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Leica History

Special and Limited Leica Cameras

A black paint Leica M2, showing brassing at the edges where the lacquer has worn through to the brass body
A black paint Leica M2, showing brassing at the edges

Black paint cameras

Before the 1960s, chrome-finish Leicas were the standard consumer option and black paint finishes were the less common, often special-order alternative favoured by press and documentary photographers who wanted a body less likely to draw attention. The black lacquer wears unevenly with use, letting the brass body underneath show through at the edges and corners — a look photographers call "brassing". That wear pattern, once simply a sign of a well-used working camera, has since made original black paint bodies among the most sought-after and expensive cameras Leica ever produced.

A note on collecting: Verifying an original black paint Leica often relies on specific serial number ranges. However, because Leica occasionally repainted cameras or assembled them out of sequence, experts also rely on inspecting the finish, engravings, and internal records.

Military-issued cameras

Leica bodies saw military service on more than one side of the twentieth century. Wehrmacht-contract Leicas from the Second World War carry distinctive engraved unit and property markings, and Luftwaffe-issued bodies are particularly documented among collectors. After the war, surplus and specially procured Leicas were also issued to Allied forces and, later, to various national armed services, each leaving its own engraving conventions for identifying issued equipment.

Warning: World War II era military Leicas are heavily counterfeited, often by modifying and engraving Soviet-made Zorki or FED cameras.

Limited editions

Leica has marked anniversaries and collaborations with limited production runs almost since the company's founding, most famously the "Leica 100 Jahre" (100 Years) edition released in 2014 to mark a century since Barnack's original prototype. Special editions have also paired Leica bodies with outside designers, photographers, and other brands, usually distinguished by unique finishes, engravings, or accessory sets rather than changes to the camera's mechanism.