Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Film Cameras
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Film Cameras
When you get to the point of shelling out for an MP, you either: A. Know what you want B. Have a most serious case of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) Please, deliberate before you make the decision. The MP does not make you a better photographer. It might not even help take pictures at all. So expensive, so beautiful, better be kept in a safe than get tossed around in a camera bag. But that's OK if you can live with it. MPs have a fair resale value, if you can find a potential buyer. To be honest, I cannot review the MP proper, only the finder – I use M6 bodies, one with a 0.58 finder, one upgraded to a custom installed 0.85 MP finder, and a standard digital M9 for comparison. So read on accordingly. COSMETICS – a sheer awe of beady-eyed OMG! The black lacquer finish is miles better than the black paint of an M9. It wears (brasses, rather) gorgeously, the metal shining through with use. Camera porn alert! FINDER – To put it bluntly: there is a world of a difference. Out of the three, the M9 is most flare-prone, the 0.58 is airy, great for wide angle up to 35mm. The 0.85 copes with 35mm upwards. Everything is spot on! Focus accuracy is amazing, clarity and flare resistance is stellar! THE selling point of the MP is the finder. MECHANICS – The MP is said to have superior mechanical quality – compared to the already silky smooth M6! Overkill. Goes on for decades, it will outlive you. No comment. METER – The meter is the same as on the M6 – 36 keepers on a roll of 37 if you use your brain and intuition. I absolutely prefer it to the meter on the M9, which can be easily tricked in difficult lighting conditions. The center spot is just amazingly correct, you can use the zone system and adjust really fast to your heart's content. SHUTTER DIAL – If there is one thing I am not sure about, it is the 'right way' old school shutter dial. It only made sense with meterless M bodies, used with the ingenious hotshoe-mounted MC meters. Other than that, and especially with TTL metering, it feels awkward to me. The very reason why I shelved a fantastic, old M2, and precisely why I chose an M6 instead. Funny thing is you can pick and mix everything in a'la carte, but not the shutter dial. Then again, if the MP is the only camera you use, it is probably easy to get used to. The B/OFF position is a welcome addition to fend off battery drain. BATTERY LIFE – months and tons of rolls. Keep two spares in the bag and off you go to land's end. ADVANCE LEVER – Old school, non-folding, one piece, curved with rivets for thumb grip. SUPERB. I much prefer it to the standard M6/M7 lever, it's not just nice and retro but easier to use IMHO. REWIND KNOB – the knurly pull-out thingy with the two red dots, some love it, some hate it. Definitely slower than the M4-M7 slanted fold-out crank, and harder on your fingerprint. When you shoot a dozen rolls a day, get the additional slip-on crank accessory. Otherwise just enjoy the zen of rewinding one turn at a time :-) ENGRAVING – No scripture on the front, nice and understated. I prefer no engraving anywhere, but that only come in a'la carte order, the standard is the traditional hand font plus serial on the top plate, it looks great, deep engraving with hard-wearing white paint. Gorgeous. VALUE – Insanely expensive new, quite hefty used (forget astronomically priced special editions, they are for LA dentists only). Still, it will serve you a lifetime, and serve you well. If you get one, don't look back, just shoot!Read full review