Dan Kerin

 Leica M2

When discussing Leica’s, whether its remembering revolutionary models like the M3 or cult classics such as the M6 many overlook the models which came between. The Leica M2 is an often-overlooked camera. Produced from 1957 until 1968 over 82,000 M2’s came out of Leica’s factory in Wetzlar. This camera though being called the M2 was produced after the M3 as a cheaper alternative and incorporating a 35mm viewfinder to support the growing trend of using 35mm lenses as the new ‘standard’. The M2 shared the same body as the M3 and has a brass construction making it built to stand the test of time. In addition, no light meter was present and the camera had a simple cold shoe for mounting accessories or flashes.

Where the M2 differs from the M3 is the 35mm viewfinder. During the late 50’s people were shifting to using wider angle lenses and while this was possible with the M3 you required an external viewfinder or use lenses with the addition of special goggles which widened the 50mm frame to 35mm. The Leica M2 supported framelines for 35mm, 50mm and 90mm. Though this did mean losing the 135mm framelines. The Leica M2 also featured a manual frame counter which needed resetting at the end of each roll. I am not 100% sure why this was done. Some say it was to reduce cost and while I can see that being true, this manual frame counter was also present on the original Leica MP as well. The Leica M2 was also used as a test bench for new innovations like the button rewind and the M2-R which incorporated the rapid loading system to feature on the M4 and every M model since.

Having owned the M3 for over a decade the M2 felt very familiar in the hands. It took me a few minutes to get used to the manual frame counter however as I began to shoot it didn’t really bother me. Towards the end of my time using this camera I actually really like this feature. When using this camera, I used a range of lenses including the legendary Canon 85mm f1.5 and the Leica 35mm Summaron. For the Canon lens I used a 28/90 LTM adapter and framed using the 90mm framelines. The framelines were nice and clear. The Leica M3 technically has a more accurate rangefinder for focusing but I found the M2 to be easy to use and didn’t struggle to use faster lenses on this camera. This was strange as the M3 has a higher effective rangefinder base length (62.3) compared to 49.3 on the M2. This is one of the shortest of any Leica making it not ideal for focusing fast lenses accurately but I didn’t have any issues even with the Canon 50mm f0.95! As seen from the pictures included it’s not impossible though if you are a fan of fast lenses, I would pick the M3.

When I first started shooting with the Leica M2 it didn’t really wow me but as I continued shooting, I appreciated the simplicity and build of the camera and I do think I will be on the lookout for an M2-R for my personal collection when I find one at the right price. The Leica M2 is one of those overlooked cameras when people are looking to get into Leica or looking for another body. In terms of features and build its more akin to the Leica M4. The M4 does have the rapid loading system found in the more collectable M2-R’s and the rapid advance lever but other than this they both have 35, 50 and 90mm frame lines (with the M4 retaining the 135mm frame lines). With Leica M4’s increasing in value the M2 is a great option for people using 35, 50, 90mm lenses. People also overlook that you can still use other focal lengths but you would require an external viewfinder.