Leica M (Typ 262)

The Typ 262 (2015) is the M240 with its "extra" features removed. Gone: live view, video recording, the optional EVF port. What remains is the 24MP CMOS sensor, the rangefinder, and one of the quietest shutters Leica had shipped — the cocking mechanism was specifically refined for silence.

Leica positioned it below the M240 in price, but many photographers preferred it. Without live view and video the firmware is simpler, the battery lasts longer, and the camera feels more like the film Ms it descends from. It was the "puritan digital M" before the M10 arrived in 2017 and reset the whole lineup with a thinner body.

For newcomers: the Typ 262 is a reminder that specs do not equal quality. Fewer features, same sensor, better silence — for many working photographers that was exactly the right trade.