page_title: Leica M3
hierarchical_section_title: Leica M3
caption_attribution_description: English: Leica M3 with Summicron 50mm
context_page_description: The Leica M3 is a 35 mm rangefinder camera by Ernst Leitz GmbH, introduced in 1954. It was a new starting point for Leitz, which until then had only produced screw-mount Leica cameras that were incremental improvements to its original Leica. The M3 introduced several features to the Leica, among them the combination of viewfinder and rangefinder in one bright window, like on the Contax II, a bayonet lens mount, and rapid film advance lever. It was the most successful model of the M series, with over 220,000 units sold by the time production of the M3 model ended in 1966.
  It was succeeded by a number of later film M series cameras, including the Leica M-A film camera in 2014.
  The earliest Leica M3 pre-model that was built, sold at auction in 2009 for €72,000.
context_section_description: The Leica M3 is a 35 mm rangefinder camera by Ernst Leitz GmbH (now Leica Camera AG), introduced in 1954.  It was a new starting point for Leitz, which until then had only produced screw-mount Leica cameras that were incremental improvements to its original Leica (Ur-Leica). The M3 introduced several features to the Leica, among them the combination of viewfinder and rangefinder in one bright window, like on the Contax II, a bayonet lens mount, and rapid film advance lever. It was the most successful model of the M series, with over 220,000 units sold by the time production of the M3 model ended in 1966.
  It was succeeded by a number of later film M series cameras, including the Leica M-A film camera in 2014.
  The earliest Leica M3 pre-model that was built, sold at auction in 2009 for €72,000.
caption: Single-stroke M3 with collapsible Summicron 50mm f/2.0 lens
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