Leica III (Model F)

Ernst Leitz · LTM mount · 24×36mm on perforated 35mm cine film, 36 exposures · 1933

Also known as: Leica III · Leica Model F · Leica F · Leitz Leica III · ライカIII型

Variants & identification

Variant	Mount	Years	Serial ranges	Production
Black lacquer	LTM	1933–1936	—	27,366 cameras (Leica Wiki)
Chrome	LTM	1933–1939	—	49,091 cameras (Leica Wiki) — the majority of the model

The Leica Wiki gives the III as 133 × 39 × 65 mm and the II as 133 × 67 × 33 mm, in different axis orders, though the two bodies are the same size to the eye. The figures are reproduced here as printed rather than reconciled.
Leica Historica gives the model's span as serial 107601 in 1933 to serial 343100 in 1939, and records three details the production tables do not: the rangefinder magnification was raised to 1.5×, black bodies carry nickel-plated controls where chrome bodies carry chrome ones, and the catalogue code word was AFOOV.
Leitz Photographica Auction 29, lot 29: a black-and-nickel Leica III of 1933, serial 110269, condition B/A, with a matching nickel Elmar 3.5/50mm no. 158062, realised €1,020 including buyer's premium against a €1,200–1,400 estimate and a €700 starting price.
Leica's own archive dated serial 120608 to a camera that left Wetzlar on 14 November 1933 for London. The number sits inside a block the tables list as chrome, but stripping the body showed original black paint with no chrome beneath it; the factory's explanation was that in these years a camera was sometimes finished to a particular customer's order (35mmc).

How to tell them apart (expand)

A second, smaller dial on the front of the body carrying the slow speeds — the tell that separates a III from a II at a glance
Strap lugs, which no earlier Leica has
A dioptre lever beside the rangefinder eyepiece

Black lacquer:

Black lacquer over brass with nickel-plated knobs

Chrome:

Chrome-plated brass; listed in the tables as Leica III Chrom

Chrome: Chrome overtakes black almost immediately: the 1933 blocks alone include 7,000 chrome cameras at 116001–123000.

Serial-range notes

126201–137400: An 11,200-camera block spanning 1933 and 1934, the largest single run in the model, listed as chrome and black together.
137041: Called out by the Leica Wiki as a Leica Reporter — a 250-exposure camera sitting inside a block otherwise assigned to the III, which is what the Reporter was built from.
112501–114000: Listed with a batch of 75 against a range of 1,500 numbers, the figure printed in brackets. The table is recording an assignment larger than the production it accounts for.
108651–108700; 109001–111550; 111581–112000; 123581–126200: 1933: 4 batches, 5,640 numbers (chrom+nickel/black). Leica Wiki batch table, archived.
114053–114400; 115301–115650; 137626–138700; 138951–139900; 140001–141500; 142351–142500; 142701–143425; 143901–144200; 144501–145600; 145801–146200; 146376–146675; 146776–147000; 148026–148850: 1934: 13 batches, 8,248 numbers (black; chrom). Leica Wiki batch table, archived.
141901–142250; 148951–149350; 149551–150000; 151101–151225; 151301–152500; 152601–153175; 153226–153550; 153701–154150; 154201–154800; 154901–156200; 156851–157250; 158651–159000; 159351–159550; 159626–159675; 160326–160375; 161551–161600; 161801–161950; 162101–162175; 162351–162400; 162501–162625; 162676–162750; 162801–162825; 162926–162975; 163051–163100; 163226–163250; 163551–163775; 164276–164675; 165001–165100; 165501–165975; 166076–166600; 166751–166900; 167051–167175; 167201–167225; 167701–167705; 168201–168250; 168326–168400; 168501–168600; 168726–168750; 169001–169200; 169451–169550; 170151–170500; 172251–172300; 172351–172600; 173126–173176; 173426–173475; 173676–173725; 173826–173900; 174026–174075; 174101–174125; 174151–174400; 174676–174750; 174951–175125; 175201–175350; 175451–175500; 175701–175750; 175851–175900; 176101–176150; 176251–176300; 176601–177000; 177601–177700; 177901–178000; 178101–178250; 178551–178600; 179201–179250; 180101–180400; 180476–180700; 181451–181550; 181601–181700; 182001–182050; 182301–182350: 1935: 70 batches, 13,606 numbers (+black; Chrom; black; chrom). Leica Wiki batch table, archived.
150201–150850: 1934-35: 1 batch, 650 numbers. Leica Wiki batch table, archived.
184401–184450; 184701–184750; 184801–184950; 185201–185350; 185651–185700; 186101–186200; 186501–186550; 186801–186900; 186951–187000; 187101–187200; 187401–187500; 187651–187775; 187786–187850; 188101–188300; 189301–189475; 189801–189900; 190201–190500; 190701–190900; 191101–191200; 191351–191500; 191751–191850; 192101–192400; 192501–192800; 193501–193600; 194301–194650; 196201–196300; 197551–197800; 198201–198400; 198801–198900; 199201–199300; 199501–199600; 200101–200200; 200751–201200; 201301–201400; 202601–202700; 203101–203300; 204101–204200; 204501–204600; 204801–205000; 205101–205300; 207601–207800; 208001–208300; 208601–208800; 209001–209600; 210101–210200; 210901–211000; 211601–211700; 212801–213200; 215301–216000; 216801–217000; 217201–217300; 217501–217700; 218701–218800; 219901–220000; 220601–220700; 220901–221000; 221301–221400; 222151–222200; 223601–223700: 1936: 59 batches, 9,765 numbers (black/chrom; chrom). Leica Wiki batch table, archived.
223001–223300; 235101–235200; 235801–235875; 236201–236300; 236801–236900; 237001–237200; 237501–237600; 238001–238100; 238501–238600; 238801–238825; 238901–239000; 239101–239300; 239401–239600; 239701–239800; 248901–249000; 249401–249500; 249801–249900; 250301–250400; 251801–252000; 252901–253000; 253201–253400; 253501–253600; 254001–254200; 254801–254900; 256801–256900; 257401–257525; 257801–258200; 260201–260600; 260801–260900; 261201–261300; 261501–261600; 262801–263000; 263901–264000; 266401–266500; 266901–267000: 1937: 35 batches, 4,925 numbers (chrom). Leica Wiki batch table, archived.
224901–225000; 225201–225300; 225401–225600; 226301–226400; 227001–227050; 227601–227650; 231501–231600; 231801–231900; 232201–232500; 232801–232900; 233401–233500; 233701–233800; 234101–234200; 234501–234600: 1936-37: 14 batches, 1,600 numbers. Leica Wiki batch table, archived.
241101–241300; 243401–243500; 244101–244200; 244401–244600; 245101–245300; 246201–246300; 246401–246500; 267701–267800: 1937-38: 8 batches, 1,100 numbers (black; chrom). Leica Wiki batch table, archived.
268101–268200; 268401–268500; 268701–268800; 269301–269400; 269601–269700; 270101–270200; 270301–270400; 271701–271800; 274801–275200; 275801–276400; 277001–277100; 278101–278200; 278501–278525; 278551–278600; 279001–279200; 287201–287300; 290501–290800; 291501–291600; 292601–292700; 293001–293100; 293201–293400; 294801–294900; 295101–295200; 295401–295500; 296501–296600; 297201–297400; 297901–298000; 299001–299200; 299501–299600; 299801–299900; 300701–300800; 301001–301100; 301401–301600; 301701–301800; 301901–302000; 302801–302900; 303201–303300; 304401–304500; 304701–304800; 304901–305000; 305601–305700; 306201–306300; 306501–306600; 306801–307000; 308101–308200; 308501–308600; 308701–308800; 309301–309400: 1938: 48 batches, 6,275 numbers (Chrom; black/chrom; chrom). Leica Wiki batch table, archived.
310001–310200; 310401–310500; 310601–311000: 1938-39: 3 batches, 700 numbers (chrom). Leica Wiki batch table, archived.
311401–311700; 311801–311900; 312401–312500; 313001–313100; 313201–313300; 313501–314100; 314601–314700; 314801–314900; 315701–315800; 316101–316400; 318901–319000; 320201–320400; 322801–323000; 324701–324800; 325201–325275; 325601–325800; 327201–327400; 327501–327600; 329801–329900; 330001–330200; 330501–330700; 332501–332600; 333001–333100; 334001–334200; 334401–334600; 337401–337500; 338201–338600; 338901–339000; 340201–340400; 340601–340700; 341501–341700; 341901–342000; 342201–342300; 342901–343100: 1939: 34 batches, 5,675 numbers (chrom). Leica Wiki batch table, archived.
107601–107757: 1934: 1 batch, 157 numbers. Leica Wiki batch table, archived.
116001–123000: 1933: 1 batch, 7,000 numbers (+nickel/black). Leica Wiki batch table, archived.

Specifications

Format: 24×36mm on perforated 35mm cine film, 36 exposures
Finder (main): Optical viewfinder · no rangefinder image
Finder (rangefinder): Coupled split-image rangefinder with a separate eyepiece and a dioptre adjustment
Shutter: focal plane, cloth · 1s – 1/500 and Z, split at 1/20 between the top dial and a slow-speed dial on the front
Designed by: Oskar Barnack — camera
Dimensions: 133 × 39 × 65 mm
Country: Germany

Figures we worked out rather than found: 27,366 + 49,091 = 76,457 — the finishes sum to a total the page does not print · Chrome outnumbers black by nearly two to one, reversing the balance of the Leica II

Where sources disagree

Total production

76,457 cameras — 27,366 black plus 49,091 chrome (Leica Wiki, summed)
Approximately 76,800 (camera-wiki)

Better supported: 76,457

343 apart. camera-wiki's figure is rounded and the Leica Wiki's is the sum of two finish counts, so the difference may be nothing more than rounding — but neither source states a total outright, so both are being read off other numbers.

What reviewers say

Chris Hooke – 35mmc (blog) — A spares-or-repair black III bought with its top-plate serial filed off proved genuine and mechanically sound once serviced — its light leaks traced to a pinhole in an otherwise excellent shutter curtain — and he left the wear unrestored because the camera "has really lived".

History

The III finishes the design. It takes the Leica II, adds a second dial on the front of the body carrying speeds from 1/20 down to a full second, puts a dioptre lever beside the rangefinder eyepiece so people who wear spectacles can focus without them, and screws strap lugs into the ends — the first Leica you could hang round your neck as the maker intended rather than as the case allowed. Nothing after it changes the concept. The IIIa adds a faster top speed, the IIIc recasts the body, the IIIf adds flash, the IIIg enlarges the finder, but the camera a photographer picks up in 1933 and the camera they pick up in 1960 work the same way.

That front dial is also the quickest way to identify one. A II has a bare front; a III has the small slow-speed dial beside the lens mount. Late Standards muddy this slightly, since Leitz began finishing III castings as Standards and blanked the hole where the dial would sit — so a body with a plug there is a Standard wearing a III’s clothes.

Chrome took over during this model. The II was mostly black; the III is 49,091 chrome against 27,366 black, and the switch shows in the 1933 blocks, one of which runs 7,000 chrome cameras in a single stretch. Neither the Leica Wiki nor camera-wiki prints a total: the first gives the two finish counts, which sum to 76,457, and the second says “approximately 76,800”. The 343 between them is probably rounding, but it is worth noticing that both figures are being read off something rather than quoted from a ledger.

The serial list holds two curiosities. Serial 137041 is marked as a Leica Reporter — the 250-exposure camera, which was built on this body and numbered in among the ordinary ones. And the block from 112501 to 114000 is credited with a batch of 75 against 1,500 assigned numbers, the larger figure printed in brackets, as though the table knows the numbers were set aside and doubts they were all used. That is the honest state of Leitz’s production records for these years, and no amount of adding up will improve it.

Expand Collapse

This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.

Photographs

Leica III (Model F) — Leica III in black — a factory conversion from a Leica I — Kameraprojekt Graz 2015, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $760 across 15 fixed-price listings on 2026-10-19 (middle half $510–$900). Tracked since 2026-09-06, 11 days: unchanged from $760.

By day

Date	Median	Middle half	Listings
2026-10-19	$760	$510–$900	15
2026-10-18	$760	$510–$900	15
2026-10-17	$760	$510–$900	15
2026-10-16	$550	$380–$900	15
2026-10-15	$550	$380–$900	15
2026-09-21	$550	$400–$950	17
2026-09-18	$510	$400–$900	20
2026-09-11	$770	$420–$1,200	35
2026-09-10	$770	$420–$1,200	35
2026-09-09	$770	$420–$1,200	35
2026-09-06	$760	$400–$1,200	36

Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.

Leica III a vite borsa pronto aftermarket epoca anni 50 attacco a vite grande — €65.00 · eBay
Leica III 35mm Rangefinder Camera Body, Chrome [Made In Germany] — $199.99 · eBay · likely chrome NEW
LEICA III SERIES SHUTTER REPLACEMENT AND OVERHAUL — $225.00 · eBay
Leitz Leica III Body 1938 — £185.00 · eBay NEW
Leica Universalkoffer für Leica III case 19x17x8cm Leitz 99710 — €245.00 · eBay
Leica III Body #241184 Bj.1937-38 -lesen- — €269.00 · eBay
Leica III Kamera Camera No. 182001 lucky number Leitz 99238 — €275.00 · eBay
Leica III f Minox miniature camera boxed 60500 — £235.17 · eBay
Leitz Wetzlar Leica III Gehäuse Nr.150241 Baujahr 1934-35 — €298.00 · eBay
Leica III 35mm Rangefinder Camera 1934 Serial 129991 – Very Good with Case — £254.10 · eBay
Leica III Model F 35mm Rangefinder Camera Body 1937 #254895 Tested Japan — $379.99 · eBay
Leica III a corpo — €350.00 · eBay
Leica III + Leitz Elmar 50mm f3,5 + Case + notice + brochure — €370.00 · eBay
❋ Near Mint ❋ Leica III Model F DII Silver 35mm Rangefinder Body From JAPAN — €444.03 · eBay NEW
Leica III + New York Ernst Leitz Wollensak/Elmar 4,0/90 mm — €450.00 · eBay
Leitz Leica III F #600815 + Summitar 5cm f/2 — €450.00 · eBay
1939 LEICA III CAMERA LEITZ ELMAR F=5CM 1:3.5 LENS LEATHER CASE VTG — $509.98 · eBay
Leitz leica III f schwarze Kontaktzahlen nottested SHP 310562 — €469.00 · eBay
Leica III + 3,5 5cm + Kilfitt 3.5/90 An-Verkauf! ff-shop24 — €474.97 · eBay
Leitz Leica III f rote Kontaktzahlen mit Vorlaufwerk 1955 SHP 312297 — €489.00 · eBay NEW

Show 47 more listings

Leica III f 3 f mit Leitz Elmar Objektiv und Lederetui D.R.P — €490.00 · eBay
Leica III rangefinder camera after service | 1934 classic Leica — $544.49 · eBay
Leica III + Summar 50mm f/2,0 ✅CLEAN, Prod. 1934, 35mm Film Rangefinder, Case — €499.00 · eBay
Leica III mit Leitz Elmar 3,5 50mm An-Verkauf ff-shop24 — €499.00 · eBay
[After Paint Near MINT] Leitz Leica III Black Paint 35mm Rangefinder From JAPAN — $549.99 · eBay
Leica III Chrome 35mm Rangefinder 1933 Leitz 5cm f3.5 Elmar Lens Tested VGC — £435.00 · eBay · likely chrome
Leica III Chrome 1935 with 50mm Elmar Lens in Good Condition Made for UK Market — £440.20 · eBay · likely chrome
Leica Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Analogkamera Leica III DRP — €525.00 · eBay
Leica III Bj. 1939 Kamera mit Elmar f=5cm 1:3.5 50mm 1:3.5 M39 #329891-15 (LTM) — €549.00 · eBay
Leitz Leica III camera body series. 400716 Screw Mount M39 (LTM) — £471.28 · eBay
Leica III Kamera — €560.00 · eBay
Leica III Barnack 35mm Camera with Summar 50mm f2 LTM Lens & Case — $649.99 · eBay
Leica III Ernst Leitz 1937 S/N 254470 + Soviet ZK 50mm f/1.5 KMZ Rare Set#2 — £505.48 · eBay
Leica III Mod. F w. Summitar 2/5cm — €599.00 · eBay
Leizt Leica III 1933 Elmar 5cm/3,5 notteated SHP 310524 — €659.00 · eBay
Leica III 1936 35mm Camera Serial 222194 & Elmar 50mm F/3.5 Serial 329052 — £567.70 · eBay
LEICA III C Red curtain tendina rossa con Elmar 5 cm F 3,5 — €680.00 · eBay
Leica III Model F DIII Black Paint Chrome 35mm Rangefinder Camera 1938 SN 293207 — $760.00 · eBay · likely chrome
Leica III w/Summar 5cm f2, Good condition — $763.26 · eBay
Leica III c / 1950 / Leitz Wetzlar / mit Elmar 5 cm/ 3,5 / sehr gut — €725.00 · eBay NEW
Leica III Nickel (Gehäuse) "Black Paint“ (Top!) FOTO JESCHNER KASSEL — €749.00 · eBay
Leitz Leica III Red Courtain Elmar 536736 All working Perfettamente funzionante — €750.00 · eBay
Leica III F black dial Kamera mit Elmar 50mm f3.5 red scale Objektiv Leitz 95653 — €750.00 · eBay
Leica III Gehäuse Body mit Leitz Elmar 2/50 Lens M39 50mm f/2 (LTM) — €790.00 · eBay
LEICA III (MODEL F) BLACK PAINT Rangefinder Film CAMERA Nickle Chrome — $899.99 · Cardinal Camera (Used) · likely chrome
LEICA III (MODEL F) BLACK PAINT Rangefinder Film CAMERA — $899.99 · Cardinal Camera (Used)
LEICA III (MODEL F) BLACK PAINT Rangefinder Film CAMERA Nickle Chrome — $927.00 · eBay · likely chrome
LEICA III (MODEL F) BLACK PAINT Rangefinder Film CAMERA — $927.00 · eBay
Leica III modèle f noir 1933 avec Leitz Elmar 3.5/5cm type Eleven O'clock — €850.00 · eBay
Leica III black mit Leitz Elmar 3,5 5cm An-Verkauf ff-shop24 — €899.00 · eBay
Leica III Nickel + Elmar f=5cm 1: 3.5 "Black Paint" (Top!) FOTO JESCHNER KASSEL — €899.00 · eBay
Leica III Mod. F Shiny Chrome w. Elmar 3.5/50mm — £896.56 · eBay · likely chrome
Leitz Leica III Chrome + Summar 5cm F2 Lens +case soviet lens — £937.51 · eBay · likely chrome
Leica III #128752, c.1933, black, nickel Elmar 5cm/3.5 #261375, CLA'd 2024, Ex — $1,295.00 · Igor Camera Exchange
Leica III / Model F #113052 black + Elmar 5cm f/3.5 + Case & Leitz NY Flash — $1,299.99 · eBay
Leica III black with Nickel 2/5cm Summar ca.1935 original vintage condition — €1,299.00 · eBay
Leica III Black Gehäuse Body mit Leitz Elmar 3,5/50 M39 f/3,5/50 M39 Objektiv (LTM) — €1,390.00 · eBay
Leica III Rangefinder FILM CAMERA paint Black w/ 50mm F/3.5 Lens WORKING 1933? — £1,250.00 · eBay
Leica III, Schwarz, Chrom 330107 Und Leica II schwarz Chrom 303710 — €1,680.00 · eBay
Leica III chrome with SCNOO Rapid Winder with a rare eveready case ca.1936. — €1,699.00 · eBay · likely chrome
Leica iii Rangefinder Film Camera With 50mm F/3.5 Lens — HK$15,800.00 · Meteor (HK) Ltd (Meteor · Leica)
Leica III mod. F black nickel Hektor 2.5/50mm — €1,899.00 · eBay
Leica III Mod. F black/nickel outfit - with full CLA / 35873.37 — €1,950.00 · eBay
Leica III f BODY 【B】 — from ¥44,726 · Yahoo! Auctions Japan · auction 2026-10-23
Leica III + Elmar 50mm F3.5 1930s Barnack Leica オリジナル整備ベース　ライカ 5cm — from ¥60,000 · Yahoo! Auctions Japan · auction 2026-10-25
LEICA LEICA III型ライカレンジファインダーカメラ中古 T11735553 — from ¥52,800 · Yahoo! Auctions Japan · auction 2026-10-26
Leica ライカビゾフレックスIII ベローズII / Hektor 135mm F4.5 / OTSRO / 16596G — from ¥49,300 · Yahoo! Auctions Japan · auction 2027-10-07

Buying from Yahoo! Auctions outside Japan. It is a domestic marketplace: sellers ship within Japan, and most will not register an overseas buyer. A proxy service bids on your behalf, receives the item and forwards it, for a fee and a wait. Buyee, Jauce and ZenMarket each accept a Yahoo auction number directly. Listed alphabetically for information — none is recommended over another, and none of these is an affiliate link.

Listings updated 2026-10-19. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.