About Leica Barnack Cameras

We specialize in the care and service of classic Leica cameras, honoring the legacy of Oscar Barnack.

Oscar Barnack was an engineer at the Leitz company in Wetzlar, Germany in 1925 and suffered from asthma, so he proposed reducing the size and weight of cameras in order to be able to take photographs in his travels.

In 1924 the camera was named Leica, an acronym obtained from Leitz Camera. It was released at the Leipzig Fair in 1925.

Between 1913 and 1914, Barnack adapted 35 mm cinematic film for still-camera use with a larger negative than other 35mm cameras.

His design was revolutionary because he transported the film horizontally, allowing an extended frame size to 24×36 mm with a 2:3 aspect ratio, instead of the 18x24 mm of cameras that carried the film vertically.