Thinking of getting a motordrive? This Leica motor drive compatibility chart will show you what works with what.
Introduction
The Leica motor drives are a nice way to make Leica film M cameras a bit more modern with automatic film forwarding when you shoot, no more cranking! The issue is that not everything is compatible with each other.
Leica motor drive compatibility
| Name | Leica M7 | Leica M6 TTL | Leica M6 | M4-P | Leica M4-2 | Leica MD-2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leica Motor M | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Leica Winder M | yes (1) | yes (2) | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Leica Winder M4-P | no | yes (2) | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Leica Winder M4-2 (From 10350 | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Leica Winder M4-2 (Up to 10349) | no | no | no | yes (3) | yes | yes |
Notes
1) Can be attached ONLY it the Winder M hat a flat locking plate. Leica Customer Service might rebuild earlier Winder M models.
2) Can be attached only to early Leica M6 TTL models. With current Leica M6 TTL models the winder must be equipped with a flat locking plate by Leica Customer Service.
3) With the exception of cameras with serial numbers 1 552 500 – 1 552 500 884 and 1 563 000 – 1 588 536
Unfortunately there are no motordrives compatible with the Leica M5. The original name of the motor drive is “Leica motor” released in 1962. The last one is the “Leica Motor M” introduced in Photokina in 2000. The first is of course extremely large and the second is slim and adds a nice grip to boot.
Which one should you get?
Obviously the best choice is the Leica Motor M. The reason is twofold. First it is compatible with most of the film M cameras and second, it is also the one with the smallest profile. The bottom plate doesn’t elevate the profile making it look like a simple thicker hangrip for camera. It takes 2x123A batteries that last about 100 rolls of film.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this table showing the Leica moto drive compatibility with the various M models. Anything besides the Motor M and maybe the Winder M are really best served for collectors. These accessories are huge!