M6 or M7. but why?

Andrew Sowerby said:
I don't know why people ask these types of questions. You're comparing two cameras that are basically the same except for two very obvious differences: AE and price. If your friend wants AE and has the money, get the M7. If he doesn't have the money or doesn't need/want AE, get the M6.
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Andrew summed it up nicely. Affordability and willingness are the crux of the matter here.

BTW, I didn't go for an M7 in my day because even though I liked the AE in my Canonet, I simply couldn't afford it. Later I found that adjusting your settings on the go isn't impossible at all.
 
Either one. However, my vote would be on a black paint MP. Why? It is a thing of beauty.
 
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hmm.. interesting topic here..

My take will be the mp - "mechanical perfection" but there aren't many around.

but one point to clarify: the mp is practically an m6 ttl with m3 build and body.. it has the same metering as the m6 correct?
 
I would recommend to buy TWO M6s for the price of an M7. Buy one, get one free ... :)

Or an M6 and Summilux or Summicron (for the price of an M7) ? ....

Or an M6 and a ticket to Hawaii ?

:)
 
Dude, here is the deal:

M7 - Porsche with automatic drive train.
M6 - Porsche with 6-speed gear box.

Two different strategies. Two diff ways of working. Your choice.
 
I have a zeiss ikon as well...

however, I plan on switching to an M7 eventually...

The Ikon simply does not hold up to my tastes personally.. the strap lugs on mine are already starting to wear quite considerably as is the leatherette (it's gotten gummy and sticky after holding it for a few while working and it's starting to disintigrate where my right forefinger rubs against it while shooting).

In fact i'm sending it back to zeiss to have it replaced under warranty.

Keep in mind, I shoot a lot. I've probably put over 400+ rolls of film through this camera. And I've only had it since November 2007.
 
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come on, light metering is no big deal, just try to remember some speed-aperture combinations for different conditions and just a little tweak for minimal changes will do. and if you want to be triple sure well carry a spotmeter and a kontrol card! jk
how ever for your friend's choice i think M6TTL is better. Nothin against M7 but i always feel im scared of something while i carry AE cameras maybe its AEphobia or something.
 
wow.. thanks so much for the over-whelming help.

zeiss ikon is very cool but I think my pal will like to hold a leica in his life ;)

mp is way cool too. i will tell him that.

but I guess between a m6 or 7, I'll personally opt for m7. we'll see what he gets next week.

thanks once again for the help guys
 
I have M2, M3, M6, M6TTL, and MP. I sold my M7 because I didn't like the hard stop in the shutter button just before the exposure; it was too hard to get the film cassette out when unloading; didn't like all that blinking red in the finder. I think the three diodes of the MP, M6 and the R6 are the perfect exposure system (next to the match-needles in my Nikon FE2s). Besides, the batteries are a pain in the M7.

Do I miss my M7? Sometimes, but very seldom. I guess I miss my Noctilux more--another thing I didn't really need.
 
bigdavid said:
pardon me.. my friend who is interested in getting one asked me this last night and suddenly, I have no answer for him.

M6 or M6 TTL - "the standard". best advantage is metering but not battery dependent.

M7 - AE is the ultimate draw for me. Imagine the numbers of shots you could have taken with the saved time. But without battery, its as good as unworkable with the remaining 3 shutter speed.

so, with much consideration, which should I recommend to him?
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I chose an M6 Classic chrome 0.72. I like the fact that it isn't dependent on batteries which can fail sometimes when it is very cold- as in mountains in winter. I do not see any gain in aperture priority and although there is no battery off switch, switching to B does exactly the same
 
If you go for a M7 make sure it doesn't have a battery drain problem like mine does. :bang: (currently getting repaired) Lucky enough i still have my trusty old M6TTL as back up. phew.
 
Steve_F said:
Hi all,
I too have read this thread with great interest. The pennies are building in the bank so I am almost certainly going to sell my Nikon FM3A and lenses to fund for a Leica.
I've been toying with the idea of a RF for sometime and finally had a 'play' recently.

My Leica dilema is that:

M6 - Built in meter or total mechanical at all shutter speeds. Just like the Nikon FM3A (Ap priority not an issue).

M7 - Built in meter but not mechanical at all shutter speeds - so I hear is that correct?

So M6 or M7............

Thanks,

Steve.
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I have FM3a as well and using between it and my M7 - i forget how much mirror slap a SLR makes! But it's much better for portraits and long lens. Atm, i'm enjoying my m7 lots. :p
 
dovevadar said:
hmm.. interesting topic here..

My take will be the mp - "mechanical perfection" but there aren't many around.

but one point to clarify: the mp is practically an m6 ttl with m3 build and body.. it has the same metering as the m6 correct?
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I don't think that the MP has the TTL flash metering. Also, there's my shutter dial hobby-horse that I like to trot out at times like this. The MP is a return to the smaller dial of the M3/2/4/6. The M6TTL and M7 have the larger "wrong-way" shutter speed dial (which I prefer).


While I'm ranting ... I've said it before and I'll say it again, shutter sound is a non-issue with the Zeiss Ikon. As an owner (and user!) of both an M6TTL and a Zeiss Ikon, I say with confidence that althought the Zeiss is slighly louder, the difference is negligible. It is very unlikely that someone would be able to hear the Zeiss shutter but not the Leica in any real-world shooting situation. The Zeiss is not silent, but neither is the Leica.
 
I just bit the bullet and bought a M4-P after advice from a good friend of mine who shoots Leica for more than 30 years. He had considerable trouble with various M6 and M7's so some of his Colleagues (he teaches photography at the Academy of Art in Maastricht, NL). And told me that the M4-P was the very best choice.
He told me to practice with a light-meter to train my eye's in estimating exposure. And ditch the thing after a year ;-)

Next advice he gave me was to get the Leica 35mm f1,4... but to stop by the bank first.. :-(
 
That's correct the M 4-P is a very reliable camera. I use this camera for more than 20 years without problems! The M 6 gave shutter problems and finally I sold it!

Have a nice time with your new Leica!
 
Joop van Heijgen said:
That's correct the M 4-P is a very reliable camera. I use this camera for more than 20 years without problems! The M 6 gave shutter problems and finally I sold it!

Have a nice time with your new Leica!
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Not the M6??:eek:

Lots of folks will start screaming if they hear disparaging words about the M6.

I've had a few battery problems with the M7, but they always come down to my not switching the thing off. The better I get at remembering that the longer the batteries last. M4-2 has always seemed appealing to me for some reason revolving around the way it looks. Shallow? Sure.
 
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