LEICA M 3 # 817 164 Lens ELMAR 12.8/50 LEITZ WETZLAR # 1933048 GERMANY

LEICA M 3 - # 817 164 Lens ELMAR 1:2.8/50 LEITZ WETZLAR # 1933048 GERMANY with original leather case. The Leica M3 is a 35 mm rangefinder camera by Ernst Leitz GmbH (now Leica Camera AG), introduced in 1954. It was a new starting point for Leitz, which until then had only produced screw-mount Leica cameras that were incremental improvements to its original Leica (Ur-Leica).

The M3 introduced several features to the Leica, among them the combination of viewfinder and rangefinder in one bright window, like on the Contax II, a bayonet lens mount, and rapid film advance lever.