By Ked · June 2026
June 2026
Between 2012 and 2015 Leica built three digital M bodies around one sensor. The Leica M (Typ 240), the Leica M-P (Typ 240), and the Leica M (Typ 262) all share the same 24MP full-frame CMOS imaging core, so their files are effectively identical. What separates them is the body and the feature set: one is the full-featured original, one is the discreet professional refinement, and one is a deliberate strip-down. If you are shopping the used market and trying to work out which one fits, the choice comes down to a handful of concrete differences.
All three cameras use the 24-megapixel full-frame sensor Leica markets as the Leica Max CMOS, paired with the Leica Maestro processor (the original Maestro, not the later Maestro II that arrived with the M10). That means the same native ISO range of 200 to 6400 with a pull to 100, the same 3 frames-per-second drive, and the same 0.68x rangefinder with auto-switching frame lines for 28/90, 35/135, and 50/75mm. They all take the BP-SCL2 battery and the same SD cards, and they all share the M-mount with 6-bit lens coding. Because the sensor and processor are common to the whole group, none of these bodies has an image-quality advantage over the others. Buy on features and feel, not on file quality.
The M (Typ 240) was announced at Photokina in 2012 and began shipping in 2013 at a launch price of $6,950. It was a landmark camera. It was the first digital M with a CMOS sensor, ending the CCD era of the M8 and M9, and it was the first digital M to offer both live view and video (1080p Full HD). It was also the first M to support an external electronic viewfinder, the EVF2, and the first to accept Leica R lenses through the dedicated R-Adapter M, focused via live view. It even dropped the model number from its name, becoming simply "Leica M" with an internal Typ 240 code, a naming experiment Leica later reversed with the M10.
For body details: a milled brass top and bottom plate, a 3-inch 920k-dot rear screen under Corning Gorilla Glass, a 1GB buffer, and a weight of about 680g with battery. If you want the most versatile camera of this generation, with live view for precise focusing of adapted lenses plus the option of video, the M (Typ 240) is it, and it is usually the most affordable way into CMOS M shooting.
The M-P (Typ 240) arrived in August 2014 at $7,950. Mechanically and electronically it is the same camera as the M (Typ 240): identical sensor, processor, live view, video, and EVF support. What it adds is a short list of refinements aimed at working photographers:
None of this changes the photographs. The M-P trades at a premium over the M (Typ 240) for the stealthier look and the larger buffer, and it is the pick if discretion and a deeper buffer matter to you.
The M (Typ 262) landed in November 2015 at $5,195, well below the M (Typ 240) and M-P. It is the deliberate strip-down of the platform. The headline is what it removes: no live view, no video, and no external EVF support. The menu shrinks to two pages. This is the single most misreported fact about the camera, partly because of confusion with the screenless M-D (Typ 262), so to be clear: the M (Typ 262) keeps its rear LCD screen for reviewing images and navigating menus. It simply has no live view on it.
The other big change is physical. Leica swapped the brass top plate for aluminum, which brings the weight down to roughly 600g with battery, about 80g lighter than the brass-topped 240 and M-P. Leica also fitted what it describes as a quieter shutter-cocking mechanism for single-exposure shooting (some reviewers found the difference subtle in practice). Everything else carries over: the same 24MP Leica Max CMOS sensor, the same Maestro processor, the same 0.68x rangefinder, and the same Gorilla Glass screen and 1GB buffer as the base 240. The M (Typ 262) is for the photographer who wants a digital M as a pure stills rangefinder and would rather not pay for live view and video at all.
Two more bodies grew out of this generation and take the minimalism further by removing the screen entirely: the limited Leica M Edition 60 of 2014, built on the M-P, and the Leica M-D (Typ 262) of 2016, which replaces the rear LCD with an ISO dial and shoots DNG only. If a no-screen, film-like workflow is what draws you to the 262's philosophy, those are the next step. We cover them in the screenless digital Leicas.
All three take the same photographs, so the choice comes down to features and feel. As with any used digital M, ask for the shutter count, any sensor service or replacement history, and the date of the last service, and confirm the box, charger, and battery are included. For the current going rate and live listings, see the price guides for the M (Typ 240), M-P (Typ 240), and M (Typ 262).