====== Company Summary ====== ===== Leica ===== {{ :mfg:leica_logo.png?200|}}**Company Website:** www.leica-camera.com\\ **Duclos Page:** (www.ducloslenses.com/url)\\ Leica Camera AG is a German company that manufactures cameras, lenses, binoculars, rifle scopes, microscopes and ophthalmic lenses. The company was founded by Ernst Leitz in 1869. The name Leica is derived from the first three letters of his surname (Leitz) and the first two of the word camera: lei-ca. Leica Camera AG is 45% owned by The Blackstone Group which licenses the Leica brand name from the independently owned Leica Microsystems GmbH. ---- ====== Lens Models ====== ===== Cine Lenses ===== See [[mfg:Leitz Cine|Leitz Cine]] for Leitz Cine (CW Sonderoptic) Lenses. \\ ===== Still Lenses ===== ==== M Series ==== [[lens:LeicaMHologon15mmf/8|Leica M Hologon 15mm f/8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMTri-Elmar ASPH16-18-21mmf/4|Leica M Tri-Elmar ASPH 16-18-21mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSuper-Elmar ASPH18mmf/3.8|Leica M Super-Elmar ASPH 18mm f/3.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSuper-Angulon21mmf/4|Leica M Super-Angulon 21mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSuper-Angulon21mmf/3.4|Leica M Super-Angulon 21mm f/3.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSuper-Elmar ASPH21mmf/3.4|Leica M Super-Elmar ASPH 21mm f/3.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit21mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit 21mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit ASPH21mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit ASPH 21mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH21mmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux ASPH 21mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar ASPH24mmf/3.8|Leica M Elmar ASPH 24mm f/3.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit ASPH24mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit ASPH 24mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH24mmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux ASPH 24mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummaron2.8cmf/5.6|Leica M Summaron 2.8cm f/5.6 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit I28mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit I 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit II28mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit II 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit III28mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit III 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit IV28mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit IV 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit ASPH28mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit ASPH 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron ASPH28mmf/2|Leica M Summicron ASPH 28mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH28mmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux ASPH 28mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMTri-Elmar ASPH28-35-50mmf/4|Leica M Tri-Elmar ASPH 28-35-50mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummaron3.5cmf/3.5|Leica M Summaron 3.5cm f/3.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummaron3.5cmf/2.8|Leica M Summaron 3.5cm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit35mmf/2.5|Leica M Summarit 35mm f/2.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit ASPH35mmf/2.4|Leica M Summarit ASPH 35mm f/2.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron I3.5cmf/2|Leica M Summicron I 3.5cm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron II35mmf/2|Leica M Summicron II 35mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron III35mmf/2|Leica M Summicron III 35mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron IV35mmf/2|Leica M Summicron IV 35mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron ASPH35mmf/2|Leica M Summicron ASPH 35mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux I35mmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux I 35mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux II35mmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux II 35mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH I (AA)35mmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux ASPH I (AA) 35mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH II35mmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux ASPH II 35mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH III (FLE)35mmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux ASPH III (FLE) 35mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar III5cmf/3.5|Leica M Elmar III 5cm f/3.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar5cmf/2.8|Leica M Elmar 5cm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar50mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmar 50mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit50mmf/2.5|Leica M Summarit 50mm f/2.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit50mmf/2.4|Leica M Summarit 50mm f/2.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElcan50mmf/2|Leica M Elcan 50mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron I5cmf/2|Leica M Summicron I 5cm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron II5cmf/2|Leica M Summicron II 5cm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron50mmf/2|Leica M Summicron 50mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMAPO-Summicron ASPH50mmf/2|Leica M APO-Summicron ASPH 50mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit5cmf/1.5|Leica M Summarit 5cm f/1.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux I5cmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux I 5cm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux II50mmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux II 50mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux III50mmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux III 50mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH50mmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux ASPH 50mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMNoctilux50mmf/1.2|Leica M Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMNoctilux50mmf/1|Leica M Noctilux 50mm f/1 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMNoctilux ASPH50mmf/0.95|Leica M Noctilux ASPH 50mm f/0.95 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit75mmf/2.5|Leica M Summarit 75mm f/2.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit75mmf/2.4|Leica M Summarit 75mm f/2.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMAPO-Summicron ASPH75mmf/2|Leica M APO-Summicron ASPH 75mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux75mmf/1.4|Leica M Summilux 75mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMNoctilux ASPH75mmf/1.25|Leica M Noctilux ASPH 75mm f/1.25 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar90mmf/4|Leica M Elmar 90mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar (III)90mmf/4|Leica M Elmar (III) 90mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMMacro-Elmar90mmf/4|Leica M Macro-Elmar 90mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMTele-Emarit I90mmf/2.8|Leica M Tele-Emarit I 90mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMTele-Emarit II90mmf/2.8|Leica M Tele-Emarit II 90mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit9cmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit 9cm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit90mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit 90mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit90mmf/2.5|Leica M Summarit 90mm f/2.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit90mmf/2.4|Leica M Summarit 90mm f/2.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron I9cmf/2|Leica M Summicron I 9cm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron II9cmf/2|Leica M Summicron II 9cm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron III90mmf/2|Leica M Summicron III 90mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMAPO-Summicron ASPH90mmf/2|Leica M APO-Summicron ASPH 90mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMHektor13.5cmf/4.5|Leica M Hektor 13.5cm f/4.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMTele-Elmar135mmf/4|Leica M Tele-Elmar 135mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar135mmf/4|Leica M Elmar 135mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMAPO-Telyt135mmf/3.4|Leica M APO-Telyt 135mm f/3.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit I135mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit I 135mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit II135mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit II 135mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit III135mmf/2.8|Leica M Elmarit III 135mm f/2.8 ]]\\ ==== R Series Primes ==== [[lens:LeicaRSuper-Elmar15mmf/3.5|Leica R Super-Elmar 15mm f/3.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSuper-Elmarit ASPH15mmf/2.8|Leica R Super-Elmarit ASPH 15mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRFisheye-Elmarit16mmf/2.8|Leica R Fisheye-Elmarit 16mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver I19mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver I 19mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver II19mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver II 19mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSuper-Angulon21mmf/4|Leica R Super-Angulon 21mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSuper-Angulon21mmf/3.4|Leica R Super-Angulon 21mm f/3.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit24mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit 24mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRPC-Super-Angulon28mmf/2.8|Leica R PC-Super-Angulon 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver I28mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver I 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver II28mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver II 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRPA-Curtagon35mmf/4|Leica R PA-Curtagon 35mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver I35mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver I 35mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver II35mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver II 35mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver III35mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver III 35mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver IV35mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver IV 35mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummicron Ver I35mmf/2|Leica R Summicron Ver I 35mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummicron Ver II35mmf/2|Leica R Summicron Ver II 35mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummilux35mmf/1.4|Leica R Summilux 35mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummicron Ver I50mmf/2|Leica R Summicron Ver I 50mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummicron Ver II50mmf/2|Leica R Summicron Ver II 50mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummilux Ver I50mmf/1.4|Leica R Summilux Ver I 50mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummilux Ver II50mmf/1.4|Leica R Summilux Ver II 50mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummilux Ver III50mmf/1.4|Leica R Summilux Ver III 50mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRMacro-Elmarit Ver I60mmf/2.8|Leica R Macro-Elmarit Ver I 60mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRMacro-Elmarit Ver II60mmf/2.8|Leica R Macro-Elmarit Ver II 60mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElcan Code C-34175mmf/2|Leica R Elcan Code C-341 75mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummilux80mmf/1.4|Leica R Summilux 80mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver I90mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver I 90mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver II90mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver II 90mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummicron Ver I90mmf/2|Leica R Summicron Ver I 90mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummicron Ver II90mmf/2|Leica R Summicron Ver II 90mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Summicron ASPH90mmf/2|Leica R APO-Summicron ASPH 90mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElcan90mmf/1|Leica R Elcan 90mm f/1 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRMacro-Elmar (bellows)100mmf/4|Leica R Macro-Elmar (bellows) 100mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRMacro-Elmar (helical)100mmf/4|Leica R Macro-Elmar (helical) 100mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Macro-Elmarit100mmf/2.8|Leica R APO-Macro-Elmarit 100mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver I135mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver I 135mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver II135mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver II 135mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmar180mmf/4|Leica R Elmar 180mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver I180mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver I 180mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver II180mmf/2.8|Leica R Elmarit Ver II 180mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt180mmf.3.4|Leica R APO-Telyt 180mm f.3.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Elmarit Ver I180mmf/2.8|Leica R APO-Elmarit Ver I 180mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Elmarit Ver II180mmf/2.8|Leica R APO-Elmarit Ver II 180mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Summicron180mmf/2|Leica R APO-Summicron 180mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElcan Code C-303180mmf/3.4|Leica R Elcan Code C-303 180mm f/3.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt Ver I250mmf/4|Leica R Telyt Ver I 250mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt Ver II250mmf/4|Leica R Telyt Ver II 250mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt-V280mmf/4.8|Leica R Telyt-V 280mm f/4.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt280mmf/4|Leica R APO-Telyt 280mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt Module280mmf/2.8|Leica R APO-Telyt Module 280mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt280mmf/2.8|Leica R APO-Telyt 280mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt350mmf/4.8|Leica R Telyt 350mm f/4.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt400mmf/6.8|Leica R Telyt 400mm f/6.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt400mmf/5.6|Leica R Telyt 400mm f/5.6 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt Module400mmf/4|Leica R APO-Telyt Module 400mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt400mmf/2.8|Leica R APO-Telyt 400mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt Module400mmf/2.8|Leica R APO-Telyt Module 400mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElcan Code C-329450mmf/5.6|Leica R Elcan Code C-329 450mm f/5.6 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRMR-Telyt500mmf/8|Leica R MR-Telyt 500mm f/8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt Module500mmf/4|Leica R APO-Telyt Module 500mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt560mmf/6.8|Leica R Telyt 560mm f/6.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt560mmf/5.6|Leica R Telyt 560mm f/5.6 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt Module560mmf/5.6|Leica R APO-Telyt Module 560mm f/5.6 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt-S800mmf/6.3|Leica R Telyt-S 800mm f/6.3 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt Module800mmf/5.6|Leica R APO-Telyt Module 800mm f/5.6 ]]\\ ==== R Series Zooms ==== [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar ASPH21-35mmf/3.5-4|Leica R Vario-Elmar ASPH 21-35mm f/3.5-4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar28-70mmf/3.5-4.5|Leica R Vario-Elmar 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmarit ASPH28-90mmf/2.8-4.5|Leica R Vario-Elmarit ASPH 28-90mm f/2.8-4.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar35-70mmf/4|Leica R Vario-Elmar 35-70mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar35-70mmf/3.5|Leica R Vario-Elmar 35-70mm f/3.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmarit ASPH35-70mmf/2.8|Leica R Vario-Elmarit ASPH 35-70mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-APO-Elmarit70-180mmf/2.8|Leica R Vario-APO-Elmarit 70-180mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar70-210mmf/4|Leica R Vario-Elmar 70-210mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar75-200mmf/4.5|Leica R Vario-Elmar 75-200mm f/4.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar80-200mmf/4.5|Leica R Vario-Elmar 80-200mm f/4.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar80-200mmf/4|Leica R Vario-Elmar 80-200mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar105-280mmf/4.2|Leica R Vario-Elmar 105-280mm f/4.2 ]]\\ ---- ====== Key Figures ====== (List important figures that played a significant role within the company, past and present.) ---- ====== History ====== Founded: 1849 — Wetzlar, German Confederation (modern day Germany) Currently: Leica Camera AG Leica Camera AG is a high-end camera and optical company founded in the German city of Wetzlar in 1849 as the Optisches Institut (Optical Institute) by Carl Kellner who had a well-earned reputation for producing extremely high quality microscopes. Kellner passed away shortly after founding the company and his former apprentice Friedrich Belthle had been running things for nearly a decade when a mechanically inclined young man named Ernst Leitz joined the Optisches Institut in 1864.\\ Leitz, who had left school at 15 years old, had spent the past six years in Switzerland working for watch companies where he had acquired and refined an impressive set of technical, logistics, and management skills. These skills went on to make such a profound impact at the company that Belthle made Leitz a partner just one short year later. In 1867, the company produced its one thousandth microscope, a milestone that was unfortunately closely followed by two tragedies: a marked drop in sales due to a failure to innovate and the death of Friedrich Belthle from illness.\\ After Belthle’s passing, Leitz assumed control of the company and renamed it the Ernst Leitz Optische Werke. Business boomed in the coming decades and by 1910, the company was known worldwide, standardized the eight hour work day, and provided health insurance for all one thousand or so of its employees who were now producing over 9,000 microscopes per year. This was around the same time that a brilliant engineer named Oskar Barnack came to work at Ernst Leitz Optische.\\ An avid photographer, Barnack longed for a lightweight, reliable alternative to the heavy, bulky cameras available at the time. He began working on developing a new camera that he could easily take with him on his travels. In 1913, Barnack finished his first draft: the Ur-Leica (“Ur” being a German prefix meaning “original” and “Leica” being a portmanteau of “Leitz” and “camera”) featuring a custom collapsible lens which would become the basis for the now legendary Leica Elmar range. The prototype was small enough to fit in one’s pocket and utilized Thomas Edison’s cinematic 35mm film, a miniature format that anyone was free to manufacture after its patent was invalidated just a decade prior. The Ur-Leica was revolutionary in both design and function but any plans of development or production were shelved as Europe erupted in the First World War the following year.\\ Like most of its peers, Ernst Leitz Optische Werke struggled to resume operations as a freshly defeated Germany entered a period of deep economic recession. Leitz passed away in 1920 and left the company to his son, Ernst Leitz II, who took the company public and rechristened it Ernst Leitz GmbH. A small batch of 31 “Leica A” models were produced in 1923 for testing and evaluation by trusted photographers. Two short years later, the company decided to take a big gamble and introduced the Leica (later called the Leica I) to the public at the 1925 Leipzig Spring Fair which was surprisingly met with instantaneous success. In 1930, the Leica I’s fixed 50mm f/3.5 lens was replaced by a 39mm thread mount (which quickly became known as LTM or Leica Thread Mount) for interchangeable lenses, opening up a whole new world of possibilities. A compact rangefinder assembly was soon added to aid focusing and the Leica II was born followed by the Leica III, which allowed for slower shutter speeds, a year later in 1933.\\ Meanwhile, in 1933, Germany had appointed a new chancellor: Adolf Hitler. Having been warned of Hitler’s political ideologies, Ernst Leitz II quickly started what would later be known as the “Leica Freedom Train”: strategic assignments of Jewish employees, associates, and friends to the company’s satellite offices abroad. The outward flow of Jewish refugees reached its peak in 1938 in reaction to Nazi violence and continued until Hitler closed Germany’s borders and started World War II by invading Poland. As the war progressed, Leitz was called on to produce cameras and other optical instruments for the Wehrmacht. Many company representatives including executive Alfred Turk and Ernst Leitz II’s own daughter Elsie were caught and imprisoned for helping Jews escape Nazi Germany in the years leading up to the Second World War. The full extent of the company’s secret anti-Nazi activities was not discovered by historians until many years later.\\ The Leitz factory in Wetzlar was spared during the war and so they were able to immediately resume developing variants of the Leica II and III such as the Leica IIf until 1954 when the groundbreaking Leica M3 was released. The M3 represented a significant technological leap forward with its improved rangefinder assembly, new “M mount” bayonet lens mount, and robust shutter and was the beginning of the Leica M series of rangefinders which is still in production today. In 1964, the company expanded into 35mm SLRs with the Leicaflex and entered into a partnership with Minolta in 1972 which produced classics such as the Leica CL, Leica R3, and Leica R4.\\ In 1986, Ernst Leitz GmbH decided to take advantage of its cameras’ reputation and renamed itself Leica GmbH. Nearly ten years later, Leica began supplying lenses to Panasonic for its digital cameras, an arrangement that carries on to this day. Leica’s camera division was soon spun off into its own company called Leica Camera AG which immediately acquired fellow Wetzlar-based company Minox GmbH, manufacturer of the famous Minox spy camera. However, controlling interest was wrestled back by a Minox executive and the company severed all ties with Leica in 2005. The following year, Leica acquired a 51% stake in the Zurich-based large format camera company Sinar but it didn’t completely take over the Swiss firm until 2018. Leica currently offers a wide range of products including both film and digital rangefinders, medium format DSLRs, instant cameras, and mirrorless digital cameras. ---- ====== Media ====== ---- ====== External Links ====== [[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15Adje6yshQVu25nAeTzFQpe9-4UBfhDP4L3ne3RDs3E/edit?usp=sharing | Duclos - Leica R Lens Database]]