MP and M7 pricing thoughts

Nikkor AIS said:
I really wanted an Lecia MP but couldn't find one in my budget, so I settled on a Lecia M7:). I still really want a Lecia M.P.
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Curious as to why you want an MP? I've used an MP and own two M7's. Except for the funky rewind lever (which is a PIA) the MP isn't nothing but an M6 in an M7 body.
 
I think calling the MP nothing but an M6 in an M7 body is a reason in itself. Like I said, I haven't even held an MP in my hands and yet it's a camera I literally dream about. I'm afraid that me getting a Leica MP is a foregone conclusion, it's part of my destiny. I could try and fight it but it's no use, I might as well give in. The best thing would be if a forum member with a black Leica MP who feels it might not be right for them and perfect for me, sends me a PM and we get a deal done :p.

Gregory
 
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Roger,

what is the eminent difference between the M6 and MP that made you pass on the M6 but buying the MP ?


Roger Hicks said:
'MP fever' may simply be down to the fact that it's a very, very nice camera, and not to hype at all. My last new Leica before the MP was a M4-P. The M6 didn't excite me much (and besides I couldn't afford one) and I was not at all keen on the M8ttl with the backwards shutter speed dial. I am consitutionally opposed to unnecessary battery dependence (i.e. in film cameras) and therefore remained immune to the M7's charms. But when the MP came out, I thought, "There is another camera to use for decades, like the M4-P" (which I had had for over 25 years at that point).

Cheers,

R.
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Dear Gabor,

'Proper' rewind (I had to straighten the crank of the M4-P once in Slovenia); less flare in the finder; and, as I said, not only could I not afford an M6 when it first came out, but I didn't really feel I wanted one (the two may have been related). Mind you, one of my friends who did buy an M6 when it came out had to send it back under guarantee, which also influenced my decision. By the time I could even consider another new Leica, the M6ttl had come out.

Why (once I could afford it) a new MP instead of a used M6? Because I like new cameras more, as well as for the above reasons. And (let's be honest) Leica normally gives me a good press discount. Is that bribery? I don't think so. I could probably score cameras that I don't like from quite a few manufacturers, in return for good reviews, but (a) I don't want to lie to my readers and (b) why would I want to 'win' a camera I don't like? I'm not saying I can't be bribed: just that no-one has ever offered me enough to make me even consider it. They'd need to make me independently wealthy, because it would destroy my credibility and stop me writing about equipment altogether.

EDIT: See also Mark's comment, below!

Cheers,

R.
 
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i admittedly sold my M6 for the MP. frankly, it was just for the lust of the upgrade (side-stepping the issue that arguably the m7 is a better upgrade).

heck, pictures all turned out the same, but the joy of using it did increase marginally... was it worth the price difference? well, that really depends on how much you have tucked under your pillow and how deep your leica-lust is... but pls, medical bills and kids education should come ahead of a MP. ;)
 
Roger,

thanks for your thoughtful reply. I have to admit the look of the MP was also a main - probably the main - reason when I bought my MP two years ago. At that time, it was my dream camera too. "Mechanical Perfection" but in my case a very unreliable camera that had spent to much time at Leica service .... After it had been finally fixed, the dream was over and I sold it. Bad luck, I would say.

Maybe in the future I will buy another MP again but at present my M4-P and M7 serve my needs very well. One work-horse camera and the convenience of the AE fit my needs very well.
 
recently i sold a black paint MP, keeping an M7 as my film M. while i wasn't immune to the charms of the MP - and they are considerable even to my rude self - i preferred the M7's toolset.

i'm pedestrian, admittedly.
 
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To fund an M9 I needed to sell my MP, or M7 as I knew that the traffic would move to the digital M. A diffcult decision and in the end I sold the M7.

I'd recently started to use the M7 as the preferred camera because of the auto features and the higher hit rate I'd enjoyed with it. However, I decided that the MP would hold it's value better in the long term; always be ready to shoot with the lower depenancy on batteries; and I preferred the winder and the re-wind.

What I discovered that there is a rising market for M7's and got an excellent price for it. More thatn I would expect for my MP. :)
 
_mark__ said:
How about the MP being an absolutely beautiful looking thing, the M6/M7 not so much.
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The M7, except for the rewind, is the same body, finish (unless you go for an extra) and imitation leather. Both tops are milled out of brass. Same viewfinder, same guts except for the AE function.
 
rolo said:
What I discovered that there is a rising market for M7's and got an excellent price for it. More thatn I would expect for my MP. :)
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Same here. I sold my last M7 recently and got a very good price for it too. Both of my M7s never gave me any problems but I did overuse the AE so I thought it best to be without and went back to mechanical bodies. No regrets. :)
 
B+W: Shot of alley was taken in Calgary.



Taken with Nikkor 45 2.8 ED PC on a D3.

I have zero regrets about getting the Leica M7 for my third M body. However, I still want an MP. I just think it's the sexiest camera ever made.

G.
 
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Well now, this thread has got me thinking I need an MP-:). i was looking for justification and Peter gave it. Maybe I should sell one of my M7's and go back to an all manual camera. I do love the black lacquer MP. If they made a MP with the lines of the M4 I'd go for it in a second.
 
peter_n said:
Same here. I sold my last M7 recently and got a very good price for it too. Both of my M7s never gave me any problems but I did overuse the AE so I thought it best to be without and went back to mechanical bodies. No regrets. :)
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Dear Peter,

Objectively, this is meaningless -- how can you 'overuse' a feature on a camera? -- but I know exactly what you mean.

What puzzles me is that I used AE a lot more on the M8 and M8.2 than M9. Why? It just seems to me that the M9 is more 'real' somehow.

As I say, mystical nonsense...

Cheers,

R.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Objectively, this is meaningless -- how can you 'overuse' a feature on a camera? -- but I know exactly what you mean.
What puzzles me is that I used AE a lot more on the M8 and M8.2 than M9. Why? It just seems to me that the M9 is more 'real' somehow.
As I say, mystical nonsense...
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I found the process to be very illogical and struggled with it for quite a while. I'd definitely chosen the M7 as my 'main user' film M, but it could not combat the 'ownership preference' of the MP. Quite strange.

What's more strange to me is that my true passion is for black and white silver prints produced especially from MF cameras. Yet over the past 5 years, I've put my Rolleiflex 2.8f and serious Hasselblad gear to one side whilst I've acquired over £15,000s worth of Leica gear for digital shooting and rarely print personal images.

Dear Marge .... what's wrong with me ?? :D
 
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