LEICA M2 | Review and Sample Photos
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- Опубликовано: 23 фев 2020
- The Leica M2 is one of my all-time favorite cameras. It is what started my obsession with Leica on the film side of things and has produced some of my favorite photos I've ever taken. I'll run through my likes, dislikes, and share lots of examples along the way.
Gear Discussed:
Leica M2: ebay.to/2vNpbj7
Lenses used in this video:
50mm Summilux ASPH | amzn.to/39vUzkI
35mm Summicron ASPH | amzn.to/3bxcMzT
35mm Zeiss f/1.4 | amzn.to/2SLw1xo
Kodak Portra 400 [35mm] | amzn.to/2uHrZ0H
Kodak Portra 400 [120] | amzn.to/2OMYlhs
Kodak Ektachrome Video: • FIRST LOOK at the New ...
My filming gear:
Main Camera | amzn.to/2UNGqLm
Studio Wide Lens | amzn.to/3bCaRKK
Standard Lens | amzn.to/3by90GM
Vlog Style Lens | amzn.to/2waDxKl
2nd Camera | amzn.to/2SIbCca
Video Mic | amzn.to/2OMjFnu
Cheaper Video mic | amzn.to/3bxbKE1
Podcast Mic | amzn.to/38orw2j
Studio Light | amzn.to/2UM9Fyk
My music got a huge upgrade!
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The film in this video was processed and scanned by the good people at Indie Film Lab.
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quick note: apparently the Leica M2 does focus down to 0.7m. mine just must be stuck at 1m for some reason. good news though!
Mine definitely focuses down to 0.7 meters :-)
The testimony as to how great this camera is is that 60 years on they bought out the Leica M-A which is almost identical apart from a couple of details and people are still desperate to buy it. My M2 is 60 years old, looks almost like new and works perfectly. Truly a camera to fall in love with.
@@kevinparkes417 how often do you service it?
I typically loathe gear reviews but I gotta say this is one of the best gear reviews I've ever seen. Simple, to the point, and I dig the added visuals (framelines, the example of how a rangefinder patch works, etc.).
Hey! I'm a Nikon fan boy with many F series camera's. I broke down and bought the Leica M3 a year ago and WOW! Back to basics and it has become my go to camera. Pure joy of photography!
Great review. Couple of "Pros" for the M2 in my opinion. I love the older styling of loading. There is never a question of the leader has "caught" or not. The film rewind lever is much sturdier than a M6/M4. I once bumped M6's rewind lever (not a drop, a bump) and had to have YYE Camera completely replaced it. Sold the M6. I also feel it is much better made than a M6 (when you hold it in your hand you can kind of feel it). Maybe because it is made out of Brass and the M6 is not.
The M2 can focus down to 0.7m... It's only the M3 that has a limitation of 1.0m and even that can be modified, I think.
Woof, 0.7?!
That almost sounds like it’s be impossible to focus perfectly.
I used an M2 in the 1960s, it had the collapsible 50mm f2 Summicron lens.
It was excellent.
We were shooting weddings in black and white. Everything was geared to medium format cameras.
It was just so easy to get quality from the Rolleis we were using.
We measured light with Gossen meters.
Ilford Hp3 with Ilford Id11 at 320 iso.
I still have the prints from back then, printed on Kodak Bromesko fine lustre paper.
The Leica M2 hardly got used and was sold.
We didn't drool over cameras then, just results. Strange days now.
nobody asked
@@rosetta-stxned tough
Love hearing your pain points as a working photographer with the M2
I have the 50mm summilux black chrome and it is the most amazing lens. Will stay in my family for a long time.
Hi Benj I really like your channel and your info about Leica M 2 ,because I also own few Leica M cameras but my favourite is Leica M2 I shoot BW but I really like your Color work because it has some sublime nature in Color that really eloquently stands out .Thanks
M4 is the perfect middle ground. it is my first leica film camera after having an M8 and M262... love it
The most iconic M series camera . Also some of my favourite pictures were taken on the M2
I just realize my M1 is the M2 without timer and rangefinder. Amazing piece especially to train my distance gauging and zone focusing
Great review I love my button rewind M2 ❤
The b-roll looks so good!
always inspiring watching your vids man.
You took these with the M2? 😍😍😍
Man, you mean business. Now am thinking of getting one
You know it! Haha
Have the m2 and it is my first love! some weeks ago, got an m6 because of the light meter, and it is my second love!!
I bought a 3d printed spool for my Leica m3 that is a replica of a fast spool, mimicking the m4-2 and m6 spools. It’s pretty cool and has made a huge difference in how fast you can load a m3.
Nice to hear that you also have a camera that talks to you. My wife thinks I am crazy when I say that about my M4...😝
Keep the M2 man. It makes my M6 feel like a tin can. Lol. I used my m6 for months and didn’t touch the M2...then went and used it and was like “whoa I forgot how good this is”
That was literally me picking up the M2 to film this video.
Can you explain it a bit more? What do you like on M2 that you don't on M6?
@@jieelyuu it feels like a smoother and more solid camera. Also the finder is vastly better than the m6. It’s super bright. If you’re a 50 or 35 shooter and don’t need a meter, it’s an obvious choice tbh.
@@ccoppola82 Thanks for the reply! One day I will get a M2, when my eyes are well trained and I have the money 😆
So true. The M6 feels does feel cheaper. I mainly shoot an M2 then on a whim got an M6 a couple years ago. Sold it after 6 months. Just did not compare to my M2.
I owned an M4 with a 50mm F2 dual range Summicron. which I am sure would fit on your M2, which focused down to 0.48 meters, 19 inches.
That summilux 😢
It’s so good.
The m2 is my favorite Leica. I find that I can roam the streets with it and people ignore me. I love the fact the camera has zero electronics or batteries. I wish it wasn't so expensive on the used market but that's how things go.
Great video! Thank you
Great seeing you talk about the M2. Your video shows your passion and love for the camera. Don't sell it if you don't need money right now unless you trade it for an M3 or M6 ;-)
The M Photography haha I have an M6 :)
@@benjhaisch Can never have enough of those :-P supply will be short some day.
Good review but the fact is that the M2 is easier to use than the M3 with 50mm for those who wear glasses myself.
Hi Ben! Great video! I was just wondering about what you said about the min focusing distance. I think the Leica M2 does focus down to 0.7m - Could you clarify?
Apparently I’m mistaken according to some comments and mine just doesn’t focus down to 0.7m
If you sell your M2 you will regret it. It has an emotional connection that a modern camera will not have.
I do have an M6, so it wouldn’t be a total loss :)
@@benjhaisch m2 is much nicer looking than the M6
Giles Jazz Guitar I 100% agree
@@benjhaisch I have one with a summilux 35mm v2 . Such a joy
@gilesjazzguitar64 Definitely. I have other Leicas, but keep going back to the M2, even without a meter.
"Sample photos" out of a camera body, in the realm of film photography, doesn't mean a thing. You'll eventually have sample photos from a film type or a lens.
Francois Gobbi yeah, I’d disagree with the usefulness of that. When I was considering switching to Leica, I didn’t think that a lot of the photos that I showed as samples were even possible with a Leica because I hadn’t seen them used in that manner before. Yes, it’s just a box that handles the film and lens, but it really does mean something.
I believe Youxin Ye does modifications to the M2 & M3 where he converts it to the faster film-loading system of the M6. If that's a big hangup for you, then there's an option to consider. I have the M3, and honestly, I consider it the most perfect camera ever made (for me & the way I like to shoot); just an absolute joy to shoot. That whole "It calls to me, like it wants to be shot" comment is dead on the money. Exactly how I feel about my M3. Endorphins, endorphins, endorphins.
Oh, so cool to see that. I shoot many of my weddings with two Leica M2. I love these little peaces, a beautiful combination of art and craftsmanship.
Let the good content coming (:
Great Vid
Ben, as a fellow M2 owner and glasses wearer - how do you find/get around the viewfinder scratching your glasses?
I use a DAG plastic eyepiece, you can get them from www.dagcamera.com/store/p109/Plastic_Eyepiece_Guard_for_all_metal_M_eyepieces.html $15 plus postage is a bit steep, but it stops my glasses from getting ruined.
Glasses wearer here, personally I have found that it does scratch but it is so minor that even after 6 years of shooting my M2 it is hardly more than normal wear and tear. That being said I normally use a certain pair of glasses for shooting.
I bought some stick on felt rings that go right over the metal eyepiece. Very thin a bit like the flocking on the inside of a good lens hood. Totally solved the problem of my glasses getting scratched! Unfortunately no idea where I got them from - online somewhere.
Well said. I love mine too, but to be honest, I love my M5 more.
You’re a rare breed 😂
@@benjhaisch I have both of those as well, and the M5 as a user edges out the M2 a little bit. The shutter speed wheel is really nice. The M2 wins in hand feel, beauty and framelines though
Benj Haisch A heretic!
THANKS BENJ
Hi Benj. Just bought my first Leica yesterday, an M2. If I place a 50mm lens on it, will the guidelines adjust for it in the range finder window? Thanks.
Yep! And congrats!
hey thanks for the great vid, much appreciated. You should definitely slow down the time when you display images as your eyes only settle in and appreciate the image right when the next one comes. Other than that I really liked this clip.
Hmm... First video that made me not want to consider an M2 (namely the film loading, didn't realize it was the old way). I've never used an M2, though I have handled one (excellent condition) in a camera store, and the shutter release and advance were like butter, just amazing. I have an M6 though, maybe I should be content with that, the grass is not always greener.
I bought one in late 2010 at a camera store in Austria for 290 Euros! I still don't know what made them sell it for such a ridiculously low price.
Even for back then that's a steal, if it wasn't such a beautiful camera you should really cash in on that
@@CianMcsweeney Yeah well. At one point the viewfinder went black. I went to a camera store in Hamburg and they said it would cost 1000 Euros to fix that. So I sold it again (don't know for how much).
The real cost would have been more like 200, maybe 300. I was so stupid.
Benj,
Great review. I have my grandfathers M2. Where to you get your Leica's serviced?
I just sent one to DAG
Youxin Ye, too, who is well respected.
Thanks!
Can I use a elmarit 28mm ASPH in the M2??, thanks man for your videos!
Sure, the 28mm is going to be outside of the 35mm framelines though
Hi Ben I love your videos. What is your favorit film rolls to shoot with?
Portra 160, 400, 800. ColorPlus 200, Tri-X 400 are my go-to’s
"The difference between 1m and 0.7m is about a foot". As a non American that made me chuckle. :-)
Haha believe me, so many Americans have no clue
Okay, so not M mount, but i wonder why the Leica R range was never so popular. Seems to me like they're very underrated SLRs. You can get a body for 100-300 dollars.
Love my M2, I feel like it's the best all mechanical rangefinder... I thought the M3 was 1 meter and the M2 is 0.7 meters... I'm sure my M2 focuses closer than 1 meter.
As sorry just read the other comments and realise this has already been commented on
@@dangerpowers123 dual range summicron makes that irrelevant
i have a old m2 from my grandfather who lived in Germany and who fought in the war
I try not to shoot much with the M2 because I just love the sound of the shutter. I am in a conundrum do I load and hear less shutter sound or just leave it empty so I can listen to the musicality of the shutter. Decisions, decisions.......
I'm about to have a cheap leica you can review. :) still waiting for that package though......
Nick Haisch lets do it next time I visit
Thanks from 🇧🇷
Best M ever
Question: How did you guys know when you used up the film since the film count can be manually changed?
The film advance will stick when you get to the end of the roll
Benj Haisch i see! Thanks for the prompt response! Cause i just got my first leica m2 and still trying to explore it :) Anyway~ nice video you had made here!
If you sell your M2 you should let me know cause I might be interested in buying it haha.
I didn’t know some m2s only focus to 1m. I have an older serial number than yours but focuses to .7m
Oh dang. That’s awesome. Maybe it’s a service thing? Good to know
Chris Walters mine focuses down to 0.7m too 1959 production year.
Which M film camera do you recommend for a 28mm lens?
M6 or M7 and a .56 viewfinder if you really want precise framing. But .72 works in a pinch
Oh got it! And between the M6 classic and TTL, which in your opinion is the better buy?
Hi Benji ! Really like your videos and I recently bought my first leica m2 too and now wondering where did you get those great wood hot shoe cap and shutter button? Cause they look so nice on a chrome body, I really want to get me a pair of those !
The loading of the film enrages me. Sometimes it says it’s advancing,but it’s not.
I've never had a problem with mine. I always watch the rewind knob to make sure it's engaged.
Don't sell it! haha. I sold mine but it was a different model without self-timer so I got a good money for it. Then I bought the M6... now I miss the M2 again :P
I have the older button rewind M2 without the self timer and she's a beaut.
It's the third M mount
Please Folks, don't repeat the accident i had with my beloved M2 (it could cost you your arm ^^). I left it outside on a sunny and very hot summer day, the lens wide opened at f2 and it burned the shutter curtain.... I now have to save money in order to send it for repair and CLA (Around 400-500 euros).
Please be careful, put your lenses to F16 or F22 and use a lens cover
If you still didn't CLA it, I may know someone who will do it way cheaper
Just got the deal of my life, bought a Leica M2 with some lense for 40bucks, I’m thinking about keeping it for a while, then selling it.
I’ll pay you 10x that ;)
@@benjhaisch ikr
How reliable is shooting on film for weddings? Today Digital cameras are able to create backup on Another card How do you deal with this analoog?
People had been using them for decades, so it can be done. I personally shoot primarily on digital cameras for weddings mostly for ease of use and cost.
@@benjhaisch a I see and onderstand. Thanks ben
did you end up selling it or keeping it? :)
Selling 🥺😭
@@benjhaisch I recently got an M2 and I love it so far, of course not having a built in meter is a bit annoying, but otherwise the camera is a dream!
For a long time before getting it I was quite annoyed by the film counter on this model, but not that I have it, I don't really care that much about it 😅
the m2 is my favorite M film camera . i shoot almost exclusivly black and white negs with the many m2s I have ownd over the years and i find with a little practice the m 2 can be very fast to use. This however requires some practice and some acceptance that being close on the focus is more than good enough for most shoots. First i have learnd my thirtyfive sumicrons tab positions for focusing that the tab straight down is very close to infinity and so on., i also return the lens to infinity after a shot if i have time so i will always start focuing by turning the lens in the same direction. If you set your lens to hyper focus setting of a given f stop i usuually use f 8 and use a hing iso film i can shoot most subjects say around the chess tables in front of Au bon Pain in harvard square without focusing or changing the exposure much. very fast.
the other endering aspect of the M2 are the various anomalies in different iterations, early ones had a vestigial depth of field indicator in the range finder patch a longish notch on the bottom and s shorter notch othe top but i forgot exactly how it works as I never used its/ there is a very good aftermarket device that offerers the rapid loading similar to the m 6 but that is found on the last of the m2 cameras known as the m2r the r staning for of course rapid load. all subsequent M cameras had it.
the close focusing thing is more interesting. First off one needs to realize that as the lens moves in and out focusing the field of view actually fhanges slightly including more in the frame lines at infinity then at the closest focusing distance given the same initial framing. this is because the entire lens moves in and out thus getting further or closer to the film plane. In the early days leitz engineers had to figure out a standard for wich to adjust the frame line vis a vie the changing coverage, In the day of the m2 the closest focusing distance of the lens was thouight to be a good place to start, both the fifty and thirty five summicorns of the day had a minimum focusing distance af about three feet hence the range finder not focusing much closer because it was not thought to be needed, and at that focusing setting the frame line for that lens would be one hundred percent accuratete. when the reformulated fifty f2 summicron came out some years later the frame line for the fifty mm got a tad smaller. so as to enable one hundred percent accurady at the closest focusing distance,
i hear so many praise the Leica range finder because you can see outside the frame lines unless you wear eye glasses. I had and M2 and never saw the twenty eight frame line without crunching my nose.
No.....you are.... NOT AN IDIOT. There were many news photographers, to whom used the M2...........................way back when. It s a working..... MEAN MACHINE. It s only job was to JUST HOLD THE FILM in a box ( camera ). You put on a lens, set shutter, then f stops......focus.....then take that...... WORLD GREATEST PHOTO.......That s real photography. If you knew the limitation of your film......your a REAL PHOTOGRAPHER. Today s photographer is toooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo busy......trying to find THAT PERFECT SHOT.......but can t as there s ( again ) toooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much to do. Good show......do more.....and yes....i m an M3 nut.
What does film means? 😄
My dream camera. Sell it to me please whenever you decide you want to sell it ❤
im legit so torn on the choice between a M2 and a M6 for the meter. i know the M5 exists but i just can't get myself to want it. sorry M5 lovers.
Meters are over rated sunny 16, or use your eyes. And buy the right film. 100-200 iso - sunny. 400-800 overcast 1200 -3200 low light.
mercedes sl300......................................;p
Cameras are fun but it’s the work and the projects and the editing of your work, that is what matters.
Too many videos about the device or machine
Not enough on what matters in photography
1- projects
2 choosing your life long subject matter for consistency
3 studying contact sheets and editing your shots (show less)- not editing in terms of computer adjustments.
4 getting on the inside and how to do so when shooting places, businesses etc
Sure, I just don't see RUclips as the platform where that necessarily shines. I do have a Patreon where most of those types of videos live though as I do produce both. I started making videos that really dive into those things but no one watched them, so I switched it up to make videos like this for a more broad audience and those who want the most in depth stuff can subscribe to the Patreon.
@@benjhaischI think you’re just using that platform as a way to make money, which is fine but to say RUclips can’t be a platform to teach what I mentioned above, is silly. If Philip Perkis can teach me over a phone call, a RUclips video came help people too