Dan Kerin

 Leica M7

Released in 2002 the M7 never had the cult following of the M6, nor was it as revolutionary. The Leica M7 shares many features found on the M6 but what really makes it stand out is the aperture priority exposure mode. Having an automatic aperture priority mode made this camera a pleasure to shoot with and it almost felt like I was shooting digital as I usually shoot with cameras without light meters. Unlike the Leica M6 the M7 has an electronic shutter for more accurate 1/3rd stop increments. This does mean there is more of a reliance upon the battery, however the M7 has an ‘off’ switch on the advance lever and a backup 1/60th and 1/125th mechanical shutter. This helps to reduce battery drain and gives you a way of still shooting if the batteries do run out.

The Leica M7 was also the first Leica M camera to support DX encoding and exposure compensation. This allows the user to have a higher degree of control even when in aperture priority mode. The build has also been changed as Leica reverted to using a brass top and base plates. When I was shooting with both cameras at Bicester Heritage Centre the M7 did feel better in the hands, however this is a personal preference.

Though I enjoyed using the Leica M7 and found the added feature of aperture priority to be very convenient, having shot cameras without light meters for well over eight years I have learned what lighting conditions require what exposure so this feature isn’t as useful to me as it might be for other shooters. In addition to this not having a mechanical shutter could be a deal breaker for some people. I mentioned in the Leica M6 review that I prefer fully mechanical cameras for the reason I don’t need to worry about a battery, I can just pick it up and shoot. Though the battery does last very long on the M7 it’s just another thing to go wrong.

On a positive note, this is all personal preference. So, who is the Leica M7 for? This is a tough question because if you are after a traditional Leica M camera with a light meter you only have the M6, M7 and MP to choose from. The Leica M6 has more street appeal than the M7 and MP, while the MP offers the pinnacle of design and an improved rangefinder window. The main appeal of the M7 is the aperture priority mode which is not present in the M6 or MP. As much as I enjoyed having this feature, I don’t think it is necessary and, in my opinion, somewhat detracts from the shooting experience. If I was in a position where I wanted to purchase a traditional design Leica M with TTL metering I would choose the M6 and if money was no object I would go for the MP.