Lens mount introduced in 1954
This article is about the Leica M lens mount system. For the Leica M digital camera (released in September 2012), see
Leica M (Typ 240) .
Leica M mount Type Bayonet External diameter 44 mm Tabs 4 Flange 27.8 mm Connectors Focal lens indicator for frame selection in the viewfinder
The Leica M mount is a camera lens mount introduced in 1954 with the Leica M3 , and a range of lenses . It has been used on all the Leica M-series cameras and certain accessories (e.g. Visoflex reflex viewing attachment) up to the current film Leica M-A and digital Leica M11 cameras.
This lens mount has also been used by Epson , Ricoh , Minolta , Konica , Cosina Voigtländer , Rollei , Carl Zeiss AG and Rollei Fototechnic on some of their cameras.[ 1]
Overview
The Leica M mount was introduced in 1954 at that year's Photokina show, with the Leica M3 as its first camera. The 'M' stands for Messsucher or rangefinder in German. This new camera abandoned the M39 lens mount in favour of a new bayonet mount. The bayonet mount allowed lenses to be changed more quickly and made the fitting more secure. Other innovations introduced by the M3 included a single window for the viewfinder (for composition ) and the rangefinder (for focusing ). With a double-stroke film advance lever (later models have a single-stroke lever). The M3 was a success and over 220,000 units were sold, by the time production ended in 1966. It remains the best-selling M mount camera ever made. The M3 uses 135 film (or 35 mm film), with the canister being loaded behind a detachable bottom plate. The M3 was followed by many other M mount cameras, released over 40 years, with many of the basic concepts remaining in these designs. With the introduction of the Through-the-lens metering (TTL) in the Leica M5 and the digital Leica M8 being the most notable innovations since then.[ 2]
The lenses for the M mount were also introduced in 1954 and were based on the earlier M39 thread mount. Almost all M mount lenses are Prime lenses . These lenses are divided by Leica based on their maximum aperture number (also known as f-number ). They are distinguished by their names:[ 2]
M mount female part of the bayonet on a Leica M3 body. The mechanical sensor seen inside the top of the mount is the rangefinder coupling arm
M mount male part of the bayonet on the Leica Elmar 90mm f /4 .
The Leica M3
shutter speed dial, film advance lever,
shutter button and the frame counter.
The Leica M3 ASA dial, purely decorative reminder of the
Film speed showing DIN and ASA comparison dial.
Leica "red dot" logo.
M Mount camera bodies
Film cameras
Image
Name
Year
Exposure
Notes
Leica M3
1954–1966
Manual
• First bayonet M mount camera
• 220,000 produced in Germany
Leica M2
1957–1968
Manual
• Around 82,000 produced in Germany
• Around 1,500 produced in Canada
Leica M1
1959–1964
Manual
• Around 9,431 produced
Leica M4
1964–1975
Manual
• Redesigned film loading and film winding
• Introduction of the "red dot"
• Versions: Leica MDa, Leica M4-2, Leica M4-P
Leica M5
1971–1975
Manual TTL metering
• Redesigned body
• First M mount with electronic Through-the-lens metering (TTL)
Leica M6
1984–2002, 2022–present[ 3]
Manual TTL metering
• Basically the M4 with TTL metering
• Leica M6 (1984–1998)
• Leica M6 TTL (1998–2002): Better viewfinder and electronic flash capability
Leica M7
2002–2018
Manual TTL metering Aperture priority semi-automatic
• Electronically controlled, requires battery to operate fully
• Electronic shutter control and semi-automatic mode
Leica MP
2003–present
Manual TTL metering
• Vintage design
• Removal of the "red dot"
Leica M-A [ 4]
2014–present
Manual
• Rerelease of the M3 design
• Manual exposure only
Digital cameras
Professional
Image
Name
Year
Sensor
Notes
Leica M8 [ 5]
2006–2009
10 megapixel CCD sensor, APS-H size
• Second digital M mount camera
• 3936 x 2630 max resolution
• 2.5″ inch screen
Leica M9 [ 6]
2009–2012
18 megapixel full-frame CCD sensor
• First full-frame digital M mount camera
• 5212 x 3472 max resolution
• 2.5″ inch screen
Leica M9-P [ 7]
2011–2012
18 megapixel full-frame CCD sensor
• Removal of the "red dot", otherwise same as the Leica M9
• 5212 x 3472 max resolution
• 2.5″ inch screen with sapphire crystal LCD glass
Leica M (Typ 240) [ 8]
2012–2017
24 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
• 5952 x 3976 max resolution
• 3″ inch screen
• Capable of capturing Full HD 1080p video
Leica M-P (Typ 240) [ 9]
2014–2017
24 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
• Removal of the "red dot" and 2GB of RAM, otherwise same as the Leica M (Typ 240)
• 5952 x 3976 max resolution
• 3″ inch screen with sapphire crystal LCD glass
• Capable of capturing Full HD 1080p video
Leica M10 [ 10]
2017–present
24 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
• 5952 x 3992 max resolution
• 3″ inch screen
• Wi-Fi capability
Leica M10-P [ 11]
2018–2022
24 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
• Removal of the "red dot", adding touch screen and quieter shutter, otherwise same as the Leica M10
• 5952 x 3992 max resolution
• 3″ inch screen
• Wi-Fi capability
Leica M11
2022–present
60 megapixel full-frame BSI-CMOS sensor
• 9528 x 6328 max resolution
• 3″ inch screen
• No removable bottom plate
• 64Gb of internal memory
Entry-Level
Image
Name
Year
Sensor
Notes
Leica M-E (Typ 220) [ 12]
2012–2015
18 megapixel CCD sensor
• 5212 x 3472 Max resolution
• 2.5″ inch screen
Leica M (Typ 262) [ 13]
2015–2019
24 megapixel CMOS sensor
• 5952 x 3976 Max resolution
• 3″ inch screen
Leica M-E (Typ 240) [ 14]
2019–present
24 megapixel CMOS sensor
• 5976 x 3992 Max resolution
• 3″ inch screen
• Capable of capturing Full HD 1080 video
Monochrom
Image
Name
Year
Sensor
Notes
Leica M Monochrom [ 15]
2012–2015
18 megapixel CCD sensor
• 5212 x 3472 Max resolution
• 2.5″ inch screen
• Black-and-white version of the M9
Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) [ 16]
2015–2020
24 megapixel CMOS sensor
• 5952 x 3968 Max resolution
• 3″ inch screen with sapphire crystal LCD glass
• Black-and-white version of the M (Typ 240)
• Capable of capturing Full HD 1080 video
Leica M10 Monochrom [ 17]
2020–present
41 megapixel CMOS sensor
• 7864 x 5200 Max resolution
• 3" inch screen TFT LCD monitor
• Black-and-white version of the M10
• Dedicated ISO dial with ISO 160 to ISO 100.000
No display
Image
Name
Year
Sensor
Notes
Leica M-D (Typ 262) [ 18]
2016–2018
24 megapixel CMOS sensor
• No Rear LCD Screen
• The only control on the body is via the shutter speed and ISO dials
Leica M10-D [ 19]
2018–present
24 megapixel CMOS sensor
• 7840 x 5184 Max resolution
• No Rear LCD Screen
Increased resolution
Image
Name
Year
Sensor
Notes
Leica M10-R [ 20]
2020–present
40 megapixel CMOS sensor
• 3" inch screen TFT LCD monitor
• The only control on the body is via the shutter speed and ISO dials
Other manufacturers
M mount lenses
Summary of Leica M lenses
Speed
Name
21mm
24mm
28mm
35mm
50mm
75mm
90mm
135mm
f /5.6
Summaron
Y
f /4.0
Super-Angulon
Y
Macro Elmar
Y
Elmar
Y
Y
Tele-Elmar
Y
Tri-Elmar ASPH
16-18-21mm
28-35-50mm
f /3.8
Elmar ASPH.
Y
f /3.5
Summaron
Y
f /3.4
Super-Elmar ASPH.
Y
Apo-Telyt
Y
f /2.8
Elmar
Y
Elmarit
Y
Y
Y
Y
Elmarit ASPH.
Y
Y
Y
Tele-Elmarit
Y
f /2.5
Summarit
Y
Y
Y
Y
f /2
Summicron
Y
Y
Y
Summicron ASPH.
Y
Y
APO Summicron
Y
Y
Y
Y
f /1.4
Summilux
Y
Y
Y
Summilux ASPH.
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
f /1.25
Noctilux ASPH.
Y
f /1.2
Noctilux
Y
Noctilux ASPH
Y
f /1
Noctilux
Y
f /0.95
Noctilux ASPH.
Y
Other manufacturers
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Leica M .
References
External links
Mechanical |
Mechanical TTL | Electronic Controlled Shutter TTL
Digital types: M = Professional |
ME = Entry level |
MM = Monochrom |
MD = No display
MR = Increased resolution
CCD sensor |
CMOS sensor |
Video capabilities