The Leica M camera will be 70 years old next year – expected many new products in 2024
The Leica M camera will be 70 years old next year: the Leica M mount was introduced in 1954 with the Leica M3 (Wikipedia). Going even further back in time: in 1923, Barnack convinced Ernst Leitz II to make a preproduction run of 31 cameras to test. In 1924 Ernst Leitz decided to produce the camera. The official introduction was at the 1925 Leipzig Spring Fair as the Leica I (for Leitz camera). This makes 2024 an even more important year for Leica (Wikipedia).
Here are the first rumors on what to expect next year:
- Leica is planning a major release for the next generation of M cameras to coincide with 70 years of the platform, so don’t expect anything major to be announced until next year (2024).
- Three cameras will be released in a variety of finishes, including one that has never been used before.
- The 70th-anniversary event will also mark the release of the next generation of Leica watches.
- Thanks to the success of their line of legacy lenses and the newly released Leica M6, the company is now considering new designs based on pre-M cameras but with M-mounts.
Previous coverage on the history of Leica can be found here:
Short documentary on the Leica brand
The History of Leica documentary now available on YouTube
Timeline of Leica M analogue (film) cameras
Brief history of Leica Camera AG
History of Leica (video) and “20 fascinating facts you didn’t know about the camera maker”
The History of Leica documentary (in German)
The history of Leica: from 35mm rangefinder camera to the Huawei P20 triple lens smartphone