Leica IIIf1950

History

Released 1950. Sub-versions:

• IIIf Black Dial (1950–1952) — original, black sync-speed dial.
• IIIf Red Dial (1952–1957) — red sync-speed dial, refined sync timing.
• IIIf Self-Timer (1954+) — added a self-timer lever on the front.

184,000 units made. Replaced 1957 by the IIIg (1957–1960, larger viewfinder, 50/90 frame lines), which was Leica's last screw-mount body. The M3 (1954, M-bayonet) overlapped and ultimately ended screw-mount production.

Why It Matters

The IIIf is the camera that defined "Leica" for the prewar / immediate-postwar generation of photographers. Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, David Seymour, Werner Bischof, Erich Salomon — all used IIIf bodies (or earlier Leica IIIs) before the M3 changed the system. The screw-mount lens family (LTM / M39) remains in use in 2026 — Voigtländer, Cosina, MS-Optical, and Light Lens Lab still make new LTM lenses, all of which mount on the IIIf.

For 2026 buyers, an IIIf is the cheapest entry into "real" Leica ownership. A clean black-dial body runs $400–700; a Red-Dial Self-Timer commands $800–1,200. The screw-mount LTM lenses (50/2 Summicron collapsible, 50/3.5 Elmar, 35/3.5 Elmar) are also significantly cheaper than equivalent M-mount glass.

Lenses & Accessories

Leica Screw Mount (LTM / M39) lenses. Common: Elmar 50/3.5 (kit), Summicron 50/2 collapsible, Summitar 50/2, Summaron 35/3.5, Elmar 90/4. LTM-to-M adapters allow LTM lenses on M-mount bodies (M3, M6, MP). The IIIf's body cannot accept M-mount lenses without a different body. SBOOI accessory finder for 50mm framing on accessory shoe (the IIIf eye-level finder shows roughly the 50mm field).

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Henri Cartier-Bresson — IIIf used in the early 1950s for the Images à la Sauvette (The Decisive Moment) period.
• Robert Capa — IIIc and IIIf carried in Korea before his death (Indochina, 1954).
• David "Chim" Seymour — Magnum founder, IIIf user.
• Erich Salomon — political portraiture pioneer, earlier Leicas (predecessor to IIIf).

References

• Camera-Wiki: Leica IIIf
• Wikipedia: Leica camera
• Leica: Witness to a Century — Alessandro Pasi.