Text and Photographs : José Manuel Serrano Esparza
Saturday September 27, 2025. 12 : 15 h.
Eighteen days have elapsed since the arrival in Madrid (Spain) of Andreas Kaufmann (Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG), Karin Rehn-Kaufmann ( Art Director & Chief Representative of Leica Galleries International), Matthias Harsch (CEO of Leica Camera AG) and Johannes Winter (Global Director Corporate Communications of Leica Camera AG) to inaugurate the landmark exhibition " Leica : A Century of Photography " inside the Fernando Fernán Gómez Cultural Center, to celebrate the centennary of the first mass produced 24 x 36 mm format Leica photographic camera : the Leica 1 (Model A), introduced at the Spring Fair of Leipzig (Germany) in 1925, along with the fascinating history of a brand whose analogue photographic tools captured a significant percentage of the most defining images of XX and XXI centuries in the hands of many legendary photographers.
An unswervingly based on tradition photographic firm which has managed to implement a seamless analog / digital transition from 2008 onwards, having enabled it to be a highly successful brand also in XXI Century, stemming from a wise blend of classic gist, breakthrough technology and second to none highly luminous lenses performance-wise.
And today September 27, 2025, within the frame of the Leica Classic Day,
organized by the Leica Store Madrid (c/ Ortega y Gasset, 34)
Leica 1 Model A, the world first serially produced 24 x 36 mm format camera, which meant a quantum leap regarding the expansion of photography boundaries in 1925, since it was compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket and immediately ready for use, giving great freedom of movements to photographers and allowing them to get dynamic images (in stark contrast to the static photographs made by large format cameras, which were the prevalent technology at the time), giving rise to a new era of photography.
© Leica Camera AG.
to celebrate those 100 years and encompassing different activities related to the German photographic firm, a further very important event is going to begin in a few minutes, lasting from 12:30 to 13:30 h : a lecture titled " The World of Leica Classic ", imparted by
Alexander Sedlak inside the lecture room of the Leica Store Madrid, a few minutes before the event.Alexander Sedlak (Managing Director of Leica Camera Austria and Leica Camera Classics) and
Dennis Iwaskiewicz inside the lecture room of the Leica Store Madrid, a few minutes before the event.
© jmse
Dennis Iwaskiewicz (Head of Sales of Leica Camera Classics), two world-class experts on analogue Leica cameras, lenses and accessories, as well as featuring many years of experience in this highly specialized scope.
Both of them have travelled from Vienna to Madrid to take part in this Leica Classic Day organized by Leica Iberia.
The core of their dissertation will delve on the Leica Auction Classic Vienna (held twice a year in the Austrian capital), to which they belong, together with his teammate Michal Kosakowski, another pundit regarding this sphere.
Both of them are going to present very valuable analogue Leica cameras and lenses which will be the highlights of the 47th Leitz Photographica Auction, scheduled to be held inside the Imperial Hotel of Vienna on November 22, 2025.
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From left to right : Dennis Iwaskiewicz ( Head of Sales of Leica Camera Classics), Alexander Sedlak (Managing Director of Leica Camera Austria and Leica Camera Classics) and Vicente Cabido ( Product Specialist & Customer Care Manager of Leica Camera Iberia) a few minutes before the event.
Behind them is the showcase containing the gorgeous Leica 250 GG Reporter from 1942 with Leica-Motor MOOEV and the Leica MP-114 black paint with black paint/brass mount Summicron-M 5 cm f/2 from 1958, two of the most important items of the next 47 Leitz Auction Vienna to be held on November 22, 2025 at the Imperial Hotel of the Austrian capital.
During the Leica Classic Day celebrated inside the Leica Store Madrid in c/ Ortega y Gasset, 34, the attendees had the unique chance of watching from very near distance an exhibition of exclusive cameras and lenses rarely shown to the public and which will be part of the 47th Leitz Auction Vienna, among them the Leica 250 GG Reporter from 1942 with Motor MOOEV and chrome Leitz Elmar 50 mm f/3.5 lens, the Leica M-A Number 500000 Pope Francis with Noctilux-M 50 mm f/1.2 ASPH lens (inside the vertical showcase on far right of the image) and the Leica MP-114 black paint with black paint/brass mount Summicron-M 5 cm f/2 from 1958.
© jmse
A riveting sight. Leica 250 GG Reporter from 1942 with electric Leica-Motor MOOEV inside its showcase at very few meters from the lecture room of the Leica Store Madrid.
The appearance of this historical jewel is truly amazing, specially the two large casette housings on both sides of the camera for taking bulk film by rolls of 10 meters, enabling to get 250 exposures without needing to reload the film, with a Leica IIIa rangefinder camera as base and a top shutter speed of 1/1000 s.
Regarding the Leica-Motor MOOEV, it is also a masterpiece of crafstmanship and electric engineering for the time.
© jmse
Top view of the Leica 250 GG Reporter from 1942 with Leica-Motor MOOEV and chrome Leitz Elmar 50 mm f/3.5 lens.
On far left of the image can be seen the very nice circular frame counter (under the winding knob for simultaneous advance of film and setting of shutter), indicating the number of exposures made up to 250.
© jmse
From left to right : Javier Liedo (Managing Director of Leica Camera Iberia in Spain and Portugal), Alexander Sedlak (Managing Director of Leica Camera Austria and Leica Camera Classics) and Dennis Iwaskiewicz ( Head of Sales of Leica Camera Classics) inside the lecture room of the Leica Gallery Madrid a few minutes before the beginning of the event.
© jmse
Now, it´s 12:30 h and the event begins with a brief speech by Vicente Cabido, who warmfully welcomes Alexander Sedlak and Dennis Iwaskiewicz, thanking them for their visit to Madrid and the effort they have made to come to the Leica Store Madrid to give this lecture, in addition to elaborating on the huge significance of their presence both for Leica Iberia and the abundant audience having gathered to experience live this exceedingly interesting presentation, a true relish for any Leica enthusiast.
Vicente Cabido also stands out that Leitz Photographica Auction in Vienna (Austria) is by far the most important organization in the world devoted to the sale of classic analogue Leica cameras, lenses, accessories and top-notch classic images, mostly on baryta paper, created by great photographers using 24 x 36 mm format Leica cameras during XX and XXI centuries.
From now on, a raft of high quality images depicting different aspects of Leitz Auction Vienna will be projected on screen and explained by both lecturers.
© jmse
The first to speak is Alexander Sedlak, who begins underscoring the seminal weight of Leica Camera AG in the remarkable success of Leitz Auction Vienna, thanks to its fabulous international network of Leicaphiles, collectors and customers all over the world, making possible a steady commitment to find very valuable Leica items from last century in the best feasible preservation, often in near mint, A/B or B/A cosmetic condition, working like a charm and hugely interesting from a historical viewpoint and because of a number of other reasons.
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After it, an image of Andreas Kaufmann ( Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG ) giving the inaugural speech of the 47th Leitz Auction inside the large hall of Am Leitz Park main building of Leica Camera AG in Wetzlar (Germany) to the bidders from all over the world is shown on the screen.
Alexander Sedlak emphasizes the great significance of Andreas Kaufmann (a visionary man who saved Leica in 2006, as well as featuring amazing entrepreneurial skills, charisma, highly efficient penchant for sincere social engineering, product knowledge, great passion and love for the German photographic brand, its cameras and lenses and the iconic images that were created with them) in the evolution and huge international success of Leitz Photographica Auction.
© jmse
Now, a chart appears on screen, showing the three main scopes of activity of Leitz Photographica Auction Vienna : two camera auctions a year (held at Wetzlar in June and at Vienna in November), along with a photographs auction in Vienna in October and five international roadshows in New York, Shanghai, Madrid, Tokyo and Munich, events whose main traits are described by Dennis Iwaskiewicz.
The logo of the Leica 100 Years Celebration, with the façade of the iconic Am Leitz Park Main Building in Wetzlar (Germany), designed by the Austrian architects Martin Gruber and Prof. Helmut Kleine-Kraneburg (Gruber + Kleine-Kraneburg Architects) is visible on the right of the image.
© jmse
Now a new image appears on screen showing Alexander Sedlak speaking from inside Leica Store Wien West, reporting that Leitz Auction House is at Westbahnstrasse, 40 of the Austrian capital.
© jmse
Seconds later, there´s a new image showing Dennis Iwaskiewicz also inside the Leica Store Wien West, adjacent to the building of Leitz Photographica Auction, explaining the kind of Leica analogue photographic cameras, lenses, accessories, etc, that they are interested to sale, and the reasons for it.
The lecture room of Leica Store Madrid is full of public.
© jmse
A further image appears on the screen depicting a moment of the 46th Leiz Photographica
Auction held in Wetzlar (Germany) as part of the Leica 100 Years Celebration on Friday June 27, 2025, with attendance among others of Andreas Kaufmann, Karin-Rehn Kaufmann, Jane Evelyn Atwood and world-class Leica expert Hans Ploegmakers, William Fagan and others.
An event in which the Leica-0 Series Number 112 from 1923 with Leitz Anastigmat 50 mm f/3.5 lens, designed under the guidance of Oskar Barnack and used by him, became the second most expensive camera ever sold, reaching a price of 7,200.000 euros, while the Leica M3 number 700000 given away by Ernst Leitz Wetzlar in 1955 to the great German photographer infatuated with Austria Stefan Kruckenhauser, was sold for 3,360,000 euros.
Alexander Sedlak thoroughly goes into detail regarding the unique atmosphere, profusion of anecdotes, unforgettable instants lived, emotions skyrocketing and frequent bidding wars taking place during each Leitz Photographica Auction, where items reaching astronomic price tags are often sold.
Such is the history and prestige of the German legendary photographic firm, with whose cameras and lenses many of the most iconic images of all time were obtained.
Needless to say that as is commonplace with every analogue Leica product, each item sold in this reference-class auction will preserve its value for many decades, most times raising it, so bidding in any Leitz Photographica Auction can be a good investment, from affordable articles to the most expensive and coveted ones, whose worth will likewise significantly increase after the winning bid, year after year.
The picture shows an instant during the 46th Leitz Auction in Wetzlar (Germany) when Stefan Kruckenhauser´s Leica M3 700000 was receiving a bid of 2,800,000 euros, which would subsequently soar very much.
© jmse
Following it, a new image appears on screen, showing Alexander Sedlak giving the introductory speech to bidders arrived from all over the world, at the beginning of the 46th Leitz Auction held in Wetzlar Germany on June 27, 2025, expressing his gratitude and saying that on behalf of Leitz Photographic Auction, he would like to extend them a very warm welcome to their 46th auction, in an important year in the world of photography, thanking everybody for joining them that day.
© jmse
Another image shows now the front row of attendees during the 46th Leitz Auction in Wetzlar (Germany), on June 27, 2025. From the lower middle area of the picture to far right are visible Alexander Sedlak, Andreas Kaufmann, Karin Rehn-Kaufmann and Jane Evelyn Atwood bursting into applause just after a bid of 2 million euros was offered for the Leica-0 Series Number 112
prototype from 1923 with Leitz Anastigmat 50 mm f/3.5 lens, just before the unleash of some sucessive bidding wars which would lead to the 6,000,000 winning bid. Hans Ploegmakers, prominent member of the Leica Historica Deutschland, is two seats behind Jane Evelyn Atwood.
© jmse
Now the projector shows the Leica M3 700000 in A/B condition with Elmar 5 cm f/3.5 presented by Leica on June 2, 1955 to Stefan Kruckenhauser, legendary German skiing pioneer and sports photographer, known for his high contrast and dynamic images of Alpine life, credited with inventing the “Wedeln” skiing technique, and whose influence remains deeply rooted in modern ski photography.
Alexander Sedlak explains the huge significance of this camera, both from a historical and a collector viewpoint, since it has the lowest serial number of any Leica M camera and belonged to one of the most influential Leica photographers ever, and how from a starting price of 300,000 euros its value was increasing during the auction, and after some stages of bidding war, it fetched a final price tag of 3,360,000 euros.
© jmse
Soon after, a video shows Michal Kosakowski ( Head of Appraisals-Cameras of Leitz Photographica Auction) explanining the requisites necessary to send Leica cameras, lenses and accessories to be sold at Leitz Photographica Auctions both in Vienna and Wetzlar.
Everything is painstakingly prepared in advance, with a lot of months of anticipation, thoroughly studying the provenance, cosmetic and working condition of each item as well as guaranteeing a safe and fast method of transport.
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Now, a close-up of a Leica 1 (Model A), with its large accessory viewfinder visible on its upper area, a non rangefinder camera but scale focusing one, appears on the screen, and Dennis Iwaskiewicz discloses a fundamental aspect inherent to every Leica camera and lens sold in their auctions : the amazing story behind each item and the manifold human anecdotes surrounding its use and preservation.
© jmse
An instant during the 46th Leitz Photographica Auction held in Wetzlar (Germany) on June 27, 2025.
From left to right of the image can be seen Caroline Guschelbauer (Auction Management-Photographs Invoicing), Gilles Dewint (Specialist-Cameras, Invoicing/Bid Assistants), Andreas Schweiger (Auction Management-Cameras Invoicing), Dennis Iwaskiewicz ( Head of Sales of Leitz Auction, Specialist-Cameras Bid assistants), Michal Kosakowski (behind Dennis Iwaskiewicz) and Jörg Theimer (hidden by some attendees) receiving telephone bids from all over the world.
© jmse
Now, a further image taken during the 46th Leitz Photographica Auction in Wetzlar (Germany) on June 27, 2025 is projected on the screen, showing the instant in which the winning bid of 6,000,000 euros for the Leica-0 Series Number 112 from 1923 with Leitz Anastigmat 50 mm f/3.5 lens, designed under the guidance of Oskar Barnack and used by him, prevails, becoming the second most expensive photographic camera ever sold.
Alexander Sedlak explains the landmark moment lived inside Am Leitz Park Main Building Auction Room and the hugely historical significance of this camera in Leica brand evolution.
© jmse
A few seconds later, a new photograph appears on the screen, showing the precise instant in which the Leica-0 Series Number 112 reaches its hammer price of 6,000,000 euros, and Dennis Iwaskiewicz remembers the unforgettable collective thrill experienced inside the large foyer of the Am Leitz Park Main Building in Wetzlar (Germany) by every present bidder.
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Shortly afterwords, a highly symbolic image epitomizing the 46th Leitz Auction in Vienna appears on the screen, showing Stefan Kruckenhauser´s Leica M3 number 7000000 on the left and the Leica-0 Series Number 112 on the right, with a message on the lower area : " The 2nd most expensive camera and the lowest serial number Leica M production camera were sold during this auction ".
Since he bought a Leica III with a Summar 5 cm f/2 lens in the winter of 1933, being 28 years old, the best skiing photographer of all time excelled as a genius in this scope, also using the Elmar 9 cm f/4, the extremely lightweight Mountain Elmar 10,5 cm f/6.3 and the Hektor 13,5 cm f/4.5 first version, adding the Telyt 200 mm f/4.5 in 1935, which was his basic kit for many
decades, also using Leica M3 with Hektor 135 mm f/4.5 second version and Elmar 135 mm f/4, taking advantage of the superb 0.91x viewfinder of this camera in symbiosis with its effective baselength of 63 mm, optimized for its use with 50 mm, 75 mm, 90 mm and 135 mm lenses.
His masterful photographic style was strongly infused of dynamism and motion feeling on getting pictures with Leica cameras and lenses of people skiing and alpine landscapes, without forgetting his awesome pictures of architectural details.
His extraordinary photo books " Snow Canvas, Ski, Men and Mountains with the Leica " (1937) and " Heritage of Beauty, Architecture and Sculpture in Austria " (1965) are two masterpieces in which Stefan Kruckenhauser proves his unutterable gift as a Leica photographer, his unique way of seeing things and his unwavering love for Austria, its landscapes, its buildings and its people.
Alexander Sedlak insists once again on the huge success reached by this historical auction last June 27, 2025 and expresses the hope that the next 47th Leitz Camera Auction to be held inside the Imperial Hotel of Vienna will be an even greater landmark event.
© jmse
The Managing Director of Leica Camera Austria and Leica Camera Classics is visibly touched and proud of Leitz Photographica Auction, an organization which by dint of strenuous effort, passion, tremendous knowledge of product and unflinching love for the brand, has been able to reach new heights in this highly specialized and fascinating scope.
In addition, the 47th Leitz Camera Auction will be held in Vienna, capital of Austria, a country traditionally excelling in technology, with people like Paul Eisler (inventor of the printed circuit board), August Musger (inventor of the slow motion effect in film making), the physicist Erwin Schrödinger and so forth, and has always been a very important nation in the history of the Leica brand, with foremost Leica photographers like Ernst Haas, Stefan Kruckenhauser, Inge Morath, Lisette Model, Erich Lessing, Lisl Steiner and many others.
Besides, the Leica Academy Austria is a flagship in terms of photography learning, with great teachers like Christine Höflehner, Fabian Sorger, Jahan Saber, René Böhmer, Sascha van der Werf, Dr. Casten OTT, Dominic Verhulst, Michael Kreyer, Niklas Stadler, Pat Domingo and others.
SOME OF THE MOST VALUABLE ITEMS TO BE SOLD AT THE 47TH LEITZ CAMERA AUCTION SHOWN ON SCREEN AND EXPLAINED IN DETAIL
From now on, both lecturers will explain some of the most valuable Leica cameras and lenses to be sold at the 47th Leitz Camera Auction inside the Imperial Hotel of Vienna (Austria) on November 22, 2025 :
© jmse
Alexander Sedlak starts revealing the main features of the impressive Leica 250 GG Reporter from 1942, with electric Motor MOOEV and chrome Leitz Elmar 50 mm f/3.5 lens to be sold at the 47th Leitz Camera Auction in Vienna next November 22, 2025.
A camera that was delivered to Berlin in 1942 (it had been introduced in 1936), was used by German aircraft in reconnaissance missions, specially during the Second World War, and features the typical modifications required for use with the electric Leica-Motor MOOEV, such as the sloping ramp-type coupling shaft and special film guide rollers to keep film tension during high speed operation.
Only 92 cameras were equipped with the electric MOOEV motor drive, most of them being lost in battle, and only around 15 units are known to exist.
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start Price : 200,000 euros.
Estimated : 400,000-500,000 euros.
Serial number : 353613
© Leitz Photographica Auction
After it, Alexander Sedlak expains the most significant aspects of the Leica 1 Model A Anastigmat Number 249, a rare and very early unit of this model.
Introduced at the 1925 Leipzig Spring Fair, the Leica 1 Model A was the first mass-produced 24 x 36 mm format camera, becaming the springboard for the international success of the German firm in the scope of photographic cameras, since it had previously devoted mainly to the construction of microscopes.
Designed by Oskar Barnack and produced by Ernst Leitz Wetzlar, this model helped establish Leica´s reputation for precision miniature cameras.
This unit, delivered on May 16, 1925 to Ernst Leitz Berlin, retains key early features such as the ratcheting film wind mechanism, pebble-shaped shutter release button, and other characteristic details of the first production batch.
Only a few components (such as the viewfinder and base plate) appear to have been factory upgraded, most likely during a service at Leitz in 1931.
The vulcanite covering shows signs of an old repair, but overall the camera remains in excellent condition for its age.
Early Leica 1 Model A cameras with Anastigmat lenses are among the most sought after Barnack models, representing both a technological milestone and an enduring collector´s prize.
Start Price : 50,000 euros.
Estimated : 100,000 - 120,000 euros.
Serial Number 249.
Year of production : 1925.
Condition : B
It is now again the turn of Dennis Iwaskiewicz, who explains the abundant audience the most defining traits of the Leica If Spy appearing on the screen, a prototype model manufactured in 1955, which was based on the Leica If, designed for discreet, undercover photography and built for the West German secret service during the Cold War Era. Ingeniously modified, the camera features an imitation Elmar 9 cm f/4 lens mounted on the front, while the functioning lens is concealed on the top plate, pointing upward.
This innovative design allowed the photographer to simulate conventional shooting, while secretly capturing images either straight ahead or to the side, depending on how the camera was held.
Besides, a precisely engineered internal mirror redirects the image to the film plane, enabling covert operation without atracting attention.
This unique camera is extensively illustrated in Lars Netopil Prototype Leica (pages 262-265) book and is believed to be the only know unit of its kind.
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start price : 80,000 euros.
Estimated : 150,000-200,000.
Year of production : 1955
Condition : A-
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© jmse
Shortly after, the projector shows on screen the Noctilux-M 50 mm f/1.2 chrome prototype from 1964, explained by Alexander Sedlak.
It was the world´s first series produced 35 mm lens to incorporate aspherical elements, and was designed by Helmut Marx and Paul Sindel, using the Elliott 402F computer to significantly reduce the time required for tray racing.
When the lens was introduced in 1966, it represented the pinnacle of lens design and technological achievement, being virtually free of spherical aberration and coma, while delivering exceptionally high contrast.
However, fifty years ago, even for Leitz, manufacturing such a lens posed a considerable challenge, so it was reflected in its original price : it cost nearly twice as much as the Leica M4 camera body.
In 1976, the lens was succeeded by the Noctilux-M 50 mm f/1, which used new optical glass that allowed for a design without aspherical elements.
This made it less expensive and far less labour-intensive to produce than its predecessor.
Over its ten year production span, only around 1,800 units of the Noctilux-M 50 mm f/1.2 were made, approximately one per business day.
The Noctilux-M 50 mm f/1.2 is rightfully considered a legend in the technical evolution of Leica lenses, so its is highly coveted by collectors and remains a favourite among many photographers.
The lens is in excellent cosmetic condition, with only minimal internal haze.
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start Price : 200,000 euros.
Estimated : 300,000-360,000 euros.
Serial Number : 0000662.
Year of production : 1964.
Condition : A/B.
Now, the image of the Leica M3 Queen Elizabeth from 1958 is shown on the screen, and Dennis Iwasciewicz elaborates on it.
The camera was manufactured in 1958, and on October 20 of that year, President Theodor Heuss of the Federal Republic of Germany arrived in the United Kingdom, marking the first official state visit by a German head of state since the end of World War II.
The four day visit, which concluded on October 23, was a symbolic step toward post-war reconciliation, and one of the most notable moments was President Heuss´s formal meeting with Queen Elizabeth II.
To mark the occasion, Leica was comissioned to produce a special edition of the royal cypher " E II R " engraved on top plate, with a commemorative inscription on the base plate reading :
" Ihrer Majestät Königin Elisabeth II-20.Oktober 1958-Theodor Heuss ".
The camera offered is the original backup unit, made alongside the gifted version and retained by the Leica factory to have a replacement if it was ever needed.
It has remained in excellent condition and is fully operational, as well as coming fitted with a close-focus Summicron-M 50 mm f/2 lens that lacks a serial number, suggesting it may be a prototype or pre-production sample.
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start Price : 60,000 euros.
Estimated : 90,000-120,000 euros.
Year of production : 1958.
Condition : A-
After it, the Leica MP-114 black paint from 1958 with black paint/brass mount Summicron-M 5 cm f/2 appears on screen and is explained by Alexander Sedlak, who highlights the great importance of this camera in Leica History.
First introduced at the Photokina Köln Fair in 1956, the Leica MP was much more than a simple variation of the Leica M3, and stood apart as the only serial production Leica to feature individual numbering, distinct from the standard production numbers used on all other Leica models.
With only 412 units ever produced, the Leica MP is one of the rarest Leica cameras in existence.
Just 141 of these were finished in black paint, primarily destined for professional photographers, and quickly earned a place in the field kits of legendary Magnum photojournalists, including Alfred Eisenstaedt and David Douglas Duncan.
The concept behind the MP was driven by requests from prominent American press photographers, who wanted to utilize the benefits of the Leicavit rapid winder, then only available for the Leica IIIf, on their Leica M series cameras, a suggestion that sparked the interest of Dr. Ludwig Leitz, director of Leica´s development department, in 1955.
The Leica MP number 114 is a black paint version showing the elegant wear and character of years of professional use, with a beautiful aged appearance and nice paint bubbles enhancing its vintage charm.
It is accompanied by a black paint Leicavit.
In 1959, the camera was purchased by an American photographer and has remained in the ownership of his family ever since.
Included with the camera are copies of original correspondence from 1959, offering additional insight into its provenance and early history.
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start Price : 400,000 euros.
Estimated : 700,000-800,000 euros.
Serial Number MP-114.
Year of production : 1958.
Condition : B +
Now a further image appears on the screen showing the Leica M Betriebskamera Stein, and Dennis Iwaskiewicz delves into it.
It is a unique Leica M camera based on an M2 body, extensively modified, featuring long strap lugs (as seen on the M3 or MP), a special glossy black paint finish, and including a Leicavit MP in the same finish.
It comes with a Summaron-M 35 mm f/2.8 lens engraved with a special serial number 006 and marked " Betriebsk ".
Willi Stein was a key engineer at Ernst Leitz GmbH and co-designer of the legendary Leica M3, launched in 1954. He helped develop its innovative combined viewfinder and rangefinder with multiple framelines, setting a new standard in camera design and cementing Leica´s reputation for precision and innovation.
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start Price : 40,000 euros.
Estimated : 80,000-100000 euros.
Serial Number P-0003.
Year of production : 1958.
Condition : A/B.
© jmse
Next, Dennis Iwaskiewicz discloses the main traits of the Leica M3 black paint Black Dial from 1958, a sought-after, extremely rare, first version camera, in excellent B/A cosmetic condition, displaying an atractive appearance, with brass visible on some areas, and coming with a later base plate.
It was originally delivered to Brandt in Sweden on May 22, 1958.
Research in the Leica archives has confirmed a matching annotation in the Leica Control Book : " schwartz lack ", so it is the most desirable version of the black paint Leica M3.
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© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start Price : 100,000 euros.
Estimated : 200,000-260,000 euros.
Serial Number 918690.
Year of production : 1958.
Condition : B/A.
Following it, Dennis Iwaskiewicz analyzes the most significant features and outstanding historical importance of the Leica M1 The First, which has just been projected on the screen.
Introduced in 1959 with serial number 950001, it was delivered on March 6, 1959 in New York.
It remains in excellent condition, fully functional and comes with an Elmar 5 cm f/2.8 lens number 1575287.
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start Price : 12,000 euros.
Estimated : 22,000-26,000.
Serial Number 950001.
Year of production : 1959.
Condition : B/A.
Shortly after, Dennis Iwaskiewicz reveals the most important aspects of the Leica M2 grey paint from June of 1960, when a total of twenty Leica M2 cameras in grey paint finish (serial numbers 100575-1005770) were specially produced for the United States Air Force in Europe and delivered to Wiesbaden on June 9 of that year.
These cameras are among the rarest standard production Leicas ever manufactured.
This unit bears the serial number 1005754 and is a particularly nice camera from this extremely limited batch.
It remains in excellent, original working condition, with pleasing appearance and only subtle edge wear.
Small paint bubbles (common to this unique finish) are present, adding to its authentic vintage character, and accompanying the body is a Summicron-M 50 mm f/2 lens number 1787693.
It is estimated that no more than 12 of these rare grey M2s have survived.
In the past 20 years, no more than four such cameras have been sold in known public sales.
And beyond its historical significance, this camera in extraordinary A/B condition stands out for its distinctive aesthetics, making it not only a highly collectible Leica item, but also one of the most visually interesting variants ever produced.
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start Price : 400,000 euros.
Estimated : 700,000-800,000 euros.
Serial Number : 1005754.
Year of production : 1960.
Condition : A/B.
One of the attendees to the lecture holding in its hands the excellent 41 page leaflet " Number 47 Leitz Auction November 22, 2025 Vienna " in big 29,6 x 21 cm to commemorate the 100th Leica Anniversary (given away by Leitz Photographica Auction to the attendees to the Leica Classic Day inside Leica Store Madrid and including an assortment of the most important Leica cameras and lenses that will be sold in that auction) opened in the page where is the information of the Leica M2 grey paint. It includes geat pictures and in-depth texts regarding the most important Leica cameras and lenses to be sold on November 22, 2025 inside the Imperial Hotel of Vienna (Austria).
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Following it, the image of the Leica 1 Model A Luxus special outfit appears on the screen, and Alexander Sedlak goes into detail about it.
This camera is one of the rarest and most coveted ever produced.
Manufactured between 1929 and 1931 in a limited series of only 95 units, many of these cameras were later lost, converted or upgraded, leaving only a handful of original units known to exist today.
It was delivered in 1931 as LELUX rot (Leica Luxus with red lizard skin covering), is very well preserved, features gold-plated metal fittings and its original deep red lizard skin covering, having never been restored, and displays only minimal graceful signs of use, a remarkable testament to its authenticity and rarity.
What elevates this set to true museum quality is the inclusion of exceptionally rare and fully matching Leitz 3 x 20 Luxus binoculars, also gold plated and covered in identical lizard skin.
Complementing the ensemble are a gold plated Leitz FINOT cable release, covered in brown woven fabric, and a FOFER-LUXUS gold plated rangefinder, a combination virtually impossible to duplicate.
According to Leica Archives, this camera was delivered on three occassions : first on December 19, 1929 to Essen, then on January 13, 1930 to Anton Baumann (marked " Reisemuster ",
travelling sample) and finally on April 10, 1930 to Elberfeld, Germany.
Baumann was a prominent Leitz representative, travelling lecturer and the author of Das Farbige Leica Buch, one of the earliest books on colour photography, adding further historical weight to this unique piece.
It is not merely a camera, but an exceptional collector´s ensemble and one of the most complete and best preserved Leica Luxus sets known to exist.
Start Price ; 180,000 euros.
Estimated : 300,000-360,000.
Serial number : 34808
Year of production : 1929.
Condition : A/B.
Now Dennis Iwaskiewicz speaks about the Summicron-M 50 mm f/2 Dual Range Black Paint, an extremely rare lens in original black paint finish.
This version was produced in very limited numbers, likely one by special order.
It is in beautiful A/B near mint condition, with the focusing mount engraved with the matching serial number, and the included googles have been professionally converted from chrome to black paint.
This exact lens is documented in Lars Netopil´s book Prototype Leica, pages 436-437.
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start Price : 40,000 euros.
Estimated : 80,000-100,000 euros.
Serial Number 1832942.
Year of production : 1961.
Condition : A/B.
The following image on screen is the Leica M3 Olive Bundeseigentum First Batch from 1958 with Elmar 5 cm f/3.5 lens, described by Dennis Iwaskiewicz.
It is a very rare early version, with long strap lugs and double stroke advance, in good B+ original condition, very nice appearance and small bubbles in paint, engraved Bundeseigentum 12-121-5418 on the rear of the top plate, with matching Elmar 5 cm f/3.5 number 49780.
When the West German Army (Bundeswehr) was established after 1955, the Leica M cameras formed a large share of the photographic 35 mm cameras ordered for the troops.
Rare versions are the Leica M3, M1 and later M4 models in the olive paint finish.
Leica produced less than three hundred M3 cameras in this finish, and this unit comes from the earliest small batch delivered to the German army in January 1958 and is the 37th olive green Leica M3 made.
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start Price : 30,000 euros.
Estimated : 60,000-70,000 euros.
Serial Number 910537.
Year of production : 1958.
Condition : B+
Now, the Leica IIIf black paint Swedish Army from 1957 is projected on the screen and the Head of Sales of Leica Camera Classics sets forth its history and most interesting sides.
Only a hundred IIIf cameras with special black painted Elmar 5 cm f/3.5 were manufactured for the Swedish military in 1957.
They were winterised to enable them to function in arctic conditio
It is the fourth one ever produced, being in utterly original never restored condition, as well as featuring some nice brass visible around the edges and matching a black Elmar 5 cm f/3.5 number 1427070 lens, also including a matching black paint lens cap and original leather case stamped with three crowns on the back.
The IIIf black is not only one of the top collectors´ items but also one of the most attractive military Leica cameras ever made.
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start Price : 40,000 euros.
Estimated : 80,000-90,000 euros.
Serial Number : 822904.
Year of production : 1957.
Condition : B/A.
Following it, Alexander Sedlak begins to present another of the highlights of the 47th Leitz Camera Auction to be held on November 22, 2025 at the Imperial Hotel of Vienna (Austria), while the message " At Leitz Photographica Auction, we uphold a long standing tradition of including a charity lot in each auction to benefit those in need ".
It is the Leica M-A Number 5,000,000 " Pope Francis", presented to him by Leica Camera AG and coupled to a Noctilux-M 50 mm f/1.2 ASPH lens.
Both the camera and lens bear the exclusive serial number 5000000, meaning another milestone in the history of Leica, which has an atavic tradition of reserving cameras with special round serial numbers for distinguished persons.
Accordingly, these cameras have proved to be particularly fascinating to collectors and have repeatedly received enormous attention when offered by Leitz Photographica Auction in the past decades.
Showcase a few meters from the Leica Store Madrid Lecture Room, including the Leica M-A Number 500000 " Pope Francis " with Noctilux-M 50 mm f/1.2 ASPH lens.
This gorgeous kit could be seen by many attendees to the Leica Classic Day on this September 27, 2025, as part of the celebration of the Leica Centennary.
Needless to say that Leitz Photographica Auction will not make any profit at all with this camera, because the Pope chose to auction it, so the money attained for it during the auction will go to a charity institution promoted by him until his death on April 21, 2025.
Lateral front view of the Leica M-A Number 500000 " Pope Francis " inside the showcase at a very short distance from the lecture room of Leica Store Madrid.
The camera is finished in exceedingly beautiful silver chrome, with a special white covering and a white painted base plate.
The flash cover is engraved with the keys of Peter, while the back of the top is engraved with His Holiness Pope Francis motto.
The special engravings are filled with white, gold and black paint.
The Noctilux-M 50 mm f/1.2 lens is finished in chrome, with engravings filled with gold and white paint.
The body cap and the lens cap are engraved with the Coat of Arms of the State of Vatican City.
Both the camera and the lens are additionally engraved with the year the Pope Francis received this gift, inscribed in Roman numerals : A.D. MMXXIV.
Complementing this unique camera is an exquisite presentation box exclusively made for this outfit.
© Leitz Photographica Auction
Start Price : 30,000 euros.
Estimated : 60,000-70,000 euros.
Serial Number : 5000000.
Year of production : 2024.
Condition : A
PHOTOGRAPHS AUCTION IN VIENNA
After the most important Leica cameras and lenses which will be part of the 47th Leitz Camera Auction to be held in Vienna next November 22, 2025 have been shown and explained in detail, a video appears on screen with the image of Caroline Guschelbauer, Head of Photographs Auctions at Leitz Photographica Auctions, pointing out that Leitz Photographica Auction holds an annual auction of photographs in October in Vienna, with top-notch prints of images created by master photographers of XX Century, often fetching very high price tags.
She also explains that " Motion ", the next auction of photographs organized by Leitz Photographica Auction, the official auction house of Leica Camera AG, will be held on October 30, 2025 at the Leica Gallery Vienna (Austria), featuring first-class works that visualize the dynamics of social and aesthetic transformations, with movement in and through images serving as a theme in the selection of premium photographs from the 20th and 21st centuries which will be auctioned on October 30, 2025 at Leica Gallery Vienna.
Alexander Sedlak with his 60 megapixel Leica M11-D 100th Anniversary coupled to a black anodized 8 elements in 5 groups Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH 11688 Black Chrome Edition, with one aspherical element and a further floating one, enabling a minimum focusing distance of 70 cm. © jmse
It is now when Alexander Sedlak comments that with this century auction, Leitz Photographica Auction highlights its committment to curating works of museum quality, historical significance and lasting collectability, an offering that speaks both to seasoned collectores and to newcomers with a passion for art, so he is very pleased that this carefully curated selection once again reflects the diversity of photographic expression, while staying true to their mission of sharing the fascination of photography with enthusiasts, connoisseurs and collectors.
Now, a further image appears on the screen showing one of the inner halls of the Leica Gallery Vienna, where the auctions of photographs of Leitz Photographica Auction take place, and Dennis Iwaskiewicz elaborates on the three main areas of activity of the photographs auctions of Leitz Photographica Auction :
- The Photography of the New Vision, street and reportage photography as well as photo icons of photojournalism.
- Classics of American and European photography.
- Contemporary positions established on the market.
Following it, a selection of the XX Century photographers included in the photographs auction " Motion " are shown on the screen : Berenice Abbot, Ruth Bernhard, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, Lucien Clergue, Elliott Erwitt, Walker Evans, Louis Faurer, Nan Goldin, Mario Giacomelli, Ernst Haas, Philippe Halsman, Lewis Hine, Horst P. Horst, Willy Ronis, Aaron Siskind, Bert Stern and Louis Stettner, though there will also be pictures made by other acclaimed photographers like Paul Wolff, Wilhelm von Gloeden, Alfred Eisenstaedt, August Sander, Weegee, Barbara Morgan, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Brassaï, Bill Brandt, Aaron Siskind, Ansel Adams, Margaret Bourke-White, Inge Morath, Werner Bischof, René Burri, Marc Riboud, György Kepes, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Jeanloup Sieff, Alberto Korda, Joe Rosenthal, Herbert List, Mary Ellen Mark, Garry Winogrand, Franz Hubmann, Helmut Newton, Jane Evelyn Atwood, Joel Meyerowitz, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and others.
And some of the most iconic images that will be part of this milestone exhibition are displayed on screen :
5
" Place Vendôme " , Paris, 1947 by Willy Ronis (1910-2009).
Start Price : 2,200 euros.
Estimated : 3,000-3,500 euros.
" Porfolio with Twelve Collotype Plates, 1940s-1950s " by Willy Ronis (1910-2009).
Starting price : 1,400 euros.
Estimated : 1,800 euros.
" A Member of the French Academy on his way to a Ceremony at Notre Dame, 1953 " by Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004).
Start Price : 2,400 euros.
Estimated : 2,400 euros.
" Ein-FuB-Gänger, Paris 1950 " by Otto Steinert (1915-1978).
Start Price : 14,000 euros.
Estimated : 20,000-25,000 euros.
" End of the Party, Rome, 1951 " by Horst P.Horst (1906-1999).
Start Price : 8,000 euros.
Estimated : 8,000-10,000 euros.
While these timeless images are shown, the audience overcrowding the lecture room of Leica Store Madrid is spellbound by the way in which Dennis Iwaskiewicz analyzes each and every black and white photograph made with analogue cameras using b & w films.
And finally, the ice on the cake of the upcoming " Motion " auction appears on screen :
It is an original vintage print of " Anita, Nude Study III " created by Edward Weston (one of the most famous photographers of the legendary large format group f/64) in México in 1925, a work distinguished by its formal radicalism and meaning the threshold to photographic modernism, such as has often been explained by Caroline Guschelbauer.
It will have a starting price of 110,000 euros and it is estimated it will be auctioned for 200,000-250,000 euros.
This unforgettable and very interesting lecture has come to an end.
Alexander Sedlak poses happy and satisfied,
in the same way as happens with Dennis Iwaskiewicz, because both of them realize that their effort has been worth.
A veteran Leica user who has attended to this landmark lecture appears with a Leica M3 and non aspherical 7 elements in 5 groups and 10 blade diaphragm Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 Type 2 from 1964 made in Wetzlar ( a lens that had been designed by Walter Mandler at the Ernst Leitz factory of Midland, Ontario, Canada, in 1961, changing the version 1 from 1959 to a new version 2 in which the elements 2 and 3 were separated with an air lens, and the elements 6 and 6 were cemented).
© jmseThe gentleman is holding between his hands the excellent 41 page leaflet " Number 47 Leitz Auction November 22, 2025 Vienna " in big 29,6 x 21 cm to commemorate the 100th Leica Anniversary, given away by Leitz Photographica Auction to the attendees to the Leica Classic Day inside Leica Store Madrid (Spain) and including an assortment of the most important Leica cameras and lenses that will be sold in that auction.
This booklet features superb image quality in the photographs of the items, along with first-rate paper with wisely chosen weight and a highly resistant cover.
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