Leica Camera AG () is a German manufacturer of cameras, optical lenses, photographic lenses, binoculars, and rifle scopes. The company is also active in the field of spectacle lenses, mechanical watches, smartphones and accessories, as well as in the manufacture of projectors for home cinemas. Leica developed the first 35mm cameras and later expanded into digital photography.
The company's origins date back to 1869, when Ernst Leitz took over the Optical Institute founded by Carl Kellner in 1849. Leica has existed in its current form since 1986, after its photography activities were consolidated into Leica GmbH. The name Leica is derived from the first three letters of the founder's surname (Leitz) and the first two of the word camera: lei-ca (LEItz CAmera).
Leica Camera AG is 55% owned by Austrian investment firm ACM Projektentwicklung GmbH and 45% owned by The Blackstone Group which licenses the Leica brand name from the Danaher Corporation-owned Leica Microsystems GmbH.
The company promotes photographic culture. This includes around 30 Leica galleries, the Leica Academies and international awards such as the Leica Hall of Fame Award and the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA).
In addition to its headquarters in Wetzlar (Germany), Leica operates another production site in Vila Nova de Famalicão (Portugal). Leica maintains a global distribution network with around 120 Leica stores and employs approximately 2,300 people worldwide. Turnover amounted to €596 million in 2024/25.
Leica has also expanded its influence through collaborations with Panasonic, providing optical designs for Lumix cameras, and with Huawei, Xiaomi, contributing camera technology to the brands' smartphones. The company maintains a strong presence in the luxury photography market, offering limited-edition models in partnership with brands such as Hermès and Zagato.
Company structure Leica Camera AG is the parent company of the Leica Camera Group, headquartered in Wetzlar, with an additional production site in Vila Nova de Famalicão. The company holds 24 direct and 15 indirect shareholdings in companies across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. As of 2026, the company operates its own sales subsidiaries with around 120 Leica Stores internationally.
Leica employs around 2,300 people and generated revenue of €596 million in the 2024/25 financial year.
Business divisions and products
Cameras
The earliest Leica prototypes were developed by the company Ernst Leitz GmbH during the first years of the 20th century, but marketing did not commence until the mid-1920s. The Leicas were innovative, by orienting the image frame sideways for the 35 mm film as opposed to the cine-camera tradition of across the film strip. The cameras were compact with collapsible lenses, for hiking and biking. The rangefinder feature was added to the Leica II in 1932, and that year both rangefinder and viewfinder cameras became available with interchangeable lenses. In 1933 the Leica III offered slow-speed shutter controls and a fast 1/1000 s shutter speed, and various iterations of the III (a,b,c,d,f,&g) series became the flagship models and best sellers into the late 1950s. Further iterations of models I and II were offered but did not sell well.
Prior to WWII, Leica and competing Contax cameras from Zeiss Ikon were considered to be the finest 35 mm cameras, but post-WWII the companies had competition from Soviet and Japanese copies. During the 1950s Japanese quality and innovation, along with low pricing, devastated the European camera industry. Leica became an expensive type of camera bought largely by professional or serious photographers. However, the advent of reflex camera technology made rangefinders somewhat obsolete, leaving Leica the main product of a diminishing market segment. Leica has remained a notable tradename into the 21st Century.
Scan camera S1 In 1996, Leica introduced the professional scanning camera system S1. The first model, the S1 Pro, was designed for stationary studio and reprographic use and was aimed primarily at museums, archives and research institutions. Around 160 units were produced, and the system was distributed worldwide by Leica and specialist dealers. In 1998, additional variants were introduced, including a lower-priced version and a model designed for faster image capture.
Leica M The Leica M system is Leica’s longest-established camera line and is offered in both digital and analogue form. Current digital and analogue models include the M11 series and the M6, which returned to production after a temporary discontinuation. In addition to the standard models, Leica offers variants for specific photographic applications, including monochrome-only cameras and models without a rear display.
In October 2024, Leica released the Leica M Edition 70, a 250-unit anniversary edition. This set includes a platinum-coated Leica M-A 35 mm film camera with Leicavit fast advance, a 50 mm APO-Summicron-M f/2 lens and a platinum-coated film container with black-and-white film.
As of 2026, the following models are available:
M11-D M11-P M11 Monochrom M EV1 MP M-A (Type 127) M6 (as a revised edition)
Leica SL, Leica Q and others The Leica SL system, introduced in 2015, consists of mirrorless full-frame system cameras aimed primarily at professional users. The cameras are based on the L-Mount standard, developed by Leica, which allows the use of cameras and lenses across multiple manufacturers within the L-Mount Alliance, including Leica, Sigma and Panasonic, among others. As of 2026, the Leica SL3, SL3-S and SL3-P are available.
The Leica Q series consists of compact full-frame cameras with a fixed lens. As of 2026, Leica offers the Q3, Q3 Monochrom and Q3 43.
In addition to its main systems, Leica offers further camera models in the compact and instant camera segments. These include the D-Lux series, developed in cooperation with Panasonic, and the instant camera Leica Sofort, which combines analogue instant photography with digital functions.
Sport optics
In the field of sports optics, Leica is active in the development, manufacture, and distribution of binoculars, rangefinders, spotting scopes, rifle scopes, thermal imaging technology and related accessories. All the lenses offered are nitrogen-filled, meaning they cannot fog up from the inside, and are pressure-resistant to a depth of five metres. The rubber armouring is permanently bonded to the metal housing, ensuring that even under heavy strain the parts cannot separate. Magnesium is also used as the housing material.
The range of binoculars includes the Noctivid, Ultravid and Trinovid lines, among others. Leica rifle scopes feature a large field of view with uniform sharpness right to the edge of the image. They offer high image resolution, light transmission of over 90 per cent and a user-friendly exit pupil.
Leica introduced its first prism binoculars, the Binocle 6×18, in 1907. Production was discontinued in 1931 for economic reasons. Binocular manufacturing resumed in the mid-1960s with the introduction of the Trinovid series, which offered improved optical performance. A monocular Trinovid was later developed for NASA’s Apollo program and became known as the "Eye of Apollo".
In 1992, Leica launched the Geovid, the world's first binoculars with an integrated rangefinder.
Mobile
The Mobile division of Leica Camera AG includes the company's activities in the field of mobile imaging technologies, in particular collaborations with smartphone manufacturers to integrate Leica camera technology. Leica’s entry into the mobile sector began in 2015 with a collaboration with the Chinese technology group Huawei. This strategic partnership led to the development of dual camera systems, starting with the Huawei P9, which was developed with Leica’s involvement. The cooperation was extended to several flagship models and included not only hardware development but also the coordination of image processing. The partnership ended with the Huawei P50 series in 2021.
In early 2020, Leica Camera AG and Insta360 announced a strategic partnership for the launch of the Insta360 ONE R, an adaptive action camera that enables 360-degree recording with an interchangeable camera module. Since then, ONE R has been recognised as one of TIME magazine's best inventions of 2020.
In 2022, Leica and Xiaomi announced a strategic partnership in the field of mobile imaging. The collaboration involves the joint development of smartphone camera systems and related imaging technologies. Since then, Leica-branded camera systems have been incorporated into several Xiaomi smartphone series, including the 12S, 13, 14, 15 and 17 models.
In 2021, Leica launched the Leitz Phone 1 in Japan. This was followed by the Leitz Phone 2 in 2022 and the third generation, the Leitz Phone 3, in 2024. It features Summilux optics and a quad-camera system.
In 2024, Leica introduced its own iPhone app, Leica LUX, a mobile application for photography and image editing. Among other things, the app simulates lenses such as the Summilux-M 28 mm f/1.4 ASPH. or the Noctilux-M 50 mm f/1.2 ASPH. and offers a manually controllable pro mode. Subsequent updates introduced additional image styles developed with photographers, as well as editing options such as adjustable film grain. In 2025, the LUX Grip, a photo grip for manual control of the app, was launched on the market.
In February 2026, Leica released the Leica Leitzphone to the international market in partnership with Xiaomi. The device is based on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and is manufactured by Xiaomi, while Leica provides the design and software elements. It has a triple-camera system with computational image processing. A mechanical control ring is integrated into the camera module, which can be used for adjusting parameters.
Together with Xiaomi, Leica develops camera modules and image processing algorithms for Xiaomi smartphones.
Eyecare
The spectacle lens business is managed by Leica Eyecare, a subsidiary of Leica Camera AG. It develops and produces spectacle lenses in Germany. In 2023, the company opened a production facility in Heuchelheim. The company develops and manufactures various types of spectacle lenses, including progressive lenses, single-vision lenses and digital lenses, as well as specialised lens designs for photographers.
Watches
Leica Watch is a business division of Leica Camera AG, operating under the name Ernst Leitz Werkstätten GmbH, a subsidiary responsible for watches and other accessories.
The Leica ZM watch line, named after the German term Zeitmesser (meaning "timepiece"), was first introduced in 2018 with the presentation of the L1 and L2 models, later renamed ZM 1 and ZM 2, and was commercially launched in February 2022. Both models feature a hand-wound movement and a patented push-button crown. The line was developed in partnership with Lehmann Präzision GmbH in Germany.
In October 2023, Leica introduced the ZM 11 as a further development of the ZM series. The watches use the LA-3001 automatic calibre, developed with the Swiss company Chronode, and are housed in 41 mm cases made of titanium or stainless steel.
In February 2025, the ZM 12 was introduced as a more compact variant of the ZM 11, with a 39 mm case diameter.
Home cinema
Leica is active in the home cinema segment through its smart projection business division and develops projector systems for home theater applications, including portable and short-throw models, based on optical technologies derived from camera manufacturing. An example of this is the ultra-short-throw projector Leica Cine 1, which was first presented in 2022 at the IFA and emerged from a cooperation with Hisense.
In late 2024, Leica introduced the Cine Play 1, a portable triple-laser 4K projector with a brightness of 3,000 lumens.