Leica MP Review. Worth it? (Why I returned my MP)

After buying a Leica MP 0.72 film camera I ask myself, is a Leica MP worth it? I’m not sure if “MP” stands for “Mega Pricey” or “Mechanical Perfection” but both seem true!  This Leica MP review includes Leica MP camera comparisons, why I returned my MP and then why I bought another 12 months later.  (I know we normally buy Leica with our hearts not our brains but feelings and spontaneity are difficult to measure!)

*Article covers Leica MP FILM camera. See here for digital Leica MP 240

What is a Leica MP film camera?

The Leica MP film camera is a 35mm film rangefinder camera released in 2003 and follows the Leica M7.  Unlike the Leica M7, the Leica MP only requires a battery for the light meter and is a fully mechanical camera.  The design of the Leica MP is influenced by the classic Leica M2 and M3 and also by later cameras such as the Leica M6.  Let’s look at the specifics.

Leica M-P vs Leica MP

When I first started searching online for Leica MP I kept getting listings for a “Leica M-P”. What is the difference, Leica MP vs Leica M-P? The Leica MP film camera is what we cover in this article. Leica M-P is short for Leica MP Typ 240 which is a digital Leica M camera and a sibling to the popular Leica M240 I used for many years.

If you see a cheap listing for a Leica MP it is likely the digital version not the 35mm film camera so just double check before clicking buy!

Leica MP 0.72

The exact Leica M film camera that I bought was a silver chrome Leica MP 0.72 which is the standard viewfinder version. Most Leica M film cameras have a 0.72x magnification viewfinder excluding the Leica M3 (0.91x) and special models. Digital cameras like the Leica M10-P also has a 0.72x which was improved from the 0.68x finder in the Leica M240 / Leica M262.

3 Leica MP viewfinder options – 0.85 / 0.58 / 0.72

Did you know that there are 3 different Leica MP viewfinder options? If you buy a new Leica MP film camera today you are limited to only one, the Leica MP 0.72 like I bought. Previously Leica made a Leica MP 0.58 and a Leica MP 0.85.

The Leica MP 0.58 was designed for photographers that wear glasses and want to be able to see the 28mm framelines. This viewfinder lacks the 135mm frameline. In contrast, the Leica MP 0.85 has a more magnified viewfinder which is the next best option after a Leica M3 for ease of accurately focusing fast lenses. Leica MP 0.85 cameras lack a 28mm frameline.

As a photographer that photographs models/ portraits I use fast 50mm lenses. If I had a choice I would get the Leica MP 0.85. (Update – See below – I later bought a Leica M7 0.85 and then Leica MP 0.85 as a result).

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Leica MP vs Leica M2

Common features of the Leica MP and Leica M2 include –

• Single metal piece film advance lever 
• Knurled pull up film rewind knob
• 0.72x viewfinder / rangefinder
• Parallax corrected finder for accurate framing
• Viewfinder thread diameter for diopters/ 1.4x mag
• Silver chrome design (or black paint for MP)
• No Leica red dot logo
• Leica script engraved on top plate (different design)
• Iconic Leica M form factor
• Leica M bayonet lens mount
• 0.7m close focus distance (MFD)
• Similar weight – 585g vs 560g 

Improvements over the Leica M2 include –

• Additional frame lines (similar to Leica M4-P)
• Automatic frame counter (similar to Leica M3)
• Can now use flash without cables (like M4-P)
• 1/4″ offset tripod socket verses older 3/8″
• Perhaps 50-70 years newer depending on age

YouTube – Leica M2 vs Leica MP vs Leica M3

In this video I show the vintage Leica M3 and Leica M2 cameras compared to a modern Leica MP. (All you need to know) –

Leica MP vs Leica M6

Common features of the Leica MP and Leica M6 include the following –

• 3 pairs of frame lines – 28/90mm, 35/135mm, 50/75mm
• Hotshoe to fire flash without PC sync cable
• Built in incident light meter
• 2 arrows and a dot meter indicators (Leica M6 TTL)
• Battery is only required for light meter (unlike M7)
• 2x LR44 or 1x CR1/3N 3V
• Quick film loading design (no take-up spool)

Why did I buy a Leica MP?

When I teach my Leica workshops most of my students have either Leica M11-P (which made me want those)(see my Leica M10-M10-P conversion) and or Leica MP film cameras.  These cameras always look so good and they are something I’d never owned. 

As a Leica blogger and so called Leica expert, I like to have experience with as many of the Leica cameras and lenses as possible.  This way I can help students and Patreons plus photographers who write to me.  (That was my excuse for the purchase so I’m sticking to it!)

It was an accident!

As with many of my photography purchases the Leica MP was not planned. I saw this silver chrome Leica MP by complete accident in a UK online store while collecting data for a blog post.  I thought the price was low compared to what I expected so I rang the store and bought it.  It seemed too good to miss! (Yes I suffer from photography GAS!)

Used Leica are low risk

The beauty with buying used film cameras is you can always sell a Leica M film camera for a similar price to what you paid. I’m much happier buying film cameras (especially Leica) compared to digital. (I say that but digital Leica M cameras have been holding their prices amazingly well and even going up in some instances over the last few years). 

Renting a Leica MP camera

Buying Leica M cameras used is like cheap camera rental when you do the maths.  Buy a Leica MP camera at a good price second hand, enjoy it for a year or two and sell it for perhaps a few hundred pounds less (at worst). That’s the same cost as renting a premium camera for £100 pounds A YEAR. 

This only works if you find a good deal and don’t trash your camera but if you buy smart you can even make money on the transaction.  It doesn’t get better than this so that’s why I don’t mind putting my money into cameras rather than the bank.  It’s better to have assets you can enjoy than just on paper, right!

Buying a Leica as a milestone

Although I buy Leica cameras as working tools they are in fact luxury items. Sometimes people want to treat themselves to an expensive purchase to mark a milestone or achievement in their life. Perhaps you just got a new job and instead of treating yourself to a nice watch you buy a Leica instead.

For those looking to buy a nice camera that you’ve worked so hard for you likely want to buy new not used. In 2024 you will have 3 options for new Leica M film cameras.

New Leica film cameras in 2025

If you want to buy a new Leica M film camera you currently have 3 options:

• Leica MP – with light meter + retro M2/M3 design
• Leica M-A – no meter + retro design of M2/M3
• Leica M6 re-issue – with light meter & red dot

Leica MP black paint (or silver chrome)

One big factor when deciding which new Leica M film camera you want to buy is the paint finish. Not all cameras come in all finishes so you have to make a decision. Your choices are:

• Leica MP – black paint or silver chrome (no red dot)
• Leica M-A – black chrome or silver chrome (no red dot)
• Leica M6 re-issue – black chrome with red dot

Leica MP silver chrome

I liked the idea of the Leica MP silver chrome version as it looks like a modern classic and like my Leica M3 and Leica M2. The silver chrome finish is also great for not showing the marks and the camera can stay looking like new for years.

The lust for black paint Leica MP

Some photographers love the idea of buying a nice shiny black paint Leica MP in mint condition as they just look very bling. I too love the look until I see every fingerprint on the shiny black paint finish.

Black chrome and silver chrome Leica M cameras are much better for not showing marks so that’s why I went for silver. (My practical brain won over my emotional brain sadly).

Leica MP brassing

One mindset for buying a nice black paint Leica MP is photographers might love the idea of adding brassing as they use the camera. The more you go out and take photos the more the camera brasses and it’s a unique wear pattern from how you hold the camera.

I must take my hat off to Leica as this is a very romantic way to sell a camera. It’s a great way to flip a negative (my paint has worn off already) into a positive (unique beautiful patina effect).

Vintage look from brassing

I’m definitely not against brassing and the patina definitely gives cameras a more vintage look instantly. My beloved black paint 1930s Leica Barnack cameras have very nice brassing and Light Lens Lab were even selling some of their lenses with a pre-brassed look that I think looks fantastic. See my vintage camera with brand new LLL lens combo below.

The brassing effect can look beautiful but I prefer the more subtle wear that you see on black chrome Leica M cameras such as my Leica M4-P (and my Leica M10 before it got upgraded). Black chrome (or silver chrome) just looks smarter for longer and I like that.

Leica lens reviews for your Leica MP

What lens should you get for your Leica MP camera? Some photographers believe that if you buy a Leica MP camera you must use Leica lenses. I totally get this rationale especially if it is a dream purchase or milestone marker.

It would probably feel wrong to buy the nice camera and then “cheap out” on a non-Leica lens. In watch terms, it’s perhaps like buying a nice Rolex Oyster Perpetual or Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra, and then fitting a cheap-looking budget fake leather strap! (I only have Seiko watches so far!)

For me, cameras are more like tools so I’m more interested in the rendering, size and price of a lens than the lens brand. If you’ve seen my YouTube videos and extensive lens reviews here on the blog I use any brand Leica M mount lens (or LTM lens via a screw mount to M mount adapter).

When you are only buying one lens then yes if you can afford it perhaps try to get a Leica lens for the experience. If you’re like me, once you’ve shot with all the different lenses you then settle on those lenses you enjoy the most, regardless of the brand.

Lens options – many!

Lens brands I enjoy using include Leica, Voigtlander, Zeiss, Light Lens Lab, Thypoch, 7Artisans, TTArtisan and more. I know not everyone approves of Chinese companies making lenses for Leica but not all lenses are made equally (more below).

For Leica film cameras I prefer lenses that are sharper and more modern (which is offset by the softer and more vintage look of film). For digital Leica cameras I prefer softer more vintage rendering to make digital less digital.

On Leica M cameras such as the Leica MP, ideally I prefer smaller lenses and usually in the 28mm-90mm range. My current go-to 50mm lens as a compact walkabout lens is the Thypoch Eureka 50mm f2 collapsible – see video. It’s sharp enough for film wide open and both small and lightweight.

(For digital Leica cameras my choice is the Light Lens Lab 50mm f2 Elcan replica as it’s a softer more arty lens shot wide open – see video). (Also very compact for a 50mm lens).

Chinese lenses for Leica

When I buy lenses I take them at face value and don’t look at the politics or broader view. I’m a huge fan of Light Lens Lab who remake classic Leica lenses to a very similar specification. Other Chinese brands often try to copy the exterior design of a Leica lens but use a completely different optical formula.

Regardless of where these lens companies are based, as no European company stepped forward to remake forgotten Leica lenses, I for one am very grateful. Light Lens Lab now give us access to near replicas of rare overpriced vintage Leica lenses that were previously out of reach. I own the LLL Elcan 50mm f2, LLL “1966” 50mm f1.2 and LLL 35mm f2 8-Element and give each of these rave reviews.

For completeness, I should mention Thypoch who are a new lens company that sprung up in 2024. Thypoch are another Chinese company that started making Leica M mount lenses but they are different to the existing brands. This is how I see the 4 major Chinese brands who make Leica M mount lenses –

• Light Lens Lab make as-close-as-possible premium replicas of collectable expensive Leica lenses.
• Thypoch don’t try to make exact replica lenses like LLL but their Thypoch Eureka 50mm f2 lens and Simera lenses are influenced by vintage lenses.
• TTArtisan made their copy of the Leica Summaron 28mm f5.6 which I love but normally they don’t replicate Leica lenses so directly.
• 7Artisans design the outside of many of their lenses to copy the styling of Leica M lenses but optically they are different.

Best lens for Leica MP?

In conclusion for lenses, when it comes to the best lens for your Leica MP, first decide what is your favourite focal length. Are you a 50mm guy or 35mm gal? Once you know your focal length next decide what aperture you need. Do you shoot everything at f8 or sunny 16? If yes, there is absolutely no point paying the high price tag of fast Leica Noctilux or Summilux lenses.

Fast lenses are bigger, heavier and more expensive so I only use these when I want to shoot at or close to wide open. If I’m going to be stopping down I prefer to use the smaller slower lenses such as f2.8 or f2, depending on the focal length/ lenses available. I find f2 is often a great sweet spot as a walkabout lens or “EDC” (every day carry). See my many lens reviews for specific lens options.

Is a Leica camera for life?

One mindset some photographers have is they want to buy a camera that will outlast them and can be passed onto their children.  In these instances I think Leica is the only camera to buy as there are no other film cameras being built today that will still be going strong in 50-100 years time.

90+ year old Leica film cameras

Of all the film cameras that I own, my favourite film cameras are still my black paint Leica Barnack cameras.  I have various vintage Leica iii cameras but my daily user is my black 1934 Leica III Model F fitted with a modern black 40mm Voigtlander Heliar f2.8 LTM lens. Nothing comes close to this size-performance ratio and it looks super cool too.

Future-proof film camera

Buying a modern Leica M film camera will hopefully future proof my film setup and it pairs nicely with my mentioned vintage Leica film cameras. Even if the electronics one day die in the Leica MP (and for some reason can’t be fixed) the camera still operates without batteries and that is important to me.

When a camera is fully mechanical there will always be some skilled technical somewhere that can make a part if spares are no longer available.

Best bag for Leica MP?

As the Leica MP camera is the same form factor as other Leica M cameras (in simple terms) you can use the same bag as you would for other Leica M models. If you’ve read my best bag for Leica article you’ll know I’ve tried many bag brands but settled on Wotancraft as my favourite.

For small cameras such as Leica M bodies paired with smaller lenses my go-to bags are the Wotancraft Pilot bags (3L Pilot for 2-3 cameras or 2L Pilot for 1-2 cameras) and for something even smaller and lighter, their more recent Wotancraft “EDC” bags.

Where can I buy a Leica MP?

I want to finish by saying a special thanks to Park Cameras in the UK. When buying new or used Leica cameras in the UK I normally recommend online stores such as Leica Mayfair (or Manchester), RedDotCameras, MBP (£20 off first order), Wex and Park Cameras. I normally just search on Google and these shops pop up first. If you live in the US you have your Leica stores plus B&H and other big names.

When I was doing my mentioned camera research I accidentally saw that Park Cameras had a great deal on a silver chrome Leica MP. I rang them and asked if it could be delivered the next day ahead of my Poland trip and they said yes. A big thanks to Park Cameras for the excellent service. (This is where I bought my Leica M10 from too).

Time to shoot some film

My Leica MP camera arrived just in time to take it with me to Poland. Check out this YouTube video and here are some of the first sample photos. (Most photos are taken with a Thypoch 50mm f2 lens and expired Ilford FP4 Cine film (see that video)).

Best film for Leica MP?

This is purely down to your personal taste. If you want to shoot colour film the most popular choice is Kodak Portra 400. If you prefer black and white again you could try Kodak with Kodak T-Max giving a finer grain and Kodak Tri-X being a more classic grain.

I have tried most of the mainstream film stocks. See my A-Z film stock reviews for example images. I currently use Ilford B&W films, Fomapan and others. For fresh film, buy here.

Update – Leica now make their own film. Check out Leica Monopan 50

Lessons to use a Leica MP

If you are looking to master your Leica MP (or even just learn the basics to get started) I help fellow Leica users both face to face and remotely. We can jump on a call to answer your questions or arrange a face to face meet-up. Whatever works best for you.

I meet new Leica users each month to help them with their photography. Read some of the Zoom call testimonials and Leica workshop testimonials for more info.

First roll of film in my Leica MP

The Leica MP jammed up on my first roll when I flew out to Gdansk Poland. As you’ll see in the video, the problem was film and not the camera so thankfully no issues with the MP –

Returning my Leica MP

After writing this article I returned the Leica MP. I made a video explaining the 5 main reasons for returning my Leica MP. Great camera but not the one for me. I went on to buy a Leica M-A instead.

Buying another Leica MP (What changed?)

After returning my Leica MP I didn’t have regrets but only 12 months later I bought another. So what changed? After getting a Leica M7 with a 0.85x viewfinder it opened my eyes to more accurate focusing. I loved it! The Leica M7 is fantastic but if I could find a 0.85x finder in a full mechanical camera then that would be perfect.

After much reading I found that Leica only offered the 0.85x finder in the older MP, the M7, the M6 TTL (plus a few M6 Classic variants). Many service centres treat the M7 and M6 TTL in the same light – they won’t service them because of the added electronic complexity. I want a mechanical camera that can be serviced by any Leica specialist. That’s why I rebought the Leica MP. See video –

Leica MP 0.85x

When you’ve looked through a 0.85x finder you can’t unsee it. This is what pushed me to spend a little extra and go hunting for a silver Leica MP 0.85. These finders are just so good with fast 50mm / 75mm lenses for accurate focusing such as my portraits, especially paired with a Light Lens Lab 1.4x magnifier/ diopter.

Leica discontinue the silver Leica MP camera

In March 2025 Leica shocked everyone by discontinuing the silver Leica MP camera. These cameras had been available in silver or black paint (0.72x finders only). When Leica stop producing a camera this often makes them more desirable so prices tend to hold up well. I’m happy that I bought a silver Leica MP. Silver cameras look like classics regardless of their age. The more rare 0.58x and 0.85x finder variants retain high price tags due to their scarcity.

Photos with the Leica MP 0.85

Wish the MP has aperture priority? Get a Leica M7

If you like the idea of the Leica MP but would love to spend less money and have more automation, consider the Leica M7. The M7 shares many features of the Leica MP film camera but with added automation. The M7 gives you an electronic shutter, aperture priority, exposure compensation, proper on-off, ttl flash and also have a built-in light meter. I love mine!

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