and sometimes use 135, buy a 7.

If you prefer 50 over 35, and 100mm over 85mm, strong buy for a P.

Best: buy both.
 
Last edited:
Sonnar2 said:
If you compare viewfinders of a 7 and a P, both very good, you cannot say which is best in terms of ghosting and stuff.
Click to expand...

I do not want to start another P vs. 7/7s viewfinder argument, lord knows we've done that enough the past few years, but I think most will agree that time has been easier on the projected viewfinder frames, as used by the 7 series cameras, Leica M series, Nikon SP, etc, than the reflected viewfinder frames found on the P. In a nutshell, you stand a better chance of finding a P with a flary viewfinder than a Canon 7.

Jim B.
 
The prices and turnover seem to be hardening here, last year the local photo shop had trouble selling, this year they seem real difficult to find.

Noel
 
Sonnar : It would be great if I can buy two of them..but..

really want a street camera and with my current SLR (F2 and EOS3) it is hard to do to noisy for my liking...
I think because most of you think that the body is more or less equal, costwise the 7 will be the better choice here altough the lens condition is more worst..
right?(in dire need of reassurance 🙂 )
 
Hi Jim B., whereas projected framelines (like the 7 has) generally are better visible to reflected (like the P has) it very much depends on the single camera when it comes to viewfinder brightness. For my feeling most 1:1 finder are less prone to flare because of less optical complication. Otherwise, most minifying viewfinders are brighter than 1:1 finders because of concentration of light rays (given the same in- and output-window). The big incoming finder window of the 7 (and P) pretty much corresponds with good viewfinder brightness, when compared to earlier models (i.e. V, VI series)

My first Canon RF was a P. You can buy each Canon you want afterwards, there is at least a equal good one, no better one. For street shooting, the P less intrusive than a 7.
 
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