The Leica M240 was way ahead of its time – and I still use mine every day

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

The Leica M240 was launched back in 2012 and, looking at it through the lens of 2026, I think it is remarkable just how far ahead of its time this camera really was. It arrived as Leica's new-generation full-frame digital rangefinder, built around a 24MP CMOS sensor that, at the time, felt seriously impressive.

Today, when 40MP, 60MP and even 100MP cameras are increasingly commonplace, 24MP might not sound particularly exciting, but I would argue that it remains more than enough for the vast majority of photography. For social media, online publishing, editorial work and even decent-sized prints, those 24MP files still have plenty of resolution to work with.

But the specification that fascinates me most today is one that many photographers probably dismissed back in 2012: FullHD (1080p) video. Video on a Leica M seemed almost unnecessary at the time – and there were certainly plenty of Leica purists who wondered why it was there at all.

Fast-forward to 2026, however, and we live in the age of the content creator, where photographers increasingly want one camera that can shoot great stills while also grabbing a few clips of B-roll for Instagram, YouTube, TikTok or other platforms.

Suddenly, Leica putting video into the M240 doesn't seem quite so pointless. In fact, I think Leica was way ahead of the curve – and I should know, because I own an M240 myself, and it has become the camera I use every single day.

There is another Leica M240 feature that I think deserves far more attention: the ability to change the rangefinder framelines from the traditional white to a much more prominent red. It might sound like a tiny thing on a specification sheet but, having actually used it, I think it is brilliant.

Those vibrant red framelines stand out against practically anything I point the camera toward, making it incredibly easy to see my framing quickly and decisively.

It has genuinely changed the way I compose with an M camera, particularly when working quickly, and it is one of those seemingly small features that you only fully appreciate once you have lived with it. I wish Leica had kept the option on its later M cameras.

Then there is the baseplate. Leica has always had its own ideas about how photographers should access storage and batteries, but the M240 had a wonderfully simple trick hidden underneath: the rubber SD card cover could be removed from the baseplate, enabling you to swap cards without taking off the entire plate.

Again it sounds insignificant until you are actually shooting, but it makes changing cards considerably quicker. On current Leica M cameras you no longer remove a traditional baseplate, but accessing the SD card still means removing the battery first. In some respects, the older M240 actually feels more convenient.

Yes, modern cameras increasingly offer USB-C transfer, and you can connect a cable and offload images without physically removing the SD card at all. That is undoubtedly useful in the right circumstances but, when I am actively shooting, I would much rather pull out a full card, slot in a fresh one and carry on.

Connecting cables, transferring files and managing storage while out working feels far more cumbersome than a straightforward card swap. Sometimes progress is not necessarily about adding more technology; occasionally, the simplest solution was already sitting there more than a decade ago.

That is why I genuinely believe the Leica M240 remains a fantastic camera in 2026. It might be 14 years old, and there are obviously newer Leica M bodies with higher-resolution sensors, better screens and more modern connectivity, but the fundamental photographic experience remains remarkably relevant.

You still get that unmistakable Leica M shooting experience, excellent 24MP files, video when you need it and even a few clever touches that later cameras abandoned. Better still, used examples can now be found for a fraction of what a new Leica M costs.

For anyone who has always wanted to experience a digital Leica rangefinder without paying modern Leica money, the M240 might not simply be an old Leica worth considering — it could actually be one of the smartest Leica buys you can make today.

You might also like…

Take a look at the best Leica cameras – including the best rangefinder cameras – you can buy today, along with the best Leica M lenses to pair them with.