Without Advance Warning M7 Quits

Help! Been using my very new M7 (black) having shot less

than a dozen rolls over the past 3 weeks.

Like any good soldier I checked it before hitting

the streets this AM and noticed nothing lighting up in the VF. Wow.

 

Fortunately had a M6 backup, then left in hurry forgetting my film.

 

FWIW been shooting the m7 in hot weather 100F+ in the

shade and

wondering

if the heat might have zapped the batteries?

 

Any other possibilities? I thought the batteries were good for 65 rolls

or something like that? Whats up with that?

 

Thanks - Paul

Without Advance Warning M7 Quits

 

Electronics are like that, hence my preference for mechanical cameras.

Paul, as much as I hate unsubstantiated responses, here's one:

 

I did hear that on some occassions, the initial battery supplied with Leica cameras have a very short life.

 

Try another batery and see what the score is. Does your M6 battery fit the M7 ?

 

Cheers,

Ron

Sounds like you were on original batteries. My new-in-box second hand M7 batteries didn't last long. I'm still using the second set months later.

Typed at the same time.

this is the exact reason my M6 has a permanent place in my lineup.

The batteries do quit suddenly. Rememer to turn your M7 off when not using it. It does not

turn off automatically. And that means it is eating up power.

 

 

This is a design flaw. The CLE, introduced in 1980, turns off automartically and its batteries

last for years.

doesn't the m7 use the same batteries as the m6?

the M7 uses 2 batteries, which are the same type the M6 uses.

 

I had one extra at home and would have needed to remove the one from my M6. Not knowing what the problem was I decided to take the tried and true M6.

sell the m7 and get an m4.

In my experience the manufacturers of great mechnical cameras have found electronics, well, shall we say a little challenging. I can live with an in-camera meter failing, but an all-electric camera? Forget it.

Paul,

 

There are too many self styled experts only too willing to offer unhelpful advice that obliquely grinds there particular axe. There are also a number of helpful suggestions, relating to battery changing, that I suggest you try, if you have not already. Most likely, fresh batteries will solve your problem. And remember, your M7 is a much FASTER shooter than the M6, which is no slouch anyway.

 

Fresh batteries and enjoy.

What is the problem with carrying a spare set of batteries? (Or two)

 

You would not dream of leaving without spare films and yet batteries are tiny by comparison.

 

You would not dream of driving a car without a spare wheel (with tyre fitted, inflated to the correct pressure). Far more effort and yet you do so instinctively.

 

Cars run out of petrol if not refilled. You don't blame the car for using the petrol if it runs out. Don't blame the nature of the camera you are using. (Assuming it is the battery.)

OK, I have just noticed Paul also said.. "then left in hurry forgetting my film."

 

What a quandary. If you go digital then you will forget your batteries, if you stay with the M6/M7 you will forget your film.

 

The only answer is a battery-less digi-cam.

<I>...sell the m7 and get an m4.</I><P>But don't forget the batteries for your handheld

light-meter. LOL Talking making a mountain out of a molehill, the guy has dead batteries

and next thing you know people want him to sell his first born and buy a M1,2,3,4 or

whatever. Me thinks a bushel of batteries would be cheaper. Besides you can use a M7 at

1/60 and 1/125 without batteries, how may shutter speeds does one need?

There are two modern inventions that are inexpensive and can protect against this sort of thing. One is called a "battery tester" and the other is called a set of "spare batteries". :-)

[completely undue sarcasm, just for the sake of it/]

 

Well, Paul, old age might be getting to you! No help possible.

A long-serving soldier like you might as well have thought of packing some ammo of the

lithium containing kind!

Moreover, your chiropractor will sing along with me when I suggest carrying two

minuscule spare batteries *instead* of an M6, for a change.

Reading the manual and discovering that nothing will *ever light up* to tell you that it's

time for new batteries would probably be too girly for a soldier, I guess.

So I might as well tell you right here and now, from man to man: the digits or triangles will

start *flickering* softly to tell you. Simple as that (kind of, it's Leica Logic).

[/completely undue sarcasm, just for the sake of it]

 

The batteries do quit quickly but not suddenly. There are some 10 to 20 pictures (IME)

between the blinking finder lights and the virtually unknown "1/60+1/125 mode" of the

M7. The blinking action IS hard to detect most of the times though, and thus the

batteries/camera often *appear(s)* to die all of a sudden.

 

100F"+" heat? Non-rechargeable Lithium batteries are very tough about loosing charge.

Cold affects them much less than alcaline types and anything under 50degC won't make

them loose charge/become less performant either. (My guess: the film in the camera will

get damaged by heat first.)

 

Alex, SURPRISE!, your M7 switches off its meter after about 30 seconds!

 

Nevertheless, fresh (brand) batteries allow for no more than 40-50 films (in my

experience, no shooting in A mode which *might* need more energy).

And yes, my first battery set also died VERY soon. It's like those 32MB cards in digicams -

for the purpose of demonstration only ....

 

[silly rant/]

Frank S., you must be one heck of a lucky guy! Nothing mechanical has ever failed on

you.., wow! Which brings to my mind: the new Super-Airbuses will be all-electronic. What

should one do? Fly in backyard-repairable (!) WW1-Triplanes? Yikes! Tupolevs? - Naaaah!

Hm.... Superconstellations? - Yesssss! Oh, no spare parts anymore. Sad. Where is this city's

main station again?!?...

[/silly rant]

 

Cheers, Peter

More than likely it is a battery problem. But I might add that electronics suffer a percentage of infant mortality, and that which survives lives a long time. Hence the practice exists of burning in new electronics for a period of time to week out the infant deaths. I have no idea how Leica handles this concern.

For heavens sake, carry some spare batteries. The m7 is the best in the leica lineup for fast shooting or manual shooting. The pure mechanical MP is a bunch of nonsense IMHO. The m7 gives you the best of both worlds.

And the people who designed and manufacture the M7 are about to introduce a Digital camera!!!!

Embarrassingly simple check - is the shutter cocked? You get nothing in the finder unless you've cocked the shutter. Ask me how I know this :)

"And the people who designed and manufacture the M7 are about to introduce a Digital camera!!!!"

 

If there is a point to the above comment or to the four exclamation points, i don't see it.

 

Yes, imagine that. Leica made a battery-operated camera that doesn't work without the battery. They should be flagellated for that. With a record like that, how dare they even consider making a digital camera that will also require batteries. heck, it won't work without the batteries either!

The M7 has two mechanical speeds (no meter), as was mentioned above: 1/60 and 1/125, but I'm sure you knew that and your post was just a slight of typing. It happens to me all the time, no worries.

This place has to be filled with some of the most unhappy people I have as a group ever run into.

 

Paul carefully try to dig through the self important bull and see if one of the 3-4 good suggestions helps solve your problem. If not you can always come back here and let the "boys" have at you again. Think of it as a type of aversion therapy

<P>FWIW : The early productions M7 have this problem. Leica knows about this. Same thing happened to me and they just replaced it without giving me any explanation or hassle. Problem is due to high temperature PLUS humidity shorting the circuit board. Next time, remember NEVER put your M7 where the air conditioning is blowing. And, this is also before I bitched about the flare in the range finder. The older members will remember it. At that time, almost everyone was giving me hell, thinking I was witch hunting...

<P>Good luck.