Products

Leitz painted just 1,320 M3 bodies black against 233,209 M3 serial numbers assigned in all, released in nine small factory batches between 1959 and 1967 that ran from as few as ten cameras to three hundred. The paint sits over brass, so wear brings up yellow metal rather than bright alloy. Mechanically these are standard M3s, catalogued 10150 as IGEMO, with the 0.91x finder, 68.5mm rangefinder base and automatic 50, 90 and 135mm framelines. Original black paint bodies are the most closely documented Leicas of all.