Leica MP (1956–1957)
The Leica MP of 1956 is one of the rarest and most sought-after rangefinder cameras Leica ever built. Don't confuse it with the later Leica MP introduced in 2003. This is the original, a reportage variant of the Leica M3 developed for professional photographers, including those at the Magnum agency. It launched at Photokina in 1956 and was produced for only a very short time, through 1957.
The MP is defined by what was taken away and what was added. It looks like an M3, but the frame counter is external with a manual reset, a feature that would appear later on the M2. The body came as standard with the Leicavit MP, a baseplate with a rapid-wind trigger for fast shooting. It was built stronger than the standard M3 and prepared for motor drives, with steel gearing instead of brass. The viewfinder is the M3's, with 0.91× magnification, except for a few examples fitted with a 0.72× viewfinder. The shutter is a cloth-curtain focal-plane type, 1s to 1/1000s plus Bulb, with flash sync at 1/50s. Film speed settings range from 6 to 6400 ASA. Early examples had double-stroke film advance, since the MP was born in the full double-stroke era, though many were later sent back to Leica to be converted to single-stroke. There is no self-timer.
Production numbers are small, and sources differ slightly on the exact count. French Wikipedia gives approximately 400 total units, while other sources say 402. What is agreed: just 141 bodies were finished in black paint, with the remaining 311 chrome bodies and 138 black-lacquered bodies (the sums here suggest a total around 449, per the French source). The serial numbers are not sequential with other Leica bodies. They start at their own series, MP-1 onward.
These cameras were made for working photojournalists, and many were modified by their owners over the years. An example in fully original condition, with intact "L" seal, double-stroke advance and no self-timer, is exceptionally rare. The black paint models in particular have become legendary collectibles. One example, no. MP-33, sold at the Leitz Photographica auction for €600,000 (nearly $700,000). Tazio Secchiaroli's black paint MP was expected to fetch over $700,000 at auction in 2026. PetaPixel has covered these record-setting sales, noting the "highly coveted" black paint finish.
Known specifications, as documented:
- Format: 135 film, 24 × 36 mm frame
- Lens mount: Leica M
- Shutter: cloth focal-plane, 1s – 1/1000s + B
- Flash sync: 1/50s
- Metering: none — fully manual exposure
- Viewfinder: rangefinder, M3-type, 0.91× (0.72× on a few examples)
- Film advance: double-stroke (many later converted to single-stroke)
- Frame counter: external, manual reset
- Self-timer: none
- Standard accessory: Leicavit MP rapid-wind baseplate
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