Leica CM

Production era - 2004-2006 LeicaWiki.de
Code numbers - 18 130 - 18 132 "Leather Cognac" Edition
Type - Compact autofocus 35 mm film viewfinder camera with fixed lens
Lens - Leica Summarit 40 mm f/2.4 (6 elements / 4 groups) with multicoating Distance setting range - 0.7 m 2.3 f < LED display of focus status in each mode Smallest object field - 566 x 377 mm (reproduction ratio 1:15.7)
Autofocus system - Passive phase detection autofocus. AF auxiliary light activates in poor lighting conditions.
Exposure system - Choice of of programmed automatic exposure control mode, i.e. fully automatic exposure control with manual shift option or aperture priority exposure control mode with manual aperture pre-selection, optionally with automatic flash activation. Exposure metering - Center weighted two-zone metering (center /edge) with automatic backlighting detection (for automatic fill-in flash). Metering memory lock - Gently pressing the shutter stores the distance and exposure measurement. Exposure compensation - +/- 2 EV in 1/3 EV increments. Exposure meter range - see manufacturer's manual.
Film speed - DX-coded 25 - 5000, if outside range auto setting reverts to ISO 100.
Self timer - 2 or 10 s.
Continuous mode - 0.7 fps w/o flash. The picture series function is activated by pressing the shutter release button continuously.
Shutter speed - 1 > 1/1000s - B (T function) up to 99s
Viewfinder - Real image viewfinder with markings of the autofocus measuring field, parallax ; diopter compensation from –3 to +1 diopters ; suitable for eyeglass wearers. Display - Data indication inside the viewfinder of shutter speed, f-stop, flash condition and focus. Magification - 0.40 x, viewfinder field corresponds to approx. 90 % of the film format
Flash range - ISO 100/21° slide film 5.8 m /19 ft Guide no. : 14 m / 46 ft - SF 24D 8.5 m /28 ft Guide no. : 20 m /79 ft.
Flash modes - SCA flash units with SCA 3502M4 adapter and LEICA SF 24D can be controlled by the camera.
Data imprinting - Integrated dating device for imprinting the day and time or the date on the film.
Accessories - SF 24D flash unit, Wrist loop 18 528, Carrying strap 18 529, Electric cable release 18 540, Leather case 18 560 /18 561 - Hood
Other features - Tripod socket, film cartridge window, automatic film advance ; manual start of rewinding possible ; connector for remote release.
Power supply - 3 V lithium battery CR 123A
Materials - Titanium with leather side covering.
Dimensions (W x H x D) - 116 x 64 x 43 mm / 4.57 x 2.52 x 1.69 in (lens retracted)
Weight - 300g / 10.6 oz (without battery)

• data from manufacturer's Technical Data
  

Brochures & Manuals

• Manual (English pages 63-119) - PDF Download
  
• manufacturer's manual courtesy Carson Wilson
  

Referencias

With the C-range, Leica returned to the roots that is to a more Leica-like image, but this range was quickly overshadowed by the Digilux digital cameras and the C-lux, D-lux and V-lux lines. Leica made a last attempt to create a compact camera with excellent performance with the CM and CM Zoom, both made and assembled in Solms, using components from out-of-the-company sources. The curtain however came down a few years later. The digital tsunami had killed the film-loading compact camera as a species.

At the end of the 1990s the Leica management faced a huge dilemma. The possibilities to evolve the M- and R-systems in new directions were almost exhausted, bar a few improvements that would not impress the market; the compact range was not really profitable (the exchange rates were rather unstable) and lacked a clear focus; the careful advances in the digital capture technology (S1 and Digilux) were promising, but the cameras had a totally different shape that did not connect to the traditional Leica DNA.

The market profile that was cultivated for decades, stressing the mechanical qualities and the optical performances of the cameras, was becoming a bit staid if not stale.

The company was moving on slippery ground and did not have the resources to change course fundamentally. Contrary to the prevailing opinion the Leica management did acknowledge the strong market appeal and technical opportunities of the digital capture technology, but boggled at the high investments and construction costs. And there was the genuine conviction that silver-halide emulsions, the technique on which Leica had always relied, could survive in a profitable niche. Around 1998 Leica asked the Heine/Lenz/Ziska Agency to design a comprehensive product and marketing profile, including new products, advertising campaigns, company brochure.

Professor Achim Heine of Berlin was the designer of the new Corporate Design as this activity is commonly known. The most pressing need was the integration of the historical significance of the brand name with future projects. He changed the well-known caption (the fascination of precision) with the new ‘my point of view’. The original claim made Leica synonym with of cutting-edge optics and mechanical competence. The almost obsessive focus on quality standards inhibited product development and slowed down the innovative cycle and most importantly increased costs in an area where many users were unable to discern objectively the fine distinctions and strict tolerance levels. The first camera that Achim Heine designed was the Leica C1, whose clean lines and prominent Leica logo attempted to merge the design of earlier legendary Leica cameras with a contemporary design. This change of orientation from internal values to external design can be seen in almost every compact camera from Leica since 1998 to 2010.

The C-cameras 1, 2, 3 and 11 had excellent optical performance but the stark simplicity of the aluminum body shell could not disguise the meagre functionality of these cameras. The C-line was created to offer a profound visual identity for discerning individualists who cultivated the art of the snapshot.

A second attempt to associate classical values with modern values was tried with the Leica CM, a camera that combined modern Minilux features with the classical look of the M-range. The camera was capable of high-quality imagery and could have been a strong seller if announced a decade earlier when silver-halide emulsions were widely used.