C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →
rangefinder-35mm
The Leica CL (1973) is a compact M-mount rangefinder developed jointly by **Leitz Wetzlar** and **Minolta Osaka**. The body is roughly two-thirds the size and weight of an M6 — 365 g, 32 mm thick. Mechanical horizontal-cloth shutter to 1/1000s, TTL CdS metering, M-mount, no AE. Frame lines for 40, 50, 90mm (the 40mm was new — Leica created two CL-specific lenses, 40/2 Summicron-C and 90/4 Elmar-C). Made in Japan by Minolta under Leitz's quality oversight.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The compact Leica M. Designed by Leitz with Minolta, made in Japan, and still the smallest M-mount rangefinder Leica ever sold.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Leica M |
| Years | 1973–1976 |
| Shutter | 1/2s – 1/1000s + B, mechanical horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/60s |
| Meter | TTL CdS (swing-arm meter cell) |
| Modes | Manual |
| Frame lines | 40, 50, 90 mm |
| Weight | 365 g |
| Battery | 1× PX625 mercury (meter only) |
Released 1973 as a joint Leitz-Minolta project. The CL was assembled in Japan but quality-controlled in Wetzlar. Production ran three years until 1976. Leitz disbanded the partnership; Minolta independently released a successor as the Minolta CLE (1980), an electronic-shutter CL with aperture-priority AE — a "Leica without Leitz approval." Leica never officially renewed the CL line.
About 65,000 CL bodies were made — low volume, contributing to current collector value.
The CL is the only compact Leica M ever produced. Body dimensions (121 × 76 × 32 mm) are closer to a Yashica T2 than an M6. The 40mm Summicron-C lens that came with it is a cult lens — sharp, contrasty, and the field of view (slightly wider than 50mm) is perfect for street and reportage. For travel photographers who want M-mount lens compatibility in a body the size of a fixed-lens compact, the CL is unique.
For 2026 buyers, used prices run $700–1,500 for a clean body. The CL takes any Leica M-mount lens, though longer telephotos (135mm) are not framed by the CL's finder. The trade-off vs M6: smaller and lighter; no fast shutter speeds beyond 1/1000s; mercury-battery meter dependency.
Leica M-mount: any era. 40mm Summicron-C f/2 and 90mm Elmar-C f/4 were CL-specific (designed for the smaller body). 40/2 Summicron-C is excellent and surprisingly affordable. Standard M-mount lenses (Summicron 35, 50, 90) all work. Some longer focal lengths and ultra-wide M lenses won't have proper frame lines (CL shows 40 / 50 / 90 only).
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
View profile →C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
View profile →