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On June 11, 2022, a group of professional photographers, collectors and enthusiasts gathered in Wetzlar, Germany, to attend the 40th Leitz Photographica Auction of equipment and paraphernalia made by Leica, the German camera manufacturer considered by many to be the best in the world. Among the lots was a humble camera, serial number 105, from a run of roughly two dozen hand-assembled prototypes dating to the early 1920s. Constructed by inventor Oskar Barnack and his team beginning in 1923, these “0-series” devices preceded the Leica I, the first serially-produced Leica camera that debuted in 1925.
What made this particular lot special was its first owner, who was none other than Barnack himself. Most of the 0-series prototypes — based upon Barnack’s “Ur-Leica” of 1914 — were retained by the founding Leitz family, but serial no. 105 was gifted to him, presumably as a thank you for his service. The starting price for the auction was a whopping $1 million, but no one could have expected the final hammer price: €14.4 million, including the buyer’s premium. Clearly, this humble, handmade object was worth more than the sum of its well-worn parts — but enough to buy a large house in Malibu? What makes a Leica camera so damn special?
While Paul Simon may have reserved his accolades for humble Nikon, the Leica camera is known among professional shooters as the true gold standard. Beautifully designed, a pleasure in hand, easy to operate and tough as a tank, its enduring profile has been spotted hanging by a simple cord around the neck of the world’s very best photographers. From Henri Cartier-Bresson to Alfred Eisenstaedt, Ilse Bing to Jane Evelyn Atwood, all swear by this Wetzlar-built, handheld wonder of a machine that translates lived experience into journalistic art. More than just a camera, a Leica is an indication of taste — which is something that even an amateur photographer will pay handsomely for.
The Beginning of Leica
While Oskar Barnack produced the Ur-Leica in 1914, serial production of the Leica I dates to 1925, thus making this year, 2025, the official centennial of Leica camera production. In celebration of such a momentous occasion, the firm invited photographers, collectors, members of the media — and Jason Momoa, a diehard Leica fan — to its campus for several days of workshops, lectures, parties and one of its annual auctions. (If you’ve never seen a camera hammer for several million dollars in person, I highly recommend it.) Being a watch nerd but not necessarily a camera nut, I recognized some of the same electric enthusiasm amongst the attendees: Each had at least one — in some cases, several — Leica camera hanging around his or her neck and was eagerly engaged in both snapping pics as well as talking shop and comparing gear. It was easy to find oneself deeply curious about these cameras, and about the company itself.
In the 19th century, Ernst Leitz Optische Werke wasn’t engaged in the camera business, but was a producer of microscopes and other optical equipment. Once Barnack came on the scene and joined the firm in 1911, however, the seeds were sown for Leica’s future as a photographic powerhouse. Following the development of the Ur-Leica, company scion Ernst Leitz II took a test-series model on a trip to the U.S. in 1914, shooting scenes throughout the journey and inadvertently becoming one of the earliest street photographers to use a portable camera. Back in Germany, Leitz was faced with a few dilemmas: The benefits of the small portable camera were clear, but there was no comparable product on the market; there were numerous manufacturing concerns and considerations to overcome; and there was no firm indication that it would sell. However, Leitz believed in Barnack and his invention, declaring, “I hereby decide: we will take the risk.”
The Leica I — for “LEItz CAmera” — was presented at the Leipzig Spring Fair for Cinema, Photography, Optics and Precision Engineering in 1925. Using 24 x 36mm film in a horizontal orientation with a 2:3 aspect ratio, it was the first truly portable 35mm camera — a necessity for Barnack, who suffered from asthma and couldn’t lug around the heavy equipment typical of most 19th and early 20th-century camera rigs. It was also an immediate success: Between 1925 and 1931, the Leica I sold 70,000 units; by 1935, the number was 183,000. Featuring excellent, high-definition lenses designed by engineer Max Berek, the Leica I almost single-handedly birthed modern street photography and photojournalism, launching the careers of men like Cartier-Bresson, who purchased a Leica II in southern France in the 1930s and used it to craft his philosophy of the “decisive moment.” Indeed, photography would never be the same.
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The celebrated photojournalist, who recently opened his first solo exhibition in Milan, has been on the front lines of conflicts from Gaza to UkraineToday, Leica’s commitment to photography extends well beyond simply producing fine cameras into initiatives that serve the greater photographic culture. Operating its own stores is of prime importance; likewise, Leica also runs 30 galleries spread throughout the world, with two more set to open before the end of the year. It’s Karin Rehn-Kaufmann’s job as art director and chief representative for Leica Galleries International to coordinate the brand’s activity in these areas.
“You can look at a watch and read the time, or you can drive with a car somewhere and you might like the noise and the design. But with a camera you produce something new,” she says. “That means we always need a human being behind the camera, and this is the most important point [of] working for Leica. Without the human eye and the human heart and all the people working with these cameras, it doesn’t make sense. This is why we take care of the culture of photography.”
While the galleries focus 80% of the curatorial efforts on Leica shooters, the other 20% includes photographers using other equipment — the point is the importance of the medium. (To be fair, these non-Leica shooters often become brand converts, charmed not only by the quality of the cameras but by the way in which Leica looks after photographers and their work.) Many of the photographers exhibited in the galleries are young unknowns, their selection and inclusion being of importance to Rehn-Kaufmann and to Leica. The net result is some 150 exhibitions at Leica galleries per year, an admirable amount, even for a camera brand.
The 100th Anniversary Editions
As Rolex is to watches and Porsche is to cars, Leica is to cameras — a producer of beautiful, well-made and reliable objects whose aesthetics are shaped in no small part by their utility. Much like a Submariner or a 911, it’s this hard-wearing, utilitarian bent from which a Leica camera derives so much of its je ne sais quoi. The brass housing, the leatherette covering, the steel furniture — all combine into a seamless whole that fits in the form of one’s hand as well as it slips into a pocket. And like those two aforementioned and highly-coveted items, a Leica camera is recognizable as such from across the room regardless of the generation from which it stems. Whether a 1930s-era Leica II, a 1950s-era M3, a 1980s-era M6 or any manner of modern digital versions, a Leica always looks like a Leica. As the old saying goes: If it ain’t broke…
The Leica aesthetic doesn’t apply merely to top-of-the-line analog film or digital cameras with the brand’s famous interchangeable lenses. The company also produces point-and-shoot pocket cameras such as the D-Lux, instant cameras such as the Sofort — whose affordability provides a convenient entry point into the Leica universe — and all manner of accessories that are immediately identifiable with the brand.
“When you look at the first Leica and when you look at what we did for the 100th anniversary, there’s a consistency in design, in quality,” says Rehn-Kaufmann. “Of course there’s new technology, but you can always recognize the Leica design.”
In celebration of 100 years of photography, Leica is also debuting several anniversary models across different product families that span from a handsome coffee table book chronicling the brand’s history all the way up to a limited-edition of the flagship M11. Let’s dig into some of the releases, which hopefully will not only mark the centennial, but herald the beginning of the next 100 years.
M11-D 100 Years of Leica Set
The flagship release for the 100th anniversary celebration is a special M11 sold as a set with two lenses: The Leitz Anastigmat 50mm f/3.5 — which featured on the original Leica I in the form of a fixed lens — is now available with an M mount, bringing its novel retractable design into the future. Crafted from aluminum in an anodized nickel-colored finish, it gives Leica’s modern M11 some vintage-inspired flair.
The second lens, a Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH, balances heritage-inspired design with modern optical performance for incredible speed, image quality and a minimum focus distance of 45 cm. Cross-knurling, nickel-colored surfaces and milled aluminum features help it stand out as a special limited-edition version of the catalog model. The camera and both lenses ship in an elegant glossy black wooden box with several accessories and will be available for purchase in select Leica stores beginning in the spring of 2026.
M11 100 Years of Leica “Wetzlar Germany”
The latest in a number of limited-edition M11 cameras tied to six major anniversary events around the globe, the Leica M11 100 Years of Leica “Wetzlar Germany” in a glossy black paint finish is inspired by historical M-series cameras and meant to patina over time. Cross-knurled, silver-chromed shutter release, on/off switch, and ISO and speed dials further create a vintage-inspired look, while a “Wetzlar” engraving, a chrome-plated hot shoe cover with anniversary logo, a black screw instead of the typical red logo, and a serial number from 001 to 100 indicate its special-edition status. Exclusive to Leica stores in Germany, it’s available now for €9,500 (or a little over $11,000).
D-Lux 8 100 Years of Leica
Leica’s fixed-lens, compact digital platform has similarly been given 100th-anniversary treatment in the form of the D-Lux 8 100 Years of Leica. Executed with nickel-colored accents and black leatherette in homage to both the original Leica I and the company’s M-series models, it features cross-knurling along the control elements, a “100” logo on the hot shoe cover, and minimalist touches in the form of omitted thumb rest, model name engraving and red Leica logo. At $2,150, it’s another (more) affordable entry point into the Leica oeuvre, and its good looks, ample connectivity via USB-C and Bluetooth, and Leica 10.9-34mm f/1.7-2.8 zoom lens should satisfy both amateur and professional shooters alike.
Sofort 2 100 Years of Leica
The Sofort 2 opens the door into the Leica universe in an even more affordable way while still maintaining the brand’s appealing design codes. This anniversary edition of the Sofort 2 adds a bit of a centennial touch, with all-black construction, a nickel-colored lens cap, a glossy black photo output frame and a special “100” logo on the top plate. Although it’s an instant camera in the mode of Polaroid, it also pairs with the Leica Fotos smartphone app, on which photos can be transferred, stored and organized. (And unlike an analog Polaroid camera, you can choose exactly which photos to print from the camera.)
100 Leica Stories
A must-read for Leica diehards, this handsome hardback tome tells the brand’s story in 100 chapters, from the genesis of the original Leica I through personal moments from famous photographers. Nothing is excluded: From scientific expeditions shot on Leica gear to Leica paraphernalia and even a child named after the brand, this book touches on it all. And of course, it’s all shot beautifully.
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