Legendary Photos Taken on Leica Cameras
Discover the history of the Leica camera and how it changed the course of history
For over 100 years, image-makers worldwide have documented decisive moments in history with a Leica in their hands. Wars, pop culture, the environment, the everyday... shot over decades, both on film and digitally. This is the story of the Leica camera and how it changed the course of history.
Leitz and Oskar Barnack
In the early 20th century, Leitz–founded in Wetzlar, Germany in 1849–was the world’s largest manufacturer of microscopes. In 1911, the company was looking for a new master mechanic to oversee research. Following a recommendation from a friend, Ernst Leitz II hired Oskar Barnack, whose subsequent work would revolutionize and shape the history of 20th-century photography.
Born in 1879 in Germany, Barnack had begun his training to become a precision mechanic at the age of 14. He was a cinema and photography aficionado, however in those days, cameras were bulky and heavy. They used large and heavy plates (as opposed to film) that required prolonged exposure times–they had to be supported on tripods and were difficult to transport. Barnack suffered from a lung ailment, which made it especially difficult for him to go out and about to take photos or shoot film. In his spare time, he began developing his own ideas for making a more user-friendly camera for cinema, which would also lead him to discover a new way of taking photographs.
Watch the video below to learn more about the history of Leica:
The Birth of the Ur-Leica and 35 mm Film
At the time, film cameras used 35mm film with a frame size of 18×24 mm. While at Leitz, Barnack discovered how to double the frame width from 18×24 mm to 36×24 mm. This new format became known as “full-frame.” In 1913, Barnack had designed his first prototype of a camera that in his notes he referred to as the “Liliput Camera,” and today is known as the Ur-Leica, one of the first handheld 35 mm “full-frame” cameras.
Further development was interrupted by the First World War, during which Barnack worked on optional devices for military use. Following the war, in 1920, Leitz decided to press on with the development of Barnack’s camera: Max Berek was brought on to create an appropriate lens for the Leica. Barnack’s photography of the floods in Wetzlar in 1920 is now considered to be the first reportage series shot with a 35 mm still film camera.
Despite Germany suffering a recession, in 1924, Ernst Leitz II took a huge risk and put the camera into production. It was an immediate success when introduced at the 1925 Leipzig Spring Fair as the Leica I (a combination of the name “Leitz" and the word “camera”).
It featured Max Berek’s non-interchangeable Leitz Anastigmat 50 mm f/3.5 lens in a collapsible mount. Soon afterward, the lens was given the name Elmax (Ernst Leitz + Max Berek). In the same year, Berek employed a new glass type in his design for the Elmar 50 mm f/3.5–a lens that was to become as world-famous as the Leica itself.
The high quality, reliability, and robustness of the Leica 1, and the fact that it was also compact, light, and quick to take photos, made it a hit–first with ambitious amateur photographers. Then came the professionals: Walter Bosshard, Erich Salomon, and Robert Capa. It would soon also become the camera of choice for a new generation of avant-garde image-makers inspired by the Bauhaus movement. By 1933, Leitz had already sold 100,000 cameras.
The Rise of Street Photography
The compact nature of Barnack’s creation made it discreet and unobtrusive, allowing photographers to blend into their surroundings and capture what was happening around them in the moment. This revolutionized photography and led to the rise of street photography. Leica became a favorite model for photojournalists and portrait photographers who wanted to capture intimate moments and get up close to their subjects.
Henri Cartier-Bresson and Gandhi
French photojournalist Henri Cartier-Bresson was known for using only one camera: a Leica rangefinder with a 50 mm lens. It is said that he shot almost all of his life's work with this model.
One of Cartier-Bresson’s most iconic photo series was shot in 1948 when he was working in India. Cartier-Bresson photographed many of the country's key political leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi. His photos documenting Gandhi’s last days and the events that followed his assassination–the funeral and scenes of a country in mourning–established Cartier-Bresson as a pioneering photojournalist.
More iconic photographs shot with a Leica over the last 100 years:
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