In the early 1950s, Leica had been knocking out derivatives of the original Oscar Barnack designed camera for almost thirty years. They were selling well enough, but were not as technically developed as the Contax rangefinder which had briefly outsold Leica before the war. At the end of the second world war, Contax was in the unfortunate position, geographically speaking, of falling under Russian control and having their production lines disassembled and sent to Kiev. Contax never fully recovered from this setback; and their position was not helped by the introduction of a new Leica, the M3, in 1954.
Around $450 would get you an M3 with a lens; not an insignificant sum in 1954; and indeed the main complaint about the camera was that it was too expensive. The reason it cost so much was that it was hand-built by craftsmen, in brass. Brass makes for a much smoother mechanism than steel, and let’s not even talk about plastic.
If you could stomach the price, the main attraction of the M3 was the viewfinder, which at 0.91 magnification meant that your view of the world was essentially life sized. No Leica since the M3 has offered this level of magnification (mainly because it precludes you from using lenses wider than 50mm). This is the view through the M3 viewfinder (if you are looking at something blue):
The frame lines around the outside represented the view for a 50mm lens. As you adjust focus, those line move to adjust for parallax. Attaching a 90mm or 135mm lens brings up different frame lines; and in later M3 models there is a lever to switch between them (the three sets of frame lines were allegedly one of the reasons the M3 got its name. The M2 and M1 would follow later, even though they offered even more frame lines…).
In the middle of the screen is the rangefinder patch where you align two displayed images to achieve focus. Because of the wide spacing of the rangefinder window, the M3 remains the most precise rangefinder Leica has ever produced. The little tabs on the top and bottom on the rangefinder patch are intended to help you calculate depth of field. Good luck with that.
The manual that accompanied the M3 proclaimed it “as nearly automatic and foolproof as a camera can be made”, which in modern terms means not automatic at all. You set the focus via the rangefinder, exposure via the aperture on the lens, coupled with the shutter speed set via a dial on top of the camera (without the benefit of a built-in meter), and press the shutter. But in 1954 this was as good as you were going to get, and the M3 was a huge success with photojournalists, professionals, and amateurs with deep pockets. More than 200,000 were sold during the period 1954-1966 and, so robust is the basic design, most of those are likely still functional. The tag line, a “lifetime in investment in perfect photography” probably should have read “several lifetimes”, because the M3 just keeps on going, provided it receives some love and lubrication every fifteen years or so.
There are plenty available for sale, the trick is to find one that has been cared for and has been recently serviced. So let me introduce you to serial number 963142.
This camera was manufactured in 1959 and includes all the various enhancements Leica introduced over the years (the last being revised strap lugs from serial 963001 onwards; I knew you would want to know that). The camera was bought in Germany by Herr. Schaffer who presumably became Mr. Schaffer when he moved to live in the USA. Judging by the condition of the camera, he did not use it much, and last year he sold it to a Mr. Trieber who sent it off to Sherry Krauter, one of the most respected Leica repairers, for a service. When it returned he sold it to Mr. Anerino, who then sold it to me. I’m not going to sell it to anyone.
Photos do not do justice to how this thing looks “in the flesh”, the heft of it in your hands, the smoothness of the film advance and almost silent shutter. The viewfinder/rangefinder is amazing, it’s a joy to shoot with.
And if you wanted just one example of why this machine is so special, then look, just look at the circle on the back of the camera:
This dial is where you set a reminder of the ISO of the film you have inserted. It isn’t connected to anything so you would do just as well with a good memory; but Leica wanted to provide a more physical aide memoire. So they made it of etched metal, with a spring-weighted center section which you depress to rotate. It’s a lovely, if unnecessary, piece of engineering.
A word or several about the lens. It’s a Summicron 50mm F2 DR, and it is also made out of brass (with some glass in the middle so you can see through it). Clicky gorgeousness and silky smooth focusing. Ken Rockwell, who is never short of a superlative, describes it as the “greatest lens ever made by Leica”, which it probably isn’t. What it is, apparently, is high on sharpness and low on contrast and considered ideal for B&W film in high contrast light; like Thailand.
By the way, the “DR” in the name stands for Dual Range, which means it achieves close focus (less than a metre) be means of a pair of goggles. Mr. Rockwell will tell you all about it in the link above if you are interested.
Mr. Rockwell is similarly effusive about the M3, calling it “the best camera that LEICA has ever made, and by many accounts, the best camera of all time”. “Best” is of course subjective; but there is no doubt that the M3 is a beautiful, iconic camera that established a design for Leica rangefinders that continues until today.
I had to reduce my photography hoard by two medium format cameras, two M43 lenses and a couple of flash units to fund my M3 acquisition; but I have no regrets. I feel privileged to own 963142 and look forward to shooting the shit out of it, as Henri Cartier Bresson was wont to say; except in French (allegedly).
Comments 🔗
2015-07-28| Chris saysAccording to one online calculator, $450 in 1954 equates to $4,000-$20,000 in today’s dollar, depending on how one compares.
It is gorgeous!
Which MFT glasses did you part with?
2015-07-28| John Lord saysYour lens appears to be the f2 50mm near focus Summicron.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/50mm-f2-dr.htm
Did your come with the NF slide on adaptor?
Beautiful camera and wonderful lens. I had this model over forty years ago. I regret having sold it.
John
2015-07-29| Spike says60mm macro and original (best) Panasonic 14-45.
2015-07-29| Spike saysIt is, as the post describes and also has the same Ken Rockwell link. I am looking for the appropriate goggles to complete it.