The Leica M2 is a very special camera to me because when we started our journey of starting a family, I made the conscious decision to use solely the Leica M2 to document the whole way. Now it has become a very special family heirloom that I hope will be passed down after me.
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Leica M2
Ilford Delta 3200 at 1600
I am hugely invested in passing on my families legacy. I’ve spent much of my life researching our family trees, and preserving items of family members that have passed away. It means a lot to me for my daughter to continue to remember our family. I think this stems from the huge loss of my father at such a young age. The biggest thing I remember about my father was that he always had a camera around his neck, but sadly he had sold them before he died. That bothers me to this day.
However, in all the years I have focused on preserving everyone’s memory, I forgot that mine should be passed on as well. I feel like as photographers we inherently are never in the picture. I didn’t start to think about that until this past year when I found myself once again in the hospital battling a major flare-up from Crohn’s disease, and remembering life is so short. But what would I pass on? Considering how much I wish I had my dad’s camera, I know I want to pass on my Leica M2.
The Leica M2
The M2 is often brushed off as the cheaper, scaled down version of the M3. Sometimes this can be misunderstood to mean that it is cheaply made. I promise there is nothing cheap about this camera. It feels so well made. None of the things that Leitz changed to make it more affordable are detrimental to the quality and use of this beautiful camera.
The Leica M2 was the 2nd model in the M lineup and was introduced in 1957 as a scaled down version of the M3 (the first of the M series) for a more affordable price. The M stands for the German word for rangefinder, messsucher, and the 3 was simply representing the number of frame-lines the camera has.
The main differences it has from the Leica M3 is the magnification of the rangefinder. The M2 had to be reduced to 0.72x to accommodate the use of 35mm frame lines. The M2 also has a fresnel plastic lens for the frame line window while the M3 has ground glass. And the M2 has a manual frame counter that you have to reset with each new roll of film. But I am not going to compare the two cameras beyond those facts because I have never used an M3, and you can find tons of articles on that subject.
Leica M2 Specs
The shutter speeds are Bulb up through 1/1000th of a second. There are two ports on the back, one for flash bulb and one for electronic flash. The 3 frame lines of the M2 are for 35mm, 50mm, and 90mm lenses. I primarily shoot 35mm lenses. That was the main reason I decided to purchase an M2 over an M3 at the time, as well as the price and availability.
A deterrent for some, especially beginners, is the lack of a meter. If you want a Leica with a light meter, you’ll want to take a look at the M5 or later models that will likely cost more money. You can also just do what I did when I was first starting out, and mount a small external meter on the hot shoe. There are several out there, including the Leica Meter that connects to the shutter speed dial.
It doesn’t have a quick loader like the M6, but loading film is not a major drag on my process either. Here is a video I posted demonstrating my loading process. It is no where near the frustration of the Leica IIIF, which you know I have had a tense relationship with, but the back flips up so it has never been an issue for me.
Why the Leica M2?
The Leica M2 was my first Leica purchase. I chose it for the reasons mentioned above, and I have never regretted that decision. My variant is an early one from around the summer of 1958. It immediately became one of my favorite cameras as soon as I saw the results I was getting from it, and the way it feels in my hands. Before I get to all the gushing about it, let me give you some of the more negatively viewed features of the M2.
Ilford HP5 400
Ilford HP5 400
The manual re-set frame counter is something I don’t care for on the camera, but honestly I rarely reset it and it’s never been a problem. You do have to remove the take-up spool to insert the film leader. There is the later variant M2-R that includes the rapid loader of the M4.
Probably my least favorite part is the button release for rewinding the film. It hurts my hands to hold the button down while I twist the film rewind and this slows me down when I’m trying to quickly change to a new roll. There are also later variations that have a lever release instead, but I wasn’t aware of that when I made my purchase. That may be something you keep in mind if you’re deciding which model to purchase.
There is also no self timer on the earlier versions, like mine. But later variants do include that.
My Experience with the Leica M2
So why is the Leica M2 my family heirloom camera when I own a lot of other film cameras? Besides it just being so beautiful in my opinion, let me gush for a minute.
The feel of the camera in hand is very comfortable. I have a grip that I purchased from a friend of mine. You can check it out here. That helps me grip the camera a little better, especially with the issues I have with pain in my hands. But without it, there is plenty of room for purchase depending on the size of your hands.
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The sound of the shutter is so good. I love that mechanical click, and then the smooth advance with the advance lever. There is just something about the performance of this camera that makes me want to shoot with it. I know gear shouldn’t matter too much. You are the creator and your eye and experience is the ultimate influence of your photography. However I would argue, for me at least, that the look and feel of the camera in my hands has a huge influence on my inspiration. Let me know in the comments if you’re like that too.
The viewfinder is big and bright. For me with my glasses on, it can be difficult to view the entire 35mm frame line. The 35mm lenses I use have lens hoods that can obstruct part of the viewfinder. Especially the one on my Voigtlander 35mm f1.4. But it doesn’t bother me. I hope to do reviews on the lenses in the future as well. Let me know if you want that.
Leica M2
Kodak Portra 800
Final Thoughts
All of the reasons above have come to form my love for this camera. I love that it is a mechanical camera with no battery needed. That means with the right care, I can pass it down to my daughter. The fact that it has been used to record all of her life so far and so many happy memories for us, is the reason this camera will be a family heirloom.
Do you have a camera you hope to keep in your family for a long time to come? Let me know. And of course, until next time, stay motivated and keep shooting.
If you have found this article or any of my articles helpful, please consider supporting my work by clicking any of the links below. Purchasing a zine or even just subscribing to get my articles in your email helps me keep this going. Either way, thank you so much for reading. Don’t forget to watch even more about my Leica M2 and my story on the video below.
Until Next time, stay motivated and keep shooting.
Purchase a Leica M2 from KEH or to buy from Leica online store click here.
To buy the Summicron 35mm f2 lens that I use click here.
Also, check out my beloved Voigtlander 35mm f1.4. at KEH or buy it from Amazon.
If you would like to purchase the grip I use on my Leica M2, it is from here. It is very well made, a little heavy but Wayne, who designed it, is a great person with a ton of knowledge on cameras. If you want to support small business, I recommend this one. However, Leica made one as well here.
To Shop for 35mm format film camera on KEH – CLICK HERE
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To Shop for Medium Format film camera on KEH – CLICK HERE
Shop for Medium Format film camera on Ebay – CLICK HERE
Further Reading
Check out the M2 review on Photo Thinking
I am decidedly anti-nostalgic, to a degree that sometimes seems cold. So I don’t think of any cameras of mine as being something I’ll pass down. Lessons, yes, values, certainly, but stuff, not really my interest. My daughter may be different however and find value in things – I just don’t predict what and set them aside intentionally.
But to your other question, yes, I do find the experience of using a certain camera to matter. Not to the resultant photographs, but the photographs are only part of the point. The other part is taking photos for the enjoyment of taking photos, and sometimes I don’t even care about whether I’ll develop the rolls – tbh, it would be a lot cheaper to shoot empty.
I suspect that’s common with a lot of film shooters. When people say they want to shoot film for the look, I tell them how much it’ll cost and point them towards easy ways to achieve that with Lightroom. From a technical perspective, digital cameras are just better. Such an acknowledgment would make many ask why you might use a film camera then. And it’s the experience, which is shaped by things like how it looks and how it feels and how it sounds.