I would like to have some information on the Leica MD. I've searched other websites (i.e. Cameraquest, etc.) but haven't found any. How is it compared to the M6?

-- Ronald R. Gregorio (gregorio@ksc.th.com), September 29, 2000

Answers

Ronald, if you try this link (I hope it works) you will find a (very) short description of the MD on Erwin Puts site:

Choose an M

-- Peter Olsson (peter.olsson@lulebo.se), September 29, 2000.

Ron

I think the MD was a "scientific" M-body with no viewfinder or rangefinder - it was designed mainly for photomicrography. In other words you cannot take photos with it unless you have separate viewfinders. It is one for the collectors only I think.

-- Robin Smith (rsmith@springer-ny.com), September 29, 2000.

The MD is based on the M2 body but without the viewfinder. It would make a good Visoflex or uncoupled wideangle body. It has a knob rewind, the slow older loading with the separate take-up spool and manually reset frame counter. The MDa is also viewfinderless but based on the M4 with its improved loading, rewinding and automatic frame counter. The MD-2 is based on the M4-2 so it gains a hot shoe. Last is the very rare MD-22 which is the same as the MD-2 but uses a half frame format for 72 pictures on a roll. Personally I would buy the M6.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@home.com), September 29, 2000.

Another unique thing about this camera was that in a way, it had the first "data Back". It was not too fast to use, but there was a bottom plate that allowed the user to insert a transparent strip, which you wrote on, which would then be contact printed on the film. You could write anything you wanted... exposure, dates, locations... But it must have been bad when you forgot to remove it, thus ruining potentially great shots with narrative.

Leave this one to the collectors... get the M6

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), September 29, 2000.

Thanks everyone.

-- Ron Gregorio (gregorio@ksc.th.com), October 02, 2000.