Image
MODEL
Leica
M3
Year
1953-1968
Low serial no.
700 000
High serial no.
1 206 999
Total
225,509
Variants
15
MODEL
Leica
M3
Year
1953-1968
Low serial no.
700 000
High serial no.
1 206 999
Total
225,509
Variants
15
Model Description
Introduced at Photokina in 1954, the Leica M3 established the M-system camera. The 39mm screw mount was replaced by the M bayonet, and the previously separate viewing and focusing systems were combined in one large rangefinder/viewfinder. Its approximately 0.91× finder provided bright-line frames for 50mm, 90mm and 135mm lenses with parallax compensation. Early cameras used a double-stroke film advance before a single-stroke arrangement became standard. More than 225,000 cameras are represented across the recorded variants. The M bayonet and combined rangefinder principle introduced here remain fundamental features of later Leica M cameras.
Descriptions currently under review
Production Quantity by Year
Variants & Production Records
End
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© Jordan Lockhart / Lockhart's List 2026. All rights reserved. This website and its database content are protected by copyright and the EU Database Directive (96/9/EC).
Lockhart's List is an independent website and not affiliated or endorsed by Leica Camera AG or its subsidiaries. No part of this database may be reproduced or distributed in any form without written consent from the database creator. No images seen in this database may be altered, copied, or distributed without the express written permission of the image copyright holder. Images that appear in this database do so with the consent of their copyright holders. No responsibility or liability can be accepted with respect to estimated values or records of production and is for hobbyist purposes only. Classifications, quantities, records, images, sales, & market prices are subject to change, additions, & deletions. Any offers to buy or sell are purely preliminary and not binding. We hope you gain valuable insight from information contained herein & good luck on your endeavors.