Tiny Leica Half-Frame Camera Among Rare Items Up for Auction

Sebastião Salgado’s Leica R6 camera is among some of the rare cameras that are for sale in the 49th edition of the Leitz Photographica Auction.

Also on offer is an exceptionally rare Leica Box camera from the 1950s and a re-edition of the Elcan 66mm f/2 lens.

More than 400 lots will be offered at Leitz Photographica Auction 49. While Leica cameras, lenses and equipment make up the majority of the lots, numerous items from other renowned manufacturers will be offered as well. Estimates range from the three-figure to the six-figure euro range.

The Leica Box 18 x 24mm prototype

A rare half-frame Leica Box prototype dating back to the mid-1950s is expected to be one of the auction’s biggest attractions. Designed to shoot 18 × 24mm images, the remarkably compact camera measures just 100 × 64 × 48 millimeters, making it one of the smallest Leicas ever produced.

Only two examples were made. One is on display at the Leica Museum in Wetzlar as a non-functioning design study, while the other, bearing serial number 000.01, is fully operational and now heading to auction. The rare camera is estimated to fetch between €400,000 and €500,000 ($450,000 to $560,000).

Sebastião Salgado Set

One of the standout lots is a Leica R6 once owned by renowned Magnum photographer Sebastião Salgado (1944–2025).

Salgado used the camera to document the burning oil fields of Kuwait during the Gulf War, a series of images that helped establish his international reputation. The lot also includes two photographs from the series and a signed copy of his limited-edition photobook Workers.

The camera and accompanying items are estimated to sell for between €28,000 and €32,000 ($31,000 to $36,000).

The Summicron-M 66 f/2

The auction will also feature a rare Leica lens with an unusual military history. The Elcan 66mm f/2 was developed by Dr. Walter Mandler at Ernst Leitz Canada on commission for the US Navy. According to Mandler, the Navy’s intelligence service wanted a lens that “looked like any other but delivered an unparalleled level of resolution.”

Just 200 examples of the Elcan 66 were produced in the late 1960s, making it one of the rarest lenses ever made for the Leica M system. Earlier this year, Leica released a limited-edition reissue, the Summicron-M 66 f/2, with production capped at 660 units. The example heading to auction bears the particularly collectible serial number 001 and carries an estimate of €16,000 to €20,000 ($18,000 to $22,000).

Bidding is open now and will close on November 29. Information on the lots and details of the bidding process are available at www.leitz-auction.com.