Coming Home to the Leica M: On rangefinder photography and the Leica M Typ 262

[cole]

Thanks again everyone for the warm feedback. I’m touched, and glad the article and images are finding some enjoyment.

 

[cole]

Unless Leica chooses to radically reengineer the rangefinder, puts the lens mount on a pedestal, and sensor assemblies become paper thin, the M is likely going to stay pretty much the way it is with respect to size and weight. No problem for me: I like the feel of the typ 240/246/262 models even more than my M4-2, which feels a bit thin and cramped by comparison.

I have to agree on this — I’ve gotten quite used to the extra depth of the 262 over the M7 and M2 I used to have. I wouldn’t complain if it was just a few mm’s thinner, but I’m also not bothered by it. It’s still infinitely smaller than any other digital camera I’d consider picking up, and if making the body thinner would mean lens mount pedestals, count me out! 🙂

 

[cole]

Yummy, Thanks for that Cole ... Enjoyed it very much !

Some of the photos were a tad too 'overprocessed' for my taste
but the Composition and Mood were Divine

nothing like an M... rangefinders for me is the only way to shoot !

Thanks, Helen; totally understandable about the processing, I’ve always liked pretty extreme tonality, even when I was making wet prints in my home darkroom. It’s not for everyone. Glad you enjoyed the compositions and mood.

 

[cole]

I enjoyed seeing familiar parts of my town through your eyes up close and personal in black and white with 28mm; so different to how I see London.

Loved the shot of your dad in Caffé Nero in Holborn; it’s a small world, I’ve sat in the very same seat!

Thanks for brightening up a wet, dreary day.

Small world indeed! I also love seeing how other people shoot the same locations, really interesting to see how others interpret their surroundings.

 

[jaapv]

This has been treated over in the Leica M-D threads, but the bottom line is that the thickness of the digital M body can only vary a couple of millimeters at most due to the lens/lens mount geometry, the rangefinder mechanism, and the thickness of the body casting and sensor assembly.

The LCD hangs off the back of the body and barely adds more than 2mm to its thickness when present (basically, half its thickness is the thickness of the body's leatherette covering). It also weighs less than 10 grams.

Unless Leica chooses to radically reengineer the rangefinder, puts the lens mount on a pedestal, and sensor assemblies become paper thin, the M is likely going to stay pretty much the way it is with respect to size and weight. No problem for me: I like the feel of the typ 240/246/262 models even more than my M4-2, which feels a bit thin and cramped by comparison.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[eujin]

Very nicely written and love your images. It's funny, I have an MM and love shooting it so much that I find myself wanting an M that can shoot color (not counting my film camera) — this despite the fact that I have non-Leicas that shoot color.

 

[fireblade]

A very enjoyable read Cole. Cheers.

 

[Nelson Tan]

Enjoyed reading the review. Thanks for sharing!

 

[cole]

Thanks, everyone.

Very nicely written and love your images. It's funny, I have an MM and love shooting it so much that I find myself wanting an M that can shoot color (not counting my film camera) — this despite the fact that I have non-Leicas that shoot color.

Well, you know, Leicas do love working in pairs… 😉

 

[_goodtimez]

Hi all,

I finished an article this weekend which is in part a review of the M262, mixed in with a bit of general discussion about Leica and rangefinder photography.

It’s accompanied by a bunch of my recent photographs taken with the 262, and a few older photos taken with the film Ms I used to have.

If you’re interested: https://colepeters.exposure.co/coming-home-to-the-leica-m

Cheers!

Nice article here. Just a note: not all Leica Ms are assembled in Germany; many of them are done in Villa Nova de Familicao, Portugal 🙂

 

[Ruffmeister]

Great post and fantastic images. I love the Regents Park shot especially.

 

[MCTuomey]

Great post and fantastic images. I love the Regents Park shot especially.

+1 great eye and voice, cole

 

[cole]

+1 great eye and voice, cole

Thanks to both of you. 🙂

 

[jaapv]

Nice article here. Just a note: not all Leica Ms are assembled in Germany; many of them are done in Villa Nova de Familicao, Portugal 🙂

Actually they are all assembled in Wetzlar, many of the sub-assemblies come from Portugal, though.