M6 or M7 for Shooting Chromes

[jeff_plomley1]

Well, I was on the fence about getting either an M6 or M7 until the issues with the M8 arose and the recent

introduction by Fuji to reintroduce Velvia 50 came about. My strategy is now to buy either an M6 or M7

and slowly build an M-lens collection over the next year while the teething issues of the M8 are sorted by

Leica. I'm a bit unsure however whether to acquire an M6 or M7 for the purpose of shooting chromes. My

current train of thought is, given the narrow exposure latitude of chrome, I'd be best with an M7 given it's

ability to adjust exposure in 0.3 stop increments, something not possible with the M6 (unless Zeiss lenses

with 0.3 stop increments are used). I am assuming that with the M7, when exposure compensation is

dialled in when using AE mode, that shutter speed simply varies as it does with any Canon/Nikon SLR. Am

I heading in the right direction in choosing an M7 over an M6?

[furcafe]

Yes, the M7 will adjust itself to whatever exposure compensation setting you use. It also has a (more or less) stepless shutter, so you get shutter speeds of 1/45th, 1/90th sec., etc.

[ilkka]

I have M6 for (mostly) black and white. I would certainly get the M7 if I was using it for chromes. Other alternative could be to get one of the Voigtlander bodies (or even RD-1) and use that as the base for lens collection.

[peter_n1664876959]

I have an M6TTL and M7s. Since I bought the second M7 the M6TTL has been relegated to backup and is virtually unused. Get the M7; you will never regret it.

[mervyn_yan]

"I'd be best with an M7 given it's ability to adjust exposure in 0.3 stop increments, something not possible with the M6 (unless Zeiss lenses with 0.3 stop increments are used)."

 

This is non-arguement. When you shooting slides, expose the highlights, you can't tell 1/3 stop difference unless you bracket and compare, if exposure latitude exceeds that of the film, you have to give or take, general photography principles apply. I personally think M7's resale value is less than MP. If you can afford a new M7, then go for the MP. Otherwise get a cheaper M6.

[tedms gallery]

M7 or Hexar RF will give you more accurate exposures with the 1/3+ stop accuracy that slide film requires, also faster handling with the AE modes, and save you time and money with less bracketing that you would do on a full/half step M6, etc.

[mark_amos]

I shoot chromes almost exclusively in an M6 classic, and the exposures are almost always spot on for what I wanted. (I wish I could say the same about my image compositions.) As Mervyn said, with wide lighting dynamic range, you have to make some choices with exposure (putting aside the use of flash), and the only difference with the M7 is that it will use its center (maybe semi-spot) metering to make the choice for you. I have to think that part of the whole appeal of using a camera manually is that you have to study and then choose, BUT, that does take (me) a little longer.

 

Strangely, I admit that with my Nikon FM3a, perhaps because it has aperture priority, I almost always shoot with aperture priority and enjoy the speed advantage, but I never find myself wishing that my M6 was an M7 because I shoot differently and different subjects with it than the Nikon.

[pico_digoliardi]

The M7 shutter is not stepless, but as good as. It 'steps' at ~1/3 stops. I know only one person who is good enough to know and exploit the 1/3rd, and he's been on it since the Kodachrome days.

 

My fussy thing about the M7 is the exposure lock. Its second detent (1=meter on, 2=hold exposure) is too subtle for my old, insensitive fingers. YMMV.

 

M7s aren't investments, IMHO. And Leica's comments on the M7 black finish wearing away into something graceful is another bit of sales nonsense. It doesn't Brass. The black finish wears away to reveal shiny metal and looks like any camera with a crappy coating. But we aren't buying a poseur accessory.

 

Oh, the M7 has the quietest FP shutter I've never heard. Quieter than any M. I think it is due to using electromagnets as shutter brakes.

[sid_chatterjee]

Jeff -- Pico makes an excellent point about the M7 shutter speed lock-n-hold. With the M6TTL, I pan the exposure dot over to the highlight, set the exposure, recompose and shoot. With the M7, I had to take the soft release off because I found the exposure lock too tricky to use with it. M7 requires a subtle push-down touch to lock the exposure. Master that technique and I think you'll find it to be a great shooter.

[daveg]

You can always use an M7 in manual mode. The M6 can't do anything the M7 can't do, other than work without batteres. And since we are talking about chromes, batteries are a must.

[SolaresLarrave]

Slide film is not without latitude. Compared with print film, its latitude is narrower, but it still has some (like, maybe, half a stop as opposed to two or even three stops, which is what some C-41 films have). Hence, I shoot slides almost exclusively on my M6TTL bodies. Very few times have I had a bad exposure; the meter is very reliable, but a lot of the merits still go to the photographer.

 

Hence, Jeff, if you want to take the least expensive way, or any way without AE, you'll do well with an MP or any old M6 (either "classic" or the TTL model).

 

Take care!

[dan flanders]

"And since we are talking about chromes, batteries are a must." <P> Strange! It seems that there have been countless successful Kodachrome images made since the film's introduction, and in cameras without any form of internal metering! I've been shooting color slides since the late thirties, many with only the Sunny 16 for a guide. I wouldn't claim that all my shots were successful, but my keeper rate doesn't seem to have been affected by lack of metering.

[ronald_moravec1]

When I had some M`s where the speeds were off, I would adjust the lens 1/6 stop or 1/3 to compensate. You need a shutter tester to detirmine the actual speeds and go from there.

 

Actually, the shutters are all accurate enough for chromes if working properly. By a 7 only if you need auto exposure.

[pico_digoliardi]

<b>David Geddes</b><i> You can always use an M7 in manual mode. The M6 can't do anything the M7 can't do, other than work without batteres. </i><p>

That statement might confuse someone. The M7 has only two shutter speeds with no batteries: 1/60 and 1/125. The M6 does not have autoexposure.

[daveg]

"Strange! It seems that there have been countless successful Kodachrome images made since the film's introduction, and in cameras without any form of internal metering! I've been shooting color slides since the late thirties, many with only the Sunny 16 for a guide. I wouldn't claim that all my shots were successful, but my keeper rate doesn't seem to have been affected by lack of metering."

 

Geez, let's keep things in context. We are discussing whether the M7 virtually stepless shutter has measurable advantages over an M6TTL when it comes to shooting chromes in 2006. For it to make a difference (within the context of this thread), you need a meter. Welcome to 2006!

 

I guess I should make my original point more clear: For the purposes of exposure control and accuracy, the M6 (M6TTL) can not do anything the M7 can not do in manual mode. Plus, with the M7 you have the option of using AE.

[george_b1]

For 'chromes, IMO a decent incident light meter is to be preferred over the internal reflective meter - - regardless of whether you're using an M6, an M6ttl or an M7.

 

George (The Old Fud)

[scott_doffek]

My completely biased and unscientific (emotion based) recommendation is go M6TTL and buy

tons of film with $$ saved n M7. Neither camera does nything if you don't have the means to

put film in and get it developed.

 

I am not a life long Leica user, just started recently (12 mos or so ago, w/M6TTL) and have to

wonder why I didn't start using them earlier. My shooting style has slowed down and

improved since I started using them. Part of that I attribute to the fact I am not using the AE

or any other reeal automation with these bodies.