Leica M3 35mm Rangefinder Film Camera Body Only

Great price; great camera.

Delighted with this M3. It works as advertised; smooth shutter, clear optics, easy to focus. Minor blemishes on the case, also as advertised. Great price for a great camera.

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: kaluacat_camera

A Most Regretful Purchase

The camera had more scratches and dings than in the photos. Appearance was less than satisfactory. The slit in film take-up spool was tight and there was difficulty in inserting the film. There was difficulty determining film advance as the film advance indicator is not working. The shutter speeds do not seem to be accurate. The rewind mechanism does not work well. It stopped halfway through and on checking half the film was still not rewound so causing accidental exposure of the film. The film then was rewound with great difficulty. The film is still being developed so image quality cannot be commented on.Read full review

50 year-old classic that works like new...

For anyone still using film, or thinking about using film again (or for the first time...), all those pros out there who say the Leica M3 is still the best 35mm camera in the world are right. This thing is built with a precision and attention to detail that almost makes my M6 seem rough, by comparison. Smooth, quiet, precise...you couldn't ask for more. If you can find a lightly used M3 that has recently been serviced by a top mechanic, you will be very happy and have access to thousands of equally great lenses. The large, bright viewfinder of the M3 is the best and most accurate of any Leica rangefinder ever built, letting that legendary Leica glass perform at its very best.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: mbmps

Not "A Classic" but "The Classic"

The Leica M3 is widely considered not only the finest camera ever produced by Leica, but the finest camera ever produced. Or, the finest mechanical object ever produced. Take that with a grain of salt, read the reviews pro and con and decide just how much hyperbole is involved. One data point, however, is telling. Almost sixty years after the M3 hit the scene, Leica's latest film camera, the Leica M-A, is as close to a complete duplicate of an M3 as they were able to produce in 2014. IMHO it falls short, at least in the .72x rangefinder, but it is a good try for "only" $4,200 or so. Or, get the real thing, a high-end M3, for a quarter of that. 'Nuff said - do your homework, come to your own conclusions. I love mine.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: sanpoucamera

Leica M3

The Leica M3 is a standard for rangefinder cameras.
Excellent reviews can be found on the Internet, and there are different opinions about the Double stroke (DS) and Single stroke SS) [these terms refer to the film advance lever].
The most important criterion for any camera is the condition, and if the camera has been CLAed (Clean, Lubricated, and Adjusted) by a reputed service person. Keep in mind that a poorly done CLA is worse than no CLA.
Like most highly regarded cameras, Leica makes all their cameras backward compatible, and the M3 can use the latest lenses from Leica; there are other companies that make compatible (and less expensive) lenses for the M3.
Some limitations exist with the M3, e.g., the viewfinder is geared for three types of framelines (hence the 3 in M3); a separate viewfinder can be purchased if a 35mm lens is used.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: c8llecting

Leica M3

The World's Greatest 35mm Camera.

The Leica M3 was introduced in 1955, and by many accounts, the best camera of all time,
This is why it's also LEICA's best-selling camera of all time.
LEICA M3 has LEICA's biggest and best finder, and offers the most precise focus of any LEICA.
The LEICA M3's ultrasmooth, quiet, solid and precise mechanics are much better than all
other Leica cameras.

When LEICA advertised LEICA M3 as a "lifetime investment in perfect photography," they had no idea how much of an understatement this would become.
This is why the LEICA M3, although scaldingly expensive in its day, still remains as LEICA's largest selling camera ever, with about a quarter-million copies sold.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: breguetcamera

A good camera for user

This is my first Leica M camera and I enjoyed using it. The camera doesn’t look quite new though it functions well. I have shot a roll of film and had some satisfying pictures. I think I will keep the camera for a long time.Read full review

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Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: icekaze

Perfect

Everything you read about the camera is true. The build is precise, no wasted weight, smooth operation, perfect. No battery means no light meter but Sunny 16 Rule takes care of that. Use an App on your phone if in doubt and enjoy a camera that can't be beat in the 35 mm world.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: thecameraoutlet

Probably the best rangefinder ever made

As long as the rangefinder chambers are not beyond repair, M3's will go on for ever. They are arguably the turest rangefinder ever made - of solid brass, huge viewfinder, and a long and accurate focusing base. The full frame 35mm film is hard to get better than the pairing of an M3 and the right lens.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: gulfcoastcamera

Fast compact and accurate

What a great "old" camera. It's just as fresh as when it was made several decades ago. First rate

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: adorwin