Ernst Leitz in Wetzlar, West Germany, makes a family of 35mm cameras that are considered CLASSICS in terms of design. Around 1913, Oskar Barnack, a technician who worked for Leitz, developed a small camera that could use regular movie film. In 1924, a commercial version of the camera went on sale. Soon after, new versions with improvements like range-finder focusing, interchangeable lenses, and a full range of fast and slow shutter speeds were released.
The 1930s models F and G were the best examples of Leica’s design, based on the technical language of high-quality optical instruments like Leitz microscopes and strict adherence to the camera’s functional needs. Famous photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Walker Evans liked the camera, and people knew it was technically excellent. This made it very popular, and a group of fans now collects early models. Leica has kept its high design quality in later models, such as the series M cameras made after World War II. Many cameras like the Leica, like the Contax made by ZEISS, were made to compete with it, but none were as famous as the Leica.
With the invention of the miniature single-lens reflex camera, the range-finder Leica type is no longer as popular as it once was. Even though Leitz has made several reflex models under the Leica name, many early Leicas are still in use because of how well they were made and worked.
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL
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