A Strange Dilemma

[endustry]

So I'm in an envious though strange dilemma. I now have two MPs -- the one I had been using and the one my family bought me as a graduation gift. Only problem is, I miss the speed of using an M7 on trips. I understand the lifespan of an MP is likely to be much longer than that of on M7 owing to the mechanical vs. electronic issue, but I can't stop thinking about trading my MP in on an M7. Am I going nuts?

[jfujita]

My first M was an MP3 and I just recently acquired an M7. I never thought of the longevity of the M7 and I honestly don't think it should be that big of an issue. The AE and quiet shutter action increases the flexibility of my M's. ie: I can use my MP3 when I shoot static lighting like portraiture or landscapes and I can use the M7 for quick street or situations with dynamic lighting. I think that these product branches were designed to compliment each other in this way.

[thomasw_]

Yes, you are going bonkers; you might soon be developing a deep affection for red dots on your camera bodies if you keep running this through your mind ;) Seriously, though, I didn't ever find the M7 to speed things up in street shooting, rather the reverse; so if I were in your shoes, I'd be sticking with the 2 MPs or selling one to get the MP3.

[drewbarb]

You might be nuts, but I don't think this question is a symptom lunacy. The biggest waste of time is agonizing over trivialities. Any Leica should last you a good long while; the all-mechanical MP is probably more likely to be the camera your grandchildren will inherit, but an M7 should also last you through many years of hard use. If an M7 will bring capability that will truly add to your photographic flexibility, you should get one and not worry about longevity. Just keep which ever MP you prefer, trade the other for an M7, and have the best of both worlds. Heck- just for kicks, you might even try a different magnification with the other body, if that might be useful.

[mfogiel]

I have a suggestion:
- sell both your MP's , buy a ZI for the 28 and 35mm lenses, and the M7 =.85x for the 50 and 75mm lenses, for slower shooting, buy a Rolleiflex 2.8F and a small handheld meter.
This is how I am set up - but I did not have to sell the MP's ... I never felt there was any use for such cameras for me, they are just a functional compromise, like the M6.

[Austerby]

Keep both MPs and buy an R3a for the AE.

[35mmdelux]

i am so used to my M6 and MP that i don't even think of faster. For me they are fast enough, with exposure pre-set. IMMV.

If anything I would get a digital RF. After today's John McCain shoot, what I could use is a dgital RF, not another analog.

congrats on your graduation. Paul

[M. Valdemar]

A dilemma is having to chose between two equally unsatisfactory outcomes. What you are describing is a conundrum, not a dilemma.

Get a Konica Hexar or a Canon G9.

[colyn]

Just send me one of the Mp's and I'll put it to good use while you save for the M7..:D :D :D :D

[Beemermark]

I see no practical reason to buy a MP (except for the beauty). I cannot see how you can shoot faster with a manual adjusted shutter speed and aperture compared to an AE camera like the M7. That's hogwash. When the M6 came out I rushed out an bought one thinking it would be a huge improvement over my M4 and M4R meter. It didn't take long to realize that I could set the shutter speed on the M4 faster and it was more fool proof in street shooting than trying to match two triangles in the M6 (and then finding out after the shot that the SS was 1/15). Unfortunately I'm at that age that reading the M4R meter in dang near impossible and I went with the M7 and have never gone back. Street shooting meets quickly moving from deep shadows to bright sunlight by just turning 90 degrees or less, which means either a lot of exposure adjustments or, with the M7, pick an aperture appropriate to the film and shoot.

[dreamsandart]

I had an M7 for awhile to try it out. I was impressed with the camera, does everything its suppose to do and maybe the ideal camera for an m-series and film for many. My problem was switching in 'head-mode' between the AE of the M7 and a set everything M. Just found myself thinking in one way or the other and missing exposures when I picked up my non-AE camera. And I like a manual exposure M in use with too many years maybe to change. But you can use the M7 on manual exposure too, but seems to defeat the purpose of the camera.

[Vincenzo Maielli]

My standard M equipment are MP with Summicron 50/2 DR, M7 with goggled Summicron 35/2 and M5 with Summicron 90/2 TS. Buy another M7 and use your two MP also.
Ciao.
Vincenzo

[SolaresLarrave]

Paul, you're wasting time, life, bandwidth and brain cells on this "dilemma" of yours. As Valdemar said, it's not a dilemma. And Drew is right: it's just a triviality. I'd think about how to use them, where to go, what to photograph with them instead. You are fortunate, try not to show it off.

[pinafore2]

I'd call it a "luxury-problem" !

[zwicko]

Keep your MPs and buy the M7.
If you don´t like it just sell it again.
You can always sell one of your MPs later if you decide to keep the M7.

Cheers, Z.

[endustry]

Yes, RFF has changed a lot. Thanks to those who offered opinions on the durability of an M7 vs. an MP and took my question seriously. All I have to say to the graybeards with nothing better to do but schmuck-it-up on the internet (M. Valdemar ni Felcher, Solares) is: Viagra.

Am I being unharmonious, mods?

-Aaron

[cole]

Aaron, I can understand where you're coming from. My first M was an M7, and just recently I purchased an M2 as a 'backup.' Having now worked with the M2, it has become my main camera, and I often wonder about trading the M7 for an MP or another M2! So, while my problem is somewhat the reverse of yours, I know it can be frustrating.

What I try to remember is that fussing over my gear is counterproductive to actually making photographs. Having said that, if your gear is obstructing your ability to make those photos, that's also a problem.

As someone else mentioned, it does feel a little odd going back and forth from the aperture-priority of the M7 to the all-manual M's. I find it's a minor disruption to my head space when I'm out taking photos.

I would think long and hard about whether an M7 would enhance your abilities to take good photographs (ie, the speed to the AE enabling you to catch quickly changing environments), or whether working a little more with manual exposure might quicken your eye, thus enabling you to make changes quickly to your exposure without having to over-think it.

Not the most straight-forward advice, perhaps – but then, these situations are rarely solved with a simple answer.

Good luck!

[endustry]

I like the feel/process of an all-manual camera while at home; I suppose the comfort of familiarity makes me more relaxed and so setting the shutter speed and focus and aperture is hardly an "issue." For some reason I don't work so quickly in unfamiliar places without AE and so I feel that trading one of the MPs in on an M7 would resolve that. Still, I have doubts about investing in an electronic camera produced by a company that none of us knows for sure will still be around ten years down the road when such a camera might need serious, proprietary service.

The suggestion about getting an R3A is probably the best advice. Thanks!

All I can say to those who seem to think that I'm sitting around stewing over my gear and not shooting is: there is a link to my Flickr account in my sig. Look at it.

[SolaresLarrave]

Yes, RFF has changed a lot. Thanks to those who offered opinions on the durability of an M7 vs. an MP and took my question seriously. All I have to say to the graybeards with nothing better to do but schmuck-it-up on the internet (M. Valdemar ni Felcher, Solares) is: Viagra.

Am I being unharmonious, mods?

-Aaron

For the sake of harmony, my name is Francisco.

Now go and use your cameras. And if you're not ready to hear alternate opinions, don't post questions. Learn to see the many sides of any issue and to anticipate the possible replies (and solutions) any problem can have before you resort to unharmonious posts.

Take care!

[sepiareverb]

I shoot MP's and M7's side by side all the time. For me the M7's are indeed the ones I choose when working in town, for they are faster. The MP is most used in the woods, and I also use the M7's there but generally as manual cameras. As to longevity, I don't have any doubts that any M will be repairable during my lifetime. If it appears that M7's are getting dicey twenty years on a nice parts camera or two seems like a good bit of insurance.

[endustry]

Well, Francisco...perhaps if you had replied in an even vaguely civil tone I may have done so in kind. You are not offering an "alternate opinion" but rather pure vitriol. If you don't have anything productive to add to the thread, don't troll it either.

There are numerous examples of replies in this thread that offer assistance with my original question without the need to tell me how I am wasting my time, brain cells, etc. by asking a question. I suggest you study them and try to improve your attitude.

For the sake of harmony, my name is Francisco.

Now go and use your cameras. And if you're not ready to hear alternate opinions, don't post questions. Learn to see the many sides of any issue and to anticipate the possible replies (and solutions) any problem can have before you resort to unharmonious posts.

Take care!

[endustry]

Okay, if anyone has a used, black M7 and is interested in trading for a used, black MP, please PM me. I'd prefer to trade with a longtime user of the site. Being in NYC would be perfect.

[SolaresLarrave]

Well, Francisco...perhaps if you had replied in an even vaguely civil tone I may have done so in kind. You are not offering an "alternate opinion" but rather pure vitriol. If you don't have anything productive to add to the thread, don't troll it either.

There are numerous examples of replies in this thread that offer assistance with my original question without the need to tell me how I am wasting my time, brain cells, etc. by asking a question. I suggest you study them and try to improve your attitude.

Well, funny that you talk about vitriol when your reply referred to me and other people as "graybeards" and told us to get Viagra.

Was that civil? Not exactly. So, you can go back to your own reply now and reconsider your own attitude.

Have a nice day!

[endustry]

where's don king when we need him?

Reading a Thesaurus.

[back alley]

live on the edge and get a zeiss ikon.

[cole]

Okay, if anyone has a used, black M7 and is interested in trading for a used, black MP, please PM me. I'd prefer to trade with a longtime user of the site. Being in NYC would be perfect.

PM should be in your inbox!

[ampguy]

Aaron sold his Hexar AF to me, and it is now in the capable hands of another RFFer (damn, I miss that camera!).

I know what you mean about AE, which is why I'm considering a Bessa RxA. If you can go for an M7 or Hexar RF, you'll probably find you'll use them more than metered manual or slower options.

And yeah, digital is great when indoors or unexpected low light opportunities come, you can crank up the ISO and get decent photos, much faster than with changing film rolls or relying on pushing whatever film is in there to extremes.

A dilemma is having to chose between two equally unsatisfactory outcomes. What you are describing is a conundrum, not a dilemma.

Get a Konica Hexar or a Canon G9.

[endustry]

I actually re-purchased the Hexar (selling THAT was a definite sign of insanity!) Other mistakes I am trying to rewrite include purchasing more AGFA Ultra 100. I had been selling my own surplus of it here on RFF late last year and now I keep looking at what I have in the icebox as if it were the last remaining food ration on earth.

[SolaresLarrave]

You can always buy Arista II from Freestyle (http://www.freestylephoto.biz/e_main.php). Reportedly, it's the same Agfa film. That's at least what I use now that Agfa APX 400 isn't that easily available.

[drewbarb]

Other mistakes I am trying to rewrite include purchasing more AGFA Ultra 100. I had been selling my own surplus of it here on RFF late last year and now I keep looking at what I have in the icebox as if it were the last remaining food ration on earth.

You think that's bad? I've been hoarding my last 20 rolls of Agfa Ultra 50 in my freezer for a few years. I have a bunch of Ultra 100, too, but the Ultra 50 is the stuff to get REALLY neurotic about...

[mustapo]

I used to use M6/MP for many years... I have added M7 in my collection few months ago. It's really a versatile M body I have ever used. It really saved sometimes for pre-settings. Especially in candid shots... The metering is just great and accurate. No worries at all :)

PS. I also owned Konica RF, CLE & Bessa R2A in the past..... But trade off finally.