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 bought a used ZI as a second (or third) traveling camera.
I would have liked an M7, but I paid in the $850 range for the ZI and it is a great camera.
The ZI doesn't have the build quality of my other M's, but the viewfinder is beautiful, it is lightweight, and I'm getting my money's worth out of it.
 
The ZI is useful here in Australia as it can go to 1/2000th (with my MP I end up having to shoot at f/5.6 or smaller), and no danger of burning the cloth shutter in bright sunlight.

Hence the ZI is often my day camera, the MP for lower light.
 
It's a pity they didn't give the Zi the extra stop of speed (1/4000) that the Hexar RF and FM3A possess!
 
Keith said:
It's a pity they didn't give the Zi the extra stop of speed (1/4000) that the Hexar RF and FM3A possess!
Click to expand...
My heart loves the M7 and the ZI, but I just picked up another Nikon FM3a for $325. Specs are so much better than either of the other two for a fraction of the price.
 
Keith said:
It's a pity they didn't give the Zi the extra stop of speed (1/4000) that the Hexar RF and FM3A possess!
Click to expand...

Often, high speeds like 1/2000, 1/4000 and 1/8000 are not reliable no matter the brand... They over/underexpose (usually under) and also vary from shot to shot, giving wrong expositions (more visible with slide film)... Once I tested all my cameras, old and new, with a guy who had the machine for metering actual shutter speeds, and above 1/1000 everything was unpredictable, a real mess... I even avoid 1/2000 with my Hasselblad.

Cheers,

Juan
 
Decided!

Decided!

Hi, great post!

Both hexar and Zi against m7, and m7 beat em.

But after some time i decided to buy a Zeiss Ikon!

The general opinion is that`s a great camera and it costs a fraction of m7.

So today after selling some stuff i finally got one from nuernberg!

Hope it arrives in a pair of weeks so i can tell you more about it!

Thanks!
 
kshapero said:
My heart loves the M7 and the ZI, but I just picked up another Nikon FM3a for $325. Specs are so much better than either of the other two for a fraction of the price.
Click to expand...

Too bad its an SLR, with SLR lenses and a shotgun shutter. I hardly ever use my FM2 and FE2 since I bought my Leicas...
 
elmer3.5 said:
Hi, great post!

Both hexar and Zi against m7, and m7 beat em.

But after some time i decided to buy a Zeiss Ikon!

The general opinion is that`s a great camera and it costs a fraction of m7.

So today after selling some stuff i finally got one from nuernberg!

Hope it arrives in a pair of weeks so i can tell you more about it!

Thanks!
Click to expand...


The ZI is a great camera. I was almost swayed by an M6 once, but wound up with another ZI....

These are all lovely tools for actually using and there is no real need for being a brand partisan:)

Mike
 
As much as I like the heft and the feel of the M7 I would choose the Ikon in a heartbeat. I have an M6TTL which I love; but my next choice would be for an AE rangefinder. The Ikon just handles so much better than the M7 IMHO.
 
M7. The quietest camera you'll ever own.

I'll be putting a black chrome .72 mint one up for sale here soon. Box, accessories, etc..
 
gliderbee said:
On the M7, do you have to move the camera while focussing to be able to keep focussing on your chosen point of focus ?

Stefan.
Click to expand...

The focus patch moves in conjunction with the frame lines, so as the frame lines shift so does the focus patch. Because your field of view changes slightly as you focus it makes more sense for the patch to stay in the centre of the frame, as with an SLR. Of course you may not like this but for most people I think it would seem more natural.
 
lawrence said:
The focus patch moves in conjunction with the frame lines, so as the frame lines shift so does the focus patch. Because your field of view changes slightly as you focus it makes more sense for the patch to stay in the centre of the frame, as with an SLR. Of course you may not like this but for most people I think it would seem more natural.
Click to expand...

Well, to each his own, I guess, but that suggests the main subject of the picture is in the middle of the picture, and I think most of us would agree that's often not the case.

It seems more logical to me to pick the point of focus (whatever it's place in the picture might be), focus and then frame.

Stefan.
 
M7 would be nice, but I'm not giving up the ZI. Does everything the M7 does, but at a cheaper price. Like the simplicity of the camera-agree with some others that the exposure compensation/mode/shutter speed dial setup on the ZI is a masterpiece of design--too bad Leica didn't think of it. And, of course, the viewfinder-think they have it all over Leica on this one.

Someone mentioned not getting the ZI because of "limited lens choices." Not true--any Leica M lens can be used on the ZI. Use my 90 mm Summicron on the ZI all the time. And use the 21mm ZI on the Leica Ms, with great results...
 
The great dilemma. A Leica or someting else. I have read several comparison reviews that picked the Zeiss Ikon. I would love to have a ZI but I have a couple of Leicas and I don't want two different brand cameras to shoot with. I like having them all alike so I don't have to think which camera am I using? Which way do I turn the shutter speed dial or where is that...... I don't want to have to think about my cameras while I am shooting. I want to think about my images. I really don't think I can sell my Leicas. - Jim
 
Limited lens choices may refer to the missing frame for the 75 focal lenth in the ZI finder. I don't have a problem with either this or different controls of different cameras, but then I use them mostly one after the other.

The ZI is a great camera. Build quality seems easily up with Nikon FEs. The viewfinder outfacing glass is actually plastic - as opposed to the Leicas. Maybe some source of problem for the unwary.

Cheers
Ivo
 
Plastic viewfinder window? No big, as far as I'm concerned. Less likely to break, I'd bet--always a back-of-my-mind concern in using the Leicas. Just have to be careful cleaning, to prevent scratches. Use a microfiber cloth, anyway...
 
The answer, is to have both and use both, as I do. My ZI is most of the time coupled with the 35/1.2 Nokton, and I use it primarily in low light, the combination of excellent vision and great balancing with this lens makes it an ideal night photography combo.

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