10 Top User-Collectible Leicas
What exactly is a user-collectible camera? It depends on whom you ask, but the term usually refers to cameras that are worthy of cherishing as beautiful objects and examples of technology, but can also be used for their intended purpose, namely taking pictures. There is nothing wrong with “showcase collectors.” I continue to marvel at their splendid collections of mint- and near-mint Leicas displayed in neat rows in glass showcases. But while my semi-chaotic collection of 200+ cameras marks me as a bona fide collector, I take pictures with almost all my classics at least once or twice a year, and usually more often than that.
As a lifelong Leica fanatic I’ve probably owned 50-60 Leicas over the years and I’ve now pared that down to a mere 10 Leica and Leicaflex bodies plus 22 Leica lenses. Please don’t ask me why I foolishly sold the others! I take lots of (black-and-white) pictures with all of them except one, a Leica M3 single stroke (serial number around 1,100,000) with 50mm f/2 Dual-Range Summicron and “goggles.” It’s the only Leica I’ve ever acquired strictly as a collector’s item and I bought it brand new back in the day. Over the years, I’ve run exactly two rolls of film through it, and every four months or so I take it out just to fondle it and limber up its shutter.
Here’s some sage advice for anyone thinking of getting into user-collectible Leicas. You’ll see that it dovetails neatly with my top-10 user collector Leica list below:
Go for “bread-and-butter” high-production cameras, not rare, exotic, or limited-production models. While practically any Leica qualifies as a user-collectible if you have the discretionary funds, more commonplace Leicas are more affordable and generally easier to find in excellent working condition.
Opt for a Leica in Excellent ++ or Mint minus condition rather than Mint or “Like New.” It still qualifies as a precious collectible, you can save a considerable amount of money, and you’ll be much more likely to take it out and use it if it already has some minor scratches or dings.
Steer clear of cameras sold “as is” with “no returns,” or “untested, for parts only.” Established retailers generally offer warranties of 90 days or longer on used cameras, but individuals selling on eBay don’t, so make sure they offer a 14- or 30-day return policy so you don’t get stuck with an expensive repair or an non-repairable dud. If a seller is unwilling to state whether the shutter, rangefinder, meter etc. works, assume it doesn’t and bid accordingly.
Assume your eBay Leica will require service. Old cameras generally do.
It’s commonly known as CLA (professional cleaning, lubrication, and adjustment) and I suggest you factor its cost into the price you pay. Reputable retail stores that check out and service the used cameras they sell charge more for them, but the difference in price is often well worth it. The cost of a CLA can easily run $50-100 even if the camera has no serious defects, and if parts are required it can get really expensive.
Here are my top user-collectible Leicas in chronological order:
Leica IIIa (aka model G): This is the last of the classic screw-mount “Barnack” Leicas, and a direct descendent of the Leica II of 1932 (the first Leica with a built-in coupled rangefinder). It features a separate slow-speed dial, a top shutter speed of 1/1000 sec, and widely spaced separate rangefinder and viewfinder windows. The IIIa was produced from 1935-1948, 91,887 in chrome and only 800 in black finish. eBay price range: $200-350, body only. Age appropriate lenses: Uncoated 50mm f/2 Summar; 50mm f/3.5 Elmar.
2. Leica IIIc: The first Leica with a die-cast alloy chassis and a one-piece top plate and rangefinder cover, it’s 1/8-inch wider than previous models and has a combined dual eyepiece that places the rangefinder and viewfinder windows closer together. Offering the same basic features as the IIIa, the IIIc commenced production in 1940 during WW II and ended in 1951, shortly after the introduction of the IIIf. Total production: 133,626. eBay price range: $225-450, body only. Age appropriate lens: coated 50mm f/2 Summitar.
3. Leica IIIf: The first Leica with built-in flash sync (delay in milliseconds set on a flash synchronization ring below the top shutter-speed dial), its other features closely parallel those of the IIIc. The IIIf was manufactured from 1950-1957; total production 184,100 cameras. Early models had black numerals on the flash sync ring (known as black dial models). Starting in 1952-53 the shutter mechanism was improved, the flash sync speed was upped 1/50 sec, and the sync delay numerals were changed to red, which is why it’s known as the IIIf red dial. A mechanical self-timer was added in 1954 though it can also be found on some black dial models. eBay price range: black dial $250-400 body only; red dial: $350-500 body only; either model with self-timer, add $50-100. Age appropriate lenses: coated 50mm f/2 Summitar; 50mm f/2 Summicron; 50mm f/3.5 Elmar.
4. Leica M3: This brilliantly innovative design reset the trajectory of Leica and established it as the finest interchangeable–lens rangefinder camera ever made. Introduced in 1954, it remained in production until 1966. Early models feature double stroke lever-type film advance; later models provide single stroke advance. All M3s incorporate a Leica M bayonet mount, and a superb combined coincident-type 0.91x range-viewfinder with projected, parallax-compensating auto-indexing frame-lines for 50mm, 90mm, and 135mm lenses. The frame-lines can also be manually selected to preview the composition, and there’s a built-in mechanical self-timer. About 220,000 M3s were produced over its long production run. eBay price range: Double-stroke, $850-$1,200, body only, chrome: $950-$1,400 single-stroke, body only. Age appropriate lens: 50mm f/2 Dual-Range Summicron.
5. Leica M2: Introduced in 1957 and discontinued in 1968, approximately 82,000 M2s were produced over its long production run. Presented as a more affordable, simplified version of the Leica M3, it had a manually set, disk-type frame counter of the underneath the single-stroke film-wind lever, and its 0.72x magnification range-viewfinder displayed frame-lines for 35, 50 and 90mm lenses. This made it better suited for the photojournalists that enhanced its reputation. The M3’s ground-glass frame-line-illumination window was replaced with a Fresnel-type plastic lens, and the ornate beveling around the various windows on the M3 was deleted. Despite these omissions, the M2 is held in very high regard and priced accordingly. eBay price range: $650-$1,100 in chrome; $950-$1,600 in original black finish. Age appropriate lenses: 50mm f/2 rigid or collapsible Summicron; 35mm f/2 Summicron.
6. Leica M4: The lineal descendant of the landmark M3 and the simplified M2, the Leica M4 of 1966-1975 combined the features of both its predecessors and added a superb 0.72x range/viewfinder with projected, parallax-compensating frame lines for 35 mm, 50 mm, 90 mm and 135mm lenses, a self-zeroing frame counter like the M3, a more conveniently angled plastic-tipped film-wind lever, more contemporary looking self-timer and frame line-selector levers, and an ingenious angled film rewind crank in lieu of the traditional pullout knob on the M3 and M2. It also employs a fixed, 3-slotted take-up shaft instead of a removable spool, making film loading quicker and easier. The original Leica M4 is considered by many to represent the high point in the evolution of the Leica M. A total of 60,691 M4s were made, 47,522 in chrome, 6,775 in black chrome, 4,899 in black lacquer, and a mere 31 in olive lacquer for the military. eBay price range: $750-$1,100, body only, in chrome or black; $1,500 with lens and/or coupled meter.
7. Leica M6: Manufactured from 1984 to 1998, the long-running M6 combines the form factor and features of the Leica M4 with a modern, off-the-shutter silicon cell light meter with no moving parts and LED arrows in the viewfinder. Informally it’s referred to as the M6 Classic to distinguish it from the subsequent M6 TTL, which has a larger shutter dial that turns the opposite way from most other Leicas, 3-LED instead of 2-LED meter readouts, and a slightly taller body. The M6 and M6 TTL are mechanical cameras; all functions except the light meter work without batteries. They also offered a choice of 0.58x, 0.73x, and 0.85x viewfinder magnifications. The original “Classic” M6 is probably a better choice for user-collectors. About 100,000-150,000 M6s and 40,000 M6 TTLs were produced. eBay price range: M6, body only, in chrome or black: $1,400-$2,200; M6 TTL, $1,500-$2,800, body only in black or chrome.
8. Leicaflex SL: The second generation Leicaflex, it was produced from 1968 to 1974, and it added a TTL meter and a full-focusing screen. SL stands for its "Selective Light” metering area that corresponds to the viewfinder's central microprism spot. The SL also added a conventional bright ground glass focusing screen, and a depth-of-field preview. The Leicaflex SL is easily identifiable by the prominent "SL" on the front of the prism housing. It was offered in chrome or black finish. Black SLs initially had a black enamel finish that was subsequently replaced by more durable black chrome finish. 70,995 serial numbers were allotted to the Leicaflex SL. It may not be the last word in features, but the solid, dependable SL is beautifully made, takes virtually any Leica R lens, and may well be the most affordable user-collectible Leica ever. eBay price range: $125-250 in chrome, body only. Slightly higher in black finish, Age appropriate lens: 50mm f/2 Summicron-R.
9. Leicaflex SL2: Produced from 1974-1976 it was third and final iteration of the German-made Leicaflex. Upgrades to the SL include the addition of a split image rangefinder and an aperture readout scale in the finder, illuminated viewfinder readouts (which required an additional battery compartment on the front), a hot shoe, a more sensitive CdS metering system, and a modified mirror mechanism that allowed the convenient use of 16mm 24mm wide-angle lenses. The SL2 was offered in chrome or black chrome finish, and only 24,555 SL2s were made, including some motorized SL2 MOT Several 1975 SL2s were also engraved with the “Leica 50 Jahre” logo. eBay price range: around $400 to $800, body only, in chrome or black; with Leica 50 Jahre logo, $800-$1,200. Age appropriate lens: 50mm f/2 Summicron-R.
10. Leica M9: Produced from September 2009 to July 2012, the Leica M9 is and always will be the first full-frame digital Leica M. And though this 18.5-MP classic has since been surpassed by the subsequent Leica M type 240 and the latest M10, it’s still a great user-collectible that’s not likely to become functionally obsolete anytime soon. Its superb 0.68x range-viewfinder automatically display 6 parallax-compensating frame-lines in pairs depending on which lens you attach, 35 and 135 mm, 28 and 90 mm, or 50 and 75 mm. Any of the paired bright-line frames can be displayed via the frame-selector lever. It provides metered manual exposure, and aperture-priority TTL auto-exposure with center-weighted or averaging patterns, has ISO settings 80-2500, a 2.5-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD, and a vertical travel metal focal plane shutter with speeds on 32-1/4000 sec. Sorry, no production figures, but it’s readily available on the used camera market. eBay price range: $2,800-$3,200 in chrome, body only; Leica M9-P (basically an M9 without the red Leica dot), $3,300-$4,400 in black, body only.