While rummaging through Daniel Neal’s scans of Leica Photography I came across this advertisement for the all-new Leica M3 in the 1955 Spring edition–coincidentally exactly 60 years ago. The M3 is such a milestone in the Leica story that it is hard to imagine the excitement that accompanied its launch in 1954. It’s a testament to the longevity of this particular camera that most examples made are still in circulation, many of them in daily use.
In the past couple of years there has been a big increase in the numbers of M3s seen in the hands of young photographers, following their dreams of street photography and relishing the simplicity and pure ability of this first M. It’s interesting to see the hyphen in the model designation, something that certainly didn’t appear on the camera and is not generally in use.