Image byThe Leica M2 is one of two very bare bones Leica cameras on this list. While Leica first made screw mount cameras, this was one of the first that the company produced that had the M mount as we know it today. Image byAs the most affordable Leica camera on this list, it can be argued that the Leica CL isn’t a true Leica. It was made in collaboration with Minolta and accepted Leica M mount lenses.
It’s significantly smaller than all of the film Leica cameras and as a result has a single weird feature–the shutter dial isn’t right on top of the camera, it’s on the front. This makes the operation a bit strange, but you can adapt to it.The Leica CL was the most affordable Leica ILC camera ever made, and today it’s still pretty fairly priced.If you’re lucky enough to get it with the beautiful 40mm f2 pancake lens that it was originally bundled with, then hold onto it for dear life. That lens is still considered one of the sharpest and best looking from the company.The Leica CL has a meter built-in, but fixing it can be a headache and very expensive because of the fact that it’s pretty complicated. If yours isn’t working anymore, revert back to the old Sunny 16 methods.If you want to try to do it yourself though, here’s a video.
But be careful. Image by the Japan Camera HunterThe Leica M6 is another camera that many photographers swear.
The distinctive thumb rest of the new Leica Q2 and the sophisticated diamond pattern of its leather trim ensure optimum grip and highlight the symbiosis of function and form. Also new is the camera’s uniquely intuitive handling concept, following refined design language cues established from its brethren in the Leica M10 and Leica CL families. Sliding the thumb rest into the accessory shoe enhances the ergonomics of the Leica CL-silver. With the thumb pressed up against the thumb rest, the camera can be held much more steadily and is easier to handle. It makes single-handed shooting much steadier and enables the use of longer shutter speeds without the risk of camera shake.
![Rest Rest](http://www.slack.co.uk/images/s1070988-edit.jpg?crc=4223229867)
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It features great construction, has most of the shutter speeds you really want, and various frame lines to keep you happy once you build a collection of lenses. The M6 has a pretty simple to read light meter that tells you when you’re over or underexposed though not by how much the way that SLR cameras do.The Leica M6 is very highly sought after for one very big reason: reliability. The M7, which succeeds it, needs a battery to function. But the M6 works completely mechanically with the exception of the light meter.Though many photographers would say that this isn’t a first Leica camera, it is if you pledge to yourself that you’re never going to purchase another one.