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Which is your most iconic M and why?


pgk

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How about a vote for the MP, aka the M Professional? Leica only offered it to selected photographers in the 1950's. It combined the best of the best of M design at the time.

 

The modern MP is also relevant, as it also combined the best of the best from all prior generations of mechanical M cameras, plus a couple of tweaks.

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... The "cleaner" design that eventually saw the light as the M2 came first, according to what I am seeing above.

 

Given the angle at which the above photograph was taken, I presume that you would not be able see the M3 'eyebrows' even if they were there. It is thus not clear at all to me whether the M3 shown above but engraved as an M2 has the cleaner look of an M2 or in fact the original M3 look.

 

Regards,

 

Andy

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I wasn't referring to the photo "evidence", but to the anecdote above.

 

Ah, sorry, I did not go through all the previous posts. Now I understand. Didn't know those 'eyebrows' were only later added to provide a more upscale appearance. While we are at it, from a purely functional point of view it would appear that the flush windows used starting with the M6 are probably best. Makes cleaning those windows really easy.

 

Regards,

 

Andy

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Hello Everybody,

 

It seems to me that what everyone is more or less saying is sort of like what Paul said above about the Calypso/Nikonos. The iconic M is not a specific M but is rather the Leitz/Leica mystique. Each M from the first thru now has added its own bit of something. M's are so intertwined in their evoloution & development that they pretty much morph thru each other to the present in some kind of stream. This includes the dreaded M5. Sort of like a Ferrari 365 GTB/4. Unmatched technologically in its day & pretty much still so today. Part of the mindset which is Ferrari. Like an M3, or 4 or 2.........

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

 

And don't forget the M4-2. the camera that survived when everyone knew precision rangefinders were dead & became today's MP/M9.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Without question the original vintage Leica MP. Followed very closely by the M2. - in Black Paint.

 

The MP + Leicavit MP = Definitive Iconic M LEGEND

 

M2, because it was the first M with a 35mm frameline - adopted by photojournalists worldwide. Also usable with the Leicavit MP. And its military KS14(4) was the first to employ the quickload film system, re-incarnated into the M2R.

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  • 2 weeks later...

M2 beyond any reasonable doubt.

 

It works, it has "clean lines". It is used as an icon for the iPhone. If you dream about a camera this is what it looks like.

 

The best part of the M2 is that it grows on you. Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

 

The M3 is the M8 of previous times, close but not quite. I still love my M8 admittedly, it is also iconic being the first digital M.

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