M7 or a Zeiss Ikon ZM?

M7 or a Zeiss Ikon ZM?

  • ZM

    Votes: 459 45.5%

  • M7

    Votes: 550 54.5%
  • Total voters
    1,009
I'm in the process of considering a new RF. I have narrowed between these two models but it seems the love for both is equally placed among the messages here.
Cost wise a second hand M7 or a new Zeiss is very similar but what I am more interested in is actual day to day use. What is the easiest to use? Which is larger in the hands? Which is the better street cam? All that kind of stuff.
 
I have an Ikon and an MP and, as lovely as the MP is as an object, I really like the Ikon to use. Great viewfinder and the shutter release works without a softie (which I find necessary on the MP). I'm 6ft 2in and the Ikon feels slightly chunkier than the MP. Both have their respective accessory grips that I need to hold them properly stable.

There, I've said it.

Mike
 
klapka said:
If I have started with the M2 from the very beginning I whould have save a lot of money and whouldn't have a vast collection of M bodies sitting on my shelf.
Click to expand...

I'm sure that you could find some people here who would help you to get rid of those painful reminders of your mistakes. Me included :p
 
I have tried both and several years ago I bought (a second hand) M7 0,58. As already mentioned for the 28mm frame. No regrets so far. It is a very handy camera to use and very quick in focus and metering.
About the optics: The differences between Zeiss and Leica are very small. Even the C.V. optics are very good and I am using their SWH 4,5/15mm-M too. So my set is complete with a Leica Summicron 2,0/50mm, Elmarit 2,8/28mm and a Summarit 2,5/75mm.
 
Deciding between a Zeiss Ikon and a Leica M7 is like deciding between two quite different but equally beautiful women.

A wonderful dilemma to have... ;)
 
kdemas said:
For me the real difference, and the reason I don't have a ZI right now, is the shutter sound. I find it to be loud and of a very obvious pitch, something I don't care for when sound matters in an environment. ........................
Click to expand...

Everyone has their own parameters and I respect that. I have been photographing in one of several small churches almost every Sunday for the last 6-7 months with my ZI. I have even photographed a few funerals. I don't find the sound obtrusive. Yes, you can hear the shutter but the sound is dwarfed by the impact of a photographer standing there in the front of the church.
 
Have I posted in this thread yet? Not sure. Too much thinking about cameras. Grrr.

I have both the M7 and the Ikon. The Ikon was my first rangefinder, purchased in 2008, and the M7 followed in 2010 about six months after I bought my M9. Much has been said about the differences between them, so I will only add my personal feelings.

I like the Ikon as a shooter. The metering is very accurate, the ergonomics are nice, and the body is very light compared with the M7. Being able to load the film with a hinged back is a real plus, not to mention being able to see what film you've loaded in the little window at the back. The viewfinder is a revelation and it tucks the shutter speeds off to the side, rather than down the bottom where they can be distracting.

But the Ikon doesn't have the same solidity as the M7. Squeeze the Ikon's top plate and there is a bit of give, something you'll never feel in the Leica. The shutter sound of the Ikon is a sharp and metallic 'spang' which is a bit annoying compared with the muted 'klop' of the Leica. But this solidity is also a bit of the M7's pitfall, as it is much more noticeable around the neck or over the shoulder. Carry it for a whole day and you know about it. Carry the Ikon and you'll only just notice it. You often hear about people raving how the M whatever is so light, you can carry it anywhere. I feel like I could brain a mugger with the M7 and still take photos afterwards, whereas the Ikon feels like it would come apart if it met someone's head.

Shooting the M7 is a gorgeously tactile experience, full of rounded curves and smooth action. The Ikon is a bit 'gritty', a very workmanlike feeling. The Ikon in operation grunts, "I vill take your fotos," whereas the M7 murmurs, "Jaaaa, now we take ze fotos, ja?"
 
Pretty sure I posted in this thread before and said that I'd have the Ikon. Well, I've changed my mind, I'd have the m7.
 
Having used both, and despite wanting to like the ZI more, I found I just preferred the Leica. Felt nicer to me.

I didn't buy either. Went for an M4-2 instead.
 
If you shoot AE, like many others, the Zeiss is a superior camera. Film loading is much better. The VF is superior. It costs a lot less. The downside is well known: difficulties reading the meter in bright sunlight conditions.
 
Peter Wijninga said:
If you shoot AE, like many others, the Zeiss is a superior camera. Film loading is much better. The VF is superior. It costs a lot less. The downside is well known: difficulties reading the meter in bright sunlight conditions.
Click to expand...

Loading a Leica is much easier once you learn how to do it. You need to press down on the cassette to make sure that it's seated. Most people just don't know how to load a Leica, and their in box instructions are terrible.

Seriously considering a ZM because I can get a new one at cost. It's that huge viewfinder that's the drawing card.
 
Love my M7, but I wish it had the top 2000th shutter speed of the ZI.

Still, they're both good cameras. It's a pleasure to own and use either of them.
 
The two M7s I've owned are MUCH quieter than the ZIs I've played with and, in fact, quieter than all my other Ms.
 
The ZM is no longer advertised..The Leica M7 may indeed become obsolete with film, but as a 'Red dot" will always have value! Remember the Contax G1 and G2. Yeah! Gonna wipe the floor clean of Leica with those" Sure! Almost worthless except a few users!
i use film cameras that are no longer relevant. It don't make them a good investment..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom