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Interestingly, the M2- R uses the same baseplate as the M4, so the auf-zu and arrow engraving around the baseplate latch are not there. All of the M2-R cameras have serial numbers after official end of the M2, which overlap with those of the M4: 1249xxx and 1250xxx. Made for professionals The MP2 is a modified, professional version of the Leica M2, equipped with a special electric motor drive. It has been made in a test series of only 27 examples, only 6 of them (with serial numbers 912) have been finished in black paint, which makes this camera one of the rarest known Leica cameras. Update: A reader just sent me another way of determining the production year of Leica cameras and lenses: just got to this website, and type the serial number. And another update on the serial numbers after 2004: 4 000 000-4 010 600: 2004 4 010 601-4 025 900: 2005 4 025 901-4 034 900: 2006 4 034 901-4 057 000: 2007 4 057 001-4 080 000: 2008.
Leica Serial Numbers vs. Production Year | Leica Serial Numbers vs. Production Year By: Thorsten Overgaard This is the list of Leitz and Leica lens serial numbers (not cameras) and which year that lens was approximately produced. Also visit the Leica Lens Compendium and the Leica Camera Compendium. For detailed reading and a complete range of serial numbers you may find the Leica Compendium by Erwin Puts helpful. You may also look up a specific lens serial number at the French Summilux.net Start S/N | End S/N | Production year | 156 001 | 195 000 | 1933 | 195 001 | 236 000 | 1934 | 236 001 | 284 600 | 1935 | 284 601 | 345 000 | 1936 | 345 001 | 416 500 | 1937 | 416 501 | 490 000 | 1938 | 490 001 | 538 500 | 1939 | 538 501 | 565 000 | 1940 | 565 001 | 582 294 | 1941 | 582 295 | 593 000 | 1942 | 593 001 | 594 880 | 1943 | 594 881 | 595 000 | 1944 | 595 001 | 601 000 | 1945 | 601 001 | 633 000 | 1946 | 633 001 | 647 000 | 1947 | 647 001 | 682 000 | 1948 | 682 001 | 756 000 | 1949 | 756 001 | 840 000 | 1950 | 840 001 | 950 000 | 1951 | 950 001 | 1 051 000 | 1952 | 1 051 000 | 1 124 000 | 1953 | 1 124 001 | 1 236 000 | 1954 | 1 236 001 | 1 333 000 | 1955 | 1 333 001 | 1 459 000 | 1956 | 1 459 001 | 1 548 000 | 1957 | 1 548 001 | 1 645 300 | 1958 | 1 645 301 | 1 717 000 | 1959 | 1 717 001 | 1 827 000 | 1960 | 1 827 001 | 1 913 000 | 1961 | 1 913 001 | 1 967 100 | 1962 | 1 967 101 | 2 015 700 | 1963 | 2 015 701 | 2 077 500 | 1964 | 2 077 501 | 2 156 300 | 1965 | 2 156 301 | 2 236 500 | 1966 | 2 236 501 | 2 254 400 | 1967 | 2 254 401 | 2 312 750 | 1968 | 2 312 751 | 2 384 700 | 1969 | 2 384 701 | 2 468 500 | 1970 | 2 468 501 | 2 503 100 | 1971 | 2 503 101 | 2 556 500 | 1972 | 2 556 501 | 2 663 400 | 1973 | 2 663 401 | 2 731 900 | 1974 | 2 731 901 | 2 761 100 | 1975 | 2 761 101 | 2 809 400 | 1976 | 2 809 401 | 2 880 600 | 1977 | 2 880 601 | 2 967 250 | 1978 | 2 967 251 | 3 013 650 | 1979 | 3 013 651 | 3 087 000 | 1980 | 3 087 001 | 3 160 500 | 1981 | 3 160 501 | 3 249 100 | 1982 | 3 249 101 | 3 294 900 | 1983 | 3 294 901 | 3 346 200 | 1984 | 3 346 201 | 3 383 200 | 1985 | 3 383 201 | 3 422 890 | 1986 | 3 422 891 | 3 455 870 | 1987 | 3 455 871 | 3 478 900 | 1988 | 3 478 901 | 3 503 150 | 1989 | 3 503 151 | 3 540 467 | 1990 | 3 540 468 | 3 583 830 | 1991 | 3 585 831 | 3 610 680 | 1992 | 3 610 381 | 3 644 475 | 1993 | 3 644 476 | 3 677 030 | 1994 | 3 677 031 | 3 730 290 | 1995 | | 3 730 291 | 3 770 920 | 1996 | | 3 770 930 | 3 818 624 | 1997 | | 3 818 625 | 3 857 849 | 1998 | | 3 857 850 | 3 882 996 | 1999 | | 3 882 997 | 3 912 247 | 2000 | 3 912 248 | 3 941 497 | 2001 | | 3 941 498 | 3 970 748 | 2002 | | 3 970 748 | 3 999 999 | 2003 | | 4 000 000 | 4 010 600 | 2004 | | 4 010 601 | 4 025 900 | 2005 | | 4 025 901 | 4 034 900 | 2006 | | 4 034 901 | 4 057 000 | 2007 | | 4 057 001 | 4 080 000 | 2008 | | 4 080 001 | 2009 --> |
| To be continued ... – Thorsten Overgaard, May 2012
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Above: My doughter Robin Isabella von Overgaard posing in her Noctilux 0.95 t-shirt. Leica M9 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M f/1.0
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Thorsten von Overgaard is a Danish writer and photographer, specializing in portrait photography and documentary photography, known for writings about photography and as an educator.Some photos are available as signed editions via galleries or online. For specific photography needs, contact Thorsten Overgaard via e-mail.
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© 1996 - 2018 Thorsten von Overgaard. All rights reserved
Anyone here interested in Leica Black Paint camera? Why all Leica collectors at some point of time are so obsessed with Black Paint Leica? They look like defected paint, they are not durable like chrome, they are not consistent and all look different. But I believe the imperfection and how it gradually becomes aged is where the charm is. It is an elegant piece of equipment, with Germany’s precision, and wears gracefully.
I became more and more critical in assessing Leica Black Paint and almost to a point I need to give up collecting it because of the growing uncertainty of its authenticity. We should be very picky when it comes to collecting vintage and try our best to learn, investigate, research and share/discuss with friends and experts. That is part of the fun, otherwise...why bother? There is no fun in collecting something that you have the slightest doubt. I have my own set of philosophy in collecting Leica and will share it with you at a later stage.
I would like to share some observations and tips with you that I have accumulated from my years of collecting, research and study with experts. I have no intention to write technical information that you can easily search in books or internet. This is all about personal observation and sharing. Hopefully it is something interesting that you can’t find in any Leica books.
Let us start with an easier topic for both junior and senior Leica collectors.
Only the vintage M2, M3 and M4 black paint will show some forms of bubbles in the paint. Newer black paint such as the one on M6, MP3 or even digital Ms such as M9-P etc. will probably never develop bubbles due to the paint used. The bubbles will be developed simply by exposing the Black Paint camera in the air and moisture, as evidences show that even the very new condition one or some so called “NOS” (New old stock) will have a few developed. Beware if there are no bubbles developed on a M2, M3 or M4 black paint. Repaint can look very beautiful and real but so far it is still not easy to 'artificially' recreate those bubbles.
Black Paint M4 is relatively new compared with M2/M3 and there is a chance that bubbles are not as obvious or not showing yet especially those with serial number beyond 1 2XX XXX. Furthermore, there are not many fake Black Paint M4 out there because there are plenty of authentic ones, the cost of which is more or less the same as a chrome M4. Besides, commissioning a good repaint technician to dechrome and repaint a M4 is not cheap either compared with the cost of getting a real one.
So Black Paint M4 should be relatively 'safe' for beginners.
Vintage Leica Serial Numbers
SN Pre-1 000 000 M2 and M3 in general have a matt paint service (details to be covered in future articles) and usually have a lot of finer/small bubbles. I have seen a very early BLACK PAINT M4 which is full of bubbles, but later ones are usually quite “clean”.
credit to Edison Sam