Leica MD - doctors only please

Leica MD

by Karen Nakamura

Overview and Personal Comments

The Leica MD was a specialized camera developed by Leitz in the 1963 for use with microscopes and other technical equipment. Remember that the other branch of the Leitz empire was microscopes and scientific optics. It could also be used with the Visoflex reflex housing. The MD was a simplified Leica M1, which in turn was a simplified M2.

The MD has no viewfinder or rangefinder. While you can use it for its original purpose with a microscope or telescope, the more contemporary use would be with an ultra-wide angle lens such as the new Voigtlander 12mm, 15mm, or 21mm lenses. These lenses don't need to be rangefinder focused. In many ways, the Bessa L is an updated Leica MD with a built-in meter.

I swapped my Canon P for this Leica MD at a swap-meet in Saint Paul, Minnesota in April of 2004. The MD is a rather rare camera as only 3000 were made. It was replaced with the MDa in 1967 which was much more common, with 14,500 made.

Interesting quirks

If you hook up a Visoflex reflex housing to the MD, you have a workable SLR camera, although it's a little bit unwieldy.

There's a small slit on the bottom plate that allows you to insert a thin transparent plastic information sheet before exposure. If you're photographing slides and want to record what you're documenting, you can write in on the info sheet and insert it. The baseplate can be replaced with a standard M3/M2/M1 baseplate if you're using the camera in the field.

Technical Details

My Leica Mount Lens Collection (15mm , 25mm, 28mm, 35mm, 40mm, 45 mm, 50mm, 52mm, 85mm, 90mm, 100mm, 135mm)

About Leitz/Leica

Leitz was originally a microscope and scientific optics company. The first series of screwmount Leicas were designed by Oskar Barnack and have been named Barnack cameras by some. The prototype Ur-Leica was designed in 1918, but mass production did not start until 1925 when the Leica I came out. I have a write-up of the Leica III (1933).

The Leica M3 rangefinder was released in 1954 and represented the end of the Barnack-series of screwmount Leicas. The M-series had an integrated viewfinder/rangefinder with automatically switching projected framelines, coincident and split-image rangefinder, lever wind, hinged rear door, integrated shutterspeed dial, and M-bayonet mount. I have write-ups of the M3 (1954), M2 (1957), MD (1963), and M7 (2002). The Leica CL (1973) is technically not an M-Leica but it uses the M-bayonet mount.

The design of the Leica M has not changed considerably since the M3 of 1954. In 1967, the M4 came out with a crank-rewind instead of a knob rewind. Since then, the M series remained essentially unchanged from the Leica M4 (1968) up to the current M7. The only difference is that the M7 has an electronically controlled shutter and automatic exposure metering. (This leaves out the fiasco of the M5 which was considerably different and considerably unpopular at the time).

Leica's single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras have not been as popular as their rangefinders. I have write-ups of the original Leicaflex SL camera as well as the newer R3 and R6 SLRs and the R-mount lenses.

Leitz... blah blah.... and in 2000, fashion conglomerate Hermes bought 31% of Leica's stock. The only tangible result of this has been the emergence of the Hermes Special Edition Leica MP, dressed in the best coach leather and costing a mere US$8000.

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