Hello from a new member

[JuJu]

I just wanted to say hi to everyone here before throwing whole bunch of questions.
Please let me briefly introduce myself.
I am an illustrator who enjoys photography as a hobby.
I use a Canon 5D to shoot reference photos and digitize my own paintings.
In addition to that, I just bought an M7 and plan to use it for everything else.
My first impression of handling my M7 is... wow! nice and heavy. no non-sense bottons or useless ports. it feels kind of like handling my H&K USP... even my wife agrees😱. You cock, aim and shoot😀

Anyway... Here's comes my first question
I bought the M7 off eBay. How can you tell if it function properly without a lens?
(no more $ for the lens after my honeymoon & purchasing an M7)

Thanks in advance.

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[Ducky]

Kind of a newbie myself but welcome.
Ducky

 

[FrankS]

Welcome JuJu! 🙂

 

[Fer]

Hello
Well, Leicas souds like no other camera. Pay attention at slow speeds.
It´s difficult to take pictures whithout lens... unless you use a pinhole.
By the way, you can buy old russian screwmount lenses + adapter. They are VERY cheap and works fine.

 

[colyn]

Welcome.....

If you want to test the camera with a lens a good used Jupiter J-8 50mm f/2 lens can be had cheap on ebay.

The Jupiters are excellent quality lens..you'll also need a 50mm screw to M adapter..

 

[JuJu]

Thanks for all your warm welcomes 🙂
I went thru what Magus suggested.
Everything works just fine, phew...

One more question...
Can I do the 45º paper focus test (see attachment) for my M7 when I get the lens?
Or there's something else to test the RF mechanism?
Thanks again.

 

[Tom A]

Welcome to the weird world of Leica. from now on you will never have any savings left!
You can do the paper test with the M7, but if you have the "bottom" at the closest focus, you will see some parallax shift as you are looking at the subject with a finder that is parallel to the lens. Once you are beyond 1 meter it doesn't matter, but coming from an SLR, this might surprise you.
Play with the long exposure - I love the way it is counting down from as long as 32 seconds! Initially, just get one lens and get used to the rangefinder way of seeing and shooting and always carry spare batteries!

 

[OurManInTangier]

Welcome to RFF - The place to get your questions answered if my experience is anything to go by.

Having said that I'll let others with a greater knowledge than me answer the questions you've asked rather than muddy the waters. Magus seems to have an infinite knowledge of the Leica M system and would be a very good starting point.

I bought my M6 (my first ever Leica) from ebay and without a lens and had to do the same tests Magus mentioned until I could get a lens. I've since fallen in love with it but would like to supplement that with an M7 at some point.

As for lenses, the Jupiter range is a very cheap option but there are many that can be purchased on a tight budget. To get me going I purchased a Voigtlander 35mm f/2.5 colour skopar (new) and a Canon 50mm f/1.8 (second hand) - both are excellent value and will keep me going until I can invest in some decent Leica glass!

Enjoy your time here and your new M7, maybe I'll get to see some of your photographs in the gallery at some point.

P.S. Being a Brit I actually had to google H&S USP to find out what it was😱

 

[suzi_q]

another kind of newbie here, welcome 🙂

 

[dnk512]

Nothing stops you from testing the speeds with film. Put a translucent cover in place of the lens. Shoot a constant, even light source at different speeds and expect uniform exposures with the appropriate brightness jump between the different speeds.

 

[JuJu]

Welcome to the weird world of Leica. from now on you will never have any savings left!

lol, yeah, I kind of get an idea what kind of financial damage it may cause when I read into the forum like this...

You can do the paper test with the M7, but if you have the "bottom" at the closest focus, you will see some parallax shift as you are looking at the subject with a finder that is parallel to the lens. Once you are beyond 1 meter it doesn't matter, but coming from an SLR, this might surprise you.

😕 I have no clue what you are talking about yet. But, I think I will get it sooner or later. Thanks! Tom.

Here's the photo of my blind M7 🙁

 

[nikon_sam]

Welcome to RFF...Don't ask me any questions about Leica's...I'm still learning how to spell it right...(had to check spelling)...Have a nice Day...

 

[pachuco]

That is a sweet Leica. Welcome!

 

[JuJu]

Thanks! wildwildwes

After seeing a jpeg out of a 50 lux asph (shot with a classic M, scanned from a slide)
I knew that's the lens I want.
It might take a while for me to save some $$ for it.
But... well, I don't mind waiting, and it could be the best glass I can get for my m7

 

[thomasw_]

welcome JuJu and congratulations on the m7 acquisition! may it serve you well for many years!

remark regarding lenses:>

to get good, specific advice about lenses and their characteristics you need to specify the type of shooting you want to do and the type of lighting conditions you want to shoot. Street shots, portraits, landscapes, nature or buildings, etc.. If you like the look of the summilux 50/1.4, but can't swing the bill, there are numerous options depending on what you expect the lens to do.

 

[WoolenMammoth]

welcome juju!

Ive always thought of my M3 like my sig 226 🙂

 

[Porsche]

I'm new too, but I was wondering when would I got the Range Finder Camera, so sad!

 

[Artorius]

Welcome to the world of RF

Welcome to the world of RF

You should be able to enjoy the cam. I KNOW your back will.