The Groundbreaking Leica I 35mm Camera Turns 100 Years Old
The Leica I was unveiled 100 years ago today, on March 1, 1925. The Leica I, the first mass-produced 35mm Leica camera, is widely celebrated for its influence on photography.
The Leica I, a mass-produced version of the Ur-Leica developed in 1913, was shown to the public for the first time 100 years ago today at the Leipzig Spring Fair. The compact, sleek camera revolutionized 35mm photography.
“I hereby decide: we will take the risk,” Ernst Leitz II said in 1925 when he decided to mass-produce the famed Oskar Barnack’s Ur-Leica invention.
“Despite technical challenges in difficult economic times, a completely new camera system was added to the Leitz factory’s production range,” Leica Camera AG explains in a press release. “The launch of the Leica I at the Leipzig Fair also proved to be a visionary and decisive business move… the Leitz booth, number 194/195 on the upper level of the fair hall, acted as a springboard for a revolution in photography in 1925.”
The Leica I was paired with a Leica Anastigmat 50mm f/3.5 prime lens and was a “runaway success,” popularizing the 24x36mm compact film format as the global standard — an image that remains the standard in the digital age a hundred years later.
Famed photographers of the era quickly took to the Leica I, including Alexander Rodchenko, Gisèle Freund, and André Kertész.
“For the first time, a camera made it possible to capture real life — immortalizing the decisive moment,” Leica says.
In its first year, Leica sold 1,000 Leica I cameras, a significant accomplishment at the time. The camera propelled Leica’s name into the annals of photographic history, laying the groundwork for many cameras and lenses to come.
Leica’s first camera with a bayonet mount arrived five years after the Leica I and the Leica II landed in 1932, featuring the company’s first rangefinder. At the time, Leica offered seven interchangeable lenses with a standardized mount.
“Over the last 100 years, Leica has been profoundly influencing the technological and cultural development of photography through its innovative strength, craftsmanship, and engineering,” says Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG.
“Our focus remains on Das Wesentliche (‘the essentials’): a passion for taking unique, authentic pictures, documenting and preserving world events. For this reason, it only makes sense to celebrate this company anniversary, namely 100 years of camera production, together with many renowned photographers worldwide and to put the spotlight on their work.”
Image credits: Leica Camera AG
