Please help me decide on a lifetime investment (MP vs M7)..

Z

Zzbog

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Hello,

Please don't laugh at the questions, since I'm relatively new to film..

I just used an occasionally obtained Canonet GIII QL17 on my trip to South America and fell in love not only with film, but with rangefinders as well..

So I'm getting Leica now. A lifetime investment, as they call it. The question is... to M7 or to MP?

Since I've been using full-auto digital monsters for all my photographical life, Reason says: "Get M7, it's AE!".

Sence of aesthetics and style whispers: "Get MP, it's mechanical, elegant and thus eternal".

I'm really pretty scared of manual mode of MP. How hard will it be for a newcomer to get used to it and shoot with a speed, comparable to that of an M7 shooter?

Or should I not bother and get M7, since I'll be enjoying shooting (e.g. getting composition, perfect timing etc.) itself, but not fighting weather/light conditions?

I tend to shoot spontaneously, on streets, people, less frequently - still-life objects.
 
Zzbog said:
I'm really pretty scared of manual mode of MP. How hard will it be for a newcomer to get used to it and shoot with a speed, comparable to that of an M7 shooter?

Or should I not bother and get M7, since I'll be enjoying shooting (e.g. getting composition, perfect timing etc.) itself, but not fighting weather/light conditions?
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Whichever you choose, you'll be alright and you'll just love it! :)

An MP still has a built in meter so it's just going to be a matter of time before you're comfortable with manual exposure...

Again, either way, they're fine cameras and I'm sure you will enjoy either. If I personally were in your shoes I would go down a store and ask if it's possible to try them out, and see which feel you like best. If that is also a tie, then get whichever is cheaper ( and use the remaining cash to buy film!).

Good luck, let us know which one you choose.
Clarel
 
A lifetime investment, as they call it. The question is... to M7 or to MP?
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lifetime = fullmechanical camera = MP (chrome version).
And don´t be scared. There is a built in light meter and with some experience you are as quick as you need. Just practise it.
 
I have an MP. Personally I find the "match needle" exposure method not a problem since I've used it with my first serious camera a Pentax K1000 bought when I was 16 (29 years ago) and then later with my Nikon FM2 which I used for years after that. I do have many other cameras though that have aperture-priority auto-exposure and there's no doubt I can take faster photographs with them. Thing is overall I think I get more "hits" (keepers, better shots, etc.) with the manual exposure cameras as I find I rely less on the AE and work harder at proper exposure (compensating for back-lit situations, or when strong, prevalent highlights might "fool" the AE, or knowing I'll want more shadow detail, etc.) and I adjust my needle matching better than if it was set for AE and the speed set for me based on whatever f/stop I chose. Yes, AE cameras too can be overridden and adjust for this but I find it not as easy to implement and when I have AE I get lazy.

You need to decide which works for you. AE is faster for me, but manual gives me overall better results by forcing me to think more.
 
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As you said, you have to decide whether you want AE or not. Once you've figured that out, the answer should be obvious.

My suggestion: Get an inexpensive manual metered M-mount body (Bessa R2) and use it for a couple of months. If you grow to like manual exposure, get the MP. If you don't like it after a couple of months, get the M7.
 
The new Leica loaner program includes the M7. Ask your dealer to lend you one for the weekend. I'm not sure if it includes the MP, but, of course, it also includes the M8.

/T
 
Let me add a question on this topic..
How long will the M7 electronic shutter last? How will it survive dust, moisture, aging of components?
In 30 years from now who will be able to find a component (chipset, eprom or whatever else) needed to repair it?
R.
 
MP!
i too had this thought..i owned an m7, and although it has snazzy whizz bangs, it came down to the simplicity of the camera that i felt was the essence of why i own a leica.. so off it went and in came the BP MP. not a doubt in my mind, that this camera will be with me for a lifetime.
good luck.
 
Not only I'd go for the MP if I were you, when in your situation I did go for the MP being me! :D you'll not regret it, and you'll get to learn it very quickly, too. Enjoy!
 
Andrew Sowerby said:
As you said, you have to decide whether you want AE or not. Once you've figured that out, the answer should be obvious.

My suggestion: Get an inexpensive manual metered M-mount body (Bessa R2) and use it for a couple of months. If you grow to like manual exposure, get the MP. If you don't like it after a couple of months, get the M7.
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Good advice
 
I was faced with the same decision about a year ago. I went with the MP and have never regretted my decision. You'd be surprised how quickly you will be able to use manual exposure. Also, the MP offers many more shooting choices if the batteries fail. I'm not sure but I believe the M7 offers only two choices if the batteries fail.
 
Why not buy the MP and a CLE as a backup. The Minolta CLE is roughly the same size as a CL. It was twenty years ahead of Leica in producing an AE M mount body. They're cheap and wonderful. On the the hand, save your money and buy a M2 and a CLE.

If you could only buy either the MP or M7, I'd get the MP

Charlie
 
Has anyone around here ever really had a battery fail (in a non-digital camera) at some crucial juncture? I never have in 20 years of shooting. I think that concern is way over-blown. It's just not a reality. You are more likely to run out of film when you most need it than run out of battery power. Think about it.

/T
 
veraikon said:
lifetime = fullmechanical camera = MP (chrome version).
And don´t be scared. There is a built in light meter and with some experience you are as quick as you need. Just practise it.
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What's the big deal about the chrome version. I think a black MP looks pretty snazzy.:cool:
 
Tuolumne said:
Has anyone around here ever really had a battery fail (in a non-digital camera) at some crucial juncture? I never have in 20 years of shooting. I think that concern is way over-blown. It's just not a reality. You are more likely to run out of film when you most need it than run out of battery power. Think about it.

/T
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I have never had any battery problems in decades. Every camera I used has an electronic shutter (Mamiya 7, Bronica SQA, Zeiss Ikon RF, Contax G RF) I have learned to carry extra batteries for those bodies that seem to be "battery hungry". Battery replacement takes about the same time as loading more film.
 
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