leicavit-m vs leica motor m

I just purchased an M7 kit. With this offer is the choice of a

(free) Leicavit-M rapid winder or a Leica motor winder. Which one

should I choose? What is your experience with either? (I would

rather they had offered a free flash, of course, so I'll probably be

willing to sell the winder after a couple of uses so as to purchase

a flash!) Also, since I'm a glutton for regrets, why did I make a

mistake, if I did, in getting the M7 as opposed to the MP which the

salesman was keen on?

Bruce, enjoy your M7 -- once you get "close" to it, you'll love it. IMHO, you're right about both the M Motor & the Leicavit -- cute but essentially useless extra weight!

Get the motor. That way, you have continuous concentration on focusing on the subject rather than recompose after each shot.

First of all you didn't make a mistake. You bought what <i>you</i> wanted rather than what the salesman wanted to you to buy. Since you don't particularly want the free offer, I would get the Leicavit as it should sell for more once you decide to get rid of it.

If you are not interested in using either, the Leicavit probably has better resale value.

I'll get the motor, then I'll try to get a partial trade for a flash from the dealer. My wording was a little off: change "offer" to "purchase": I already have the camera. After only a few hours am loving it already, including the 50 mm standard lens that came with it. (I am partial to moderate tele lenss.) Now if I could only get over my continual fretting about the availability of film in the next 10 years. But that's another forum.

The M7 with the motor on the lower setting is a very unobtrusive shooter.

both are great, actually, if you are using your leicas for fast moving work. i had the

abrahmsson rapidwinder for years, then the M Motor, and just got a Leicavit also. My

usual kit is the M4-2 with the Leicavit and the M6 with the Motor. between the two

you can shoot through 2 rolls of film in little more than a minute.

 

repair people do tell us that neither is particularly good for the camera, putting a lot

of extra stress on gears. so if you don't shoot a lot of action then you probably need

neither.

 

the Leicavit is smaller than the Motor (and the Abrahmsson rapidwinder too) and less

obstrusive as it doesn't have the motor's handgrip. especially at slower shutter speeds

it might be better than the motor because it doesn't immediately advance the film

after each frame -- you control that yourself.

 

The Motor, obviously, is the choice if you want maximum speed out of a M camera.

The batteries last a long time, and if you're using the M7's auto-exposure with a wide

lens, you have a point-and-shoot camera, no need to worry about any settings at all

hardly before shooting.

 

as far as flash is concerned it depends how much you care about TTL. I use an old

Nikon SB-17 on a cord (very small flash with reasonable power) that i keep in my bag

for the rare occasions that I need it. The flash was $40, the cord was $50. a vivitar

283 or equivalent Sunpak flash will also be very cheap. So why even compare such

cheap items to the $500+ motor or the $700+ leicavit?!?

 

if you do prefer the Leicavit but don't want to spend that kind of money then the

Abrahmsson Rapidwinder at $425 is a good compromise. He provides very good

customer service.

 

The Voigtlander Trigger Winder for their T, R2, and R3 cameras is also quite good,

and real cheap. Only $150.

Well, now "I'm back to square one". I assumed that the motor winder would be the more valuable (and more useful over-all). The winder is, as you all probably are aware, Leica's promotional deal to help boost their (faltering?) sales of their film cameras, so I get the winder whether I want it or not. That either winder is hard on the camera I did not know but makes me even more determined to get rid of it when it arrives -- whichever one I opt for (now probably the Leicavit).

I would go for the Leicavit. I have one and it's great.

It's smaller and at shutter speeds below 1/30th the motor can be a problem. Read this.

 

 

http://www.nemeng.com/leica/033b.shtml

I don't have much use for either, but as a user, the motor is porbably more useful. If you don't care for either, then get the one with the higher resale value, which is probably the Leicavit M as others have suggested.

I would get the Leicavit, without a doubt, easier on the camera , plus i can't stand th eway the

winder button pops up after each shot, the leicavit is just smoother and way quieter, plus you

can sell it for alot and use the $ to get an sf-24d or a used sf-20 and still have enought left

over for a sweet luigi half case for that sweet m7 you have:)

The motor is more useful, the Leicavit more expensive and a flash something you really will use. So if you are after maximizing profit get a Leicavit and sell it - you will most probably get quite a bit money more than what a usable flash costs you. If you do not open the package of the winder / motor, you will most probably get quite a premium over one that has been used a few times.

<p>

The Leica SF20 is a nice, compact and relatively cheap unit, but I prefer the smaller Metz units: One can find them for less than USD 100 with the SCA adaptor. If you find either a contax or a nikon extension cord, these work well with any Leica compatible flash. But if you put ISO 800 film into a Leica and use your lens wide open, you will find that flash is not needed that often.

The Leica motor, as was mentioned, requires your finger to go up and down on the shutter release which I've never mastered. I use my motor on an M6 with a 135mm f/3.4 to shoot waterfowl and have got some great results. If you are left eye dominant as I am then a motor or leicavit is useful. Bottom line is I like less weight and size so except as above I wouldn't use either. The other problem with the motor is the tri-pod hole is in the middle so you can't use the same quick release plate.

On my M7, I've had the M-Motor, Rapidwinder, and the Leicavit and there are differences.

 

The RW and Leicavit are effectively the same, with design differences and a lower profile on the Leica product. I found that using them was an acquired taste, whether one likes the trigger paradigm or not. Yes, they're quiet. Yes, there's no added vibration. But having to alter one's camera handling style to always be in position to squeeze the trigger was what eventually led me to sell the triggers. They just irritated me too much.

 

The M-Motor, OTOH, is sill with with me. Yes, it's larger and bulkier than the triggers. Yes, the battery holder sticks up and gets in many people's way of handling. Some have had problems with the vertical grip snapping off too, but I don't think that's common. Quiet? On the slow setting, it's very unobtrusive. Yes the shutter release pumps under your finger up and down, esp on sequence. That's a relic of the mechanical linkages; either you're OK with it, or it drives you crazy. I got used to it very quickly. The Motor is useless without batteries, but so is the M7.

 

So in the end, the Leicavit is worth more if you want to sell. The Motor is faster. The Leicavit is more elegant. Like many things, it's a personal choice.

 

I like the Motor, which is why I still have it. BTW, I only use it about 20% of the time.

 

Skip

Thank you all for your responses. I sent in the card requesting the Leicavit. I also included a letter suggesting they give me a new Leica flash sf24d instead. (It looks like I would be taking a loss I found out that the Leicavit is worth at least $400+ at KEH (but who knows what it will be worth 6 weeks from now when I finally get the thing), whereas the flash costs around $325.) I like to use flash for closeups -- done correctly the background goes dark but the object in the foreground remains bright and really stands out.

I have both a Leicavit (owned 2 years) and a motor (20 years). I use the former, not the latter. My experience is probably worthless to you: you may find the exact opposite. Bit of a pointless question, really.

 

In fact, the way you regard flash argues that your world-picture and mine are 180 degrees out anyway: merely considering such an abomination is enough to have you excommunicated from the Church of True Leica Believers. But then, an M7 (with the shutter speed dial going the wrong way) is certain damnation.

 

That's the trouble with the internet. You'll get more strongly held views than rational arguments.

 

Cheers,

 

Roger (www.rogerandfrances.com)