The black chrome version is really stealthy and inconspicuous while the silver chrome version is a beauty to behold in itself but maybe a bit more conspicuous. The black chrome version of the Leica M-A has no inscriptions on the top plate of the camera whereas the silver chrome version has the classic ‘Leica’ inscription on the top. Well to start it is available in two different finishes. So what is there to write about when the camera is reduced to the essentials as much as the Leica M-A? So as much as I like to write about the camera, it is easier and more informative to write about the whole process of using a Leica M-A, from my personal choice of film to shooting and developing. It is probably the only Leica camera introduced in the last few years that will still work in 100 years. With the build quality you expect from Leica.
It is just a damn good, but very simple rangefinder camera. But with the M-A there is not much to write about. Now normally I would start writing about the camera and all the features or qualities. It has a 0.72x magnification viewfinder again like most film M cameras. It features a cloth shutter with speeds of 1 til 1/1000th of a second and a ‘bulb’ mode that keeps the shutter open as long as you keep the shutter release button pressed just like most film M cameras have done. The camera feels like any other M film camera Leica has ever made with the M5 as an exception.
It is a fully mechanical rangefinder camera and it is the cheapest ‘M’ series camera Leica sells new today. The camera features no electronic parts whatsoever, no light meter or electronically controlled shutter like for example the M7 has. Leica their newest fully mechanical rangefinder camera. In this article I will be writing about the Leica M-A (Typ 127).