Well it is here, details to follow...

[john_collier5]

Copy of a posting from a Leica dealer on the Leica-Users:

 

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Hi LUGGERS!

 

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Well, the crazyness has begun, the new Leica M7 will be here

within the next eight weeks and the priority list has started. The

info I have is:

"similar to M6 but with Aperture priority & higher shutterspeed."

Price is around $2595.00...give or take $100.00 either way...

[jackflesher]

Unh huh....

[tony_rowlett2]

I'm with Jack... I'm not swallowing this until it's a reality.<p>

But if/when it does become real, I'm buying two.

[tony_rowlett2]

Isn't April 1st a little while from now? :-)

[andrew_schank]

Here's my questions and predictions based on past performance:

 

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How long do you think it will take before a rebate is offered on it?

 

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What are the odds that the first several hundred cameras will eat

batteries or have a problem with the shutter, etc? (I tip my hat to

the brave souls who have to be the first on their block to order one)

 

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How long before a black paint and other special editions show up?

 

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All kidding aside, I do hope it is a winner and still has the look

and feel of a Leica M and does well in the market place. I hope it

isn't any bigger/heavier than the current M6. I may even have to take

a look at one myself, as my CLE is getting pretty old and acting

quirky from time to time.

[sparkie]

I wish they'd at least replace the advance lever with the M3/M2 style

lever. And engrave the top plate with the Leica script. Loose the red

leica dot on the front too. Is that too much to ask? *sigh* ..Faster

shutter speed? oh, goodie, something to be smile about.

[erik4]

I'll take the bait.

 

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The new M7 looks like the old M5. Current devotees raise a hue and

cry. The new shutter is nosier and instead of having the seductive

sound of silk tearing, it has the raucous roar of kitchen aluminium

foil ripping. Leica aficionados hate it.

 

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I agree with Andrew. It eats batteries like pop corn, has a

viewfinder like the Hexar RF, and a film-back that opens the 'right'

way, much to the chagrin of the Leica crowd.

 

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All in all, the Leica traditionalists will reject it, sales plummet,

the M7 is discontinued after two years, and if not for Panasonic and

its digital Leica (see other thread), Solms would nearly be bankrupted

by this fiasco. Panasonic buys Leica, lens production moves over to

Japan a la Contax, Leica acolytes claim that it is not what it used to

be, Japanese manufactured lenses are just not the same, used prices go

through the roof, and... and...

 

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Cold chills. I need to wake up from this nightmare. Will I get pie

in my face?

[wilhelm]

God, I hope so. For the last 50 years I've bought a new Leica about

every decade, and I'm getting overdue.

[eliot]

I passed on the M6-TTL, the different viewfinder magnifications, and

the Hexar-RF. To give you an idea of its vintage, my M6

says "Wetzlar" on it. But I'll look over the new M camera (? M7 or ?

M6-AE) when it comes out. I'm especially interested to know if it

has a flash sync speed faster than the current 1/50 sec.

[giles_poilu]

Bring back Oskar!

[giles_poilu]

Sorry! - Oscar.

[giles_poilu]

P L E A S E !!! LEICA - have a look at the thread "For Leica M USERs

only..."

 

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...before it's too late...

[michael_kastner]

How about a thread "For Leica M 6 users only..." or, as far as I'm

concerned "For Leica M 6 Classicists only..." or "For Leica M 6 TTL

users only..."

 

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Its now too EARLY...

[john_collier5]

Another Leica-User writes:

 

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Reed's Cameras is taking $500 deposits if you have to be first in

line. They called it an M7A, and said it would look like an M6 TTL

with an "A" on the shutterspeed dial.

[jackflesher]

Giles et al -- Sorry, but if it is supposed to be here in 8 weeks it

is already too late, way too late!

 

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But don't hold you breath anyway... We are soon to find out it hhas

been built via a joint-venture with Voightlander/Cosina (which of

course they paid handsomely to be able to place the Leica name on

it).

 

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And, I'll go one step further -- next year, the M6TTL will be

manufactured in Japan by V/C to Solms specs. Lenses too! I hear a ka-

ching ka-ching on prices for the last of the REAL Leica M gear (Solms

or Wetzlar, it won't matter)!

 

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;) Cheers,

[eliot]

Sorry Giles. Looks like you are in the minority. Why should Leica

go back to 1950s-60s technology (M2/M3) when their new M6 AE model

will sport the latest technology from the mid 70s (? early 80s)?

[giles_poilu]

Ha Ha! No, I don't dispute that Leica have to move with the times in

refining (?) or electrifing (!) the M but they MUST continue to offer

a mechanical model as per the "old days".

 

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Enough people seemed to agree on the "For M users only..." thread

that a rebuilt M2/M4 would be desirable so all I say is give us a

choice - the traditional and the modern.

 

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As I meant in the "...before it's too late..." post above and I think

Jack amongst others also is indicating, Leica is the last bastion of

proper metal mechanical 35 mm cameras - if the AE electronic M7 is to

eventually replace the M6 then that is the slippery slope to the end

of 70+ years of Leitz history.

[jay_.]

"A day late and a dollar short"--or maybe "a year late and $1000 too

much". The Hexar RF's already in my bag. I think I might let at

least a couple thousand customers take cuts in front of me in line

for the M7. The R8 came out in 1996 and they still have

problems...but at least they're about $700 cheaper now.

[eliot]

As a famous American philosopher (Yogi Berra) once said: "Nostalgia

ain't what it used to be."

[john_chan2]

Giles,

 

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I disagree,

 

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If the new M7 is an all electronics wunderbar extravaganza just

imagine how much your M6 TTL will be worth in a few years!

 

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I can just hear it now... LUG members referring to the M6 TTL as "the

last great M camera!"..." the M4 of the 90s".

 

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;-)

[iwmac]

Sparkie,

 

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The word is LOSE, not LOOSE. If something is 'loose', it is 'not tight', which means it might fall off, but that is what you want the Red Dot to do.

 

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However what we all want is for Leitz to LOSE the great big bright scarlet 'look at me' DOT. A bit of black electric insulating tape will do wonders. Cut a little circle and 'poof' no RED DOT.

[andy_piper2]

"What are the odds that the first several hundred cameras will eat

batteries or have a problem with the shutter, etc?"

 

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I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Leica may have wonderful

optical and mechnical engineers - but it does seem to me that they have

real trouble getting two electrons to go through the same wire at the

same time.

 

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My rep said (3 months ago) "An AE shutter in the existing M6 body." We

shall see.

 

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If the darn thing actually works I might "super-Hexarize" one with the

Motor-M and a .72/.85 finder.

 

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Whether we like the new bod or not, I wish Solms profitability and

success.

[andy_piper2]

Me and my big mouth - in the recent wish-list thread I asked Leica to

add something to the TTL shutter dial to make it more stylish.

 

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And they gave me an "A".

[giles_poilu]

"A" for Arrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[raymond_tai]

From what I understand the new M camera will be the current

M6TTL with aperture priority electronics. Eveything else remains

the same - cloth shutter.....everything. A selenoid controls the

shutter setting. That's it.