Why choose the M2 over the M4?

[Beemermark]

M4's are nice - but the rewind gets easily bashed up -.

Thought I was hard on cameras but the rewind knob is about the only thing I never broke on an M4. Did wear the skin off my index finger a lot of times trying to rewind my M3 as fast as possible 😡

The M3 an M4 were the best built cameras ever made by Leitz. Period. The M2 was a cheaper model, sort of an entry level. Not that it really matters in practice since all 3 are pretty much indestructible. The M4-2 was a cheap disaster and almost caused Leica to go out of business; it had such a bad reputation when it was first put out (I guess it was the M5 that almost did Leitz in, very few buyers accepted it).

It seems that people today prefer nostalgia over form and function. Good enough.

BTW I have an M7, M4 and M2 currently. M7 get 90% of the use, the M4 maybe 9%.

 

[NeeZee]

If you want to use a CTOOM (original Leitz flash bracket) you can't do that with an (unmodified) M4 as it's missing the stud on the left side to properly attach this device. On the other hand it's unlikely that this is a show-stopper for you - just pointing out a difference nobody has mentioned yet 😉.

 

[ruby.monkey]

am i the only one who thinks the M3/M2 style rewind lever looks a bit like a phallus?

... you might want to get that looked at.

Just sayin'.

 

[clicker]

All are excllent cameras, my advice is to buy the newest in the best condition at a fair price- have it serviced and enjoy it.

 

[shadowfox]

I like the M2 film counter. Recently I was worried that I had misloaded the M5. I opened the baseplate. I hadn't. What had been wound on was ruined so I just closed the camera and retook the shots I'd just taken. But on opening and closing the camera the counter was reset. I must have forgotten the early spurious finish of that roll, and on the next roll when I got to 33 I figured I must have only one shot at most left so took a finish the roll shot, but they just kept coming, nothing shots. If I had been able to manually reset the counter I could have finished on 38 as usual.

Not trying to nitpick, but can't you just observe the film rewind to see if it's rotating when you advance the film. If it is, you're okay, if not, then you're not loading the film properly. I don't see why you need to open the base plate. 🙂

 

[JohnTF]

One of my M2's has, I believe, M4 frames installed, so neither fish nor fowl, or both? I did not notice until I got it, unusual deal, my dealer drop shipped it, but a terrific user.

Igor found me a couple of the quick load devices for the M2's, one in the box. Another M2 and quick load traveled to Uruapan to Jorge, I am guessing he still keeps it on his desk at work, loaded and ready to go.

So buy the one you like in your hand, and you can find.

John

 

[Coldkennels]

am i the only one who thinks the M3/M2 style rewind lever looks a bit like a phallus?

Thank god, I thought I was the only one who saw that. I actually bought it up in a similar thread about the M5 a few months back and got similar responses.

I never used to think that, incidentally. But once you see it, you can never un-see it. Which is a shame, because I wouldn't mind an M2. 😱

 

[Richard G]

Not trying to nitpick, but can't you just observe the film rewind to see if it's rotating when you advance the film. If it is, you're okay, if not, then you're not loading the film properly. I don't see why you need to open the base plate. 🙂

Sometimes the film is slack and absence of rotation in the first few frames is not actually reliable evidence of a misload. I have been slow to master the M5 loading. One misload of an M6 in 15 years. No misload of the M2 in 35 years.

 

[Richard G]

am i the only one who thinks the M3/M2 style rewind lever looks a bit like a phallus?

Rewind knob might sound like it but don't you mean advance lever looking like it?

 

[Spicy]

sorry -- yeah. i meant the advance lever.

sideways, longish, with the end tip kinda looking like......... well............

*sigh*

 

[rogerzilla]

The preview lever is a bit nasty-looking on the M4.

 

[peter_n]

I don't mind LEDs that much but I do like the M2-R.

 

[Silver4ever]

There's another difference between the M2 and the M4 that I haven't seen mentioned so far. The M2 has two depth-of-field indicator 'notches' visible in the viewfinder.

However, I never found them very useful, and apparently other photographers didn't either, because Leitz didn't include them in the M4 or later models.