Ohhh nooo not at all! The Zeiss Ikon finder comes into its own at night. It can practically see in the dark. Definitely a shade better than my Leica MP, at least to my eyes. The focus patch can "disappear" if your eye moves off center (which is not hard to do thanks to the huge eyepiece for an RF camera) but you soon get used to keeping your eye centered. I don't even think about and center my eye subconsciously now.
SimonM
Newbie
Sorry, but I have to say I don't agree. Maybe earlier model Leicas weren't as good but I have the latest model Ikon and M7 in front of me right now and I can tell you that in my hastily arranged romantic mood lighting consisting of a single candle the M7 focus patch is much clearer than the Ikon's. I feel confident getting the focus 3 times faster on the M7 than the Ikon. I can get a rough focus easily enough on the Ikon but precise focussing is difficult in low light. In contrast (no pun intended) I can get a precise focus easily on the M7 in next to no light!
So it's not that the Ikon is bad, it's just that the M7 is so good! It's now a defunct debate of course but I'd say the M7 is/was definitely worth the cost over the Ikon even at 2-3 times the price. The shutter is so quiet without even a hint of vibration in the camera body. I could go on but this isn't an M7 love-in thread.
Of course I love the Ikon too!
PS. I think I just saw this model on Chapel Street!
So it's not that the Ikon is bad, it's just that the M7 is so good! It's now a defunct debate of course but I'd say the M7 is/was definitely worth the cost over the Ikon even at 2-3 times the price. The shutter is so quiet without even a hint of vibration in the camera body. I could go on but this isn't an M7 love-in thread.
Of course I love the Ikon too!
PS. I think I just saw this model on Chapel Street!
Not a problem
I base my observation on my Zeiss Ikon and my two Leica MPs which have the same finder as current M7s (I had an M7 with upgraded MP finder but sold it to a friendly fellow in Oslo). Maybe our eyes just work differently
SimonM
Newbie
That Ikon pictured is brand new and just bought so unless Zeiss degraded the quality of components in a (desperate) attempt to make it profitable I really don't know how to explain our vastly differing opinions!
koven
Well-known
those are pretty good for being straight out of camera
digitalBerg
Newbie
amazing combo!