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Leica M3 — Rangefinder Specs & Serial Dating
Specifications
| Brand | Leica |
|---|---|
| Format | film_35mm |
| Type | rangefinder |
| Mount | Leica M |
| Shutter | horizontal cloth focal-plane |
| Produced | 1954–1966 |
Variants
- M3 single-stroke · 1958–1966 · serials 919251–1206999
Serial batches
| Year | Range | Variant | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 700000–722900 | M3 single-stroke | 22900 |
Compatible lenses
About
The Leica M3 introduced the Leica M bayonet in 1954 and set the template for every M rangefinder since. Its 0.91× viewfinder remains the brightest of the classic Ms, with automatic parallax-corrected framelines for 50, 90 and 135mm lenses. Early bodies used a double-stroke film advance, later changed to single-stroke.