Leica's finder-less technical M — the MD-2, M bayonet, data-back, cloth shutter, 1980.
The Leica MD-2 was a finder-less M-bayonet body introduced in 1980, updating the earlier MD-series technical cameras and derived from the M4-2 generation. Like its predecessors it was intended for scientific, technical and data-recording use rather than general handheld photography.
It is a 35mm M-bayonet camera with a horizontal-travel cloth focal-plane shutter, no built-in rangefinder or viewfinder and no meter. It accepts the Leica data-back magazine for imprinting information on the frame, focusing is via lens scale or attached optics, and the shutter is fully mechanical and battery-free.
It suits laboratory, copy-stand, microscope and data-recording applications and collectors of the specialised M line. Its lack of a finder makes it a base body for reflex housings, bellows and technical rigs rather than a conventional street or travel camera.
Check the cloth shutter for pinholes and capping and test slow speeds. Inspect the M bayonet and film transport, and confirm the data-back magazine and imprinting mechanism work if fitted. With no rangefinder, focus depends on the mounted optics, so verify the advance and shutter cocking feel smooth.