Leica MP, which winder?

[macmx]

I am currently considering buying an MP (a la carte) and I know all the specs, except which winder to get?

The old style winder looks the best, but the M7 style seems much more manageable. What are the advantages of both? Pro and cons?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!🙂

 

[visiondr]

I prefer the old style wind lever to the newer, hinged plastic-tipped one. This only has to do with how easily I am able to flip them to the ready position from the position flat against the camera body. I often have to "hunt" a bit with my thumb to grasp the tip of the plastic lever end, versus the near instant grip of the more aggressive serrations on the end of the older style lever.

 

[marke]

Several years ago, I bought an M6TTL with the newer winder. Later, I picked up an MP with the older style winder. I didn't have any problems adapting to the olders tyle, and in fact prefer it now. It might be a bit slower, but nothing that I really notice. And I feel MUCH more secure about the integrity of the older design. When quickly winding up film with my M6, I often feel that someday that little lever is going to snap right off.

Bottom line is, I can see gettting rid of my M6TTL someday, so it's not that much of an issue, especially since I don't use it as often as the MP. But I plan to be buried with my MP, so I want that camera to last until I expose that last frame.

 

[Ade-oh]

When I bought my a la carte Leica MP I went for the M7 style re-winding crank on the basis that it would be easier to use than the 'old style' re-winder. I'm not sure it makes a huge difference in terms of time saving, but I find it less fiddly to use than the rewind knob on my Leica IIIc, for example.

 

[cmogi10]

Old style with a crank on it. It just feels much more durable. I certainly take a toll on my cameras have bent the angled rewind knob before.

 

[drewbarb]

The old style knob is a little bit slower to rewind, but not much. I think it looks better, but more important is the fact that it's a more robust design. Twice I've had an angled rewind crank break, but I've never had a problem with the knobs. Another bonus with the knob is that your film doesn't loose tension if you let go during rewinding. If your fingers tend to slip off the cranks like mine do, the knobs can actually be faster to rewind.

 

[abenner]

On a-la-carte isn't the selection of all the controls together, MP style or M7 style? So you need to consider not only advance lever but also top plate look, rewind crank, and preview lever. And if you're going MP style, you better have a good reason to go a-la-carte since you're spending $2k+ more than stock.

 

[cmogi10]

On a-la-carte isn't the selection of all the controls together, MP style or M7 style? So you need to consider not only advance lever but also top plate look, rewind crank, and preview lever. And if you're going MP style, you better have a good reason to go a-la-carte since you're spending $2k+ more than stock.

He doesn't need a good reason if he has the $$$$$.

 

[peter_n]

I use MP and M7 and prefer the MP rewind knob. As said above, more robust, and also easier to grip with gloves on.

 

[drewbarb]

On a-la-carte isn't the selection of all the controls together, MP style or M7 style? So you need to consider not only advance lever but also top plate look, rewind crank, and preview lever. And if you're going MP style, you better have a good reason to go a-la-carte since you're spending $2k+ more than stock.

Not quite. For the MP, you get to choose the traditional knob or the angled rewind crank as one option. Another step lets you choose the MP style levers and hardware, or the M7 style. With the M7, you still get a choice of hardware, but have to take the angled rewind crank.

 

[abenner]

keh has a LN- MP .58 chrome MP a la carte with MP advance and angled rewind for $2899.