Overview | |
---|---|
Type | 35 mm rangefinder camera |
Lens | |
Lens mount | M39 lens mount |
Focusing | |
Focus | manual |
Exposure/Metering | |
Exposure | manual |
Flash | |
Flash | cold shoe |
The Leica II is a rangefinder camera introduced by Leica in 1932. They were the first Leica cameras with a built-in rangefinder. Several models were produced over the years, in parallel with the Leica III series from 1933.
The Leica II uses a coupled rangefinder distinct from the viewfinder. The viewfinder is set for a 50 mm lens; use of shorter or longer lenses requires installing an alternate viewfinder on the accessory socket.
A mere four copies of the gold-plated Leica Luxus II were made. In 2013, one sold at auction in Hong Kong for $HK4 million, after featuring on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow programme. The whereabouts of the other three models are not recorded.
The popular Soviet camera, the FED 1, was a clone of the Leica II.