leica M7 Alternatives

kennethcooke said:

Also you will soon find you don't need aperture priority, the M6 meter is so good such features will pale into insignificance when you see the results of the Summicron

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There are many situations when AE helps, but one can do without it. As regards the lenses, I'd seriously consider CV and Zeiss lenses if budget were a concern - I have used almost every lens in the CV lineup along with a fair few summicrons and I can vouch for the CVs and the Zeiss lenses.

-A

I object to the Bessa being referred to as 'cheap and cheerful'!!! It's certainly not 'cheap' - around £400 for a R2a - and it's not cheerful - the R2A has a very solid, metal body and does everything an M7 or Zeiss ZM does. It's all about what you put on the front of it.

Object all you want, but the analogy of the Mercedes to Toyota is a good one. Both are good cars, but they're in different classes. 400 pounds is a lot, but what is the M7 going for in the same market? I'm sure much more. You would be lucky to find a used M7 for twice that in the US. The M3, which I would consider a good alternative (as mentioned above by another user) sells for $1600 USD in EXC Condition in the US at places such as KEH.

If you want the Aperture priority, consider a Minolta CLE. They can be found for around $700 USD and a nice one will run you no more than $900. Cameraquest actually refers to it as THE cheaper alternative to the M7. Along with Aperture priority, it has TTL flash - far superior to Leica's (or NIkon's of the same era for that matter). I have one and use it regularly. It is just as sturdy as the Voightlanders if not more so, but it is NOT a Leica. If you need the durability and dependability of Leica, save up and get a Leica. Otherwise the CLE is a nice affordable option.

Jeff M

To shoot what? I use a Mamiya 7 when there is a decent amount of light. The 35mm rangefinder (Contax IIa) only comes out for low light shooting.

Each of these cameras has a different feel, and I always urge people to go to a store or find someone who owns them and hold the camera.

What some might like in a camera, others might find appealing.

I never had a problem with loading film in an M6, and I think the quality of construction was first rate, as it should be. I didn't like the release, and I felt the camera was a bit heavy, which provided for a very stable camera. That wasn't surprising, given the materials that are used. I felt the release point for the shutter button was too deep, so I bought a so-called soft release.

By contrast, I liked the Bessa-R and its light weight, but I didn't like the prolific use of plastic and the fact that the camera was unbalanced when it hung from my neck. The camera wanted to hang lens up, which was annoying because walking around with the camera forced me to always have one hand on it.

I've found the Zeiss Ikon to be an excellent camera ... for me. It's well built. The choice of materials is very good. It's a nicely balanced camera (no need to keep one hand on it). Not too heavy and not too light. I like the feel of the shutter release, although I wish it offered at least two manual speeds if the batteries die. For me, it's the Goldilocks of cameras.

But again, what each of us want in a camera is very individualistic. You can't beat a hands-on evaluation.

Bob, you still shooting the Bronica RF?

Snapper said:

I object to the Bessa being referred to as 'cheap and cheerful'!!! It's certainly not 'cheap' - around £400 for a R2a - and it's not cheerful - the R2A has a very solid, metal body and does everything an M7 or Zeiss ZM does. It's all about what you put on the front of it.

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You hit the nail on the head- it is all about the glass and if one is going to buy budget glass then don't couple it to a Leica M camera, you are wasting your money. There is nothing at all wrong with Voigtlander bodies and optics, what are the alternatives for someone buying into rangefinder on a budget?

I think, from what you feel you require, I would look for a mint condition SLR- Nikon FM3a and stick some good Nikkor glass onto it. it is about the same size but lighter than an M7 and, unlike Voigtlander, you will not loose on your investment

Lets face it, they all just hold the film and lens so to get a exposure (like a pinhole camera).
But to own a leica there is nowthing like it. the only other two cameras in my 40 years of photographing I wanted was a 8x10 deardorff and a hassy 500c/m.......... I now have all three checked off my buck list.

mike a

kennethcooke said:

You hit the nail on the head- it is all about the glass and if one is going to buy budget glass then don't couple it to a Leica M camera, you are wasting your money. There is nothing at all wrong with Voigtlander bodies and optics, what are the alternatives for someone buying into rangefinder on a budget?

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Why is that so? You can buy a new R2 or R3 for 570€ or a used M4, -2, -P for around 650-700€. Someone here noted that the Leica would keep its value but you'd loose money on the Cosina Voigtlander. So I reason that the Leica M4 vould be the financially best "investment". If I lack the funds to buy a used Leica 35mm, >800€? I could start out with a CV35mm f/2,5 for 330€
Thats a total of approx 980€ most of which I should be able to get back when/if selling the M4. I have no experience in RF's whatsoever but if I where looking to get into them thats about how Ill do it. If it catches I would get the Leitz lenses.
BTW aren't the CV lenses quite good?

kennethcooke said:

I think, from what you feel you require, I would look for a mint condition SLR- Nikon FM3a and stick some good Nikkor glass onto it. it is about the same size but lighter than an M7 and, unlike Voigtlander, you will not loose on your investment

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Very true but if the OP wants to get into the RF world an SLR wont quite do it for him
But if one should follow up on your suggestion Id say get some Zeiss glass for the Nikon.
Kind regards

Leica M1. Duh! What for you need all this whatnots an gizzmos?

Only thing I like more than an M7 is my MP.

I have two M7's with Motor M's. They are both 100% reliable, no quality issues.
There simply is no other 35mm rangefinder that is better than the M7. My M3 and M6 Classic just sit. -Dick

Hello,

The only "apples-to-apples" alternative (M mount, A priority, TTL flash) is the Minolta CLE. Great camera at a decent price (between $450 and $900 depending on condition and seller). It's not the camera I'd recommend as a first or only M mount camera, but it IS the ONLY M mount I'm aware of with all the features of the M7. I keep reading the board in them is unreliable, but I carted one all over Afghanistan and it still shoots like it's new. If I were buying another RF anytime soon, it would be another CLE.

The CLE will not take a motor and will not meter in manual, so there are differences - including build quality, but you get what you pay for (this is a thread about cheaper alternatives, right?).

One you might consider as well is the Konica. They seem to be well made and are selling for a decent price on the used market. Probably a few new ones out there if you look around. I'd buy a Konica RF if I stumbled across one.

Jeff M