Just got the m7 and i must saw it is a gem. I have a question for the m7 owners out there. My viewfinder display always has the left bottom dot on the left flashing. is this normal? even when i exposure lock, it still flashes. same in mamual or auto. thanks

-- gil (gil-garcia@worldnet.att.net), March 23, 2002

Answers

Gil

Have you tried putting a film in it?

Nigel

-- Nigel Bowley (nigel.bowley@btinternet.com), March 23, 2002.

1) The camera is empty. 2) There's film in it, but you've set the film speed at something other than DX, in which case it blinks. And will continue to blink. I think.

-- Scott Munn (scott@bokeh.net), March 23, 2002.

Thanks everyone. I've got it now. It was the dx part that I was unaware of. I just love a new camera crisis!

-- gil (gil-garcia@worldnet.att.net), March 23, 2002.

Are you saying that if you rate the film differently from DX (i.e. Velvia @ EI40)that there will be an LED constantly blinking in the M7's finder? Lovely.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), March 24, 2002.

Indeed.

-- Scott Munn (scott@bokeh.net), March 24, 2002.

I NEVER rate film at its nominal speed. That blinking light sounds dreadful.

I hope there is some way to disable the light. Reminds me of the first time I purchased a new car. I told the salesman that when they prepped the car for me to pick it up, I wanted the mechanic to rip out all wiring attached to beepers and buzzers (e.g., the "headlights on" warning beeper). I hate devices that warn me of non-existent dangers. If I want to rate film at different speeds, or not wear my seatbelts, I don't need some device warning me about it!

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), March 24, 2002.

Hmmm...little things like this are gradually coming to light that have not been mentioned in some mainstream reviews: First the "two second warm up" and now this blinking (literally!) light.

Perhaps these problems are a consequence of Leica being stuck in the middle - they basically have a mechanical, manual camera with a few "grafted on" electronics - but without the benefits of modern Nikon/Canon SLR's ie computerised overide options.

Surely they must have considered that a typical M user doesn't need reminding that they have exercised their right to overide the DX set film speed?

-- Giles Poilu (giles@monpoilu.icom43.net), March 24, 2002.

Just to clarify what we're talking about - there are two red dots in the M7 finder. They are between the first two shutter speed digits (like this - 1:000). They are tiny dots compared to the manual metering dot >o< -- literally as small (or smaller) as the colon dots above relative to the numbers.

They are also in amongst numbers that are CONSTANTLY CHANGING and therefore FLASHING on and off anyway as the shutter speed changes in auto mode - so the DX dot per se is not ALL that distracting once you know what it means.

As to whether the typical Leica user needs reminding about DX coding - well, I thought we were all agreed that the typical Leica-M user doesn't even need auto-exposure - so presumably the M7 is aimed at NON- typical users to begin with.

"You see that red light flickering in the corner of your eye? That's you M6-dissipation light - and it just went into overdrive."

-- with apologies to "Backdraft" (Ron Howard, director) - tip 'o the hat to Oscars night).

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), March 24, 2002.

The blinking annoys me in principle rather than in practice, as I tend to use films as rated. (I don't like blinking cursors, either, even if they do make it easier to find your place in a block of text.) As mentioned, it's a very small dot, and easily lost in the general hubbub of a constantly changing shutter speed. I rather doubt it can be turned off.

I like this camera, but then I'm a non-typical Leica user; it's the AE that finally won me over. What can be intensely annoying to some will be a blessing to others. For example, I find it useful being reminded of the film ASA after turning the camera on, particularly when you've set it to DX and are on the forgetful side... You can always use the bulb setting as your 'off', if you prefer. I don't care for the new injections of plastic (film speed dial & battery cover), though.

-- Scott Munn (scott@bokeh.net), March 24, 2002.