So, I sent this email today, to the generous soul who lent me the M7. He was beginning to have second thoughts about selling it as he came to realise that AE is a feature he really appreciates.......so this is how it went:
Yeah, i understand where you are coming from with respect to the AE; however, I personally am not completely convinced with the rest of the camera!!!
Are you ready!!!
It just doesn't feel 'right' to me, not the way the M6 just feels 'perfect'. I kept bumping the massive shutter speed dial and losing shots as it set itself to 1sec, I think that was partially because the stroke is so LONG that I had to fumble to wind it (because when the camera is on the strap under my arm, the stroke is so long that it contacts the strap!!!). I found that I never used the on/off switch either, ever. Then, with the amount of travel I do, and/or roaming the streets without a camera bag to store batteries in, I kept thinking that I'd be devastated to only have 1/60 and 1/125 when the battery dies....
Then lastly, after developing the roll I took with it, I came to realise that I pretty much never expose wrong with my M6 anyway (something I didn't realise until I had the M7 exposing for me; previously I'd assumed it was just the B&W film forgiving me). It is certainly far easier to use, but digital cameras are even easier and I don't use them often ;)
So, for what I do I prefer the mechanical camera, the old dial that is small and less likely to be bumped (i'm even used to it turning in the 'wrong' direction), and the WAY shorter silent stroke. All of this makes sense when you look at the M6 from the perspective of a street shooter; whereas the M7 is often described as the 'pro' M, carried by people wanting bulb capability, automation and the like.
So you may very well be spared from losing another Leica, and I think the M7 is something I will want one day, perhaps if I have kids and want a hassle free shooter for a different purpose....who knows.
I now understand why some articles on the net were controversial when it was released, as they called it the 'best Leica yet'. It is, but only in some ways!
(Look at me, now I sound like some kind of Leicaphile............)
I'm going to put another roll through it but I can't explain how much I appreciate the loan. It's the only way I could have found out. I think it may be the perfect M for your purposes.
Who would have thought. To be honest, it's a huge relief, as I could never have parted with the M6 and I couldn't have lived with her being dormant. So, now we are all happy, especially me in my mechanical wonderland!
Yeah, i understand where you are coming from with respect to the AE; however, I personally am not completely convinced with the rest of the camera!!!
Are you ready!!!
It just doesn't feel 'right' to me, not the way the M6 just feels 'perfect'. I kept bumping the massive shutter speed dial and losing shots as it set itself to 1sec, I think that was partially because the stroke is so LONG that I had to fumble to wind it (because when the camera is on the strap under my arm, the stroke is so long that it contacts the strap!!!). I found that I never used the on/off switch either, ever. Then, with the amount of travel I do, and/or roaming the streets without a camera bag to store batteries in, I kept thinking that I'd be devastated to only have 1/60 and 1/125 when the battery dies....
Then lastly, after developing the roll I took with it, I came to realise that I pretty much never expose wrong with my M6 anyway (something I didn't realise until I had the M7 exposing for me; previously I'd assumed it was just the B&W film forgiving me). It is certainly far easier to use, but digital cameras are even easier and I don't use them often ;)
So, for what I do I prefer the mechanical camera, the old dial that is small and less likely to be bumped (i'm even used to it turning in the 'wrong' direction), and the WAY shorter silent stroke. All of this makes sense when you look at the M6 from the perspective of a street shooter; whereas the M7 is often described as the 'pro' M, carried by people wanting bulb capability, automation and the like.
So you may very well be spared from losing another Leica, and I think the M7 is something I will want one day, perhaps if I have kids and want a hassle free shooter for a different purpose....who knows.
I now understand why some articles on the net were controversial when it was released, as they called it the 'best Leica yet'. It is, but only in some ways!
(Look at me, now I sound like some kind of Leicaphile............)
I'm going to put another roll through it but I can't explain how much I appreciate the loan. It's the only way I could have found out. I think it may be the perfect M for your purposes.
Who would have thought. To be honest, it's a huge relief, as I could never have parted with the M6 and I couldn't have lived with her being dormant. So, now we are all happy, especially me in my mechanical wonderland!
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