Leica 'M' Series Camera

The first Leica M camera ever made. The M3 is a collectors dream. Fantastic user cameras also. Cameras with serial #'s over 1 million are considered to be the best built Leica M cameras.

Early Leica M3's had only 4 screws on the Lens Mount. Later models had 5 screws. On the later models with 5 screws, the fifth screw at the 12'o clock position was filled with paste/wax material and stamped with an 'L'. If this seal is in tact, this means that the camera has never been taken apart or serviced.

The M3 was the biggest improvement in the Leica since the rangefinder was added in 1932. It was introduced in 1954, and it spelled the end of the screwmount line. The IIIg was introduced later, but only to pacify those with screwmount systems.

Improvements over the IIIf , the current flagship of the Leica line are numerous. The finder was vastly improved. It became a larger, combined rangefinder and viewfinder with framelines that are keyed by mounting different focal length lenses, and which are parallax corrected. The framelines may be preselected for framing with a front mounted lever. The finder shows the field of view of the 50mm lens, with framelines for 90mm and 135mm. Wide angle lenses had optics attached to the top of the barrel that would convert the finder to 35mm. These optics are referred to as "eyes" or "spectacles".

This was also the first Leica to use the new shutter mechanism in which all of the shutter speeds are on one dial, which does not spin during winding and firing. On previous models the shutter speeds were split, with the slow speeds on a dial on the front, and the fast speed dial turned with the shutter, which allowed you to set the shutter speed accurately only when the shutter was wound. The non-spinning shutter also allowed for a clip on exposure meter to couple with it. The shutter speeds changed at camera 854,001 to a more mathematical progression.

There are some smaller variations, such as early teardrop shaped, and later round strap lugs, and a change from early glass pressure plate to metal. Production started at camera 700,000, and very early cameras have many differences than later ones. Production ended at camera 1,158,995. Many people consider this the finest rangefinder camera, or even camera of any sort ever built, not just for features and design, but for quality of construction as well. Cameras with serial numbers over 1,000,000 command a premium, and cameras over 1,100,000 a greater premium yet.