If you are getting yourself a film Leica M camera, great! Here’s a Leica M film comparison of ALL the cameras available. Which one can shoot without a battery? Which one has a crank? Easily find out here.
Hi, my name is Sven the Leicaphile and here is the ultimate Leica M film comparison table. This is to find out the differences and similarities between the Leica M film cameras at a glance. If you are looking for digital Leicas, this is here: Leica M comparison.
Leica M film comparison
| wdt_ID | Name | Year | Frame lines | Frameline Type | Available magnification | Battery needed to shot | Top plate material | Hotshoe? | Built In Meters | Rewind | Quick load spool | Consenser / prism | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Year | Frame lines | Frameline Type | Available magnification | Battery needed to shot | Top plate material | Hotshoe? | Built In Meters | Rewind | Quick load spool | Consenser / prism | Get it |
New Leica M film cameras
The last film camera was the Leica M7. But since this is Leica they released two newer film cameras after the M7, even when digital rangefinders were in full swing. These are the Leica MP and the Leica M-A.
Which is the best Leica M film camera?
For many photographers the best Leica M film camera is the Leica M6. Why not the M7? Because the M6 is more mechanical than the follow-up. It has all of the latest and greatest technology in it. The Leica MP (stands for Mechanical Perfection) is also quite good.
Leica film cameras with light meter
All Leica M cameras starting from the Leica M5 have built-in light meters. The Leica M-A is fully mechanical and has no light meter. What to do if your camera is missing one? You can get yourself a lightmeter that takes a reading. The Gossen Digisix 2 is quite small and you can slip it in your pocket when shooting with your Leica.
Leica film cameras with flash
If you want to use a flash you will need a Leica that supports it. Most of the older Leicas have a cable trigger but many newer flashes don’t support this. So you want to make sure that the Leica you buy has a hotshoe. Every film Leica starting with the M5 has a hotshoe.
While you can technically use any flash in manual mode on your camera, if you have a Leica flash and the Leica supports TTL flash like the M6 TTL, you can shoot it in auto mode. The M6 TTL is one of the only film Leicas that supports the Leica TTL protocol.
Leica M film cameras that need batteries
By and large most of the Leica M film cameras do not need batteries to work, only for the light meter if they have one. There is only one exception, the Leica M7. This one NEEDS batteries to shoot, if the batteries are dead you will only be able to shoot at the 1/60 & 1/125 shutter speed. This is one of the reasons why the Leica M6 is more sought after then the M7.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this Leica M film comparison. Leica film cameras are still sought after and being shot even to this day where there’s digital rangefinders. This shows you the power and durability of Leica cameras!