Leica cameras

Oskar Barnack designed the first Leica in the 1920s, repurposing 35mm cinema film for a compact still camera. This invention launched the golden age of photojournalism and street photography.

The M rangefinder system, introduced in 1954 with the M3, set a standard that competitors spent decades trying to match. The M6 with Tri-X became the iconic setup for documentary photographers.