Why this Underrated Leica is my Favorite M Film Camera

[@ronnieolofsson9920]

The M2! Three clean feamelines, buildquality like M3, takes 35 mm and even 28 with a twist. The 135mm you recomend are fantastic!

[@btonelli]

Yes the M2 is a favorite for many for the versatility. Yeah the 135 is a sleeper lens. Awesome to shoot with

[@MashkProd]

For nothing i’d change my M2 😍so in love with

[@btonelli]

Great to hear! M2 are really nice

[@IntrovertAmateur]

I am still very grateful for your time replying back to me on your original MP video this year although it was there already quite "old" video. Your realistic approach about the MP being a potential jewelry and that you sold it to fund your dog's surgery (thank god she is still doing well until today!) really gave me a realistic view on purchasing an MP, although I already owned the M3 (totally agree with you on this btw) and the M6. That being said a few months ago I pulled the trigger, because I found a very good deal second hand from a dealer which was way below market price. Since then I really enjoy my MP blackpaint and always remember your advise with the history of your dog. I will do my own Leica MP video in the new year and if you don't mind I would like to recite your video and the comment you wrote me which sealed the deal for me to purchase my MP. I wish you, your partner and your dog all the best and Happy New Year! Glad I discovered your channel this year and am really enjoying your content! I'm mostly here for your Leica stuff, but here and there I also tune into your other camera videos :) Keep rocking Bobby, your work is really amazing!

[@btonelli]

Thank you for the kind words and congrats on the MP! Sure please can you share what I said. Thank you for the kind words for my dog really appreciate it 🙏😊

[@vanandpillai9424]

Thank you for sharing this video and your perspectives. The M6 Classic is the first and only film camera I own. When I first got it and loaded my first roll of film, everything came out blank. I learned the hard way, but now I always double-check that the film is loaded properly and that the rewind knob turns. After using a film camera frequently, i started to develop a sense of when everything is aligned, and that’s when the magic happens. :) Happy New Year!

[@btonelli]

@@vanandpillai9424 thanks for watching. I’ve had a few of those rolls happen. Especially with the M5 at first. Happy New Year!

[@jeromearnould9940]

Nice video and good choice for the M7 ... I have few Leicas : M3, M6 ... but my most used film camera is the Zeiss Ikon ZM ... very close to the M7 with aperture priority, but 1/2000 sec shutter speed and much bigger and brighter viewfinder with 28 35 50 and 85 frame lines, flash synch @1/125 plus fast loding system with a back open door and full compatible with all the very nice M lenses ... so my go to film camera...

[@btonelli]

The Zeiss Is a solid camera and I wish the Leica film cameras also went above 1000 shutter speed.

[@tonym9635]

IMO, I think the M4 is the best Leica film camera, it's stripped down to the essentials. No meters, no frills, just a rangefinder and a mechanical heart (lol). I would like a M7 so maybe that's the next Leica on my list. Great video as always.

[@btonelli]

M4 is a solid camera no question. I’m a fan of the M4-P

[@jaxytvids]

I love shooting my M4. I was out with it today and took my M10 along as well. I was blown away by how much brighter the M4 viewfinder is. Going back to the M10 felt like I was looking through a dirty cloth every time. Viva la M4!

[@tonym9635]

@ lol lol so true, looking through the viewfinder of my M4 feel like it’s been permanently clean with Windex, only my M8 comes close.

[@jacobh5817]

Absolutely love my M7, but the M4-P is a gem as well. I sold my M6-Jubilee edition 10y ago, much to my regret afterwards. That made me decide not to sell another M ever again. All other cameras may go, but the M stays. One exception to that is my OM-1. The camera my father bought me for my birthday in 1974. The camera that got me into professional photography. It’s been on many hiking/climbing trips but is still working flawlessly.

[@btonelli]

Ohh the jubilee. What a camera!! I’ve been eyeing a M4-P in silver. Maybe one day.

[@songchangeun]

I have probably have used tens and tens of M cameras in the past,,,, and I can agree on the fact that I like and use the most,,, the M7... My favorite its the M7 a la carte in black paint.. The best part about M7 is that the internal meter and the shutter speed in the A mode works at a third of a stop increments,, as compared to half stop in the MP and M6.. This makes the M7 the most accurate M camera to use with slide films, where nailing the exposure is of immense importance.

[@btonelli]

@@songchangeun agree. Wow M7 black paint would be a dream version

[@Reportageandart]

The M7 is my fav M as well for usability 👍🏼

[@bubbachua]

Dearly missed leica talks with Bobby, wishing you an awesome 2025 with health and success in all you do ❤

[@btonelli]

@@bubbachua thank you and likewise. Happy New Year!

[@0.sit.0]

I've owned 2 M6s and sold them both, and I've used most leicas but I found out the M5 is my absolute favorite and I love mine to death, might get a second one

[@btonelli]

M5 gets a lot of unwanted hate but such a solid camera

[@antonyhands5662]

Hi Bobby, just had my early M7 CLA’d by Leica in the last month, including the MP viewfinder upgrade. Unfortunately you can NO LONGER GET THE DX UPGRADE. I lodged the camera and was quoted the price for the upgrade (it is no longer free) but was advised after a few weeks by Leica Customer Service that Wetzlar no longer has the parts for the upgrade. I wasn’t too worried as the cost was quoted as the Australian equivalent of US$500. After a CLA my DX reader did however stop the occasional glitching. Love the M7, and hanging alongside an M10 they look the same to the casual observer, and the shooting experience is virtually identical.

[@btonelli]

Damn this isn’t good news. I was going to send mine in to do it.

[@robbiesumantri]

I want an m2 dude… Sounds like a great idea. Hope you get an MP back in the collection soon.

[@btonelli]

@@robbiesumantri M2 also nice!

[@christopherli135]

M3 was the best M ever made in my opinion. I've gone through the M6 and M4, but everything about thr M screams perfection.

[@btonelli]

I have a big soft spot for the M3. So many things perfect about it

[@crispin8888]

Happy New Year slightly in advance. I have an M7 and, in many ways, it's one of the most convenient M cameras, and especially for fast lenses, but at other times I enjoy the surprising results from an M2, M3 or M4 and the Sunny Sixteen Rule.

[@btonelli]

Yes definitely the most convenient. Yes it’s fun to go sunny 16 with the older ones

[@bsmukler]

It’s great to hear your view of the various analog M cameras, but for me the highlight of the video was hearing about selling your MP to fund your dog’s surgery, and seeing how great and sweet she looked afterward.

[@btonelli]

@@bsmukler Thank you. Cameras are fun but nothing replaces the health of our loved ones

[@bsmukler]

That’s exactly right, and how one treats his or her furry (or feathered, or whatever) companions says a lot about one’s character.

[@btonelli]

@ she is our baby girl. Always will be :)

[@JohanKhoo]

got to agree with you about the M7

[@btonelli]

@@JohanKhoo yeah it’s a great camera. Really enjoy the ease of use with it

[@thedarkslide]

Happy New Year, Bobby. It sucks that you had to sell your MP. My sympathies.

[@btonelli]

@@thedarkslide Happy New Year! It’s okay, it’s only a camera. For my dog to walk without pain was well worth it.

[@filipbaumgartner4258]

Of course I pick my M 2❤

[@Luna-ne3dq]

The M5, I love the way the M5 looks and the face that most people dislike it means that the price of an M5 is much cheaper than say, an M6. I don't own a leica though closest thing I own is a Canon 7 with a Leica m39 lens

[@btonelli]

@@Luna-ne3dq the M5 is a hidden gem. Yes the prices are very good especially now.

[@user-sg6xv2kb8s]

Your enthusiasm for Leica comes across in this. That's some collection. Should have called the video Leica collectors' treasure-trove or some such. 😊

[@btonelli]

Thank you 🙏 I really enjoy the history of leica and what they brought to the world of photography.

[@marcgilles4520]

Please do a video on the Leica R9. I’m hunting for one now, I’d love to see a video on it.

[@btonelli]

@@marcgilles4520 ok 👍

[@iamhassan9943]

One day I will own a Leica. Just not sure which one. The M10/11 or Q3 43 are at the top of the list. Maybe a used SL3 in a couple years.

[@btonelli]

All are great choices. Find the one that fits your budget and speaks to you the most.

[@dothewubwub]

What is the working title of the movie you were working on? Love the camera collection.

[@btonelli]

The film title is Gayong. Thanks!

[@qnetx]

I enjoy my M4-P. It is like having an M6 without the meter.

[@btonelli]

I always wanted to get a silver M4-P. Maybe one day

[@peetje28021970]

If I’m correct both the m6ttl and m7 turn the same direction on the shutter dial.

[@btonelli]

The motto? Sorry not understanding

[@peetje28021970]

@@btonellitypo, sorry. The m6 TTL

[@btonelli]

@ ah yes and no. The M7 will continue to turn even after auto, The M6TTL stops at off. Small thing but in terms of shutter dial they do turn similarly

[@lensman5762]

There is no such thing as underrated Leica. As a Long time Leica owner, I am sad to say that leica M cameras and lenses have been hyped up beyond anything imaginable in the last five years or so. Just use and enjoy what you have. BTW, in the old times the average Leica owner would only have one or at most two lenses for his camera. This phenomenon of people carrying a bagful of Leica M lenses is a rather modern one, and the 50mm was the focal length of choice. That is why the M3 was optimised for the 50mm focal length.

[@btonelli]

Agree. 50 is what most people used and created amazing images with. Like you said, now it’s different. Part of this hype I think also keeps Leica unique in the camera market. Not many can talk about a history like they can.

[@jacobh5817]

I still love to carry the classic reporter set, 35mm and 75mm. If that’s too much, I’ll just take the 50-Lux.

[@btonelli]

@ these three lenses are all lost people need. The rest is for fun haha

[@lensman5762]

@@btonelli You are correct, although I would argue that Zeiss is rather an older optical company, and with the Japanese Nikon is probably the oldest from 1919.

[@lensman5762]

@@jacobh5817 That is exactly what I carry. In fact I detest having to change lenses on any Leica M cameras of mine, film or digital.

[@dlyon9673]

I think its great you sold the MP to get surgery for your dog. No knock on MP's, just very pro dog. Will Leica still repair M7's? I've always been scared off by their electronics. I'm a big fan of the barnack's, e.g., IIIg, IIIf, etc. for their small size, and like the M2 for its multiple frame lines.

[@peetje28021970]

He said they do in the video.

[@btonelli]

Thanks. Cameras are great to own, but the wellbeing of our pets takes priority. Yes Leica still repairs the M7. They have all the parts still, just takes them longer as it’s a more complex camera

[@RobertFalconer1967]

Biased towards the M3. That viewfinder! But if you shoot the 35mm focal length, then the M4; more frame lines and the last M body to use brass internals. But I do get the advantage of having semi-automatic aperture priority at times. It can make all the difference when you *have* to work quickly.

[@btonelli]

Yeah the aperture priority just makes the process easier. Haven’t tried an M4 yet.

[@RobertFalconer1967]

@@btonelli M4 is essentially a better built M6 without a meter. No offense to M6 owners. It's just that after the M4, Leica started replacing brass gears with other materials, and the M4's brass top and bottom plates were replaced with zinc when the M4-P debuted. It's why the M4 often gets called "the last of the best and the best of the last."

[@ofeykalakar1]

@@RobertFalconer1967the early M4-Ps are also brass. The later model with the flush viewfinder bezels were zinc. The same is the case for the M4-2. The special edition 1983 70th anniversary M4-Ps are also brass. The current M6 and special edition M6’s like the millennium edition M6 are brass and similar to the MP.

[@RobertFalconer1967]

@@ofeykalakar1 Correct, early M4-Ps used brass top and bottom plates, but the internal gearing mechanisms were no longer using brass. The M4 was the last M camera to use both brass top and bottom plates and hand selected brass internal gears that were matched perfectly to each other. After that Leica moved to steel gears.

[@Weezot97]

Zeiss-Ikon ZM... aperture priority, manual, better viewfinder, easier film loading, higher top shutter speed, more affordable, takes M lenses...😃

[@btonelli]

@@Weezot97 haha can say the same for the Hexar too, but both aren’t Leica :)

[@Weezot97]

@@btonelli Yup! I get it... always enjoy your content... Cheers!

[@jasontaycs7195]

I wish Leica brought back the 0.58x viewfinder. Almost all the Ms are unusable for 28mm shooters with glasses.

[@btonelli]

@@jasontaycs7195 personally not my preferred viewfinder but I know a number of people that like it

[@physiocrat7143]

M2

[@btonelli]

A favourite among many

[@mikegiacobbe7758]

Good Video How can I get .95 Shirt.

[@btonelli]

@@mikegiacobbe7758 thanks. I got it from Leica Wetzlar store a couple years ago

[@delicatospagozo3781]

You sold your M-P because your dog needed surgery? Can I subscribe to your channel twice? ❤ Best of wishes for 2025, Bobby.

[@btonelli]

@@delicatospagozo3781 a camera no matter how beautiful it is, won’t match the love I have for my girl. Happy New Year!

[@delicatospagozo3781]

@@btonelli Sounds like you have your priorities straight. :)

[@mkiv20v]

11:11 🤔

[@suyaymi6784]

Kooss