Leica Leicaflex SL Olympic 1972

The Leica Leicaflex SL Olympic 1972 is one of those cameras where the story matters just as much as the photographs it can take and this one is in Mint condition.

Created to commemorate the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, this special-edition Leicaflex SL carries the Olympic rings and '72 markings that distinguish it from the standard production camera. Leica historians record a limited run of around 1,000 cameras, each with a special Olympic edition number (438). 

Underneath the commemorative details is a proper Leicaflex SL: a beautifully engineered mechanical 35mm SLR with manual focus, manual exposure and Leica's selective through-the-lens metering system.

It's solid, substantial and deliberately mechanical, with a shutter running from 1 second through to 1/2000 sec and access to Leica's R-system lenses of the period.

For someone who wants to actually shoot it, it's still a serious 35mm camera. For a Leica collector, the Olympic edition and limited production are what make this particular SL considerably more interesting.

Best for

• Leica collectors
• 35mm film photography
• Camera collectors
• Leica R-system users
• Manual photography
• Portraits
• Street photography
• Everyday film photography
• Olympic memorabilia collectors
• Anyone looking for a more unusual Leicaflex SL

What to expect

Expect a heavy, beautifully mechanical 35mm SLR, rather than the lighter and more automated experience of later film cameras.

The Leicaflex SL introduced Leica's selective TTL metering system, measuring a relatively small central area corresponding to the microprism circle in the viewfinder. Exposure remains manual, so the meter guides you while you choose the shutter speed and aperture yourself.

The mechanical focal-plane shutter runs from 1 second to 1/2000 sec plus Bulb, and the body weighs around 770g before adding a lens.

But the important distinction here is the Olympic edition. Leica Society International records that Ernst Leitz Wetzlar produced 1,000 Leicaflex SL cameras engraved with the five Olympic rings, with special edition numbers running from 001 to 1000, to celebrate the 1972 Munich Games.

Developing

The camera 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

The camera is fully reusable, so once the finished roll is rewound and removed, simply load another roll and keep shooting.