I challenged myself during a recent trip to Paris and Geneva and carried only a 60+ year old film camera to capture the images for the entire Vacheron Constantin 270th Anniversary Celebrations trip. Here is a quick mini review of the Leica M2 with the Summaron-M 2.8/35mm and Super-Elmar-M 3.4/21mm lenses. And next week, I share with you the photographs I took.

Fun With Film: mini-review of my 60+ Year Old Leica M2

As I discussed the highlights of the Vacheron Constantin 270th Anniversary The Quest celebrations in Paris and Geneva recently, I mentioned that I only brought one film camera for the entire trip (see last paragraph under Photo Notes). No digital camera. And no macro watch photographs.

Leica M2 with Summaron-M 2.8/35mm and Super-Elmar-M 3.4/21mm lenses

Let’s start with the camera body – the Leica M2. This camera model was introduced in 1957 and about 82,000 units made till about 1967. The M2 was initially released as a less expensive option to the M3 which was the first M series camera released by Leica. The M3 was released in 1954 and was most successful model of the M series, with over 220,000 units sold by the time production ended in 1967. Both the M2 and M3 were succeeded by the M4. (yea, for those not familiar with Leica, the M3 was the first, then M2, M1, M4, M5, M6, M7)

But let us focus on the M2 and M3. Both were in production at the same time…ok, the M2 came 3 years later, and both were replaced the same year. The main difference between these two cameras are that the M3 had a viewfinder with 0.92 magnification and had frame lines for 50mm, 90mm and 135mm. The M2 viewfinder had a 0.72 magnification which became the standard for all M cameras that followed (with some exceptions) and showed one frame line at a time, from a selection of 35mm, 50mm and 90mm. The ground glass frame line illumination window of the M3 was replaced with a fresnel-type plastic lens, and the ornate bevelings around the various windows on the front of the M3 were flattened on the body of the M2. The M3 is the more premium offering also had an automatic reseting counter, and the M2 was only equipped with a manual reset frame counter. But mechanically both are same. From the rubberised cloth shutter system to the shutter timer escapement and film advance system were identical.

My Leica M2, Serial number 1051634, was made by Leica circa 1962. This camera is more than 63 years old! Visual inspection of my M2 reveals a pristine body. Almost mint. The camera shows no scratches and only very light signs of usage. Mechanically, it works perfectly. The crank advance is smooth and feels superb. A joy to use.

The top plate, the bottom plate, the front and rear are all in superb condition.

And looking at the condition of the body and transport mechanism, it is apparent that it has been well cared for. The only place where some wear is found is in the take up spool, with some of the black paint worn. This is the only indication that the camera has been used but not abused.

The camera is fully manual. Zero autofocus points. Zero metering capability. Zero automation. No aperture priority or shutter priority, much less any program modes. Zero frames per second, or rather as fast as your thumb can crank the lever and finger can fire the shutter. No batteries either. And no light meter. The camera is as pure as it is able to be. The photography is all from the person behind the lens. You make all the decisions. You take a meter reading of the scene. You decide the aperture and shutter by manually selecting it on the camera body. You decide how you want to frame the image by looking through the viewfinder. You manually focus, by hand the incredibly smooth and beautifully feel of the focus ring.

Focus is made by the rangefinder (the M in the Leica M2 stands for Messsucher. Range finder in German) which places two images on top of each other in the viewfinder. One is straight through the window in front of the viewfinder, the other via the rangefinder mechanism from another window to the right. The view is very bright, and clear. And you can see beyond the frame lines. Focus is achieved when both images align to form one. You do this by turning the focus ring on the lens. The feel of this ring is subliminal. Feels very good…just enough resistance, but yet moves easily enough. This is a feel which you need to try to know, and once you tried, is seriously addictive. Once you have focus, you advance the film lever. You do not advance it earlier, as if you did, you could accidentally press the shutter release, and waste a frame. The camera does not allow multiple exposures, so to re-cock the shutter, you have to advance one frame. Then wait for the decisive moment. And at the exact moment, press the shutter. There is no lag. The shutter goes off instantaneously. And it merely whispers that it has exposed the film. Subtle. Sublime.

But as you do everything to make the photograph, the camera gets out of the way, and you make the purest photograph you can. It takes time. There is a long learning curve, but when you master the usage, magic happens. Especially when coupled with Leitz lenses. The rendition of focus and out of focus, the fall off from one to the other. The colour. The Leica glow. All fall into place. The image is what you imagined in your mind before you took the photograph. And is sublime. Yes, that word again. All that is left is how the image look based on the film stock that you chose. And how the film is processed and scanned. Or have printed in the darkroom. Which are also processes that you choose. It is all you.

The lens I own is a Summaron-M f/2.8 35mm. My piece was build in the year 1964, out of 1500 were made. This is a general purpose lens. And a sleeper among Lieca lenses. Firstly, often overlooked because the widest open aperture is f/2.8. The Summicron, Summilux and Noctilux get all the adoration of fanboys. But the Summaron is sharp. Very sharp in the middle of the frame, with gradual softness as it falls into the corners. It renders beautifully. The bokeh is beautiful. As a vintage, uncoated lens, it flares when pointed at a light source, but used with knowledge, this can be beautiful. The condition of the lens is somewhat more used than the older M2 body. But this lens was rather less expensive than its more hyped sister lenses. But costs a bit more, even as a 60+ year old lens, than brand new Chinese lenses.

Now that the patents for these lenses are expired, many Chinese makers make excellent copies of the legendary Leitz lenses. These are not run by night cheap copies. These are copies which feel good in the hand…both the weight, and the feel of the focus and aperture rings. They feel just like the real Leica lenses. Some are exact copies, even going as far as to source radioactive lens elements that were used in these historical lenses. And of course, at considerably less expense than original Leica lenses…which could cost upwards of USD 40k. But I do not own any of these Chinese lenses. Maybe interesting for an experiment later. We’ll see.

I also borrowed my friend Brighty’s Super-Elmar-M f/3.4 21mm ASPH lens for the trip. This is a much more modern lens. And though very wide angle, is rectilinear. The lens shows very little distortion. And this is a spectacular lens. Mounted on the M2, the body automatically selects the 90mm frame lines. I don’t know why. But it focuses easily and perfectly. Framing needs a bit of imagination, as 21mm is much wider than the full viewfinder. And I did not have an accessory viewfinder which can be attached to the cold shoe of the M2 to give a frame guide.

Concluding thoughts

This camera comes with a lot of hype. The M2 is often considered together with the M3 to be one of the best fully mechanical camera ever made. And it lives up to its reputation. Construction is absolutely top level. Best German engineering knowhow. But between the two, how do you select which camera is best for your needs? Especially when both are roughly the same pricing these days. The price is dictated more by condition than type. Well, if you are primarily a 50mm shooter, the M3, with its 0.92 viewfinder and wider rangefinder (more accurate focusing) is the choice. It lacks 35mm frame lines.

But if you are primarily a 35mm user, like me, then the M2 is a better choice. The M2 viewfinder has the 35mm frame line, and the entire viewfinder covers almost 28mm. Also for eyeglass wearers, the 0.72 magnification is easier to look through.

Later M cameras offer subtle improvements, in the film transport system and rewinding system. But with trade offs to the precision machining that the M2 and M3 offered. The M4, released in 1964 is the last fully mechanical body to be hand made. It was followed by the M5 in 1975, which was a complete redesign and larger. The M5 was not a commercial success, and Leica quickly replaced it with the M4-2 and later with the M6 in 1984. The last M film camera, and arguably most technically advanced was the M7. But Leica’s film legacy continues, and they still make film cameras. The current catalog offers three bodies – the MA, the MP and new M6. The M line also continued development after the M7 with the digital M8, followed then by the M9, M10 and present model – the M11.

Both the M2 and M3, with their accompanying lenses are jewel like. Both have some heft, but are small and can be easily slipped into a small bag. The cameras and lenses are finished exceptionally well. Well…jewel like. They are mechanical marvels, made not unlike a watch. They are high precision instruments which continue to work tirelessly since they have been manufactured more than 60 years ago. And feels as good and smooth today as they did then. And both bodies have the ability to use even the latest lenses that Leica produces for the M range.

I will share images taken on the Paris Geneva trip next week.