====== 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 Hologon-M 15mm f/8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMTri-Elmar ASPH16-18-21mmf/4|Leica Tri-Elmar-M ASPH 16-18-21mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSuper-Elmar ASPH18mmf/3.8|Leica Super-Elmar-M ASPH 18mm f/3.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH21mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M ASPH 21mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit ASPH21mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M ASPH 21mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit21mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M 21mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSuper-Elmar ASPH21mmf/3.4|Leica Super-Elmar-M ASPH 21mm f/3.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSuper-Angulon21mmf/3.4|Leica Super-Angulon-M 21mm f/3.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSuper-Angulon21mmf/4|Leica Super-Angulon-M 21mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH24mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M ASPH 24mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit ASPH24mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M ASPH 24mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar ASPH24mmf/3.8|Leica Elmar-M ASPH 24mm f/3.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH28mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M ASPH 28mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron ASPH28mmf/2|Leica Summicron-M ASPH 28mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit ASPH28mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M ASPH 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit I28mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M I 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit II28mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M II 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit III28mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M III 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit IV28mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M IV 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummaron2.8cmf/5.6|Leica Summaron-M 2.8cm f/5.6 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMTri-Elmar ASPH28-35-50mmf/4|Leica Tri-Elmar-M ASPH 28-35-50mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMNoctiluxASPH35mmf/1.2|Leica Noctilux-M ASPH 35mm f/1.2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH I (AA)35mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M ASPH I (AA) 35mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH II35mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M ASPH II 35mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH III (FLE)35mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M ASPH III (FLE) 35mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux I35mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M I 35mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux II35mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M II 35mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron ASPH35mmf/2|Leica Summicron-M ASPH 35mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron I3.5cmf/2|Leica Summicron-M I 3.5cm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron II35mmf/2|Leica Summicron-M II 35mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron III35mmf/2|Leica Summicron-M III 35mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron IV35mmf/2|Leica Summicron-M IV 35mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit ASPH35mmf/2.4|Leica Summarit-M ASPH 35mm f/2.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit35mmf/2.5|Leica Summarit-M 35mm f/2.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummaron3.5cmf/2.8|Leica Summaron-M 3.5cm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummaron3.5cmf/3.5|Leica Summaron-M 3.5cm f/3.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMNoctilux ASPH50mmf/0.95|Leica Noctilux-M ASPH 50mm f/0.95 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMNoctilux50mmf/1|Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/1 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMNoctilux50mmf/1.2|Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/1.2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux ASPH50mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M ASPH 50mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux I5cmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M I 5cm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux II50mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M II 50mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux III50mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M III 50mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit5cmf/1.5|Leica Summarit-M 5cm f/1.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMAPO-Summicron ASPH50mmf/2|Leica APO-Summicron-M ASPH 50mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElcan50mmf/2|Leica Elcan-M 50mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron50mmf/2|Leica Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron I5cmf/2|Leica Summicron-M I 5cm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron II5cmf/2|Leica Summicron-M II 5cm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit50mmf/2.4|Leica Summarit-M 50mm f/2.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit50mmf/2.5|Leica Summarit-M 50mm f/2.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar50mmf/2.8|Leica Elmar-M 50mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar5cmf/2.8|Leica Elmar-M 5cm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar III5cmf/3.5|Leica Elmar-M III 5cm f/3.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMNoctilux ASPH75mmf/1.25|Leica Noctilux-M ASPH 75mm f/1.25 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummilux75mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-M 75mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMAPO-Summicron ASPH75mmf/2|Leica APO-Summicron-M ASPH 75mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit75mmf/2.4|Leica Summarit-M 75mm f/2.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit75mmf/2.5|Leica Summarit-M 75mm f/2.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMAPO-Summicron ASPH90mmf/2|Leica APO-Summicron-M ASPH 90mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron I9cmf/2|Leica Summicron-M I 9cm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron II9cmf/2|Leica Summicron-M II 9cm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummicron III90mmf/2|Leica Summicron-M III 90mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit90mmf/2.4|Leica Summarit-M 90mm f/2.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMSummarit90mmf/2.5|Leica Summarit-M 90mm f/2.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit90mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M 90mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit9cmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M 9cm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMTele-Emarit I90mmf/2.8|Leica Tele-Emarit-M I 90mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMTele-Emarit II90mmf/2.8|Leica Tele-Emarit-M II 90mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar90mmf/4|Leica Elmar-M 90mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar (III)90mmf/4|Leica Elmar-M (III) 90mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMMacro-Elmar90mmf/4|Leica Macro-Elmar-M 90mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit I135mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M I 135mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit II135mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M II 135mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmarit III135mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-M III 135mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMAPO-Telyt135mmf/3.4|Leica APO-Telyt-M 135mm f/3.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMElmar135mmf/4|Leica Elmar-M 135mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMTele-Elmar135mmf/4|Leica Tele-Elmar-M 135mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaMHektor13.5cmf/4.5|Leica Hektor-M 13.5cm f/4.5 ]]\\ ==== R Series Primes ==== [[lens:LeicaRSuper-Elmarit ASPH15mmf/2.8|Leica Super-Elmarit-R ASPH 15mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSuper-Elmar15mmf/3.5|Leica Super-Elmar-R 15mm f/3.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRFisheye-Elmarit16mmf/2.8|Leica Fisheye-Elmarit-R 16mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver I19mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver I 19mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver II19mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver II 19mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSuper-Angulon21mmf/3.4|Leica Super-Angulon-R 21mm f/3.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSuper-Angulon21mmf/4|Leica Super-Angulon-R 21mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit24mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R 24mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver I28mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver I 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver II28mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver II 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRPC-Super-Angulon28mmf/2.8|Leica PC-Super-Angulon-R 28mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummilux35mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-R 35mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummicron Ver I35mmf/2|Leica Summicron-R Ver I 35mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummicron Ver II35mmf/2|Leica Summicron-R Ver II 35mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver I35mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver I 35mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver II35mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver II 35mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver III35mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver III 35mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver IV35mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver IV 35mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRPA-Curtagon35mmf/4|Leica PA-Curtagon-R 35mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummilux Ver I50mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-R Ver I 50mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummilux Ver II50mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-R Ver II 50mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummilux Ver III50mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-R Ver III 50mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummicron Ver I50mmf/2|Leica Summicron-R Ver I 50mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummicron Ver II50mmf/2|Leica Summicron-R Ver II 50mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRMacro-Elmarit Ver I60mmf/2.8|Leica Macro-Elmarit-R Ver I 60mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRMacro-Elmarit Ver II60mmf/2.8|Leica Macro-Elmarit-R Ver II 60mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElcan Code C-34175mmf/2|Leica Elcan-R Code C-341 75mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummilux80mmf/1.4|Leica Summilux-R 80mm f/1.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElcan90mmf/1|Leica Elcan-R 90mm f/1 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummicron Ver I90mmf/2|Leica Summicron-R Ver I 90mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRSummicron Ver II90mmf/2|Leica Summicron-R Ver II 90mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Summicron ASPH90mmf/2|Leica APO-Summicron-R ASPH 90mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver I90mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver I 90mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver II90mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver II 90mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Macro-Elmarit100mmf/2.8|Leica APO-Macro-Elmarit-R 100mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRMacro-Elmar (bellows)100mmf/4|Leica Macro-Elmar-R (bellows) 100mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRMacro-Elmar (helical)100mmf/4|Leica Macro-Elmar-R (helical) 100mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver I135mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver I 135mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver II135mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver II 135mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Summicron180mmf/2|Leica APO-Summicron-R 180mm f/2 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Elmarit Ver I180mmf/2.8|Leica APO-Elmarit-R Ver I 180mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Elmarit Ver II180mmf/2.8|Leica APO-Elmarit-R Ver II 180mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver I180mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver I 180mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmarit Ver II180mmf/2.8|Leica Elmarit-R Ver II 180mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElcan Code C-303180mmf/3.4|Leica Elcan-R Code C-303 180mm f/3.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt180mmf.3.4|Leica APO-Telyt-R 180mm f.3.4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElmar180mmf/4|Leica Elmar-R 180mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt Ver I250mmf/4|Leica Telyt-R Ver I 250mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt Ver II250mmf/4|Leica Telyt-R Ver II 250mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt280mmf/2.8|Leica APO-Telyt-R 280mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt Module280mmf/2.8|Leica APO-Telyt-R Module 280mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt280mmf/4|Leica APO-Telyt-R 280mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt-V280mmf/4.8|Leica Telyt-V-R 280mm f/4.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt350mmf/4.8|Leica Telyt-R 350mm f/4.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt400mmf/2.8|Leica APO-Telyt-R 400mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt Module400mmf/2.8|Leica APO-Telyt-R Module 400mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt Module400mmf/4|Leica APO-Telyt-R Module 400mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt400mmf/5.6|Leica Telyt-R 400mm f/5.6 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt400mmf/6.8|Leica Telyt-R 400mm f/6.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRElcan Code C-329450mmf/5.6|Leica Elcan-R Code C-329 450mm f/5.6 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt Module500mmf/4|Leica APO-Telyt-R Module 500mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRMR-Telyt500mmf/8|Leica MR-Telyt-R 500mm f/8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt560mmf/5.6|Leica Telyt-R 560mm f/5.6 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt Module560mmf/5.6|Leica APO-Telyt-R Module 560mm f/5.6 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt560mmf/6.8|Leica Telyt-R 560mm f/6.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRAPO-Telyt Module800mmf/5.6|Leica APO-Telyt-R Module 800mm f/5.6 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRTelyt-S800mmf/6.3|Leica Telyt-S-R 800mm f/6.3 ]]\\ ==== R Series Zooms ==== [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar ASPH21-35mmf/3.5-4|Leica Vario-Elmar-R ASPH 21-35mm f/3.5-4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar28-70mmf/3.5-4.5|Leica Vario-Elmar-R 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmarit ASPH28-90mmf/2.8-4.5|Leica Vario-Elmarit-R ASPH 28-90mm f/2.8-4.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar35-70mmf/4|Leica Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar35-70mmf/3.5|Leica Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f/3.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmarit ASPH35-70mmf/2.8|Leica Vario-Elmarit-R ASPH 35-70mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-APO-Elmarit70-180mmf/2.8|Leica Vario-APO-Elmarit-R 70-180mm f/2.8 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar70-210mmf/4|Leica Vario-Elmar-R 70-210mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar75-200mmf/4.5|Leica Vario-Elmar-R 75-200mm f/4.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar80-200mmf/4.5|Leica Vario-Elmar-R 80-200mm f/4.5 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar80-200mmf/4|Leica Vario-Elmar-R 80-200mm f/4 ]]\\ [[lens:LeicaRVario-Elmar105-280mmf/4.2|Leica Vario-Elmar-R 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]]