Mixing Leica M6's and M7's during weddings...

My main body is a M6 with a 'lux, and a Hexar af with its 35 f/2. I recently aquired a

35mm 'lux asph. The Hexar went on the fritz this week, god d***it, and I have a wedding

coming up.

 

I wondering how it is to work with a M6 and M7 together. The things that (very)

moderately concern me are the M7's blinking red lights (I usually always overexpose 1/2

stop, so this is unavoidable I think), possibly hard-to-retrive film canisters, and I believe

slipping ISO dials. And of course switching between AE and manual could be a

bit off-putting.

 

Thoughts? Ignore the cost issue at this point.<div></div>

Non issues. I went from shooting a pair of M6s to a pair of M7s without missing a beat.

 

The canisters sticking is exaggerated. A light tap on the palm and pull it out. I also

overexpose 1/2 stop or so, the blinking lights are a non issue IMO. I have yet had any dials

move on me despite working fast paced weddings with a M7 slung over my shoulder while

shooting with another camera.

 

IF you are working in AV mode, you DO need to switch to manual when changing film in

dark conditions, or when you go to wind the film on to 1 you'll get loooooong shutter

speeds. Then you have to remember to switch it back to AV.

 

AV is actually quite helpful when shooting parts of weddings. Pretty accurate shutter. If

you go that route, be sure you specify that you want an MP style finder. It does eliminate

the dreaded viewfinder focusing patch flare. .085s with MP finders are tough to locate if

my experiences are any measure.

 

I think it's a nice mix M6 and M7, but that's just a personal opinion.<div></div>

So Mark, did you ever work with one M6 and one M7? If I read your post right, you used

two of the same cameras at the same time.

 

After thinking about your M7 experiences, probably the biggest thing is dealing with AE vs

manual, and of course I could turn the M7 on manual.<div></div>

And Mark, I just noticed on your photo above that your eyebrow looks somehow...like a

possessive catapillar :-)

The other problem you might run into is the shutter speed dial. I think that at least one version of the M6, and possibly the M7, has it turning in the opposite direction compared to all previous M bodies. You might also consider an older meterless back-up body such as an M2 or the much undervalued M4-2 and M4-P. The savings would pay for a good seperate light meter with incident capabilities. Also consider the Bessa R2 body. Check out www.cameraquest.com

Actually, there was an interim where I had a M7 .072 and a M6 .085. And even a short time

using the M7 .072 and a MP .085. I don't know, I just never got confused with any of

them. They're all such simple cameras.

 

That "Possessive Caterpillar" has been tamed ; -)

Hey Al, I didn't mention I have the TTL M6, so the dial issue won't screw me up with the

M7. I've thought about the Bessa, and a used Hexar RF, but at this point I think I'm going

with another Leica just so not to confuse the issue in the heat of battle.

I shoot with an M7 and an M6ttl. What difference? Use the M7 on manual

and there is no difference. How/why the urban myth that M7 ASA moves

when you don't want them to came about I don't know. They don't move, don't

worry.

 

An advantage to the M7 if you use flash is with the right flash you get rear

curtain flash sync which is far better for "flash and blur" than first curtain flash.

 

The little blinking light you get when an M7 is not on auto is not a problem.

Just use it the same way you use the M6 you are comfortable with. The M7

shutter is a bit quieter than an M6 too.

 

I think an M7 is a good compliment to an M6.

I also use an M7 along with an M6ttl, I shoot colour in the M7 because through

the course of the day I will use different iso colour films, and with the dx

coding I don't have to worry. The M6ttl I keep for B&W, as the iso is constant [

one camera is chrome, one black, to keep it simpler still ] However I use the

M7 in manual all the time, making both cameras almost identical in practice,

and of course you will only get any blinking if you use exp compensation, or

set the iso manually.

Thanks everyone, for your responses. Now cost is the only factor.

David: I've been using a pair of M7's since they first came out, which were replaced by Leica with a pair of new ones when they were out of parts for the rangefinder upgrade. The ISO setting on the M7 (and current MP)is simply the entire numbered disk rotates with slight detents at each value, like an aperture ring, unlike the M6 where you have to push-turn-release and it locks. The M7/MP ISO can and does get moved unintentionally, and the battery compartment cover comes loose and flies off, followed by the batteries ejecting like spent shells from a 9mm Sig. Many people, myself included, have resorted to some juryrig means of securing both, such as gaffer tape. In both cases Leica chose costcutting over quality. They are the only glaring design faults in an otherwise splendid camera.

 

PS: In your "makeup" shot, that is just a bad scan that the woman's face is totally OOF, right?

Hey Jay,

 

Glad to hear from you! Miss you over in the Leica forum...I too wish the MP was ttl and had

the bigger shutter dial, and M6 iso wheel, but enough of my whinge-whinge-whinging.

 

The photo that I posted beneath my initial question has motion blur on purpose; one of

those 'excitement-building' emotional shots vs the straight documentary 'sharp' shot. I've

got both type in my portfolio. On the above shot, maybe I should have had a bit more

motion blur to make it more obvious.