Leica M3

The Leica M3 is where the Leica M story really begins.

Introduced in 1954, it established the M-mount rangefinder system that Leica continues to build around today. This particular models serial number is 1155542, dating back to 1965 and it comes boxed with paperwork.

Everything about the M3 is mechanical. There's no built-in light meter, no automatic exposure and no battery. Focus is handled through its coupled rangefinder, while shutter speed and aperture are set manually.

The standout is the 0.91× viewfinder, one of the highest-magnification finders fitted to a Leica M. It provides dedicated frame lines for 50mm, 90mm and 135mm lenses, making the M3 particularly well suited to photographers who favour a 50mm lens or longer M-mount glass.

By 1965, the M3 was also well into its later production period. This model uses the later single-stroke film advance, rather than the double-stroke mechanism found on early M3 bodies.

It's a significant camera historically, but it's also still an entirely usable photographic tool. Load a roll, meter your scene, set the exposure and focus through that beautifully simple rangefinder.

Best for

• Leica collectors
• Leica M photographers
• 35mm film photography
• 50mm photography
• Street photography
• Portraits
• Documentary photography
• Manual photography
• Photographers wanting a battery-free mechanical camera
• Collectors looking for a later-production boxed M3

What to expect

There is no internal exposure meter, so exposure needs to be determined with a handheld meter, external shoe-mounted meter or your own judgement. Once set, the camera itself is completely mechanical and requires no battery.

Its 0.91× viewfinder is the real attraction. The 50mm frame is permanently visible, with 90mm or 135mm frames appearing when the corresponding lens is fitted. A frame-selector lever also lets you preview those fields of view.

The mechanical cloth shutter covers 1 second through 1/1000 sec plus Bulb.

One limitation worth knowing is that the M3 does not have a native 35mm frame line. Photographers wanting to use conventional 35mm M lenses generally need an external finder or an appropriate lens with viewfinder "goggles."

Developing

The Leica M3 uses standard 35mm / 135 film.

Processing depends on the film loaded:

Colour negative: C-41
Traditional black and white: Standard black and white processing
Colour reversal / slide: E-6

Film advance and rewind are manual, and because the M3 is completely mechanical, no battery is needed to operate the camera.