TECH TITANS LEICA
There’s a lot of Leicas to like… so let’s rank the company’s very best
[ Words Lauren Scott ]
Lens stick together
The M3 was often paired with a Leica Summicron 50mm f2 lens, giving a natural field of view and wide aperture.
Love is the snug
The M3 did away with the screw mount and introduced a bayonet type for swifter lens changes. The M mount is still used today.
01
Leica M3
Despite its name, the M3 was actually the first M-series model from Leica (then still going by the snappy name Ernst Leitz GmbH). It became a hugely influential 35mm rangefinder model and cemented the company’s premium name.
The M3 had all the trappings of a top-class professional camera: robust construction, compact dimensions and luscious image quality. It’s remarkable how familiar its design will feel to photographers using ‘retro-inspired’ mirrorless cameras, over 70 years after its release.