Leica M system

In 1954, a new member of the Leica family was born. The name of this camera was the Leica M3, the first camera in the M-System. As it does today, the M stood for Messsucher, the German word for combined rangefinder and view-finder, and the number 3 denoted the number of bright-line frames. In addition to its signature rangefinder, the Leica M3 brought other significant enhancements, such as a quick-change bayonet lens mount. Both innovations – the rangefinder and the M bayonet mount – have undergone constant improvements and are still found in a more advanced form in the latest cameras of the M-System. The reasons for the success of the M-System lie in adhering steadfastly to the concept of utmost mechanical and optical precision, compact size and timeless design.

The overarching goal in the evolution of the Leica M is to fulfill the genuine photographic needs of professionals and serious enthusiasts. The result is a unique range of digital rangefinder cameras that quite intentionally do not offer all the bells and whistles made possible by modern technology, but limit themselves exclusively to what makes real sense in terms of photography.

Leica M-Lenses are among the best in the world. They are designed and assembled to meet the most stringent quality demands. They enable the creation of images endowed with an unmistakable character – not only in terms of contrast and resolution, but also with structural integrity, tonal depth, and a unique natural signature that is especially evident under adverse lighting conditions. M-Lenses have the opportunity to reveal their full potential only when mounted on M-Cameras, since only these have sensors precisely matched to their optical characteristics. Together, M-Lenses and M-Cameras are the perfect duo when it comes to ensuring maximum picture quality.

The extraordinary compactness of M-Cameras and their lenses constitute an ideal camera system for travel and reportage photography.

• 35mm film rangefinder cameras with Leica M mount (11):
  Leica M3 (1954) • Leica M2 (1957) • Leica M4 (1967) • Leica M5 (1971) • Leica M4-2 (1978) • Leica M4-P (1981) • Leica M6 (1984) • Leica M6 TTL (1998) • Leica M7 (2002) • Leica MP (2003) • Leica M-A (typ 127) (2014)
• 35mm digital rangefinder cameras with Leica M mount (14):
  Leica M9 (2009) • Leica M9-P (2011) • Leica M Monochrom (typ 246) (2012) • Leica M (typ 240) (2012) • Leica M-E (typ 220) (2012) • Leica M-P (typ 240) (2014) • Leica M Edition 60 (2014) • Leica M (typ 262) (2015) • Leica M10 (2017) • Leica M10-P (2018) • Leica M10-D (2018) • Leica M (typ 240) E Edition (2019) • Leica M10 Monochrom (2020) • Leica M10-R (2020)
• APS-H digital rangefinder cameras with Leica M mount (2):
  Leica M8 (2006) • Leica M8.2 (2008)