john_a. Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 I imagine some of us are debating....If I sell this or that maybe I can splurge for an MP. I for one am. Most of us, I think, sell to buy. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sl Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 I plan on buying two MPs, and I will be keeping my current Leica Ms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_collier2 Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 If I lost one of my cameras, I would buy an MP. I have two TTLs and a M2 and see no reason to get an MP right now. I do not use flash very much but, when I do, I appreciate having TTL. If the M7 had a proper exposure lock that would allow you to hold a reading over multiple exposures rather than just one, then the M7 would be the way to go for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiblanke Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 I stick to my trusty to MP chrome predecessors w/o meters AKA the Leica M2. The MP is just too expensive to justify the bit of faster loading and the additional meter functionality. You can easily buy 3 M2s for the price of 1 MP (chrome models only, black paint would be difficult). I would rather invest in better glass and more travels ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albert_smith Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 It doesn't make sense (I don't need it), but I just know I will get one. It is the first thing I took any interest in from Leica in a dozen years. I will keep my M6 classic and M2R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivier_reichenbach Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 If somebody can tell me what exactly is improved over the M6 line, besides looks (lovely, and no red dot) and IF they actually reverted to the brass engineering and real tight hand fitting (instead of replace) and QC of the M3/M2/M4, count me in. But would they have kept the tooling? I doubt it. If I take the plunge, maybe the saving on black electric tape to cover the red dot and front engraving will make up for the expense. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_collier2 Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 Oh to hell with the drivel I posted above. This is a chance to buy a REAL black paint Leica with a meter and a Leicavit!!! Of course I am going to order one! Maybe ten!! If I sell my other cameras, house, car, first born child I could just afford one... Oi ! I think I have got to stop staring at the MP's pdf. Maybe Erwin's histrionics and hyperbole is the only sane reaction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick_jelliffe Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 Reportedly, the finder HAS NO FLARE! That alone seems worth the price of admission. Will I be able to upgrade my M6 with an MP finder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_brown4 Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 If, God willing, I survive until they become available, I will get one. Watch for my M6TTL to come on FS (and maybe one lens). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry_chu2 Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 You go, John! I already have two ordered cost be damned! despite knowing well that Leica prices fall after the market is saturated. (Given the comments here, it seems the demand will take a while to be met.) Yes, it's nothing but a gussied up M6 but I haven't seen so much interest from the Leica consuming community ever. The M6 TTL was met with so many "so whats." The M7 stirred a bit of activity. But this MP and the MP6........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajabbi Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 I'm happy with the M6s and my old, trusty M3. As far as the viewfinder flare is concerned. I have Lutz's "Shade" on the .58s and not on the .85 which is reserved for the "Luxes". I'm getting too old to break(me)in new things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymond_tai Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 I am using several M6TTLs so I don't need an MP and can't afford one. However I will spring for the soon to be announced matching black paint lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_michel Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 to me, the MP has the feel of a retro/special edition camera. as such, it just doesn't seem like a "real" camera to me. i would be very self-consious using such a quaint/precious device. i guess i am also somewhat disappointed that leica has made the MP its standard production mechanical M. i feel very strongly that this signals a complete abandonment of any pretense of providing professionals with a no-nonsense mechanical camera. the camera has now become like morgan coachworks or JLC, producing an overtly retro product for an afficianado/collector/hobbyist market. i guess you could argue that the M7 is the no-nonsense "pro" model, but i think the only real pro niche that leica conceivably could still have lies with robust mecahnical cameras. to a pro, the M7 is neither fish nor fowl. looked at objectively, the M7 is best described as the world's non-plus-ultra point and shoot. i guess what i would have liked to have seen from leica is an all brass M8 or M3.5 with the improved VF, improved mechanical transport, a 1/2000 shutter speed, no meter, improved body covering, and a price tag of around $1400. this would be a nice thing for a pro to have in his bag as a quiet back up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_michel Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 how could i forget: throw in a self timer too of course!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furcafe Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 I would think of trading my M6 TTL for 1 if the price were $500 lower. Otherwise, like Mr. Jelliffe, I'd be much more interested in getting a flare fix retrofit for my M6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl_heinz_strohmeier Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 But I've to wait awhile. I just had a phonecall with a german qualified sales representative this afternoon and he told me, that the black painted 0.85x isn't in leicas pipeline right now. And I like them most... Best regards, Karl-Heinz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sven_sampson1 Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 I doubt I'll buy a MP. Assuming the new flare-reducing condenser becomes available as and upgrade to older Ms, I will likely spring for the price of upgrading my two M6s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray . Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 Simply the fact that the MP doesn't have the much improved turn-360-either-direction-larger shutter dial of the M7 makes it quite apparent this is a retro-nostalgic endeavor and not an in full catering to the needs of a photographer. I agree with Roger in that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip_williams Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 Not enough differences for me to buy one. I'd like the upgraded RF in my M7 though. I'm to enamoured with the AE of the M7 to go back an M6/M3 clone. Yes, I wish the M7 offered an OM-4/3-type set-until-cancelled AE lock, but it's not coming, IMO. The ideal, non-I've-got-to-have-the-latest-toy candidate for an MP seems to be an older, pre-TLL M user who wants an updated body whose SS dial is the same. I can't see the real value in an MP vs an M6 or M6 TTL. Less flare? Black paint? Maybe, but the difference between a used M6 and the MP buys a lot of film. If I want a Leicavit, I'll re-buy a Rapidwinder (I really like the M-Motor more, that's why I sold my RW). I'm not bending over to the tune of $900 for one. If I want a black paint camera, I'll have my M3 painted. There will be no MP for me........yes....yes, not for me.....(I just have to keep telling myself that...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albert_smith Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 <I>...and not an in full catering to the needs of a photographer.</I><P> Hmmm, Let's see. It holds film in a light tight chamber, it has adjustable shutter speeds, you can mount a lens with a variable aperture, it has a way to both determine focus and exposure... well it meets my needs. Plus, it looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry_pfile Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 No, I don't think I will buy a MP. As far as images are concerned, my M6 will produce whatever my skills are capable of. However I like the "retro" look. If they would engrave new top covers with the complete script and the model number and serial number of my current M6, along with sell the fittings (e.g. all metal PV lever, old style advance and rewind levers, Auf-Zu baseplate w/cassette activating disk) I would certainly consider purchasing them for fitting on my M6. Doubtless such a service would not be cheap but I'd be hard pressed to imagine it even near half the cost of a MP. I suspect it could be a lucrative business for them. My M6 is coming up for its 10 year CLA in a year or two, which would provide an additional economy to the swap. Best, Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 In practical terms the only plus of the MP is the lack of flare - that alone makes it worthy of consideration. If I ever get another M I would be strongly tempted by the MP 0.85x over an M6TTL or M7 version, but probably will find the price too steep. Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giles_poilu Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 Hmmmm.....a lot of you seem to be <i>really</i> trying hard to convince yourselves you don't want/need one.....but we know the truth!<p>The Leica MP is the only Leica in my lifetime that I would consider purchasing new. Up until now I have had to make do with the better products of yesteryear (obviously secondhand) that were IMO vastly superior to current offerings.<p>The MP changes all that.<p>I am mighty impressed, well done Leica.<p>The M7 created some interest but nothing compared to this it seems, at last they give us what we want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giles_poilu Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 Keep an eye on this one to see just how much people will pay to be...<p><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2915161322&category=30030">...one of the first to own one!</a><p>Also worth a look for some clear close-up pictures.<p>BTW too many MP threads - where to post? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex_Es Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 Eventually I am going to "splurge" in an MP. Why? I want the most rugged M camera I can get to travel with. I like the the rewind crank. If you happen to bump the side of your camera it will not be knocked out of whack. The advance level does not have plastic that can inadvertantly break. The finder is the best finder ever made for a mechanical M. I am not getting the black paint but the chrome and it's going to be 0.58. That is the most practical setup for travel. Black paint is beautiful but fragile. Brassing has a certain romance to it but it represents deterioration. And deterioration does not stop. The MP is "retro." Retro in this case has practical applications. I do have a certain amount of skepticism concerning the Leicavit. It cannot take a grip like the Abrahamsson Rapidwinder. It is made of brass, with is softer than the aluminum used for the Rapidwinder. And it is way overpriced. Leica has created a winner in the MP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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