M3

• Code names - 10150 = IGEMO (body only)

IMARO = IGEMO + ELMAR-M (Elmar (III) f= 5 cm 1:3.5)

ISUMO = IGEMO + SOOIC-M (F = 5 cm 1:2 Summicron II)

ISUMO-N = IGEMO + SOOIC-M (F = 5 cm 1:2 Summicron II)-DR near focusing range

ISUMO-S = IGEMO + SOOIC-M (F = 5 cm 1:2 Summicron II)-Rigid

ISAIO = IGEMO + SOOIA-M (F = 5 cm 1:1.5 Summarit)

10330 = M3 J (black paint version made for Japanese market)

• Production era - 1954-1966; 233,209 assigned numbers (per list below) including 1320 in black and 214 in olive green
• Variants - 1958 single stoke -ss film transport lever replaced double stroke -ds from # 915521. Many changes of small details : lug shape / size / position throughout production run. 1958 two notches added to range finder frame in viewfinder to indicate depth of field jcb No frame selector lever 1955 # 785891. Metal pressure plate from 1957 # 844001. Modern shutter speeds from 1957 # 854001. Double-stroke wind-on replaced with single-stroke in 1958 # 914251. D.o.F. estimation notches in rangefinder, like with M2, from 1958 Change of 'dog-ear' to rivetless modern strap lugs somewhere around 1960. M3 J version in 2006 (400 cameras) lb
• Designer - Heinrich Janke
• Manuals & brochures
  • M3 Instruction Manual.pdf courtesy of Joe Chan
  • M-Series Factory Tips.pdf Craftsman's Monty Witt
  • 1954 M-catalog.pdf (in German)
  • 1964 M-catalog.pdf Courtesy of Mike Butkus
  • The Leica M System 1960 (M3) Leicaphilia

Comment

• On the street - €EU 900-1,280 (ss) in 2015
• Reviews
  • Wikipedia Leica M3
  • Camerapedia Leica M3
  • Cosmonet Leica M3
  • Leon Baumgardt Leica M3
• Forum discussion
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  • JCB's a little...M3
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  • Fontenelle archive
  • [24] [25]
  • [26]

M3 Serial Numbers

SN Start	SN End	Product	Year	Batch
700000*	700000*	Leica M3	1955	1*
700001*	710000*	Leica M3 (black+chrom-ds)	1954	10000*
730001	746450	Leica M3 (chrom-ds)	1955	16449
746451	746500	Leica M3 ELC	1955	50
746501	750000	Leica M3	1955	3500
750001	759700	Leica M3 (black+chrom-ds)	1955	9700
759701	760000	Leica M3 ELC	1955	300
775001	780000	Leica M3 (black+chrom-ds)	1955	5000
780001	780090	Leica M3 ELC	1955	100
780101	787000	Leica M3 (chrom-ds)	1955	6900
800000	805000**	Leica M3 (chrom-ds)	1955	5001**
805001	805100	Leica M3 ELC	1955	100
805101**	807500	Leica M3 (chrom-ds)	1955	2400**
816001	816900**	Leica M3	1956	900**
816901	817000	Leica M3 ELC	1956	100
817001**	820500**	Leica M3 (chrom-ds)	1956	3500**
829851	830000	Leica M3 ELC	1956	150
830001	837500	Leica M3 (chrom-ds)	1956	7500
837501	837620	Leica M3 ELC (+ELW)	1956	120
837721	839620	Leica M3	1956	1900
839621	839700	Leica M3 ELC	1956	80
839701	840500	Leica M3	1956	800
840501	840820	Leica M3 ELC	1956	320
840821	844780	Leica M3 (chrom-ds)	1956	4180
844781	845000	Leica M3 ELC	1956	220
851001	854000	Leica M3	1956	3000
854001	858000	Leica M3	1957	4000
862001	866620	Leica M3 (chrom-ds)	1957	4620
866621	867000	Leica M3 ELC	1957	380
872001	877000	Leica M3 (chrom-ds)	1957	5000
882001	886700	Leica M3	1957	4700
886701	887000	Leica M3 ELC	1957	300
893001	894000**	Leica M3	1957	1000**
894001	894570**	Leica M3 ELC (ss)	1957	570**
894571**	898000	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1957	3430**
898001	903000	Leica M3 (black+chrom-ds}	1957	5000
903001	903300	Leica M3 ELC	1957	300
910001	910500**	Leica M3 (black}	1957	500**
910501	910600	Leica M3 Olive Lackiert	1957	100
910601	915000	Leica M3(ds/ss)	1957	4400**
915001	915200	Leica M3(chrom-ss)	1957	200
916001	919250	Leica M3 (black-ds)	1957	3250
(cameras	below are	single-stroke /cameras above are	double-stroke	unless modified)
919251	924500	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)}	1958	5250
920501	920521	Leica M3 Olive Lackiert	1958	21*
920522**	924400**	Leica M3	1958	3880**
924401**	924500**	Leica M3 ELC	1958	100**
926701	928922**	Leica M3 (olive)	1959	2222**
928923	929000	^ Postkamera (24 x 27 black)	1958	78
950301	951900	Leica M3	1959	1600
951901	952000	Leica M3 ELC	1959	100
952501	954800*	Leica M3	1959	2300
954801	954900	Leica M3 ELC	1959	100
954901	955000	Leica M3 ELC	1959	100
957001	959400	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1959	2400
959401	959500	Leica M3 Schwz Lackiert (ss)	1959	100
961501	961700	Leica M3 ELC	1959	200
961701	966500	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1959	4800
968351	968500	Leica M3 ELC	1959	150
972001	974700	Leica M3 (ss)	1959	2700
974701	975000	Leica M3 ELC	1959	300
976501	979500	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1959	3000
984001	984200	Leica M3 ELC	1959	200
984201	987000	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1959	2800
987001	987200	Leica M3 ELC	1960	200
987536	987600	^ Postkamera 24x27(55) 24x36(10)	1960	65
990751	993500**	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1960	2750**
993501	993750	Leica M3 Schwz Lackiert (ss)	1960	250
996001	998000**	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1960	2000**
998001	998300	Leica M3 ELC (chrom-ss)	1960	300
998301**	1000000**	Leica M3	1960	1700**
1000001	1003700**	Leica M3	1960	3700**
1003701	1004000	Leica M3 ELC	1960	300
1007001	1011000	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1960	4000
1014001	1014300	Leica M3 ELC	1960	300
1014301	1017000	Leica M3	1960	2700
1022001	1022700**	Leica M3	1961	700**
1022701	1023000	Leica M3 ELC	1961	300
1023001**	1027800**	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1961	4800**
1027801	1028000	Leica M3 ELC	1961	200
1032001	1035400	Leica M3	1961	3400
1036051	1036350	Leica M3 ELC	1961	300
1038001	1038800**	Leica M3	1961	800**
1038801	1039000	Leica M3 Schwz Lackiert	1961	200
1039001**	1040000	Leica M3 (black-ss)	1961	1000**
1040067	1040068**	Leica M3	1962	2**
1040071**	1040071**	Leica M3	1961	1**
1040095**	1040096	Leica M3	1962	2**
1040601	1043000	Leica M3	1961	2400
1044001	1046000	Leica M3 Schwz Lackiert (+chrom-ss)	1962	2000
1046501	1047800**	Leica M3	1962	1300
1047801	1048000	Leica M3 ELC	1962	200
1055001	1059849**	Leica M3	1962	4849**
1059850	1059999	Leica M3 Schwz Lackiert	1962	150
1060000**	1060000	Leica M3	1962	1**
1063001	1065000**	Leica M3	1962	2000**
1065001	1065200	Leica M3 ELC	1962	200
1065201**	1067500	Leica M3	1962	2300**
1067871**	1068000**	Leica Postkamera	1963	130**
1070001	1074000	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1963	4000
1077001	1080000	Leica M3	1963	3000
1078501*	1078800*	Leica M3 Schwz Lackiert	1963	300
1088001	1091000	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1963	3000
1093801	1097700**	Leica M3 (Schwz Lackiert+chrom-ss)	1964	3900**
1097701	1097850	Leica M3 Schwz Lackiert	1964	150
1097851**	1098000	Leica M3 ELC	1964	150**
1100001	1102000	Leica M3	1964	1950
1100401*	1134150*	Leica M3 Olive Lackiert	1964	50
1102901**	1103000**	Leica M3	1965	100**
1105001	1106900**	Leica M3	1965	1900**
1106901	1107000	Leica M3 ELC	1965	100
1109001	1110500	Leica M3	1965	1500
1110501	1112000	Leica M3	1965	1500
1114976	1115000	^ Postkamera 24x27	1965	25
1128401*	1130000*	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1965	1600*
1133001	1134000**	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1965	1000**
1134001	1134150	Leica M3 Schwz Lackiert	1965	150
1134151**	1135000**	Leica M3 (chrom-ss)	1965	850**
1135001	1135100	Leica M3 ELC	1965	100
1135101**	1136000**	Leica M3	1965	900**
1139001	1140900**	Leica M3	1966	1900
1140901	1141000	Leica M3 ELC	1966	100
1141897	1141968	^ Postkamera	1966	72
1141969	1142000	^ Postkamera 24x27	1966	32
1155001	1157590**	Leica M3 (chrom+black-ss)	1966	2590**
1157591	1157600	Leica M3 Schwz Lackiert	1966	10
1157601**	1158995**	Leica M3	1966	1395**
1158501*	1158510*	Leica M3 Lack	1966	10*
1158511p	1158995p	Leica M3	1966	485p
1158996*	1158900*	Leica M3 Olive grun	1966	5*
1164846	1164865	Leica M3	1967p	20
1206962*	1206999*	Leica M3 Olive Lackiert	1969p	38*
3087301p	3087700p	Leica M3 J (black paint)	2006	400p
TOTAL	ASSIGNED	SERIAL NUMBERS	1954-2006	233,209

.* Serial numbers and batch total from Gandy's List
** Serial numbers from Serial Numbers Leica Cameras with computed batch total.
Unmarked SN's match between both lists and Gandy's batch total was used without recalculation.
ELC - Ernst Leitz Canada / Schwz Lackiert - Black Lacquer / Olive Lackiert - Safari Green Lacquer
^ Postkamera - in 24 x 36 and 24 x 27 versions for Post Office telephone meter reading with a fixed focus Summaron f= 3.5 cm 1:2.8 lens Postkameras formerly assigned to MD are now assigned to M3 per research done by Pierre Jeandrain.
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