Love my M2 !!!

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I just had Horst finish another M2 for me. This one needed some TLC so it needed to be taken apart anyway. Close numbers too. The 1163110 is one of Shintaro's paintjobs when we still experimented with paint finishes. It has held up very well for almost 8-9 years. Some new dings and dents.
The 1163055 is done with the "weapons grade" paint - more semigloss than matte. Still finishing the roll of XX in it.
Shot with a Fuji X100S that a friend lent me. Nice camera, weird finder and way too many buttons.
OK, it is not a Leica MM - but not bad at all. I decided to shoot it only in monochrome too.
 
I recently bought a DR Summicron and shot it close up on my M9. Instead of putting it away on its own I mounted it on my M2. The DR Summicron has a unique lustrous finish and looks at home on the M2, but it is when I pick it up and shoot that the cokbination's magic is truly evident. The incredible heft, the clarity of the 50mm frame line, and the dampened sound of the shutter inside all that metal and glass, and how still I can hold it: no wonder the manual shows the M2 with this lens.
 
Tim. the D96 is the "movie" stock developer for the various bl/w emulsions made by Kodak. Works very much like a D76. Gives somewhat better mid-tones than D76 though. I usually make up 2000 ml of it and replenish - get about 50-55 rolls out of a batch, Works well with "old style" film, XX,TriX etc - not as good with modern thin emulsions though.
My "go to" developer tend to be the Td 201 as it works with just about any film and with predictable results.
Chris Livesy "Man with red eyes" has set up a Flickr site for Td 201 which shows how well it does with just about any film.
 
Tom A said:
Chris Livesy "Man with red eyes" has set up a Flickr site for Td 201 which shows how well it does with just about any film.
Click to expand...

Good for mixed batches as well!
Some HP5+ Tri-X ORWO N 74 examples going up as soon as I can scan them.

(Thanks for the plug Tom, the cash is in the post)
 
Matt, nice looking pair! My latest M2 (picked up at LHSA in SF last month) is pretty close to your chrome - it is # 935443. Going in for a "lube-job" this week as it has been sitting unused for decades.
I have never worried about repaints and/or original paint.If I was a collector it would be another story - I just like mine black, most of the time. I don't buy to resell so the value thing is immaterial. M2's are for using - thats all there is to them.
 
I like this combination for the looks. M2 chrome and the new M-Nokton 50mm f1.5. Looks a bit like it was carved out of stainless steel!
The M2 is an unmarked M2M with the switches for the N.Y motor in the base. Leica made these conversions when you ordered the motor. Some where engraved M2M - but most were just standard engraving. The gear train in the camera was replaced with MP case hardened steel gears. A bit "crunchier" feel to it than the brass gears. Former owner had 4 of them, and filed notches in the film gate - 4 sets both in the bottom and on the right side of the gate! I used to have the M2m with the motor a long time ago - in was notorious for freezing up at frame 24 or 25. OK, once you knew it - you just reloaded earlier - or loaded shorter (20-22 frame pieces of film in it).Leica in Sweden could never get it to work properly - some mis-match between the motor and the cameras drive.
 
Brandt Optik used to be the official importer in the 60's. Don't know if they still are around. Great service - you got borrow 5 lenses and shoot with them and "cherry pick" the best. they would also send a chrome camera to germany and have it converted to black if they were out of black stock!
 
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