whats the difference between Leica MP, M6 and M7 ?

Benjamin Marks said:
MP - see M6, but RF update and brass gears. Users = $3000.
Ben Marks
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The MP uses steel gears, but Leica made some internal adjustments and changed some materials to make the camera smoother (it takes the motor and Leicavit/Rapidwinder). The top and bottom plate is now brass (the M6 series uses a zinc alloy).

According to Sherry the MP finder is a slightly revised design, compared to what's in the M6/ttl series and she wasn't just talking about the flare fix.


M6ttl - Mechanical shutter, battery for meter only, steel gears (takes winder/Leicavit), finder flares unless you get it upgraded. Came on .58/.72/.85 magnification.

I highly recommend the .72, unless you wear glasses. In that case try the .58.

The .85 is nice if your widest lens is a 50, but a lot of people have trouble seeing the 35mm lines with this magnification and there are no 28mm lines. The .85 also flares the most.

Using the optional x1.25 eyepiece magnifier ($225!) you can turn a .58 into a .725 or a .72 into a .90 and a .85 ->1.06

The flare in the M4-2/M4-P/M6/M6ttl can be really annoying. Basically the rangefinder patch whites out and you can't focus, because you can no longer see the double image. And following Murphy's Law it always happens at the wrong moment and not only in broad sunlight. The solution is to move your eye slightly and center it perfectly over the RF patch. Again, annoying but people shot like that for over 20 years (the flaw was introduced after the M4, starting with the M4-2). But the fix is worth every penny.

I agree that the M6ttl may be the best M bargain around. Tough as nails and the only mechanical M body with TTL flash support. The TTL is really valuable if you want to use a flash and not have your pictures look like they were taken with one...

Sherry added the flare fix to my TTL and now the RF patch (finder) is brighter and has more contrast than my M7. The upgrade varies between $150 and $250, depending on where you take the camera.

Take a look here:

http://www.lhsa.org/repair.html

You can also add Leica's own service center to that list.


HL
 
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