LECIA M3

It is over seventy years since the first Leica was manufactured by Ernst Leitz in Wetzlar,Germany. Over 1,500,000 Leica have been manufactured up to the present. The Leica had been attractive as a small and precise camera from the beginning, when the folding plate camera was popular on the field in this age.


The first model of Leica camera was designed by Leitz engineer Oskar Barnack. Camera of similar design have been manufactured through the War period and postwar. Today, the cameras in this design are called "Barnack-Leica" in Japan in order to make difference from the new M type Leica, of which the first model was made in 1954.

The Leica M3 was announced for the first time in the autumn Foto Kina Germany in 1954. It was the start of the M series of Leica and continued to be manufactured today.

LECIA IIIf

Leica IIIf was launched in 1950 with full synchronized contact. There are 1 through 20 numbers arround below of the shutter dial. These numbers were engraved in Black on early model and it was changed in Red on later model. They are socalled Black Synchro model or Red Synchro model on the markest.
The shutter curtain speed was made faster so as to have more efiicient syncronization for Red model. Max synchronized speed of electronic flash is 1/30sec for Black model and 1/50sec for Red one.

LECIA III made since 1933

The Leica III had been made since 1933. It was continued by 1939. Though the functions that interchangeable lenses and coupled range finder had been accomplished by the pre model of Leica II 1932, slow shutter was added from this model at the first time. The slow shutter was a patient wishes of Leica users from the age of Leica beginning.
Almost of required functions were accomplished on this model in spite of making a lot of Leica series later. The highest shutter speed was 1/500 Sec and no flash synchro were only the shortage in comparison with the late post war model of IIIF.

LECIA CL / LEITZ Minolta CL

Compact Leica was manufactured in 1973, which was the first camera that Minolta was in cooperation with Leitz Wetzlar Germany. It was sold as a Leitz Minolta CL in Japan and as a Leica CL for other countries. The camera photo is Leitz Minolta CL with M Rokkor 90mm lens.

It has a TTL exposure function equipped with such as a Leica M5. The weight is only 515g. The price was under half piece of M5 Leica. The view finder is clear as good view as M series Lieca.