Button Rewind - Early M2's had a button rewind (to release the spool) and no self-timer. M2 serials 947,501 and up were updated to have a lever release and timer. Black Paint - The M2/M3 mainly came in chromed brass. Only a handful of black paint variations were ever released. Post 1,000,000 serial numbers are worth more That's a myth.
- Leica does not make production in 'blocks' of bodies or lenses. Rather they allocate blocks of serial numbers to certain items e.g. As an example they may have allocated a block of 10,000 serial numbers for the first M7s. At the same time they may have allocated the next 3,000 numbers to R8s.
- The M2 was followed by the still simpler Leica M1 and then the Leica M4, which used a similar rangefinder design but re-introduced the M3 style frame counter and added a faster loading system and a canted rewind lever.
- Buying Vintage Leica Film Cameras. By Ray Larose - last updated on June 5, 2014. The 'classic' M-Leica's were the M3, M2 and M4 proper. Many swear by the M6 and MP. There is so much buzz out there about models and the serial numbers attached to them. There is a lot to this, as some have different options based on year - and as.
Leica Camera Serial Number Lookup
![Number Number](https://www.meister-camera.com/sites/default/files/sync/commerce/leica-m2-black-paint-pair-summicron-90mm-pair-d4c5c76b.jpg)
- Leica IIIg Rangefinder Camera in Excellent Condition #eBayMarket+AU $49.05 postageMake Offer - Leica IIIg Rangefinder Camera in Excellent Condition #eBayMarket
- ZORKI-4 USSR Soviet Russian Leica Copy RF 35 mm Film Camera 5757150+AU $45.00 postageMake Offer - ZORKI-4 USSR Soviet Russian Leica Copy RF 35 mm Film Camera 5757150
- FED-3L USSR Soviet Russian Leica Copy RF 35 mm Film Camera 2131476+AU $45.00 postageMake Offer - FED-3L USSR Soviet Russian Leica Copy RF 35 mm Film Camera 2131476
- ZORKI USSR Soviet Russian Leica Copy RF 35 mm Film Camera 55215868+AU $45.00 postageMake Offer - ZORKI USSR Soviet Russian Leica Copy RF 35 mm Film Camera 55215868
- FED-2 USSR Soviet Russian Leica Copy RF 35 mm Film Camera 5662976+AU $45.00 postageMake Offer - FED-2 USSR Soviet Russian Leica Copy RF 35 mm Film Camera 5662976
- FED-2 USSR Soviet Russian Leica Copy RF 35 mm Film Camera 1141406+AU $45.00 postageMake Offer - FED-2 USSR Soviet Russian Leica Copy RF 35 mm Film Camera 1141406
Overview | |
---|---|
Type | |
Lens | |
Lens mount | Leica M-mount |
Focusing | |
Focus | manual |
Exposure/metering | |
Exposure | manual |
Flash | |
Flash | standard accessory shoe with separate bulb and electronic flash connectors |
General | |
Dimensions | 138 x 77 x 33.5mm |
Weight | 560g |
The Leica M2 is a 35 mmrangefinder camera by Ernst Leitz GmbH of Wetzlar, Germany, introduced in 1957. Around 82,000 M2s were produced between 1957 and 1968. Around 1500 M2s were produced by Ernst Leitz Canada, but most of these are not marked as such on the top plate.
Comparisons[edit]
The M2 was considered to be a more affordable, simplified version of the 1954 Leica M3. Notably, the frame counter of the M2 was composed of a disk plate beneath the film advance lever that had to be manually reset to zero after reloading. This system was close to that of the Leica III series, and unlike that of the M3, which is an independent frame counter, visible through a window in the top plate, that automatically resets to zero when the film take-up spool is removed.
The rangefinder system was also simplified from that of the M3 and this made it potentially more prone to rangefinder flare. The M2 has a rangefinder with a 0.72 magnification and framelines for 35, 50 and 90mm lenses instead of the 0.91 magnification and 50, 90 and 135mm framelines of the M3. Blue cats patchwork crack. This made it better suited for photojournalists who favour shorter lenses or for spectacle-wearers using a 50mm lens who sometimes find it difficult to see the framelines on the M3. The ground glass frameline illumination window of the M3 was replaced with a fresnel-type plastic lens. Finally, the ornate beveling around the various windows on the front of the M3 were flattened on the body of the M2. Unlike the M3, the widest framelines were not always visible so only one set of framelines were ever displayed at one time. All M2s are single stroke advance.
The M2 was followed by the still simpler Leica M1 and then the Leica M4, which used a similar rangefinder design but re-introduced the M3 style frame counter and added a faster loading system and a canted rewind lever.
On the present-day used market the M2, originally intended to be more 'affordable', sells at prices only slightly lower than the M3. Both cameras are made to a similar level of quality, and the M2's framelines have proved to be more versatile over time, with all subsequent Leica rangefinder models having 35mm framelines included.
Variations[edit]
There are a number of variations of the Leica M2. Although most models have the self-timer lever, it is absent from some earlier models. Also, some early models have a film rewind push-button instead of the typical lever. About 2400 M2s were factory-painted black, but these are relatively rare and more valued by collectors. Near the end of production, Leica also produced a number of M2-R models, which had the faster loading system of the later Leica M4. Shahrzad serial 1.
Gallery[edit]
- Leica M2 with the signature frame counter well visible
External links[edit]
![Software Software](/uploads/1/2/6/9/126956176/454950712.jpg)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leica M2. |
- Leica M2 on photoethnography.com
- Leica M Serial Numbers on Cameraquest.com
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leica_M2&oldid=895418612'