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.
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The Leicaflex (1964) is the camera that launched Leica's SLR programme and established the R-mount bayonet that would carry the company's interchangeable-lens system for nearly four decades. It arrived late to the 35mm SLR category — Nikon had introduced the F in 1959, Canon the Canonflex in 1959, Minolta the SR-7 in 1962 — but it arrived with a distinctive set of priorities: extraordinary mechanical durability, a 1/2000s titanium shutter, and the optical quality of Carl Zeiss lenses engineered specifically for the reflex platform.
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.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
Leica's first SLR — the original Leicaflex of 1964 entered the SLR market nearly a decade after Nikon and Canon, combining a titanium shutter capable of 1/2000s with a stop-down external CdS meter and the massive brass construction of a rangefinder tradition.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Leica R bayonet (1-cam) |
| Years | 1964–1968 |
| Shutter | 1s – 1/2000s + B, horizontal-travel titanium |
| Flash sync | 1/100s |
| Meter | External CdS (stop-down, non-TTL), EV 4–18 |
| Modes | Manual |
| Viewfinder | Pentaprism, 1.0× |
| Weight | ~1,020 g (body only) |
| Battery | 1× PX400 / MR44 (meter only; shutter fully mechanical) |
| Mechanical fallback | Full |
Leica's decision to build an SLR at all was not obvious. By 1960 the company was the world's most respected rangefinder camera manufacturer, and the M3 (1954) had set the benchmark for 35mm precision photography. SLRs were regarded in Wetzlar as mechanically inferior — their mirror mechanisms introduced vibration and complexity that the rangefinder avoided. The growing demand for telephoto and macro photography, however, could only be served by through-the-lens viewing, and Leica's competitors were advancing rapidly.
Development of the Leicaflex began in the late 1950s and took over five years, reflecting Leica's determination to enter the SLR category without compromising quality standards. The 1/2000s shutter speed — unusual among early SLRs — was a direct statement: Leica's SLR would be faster than the competition. The R-mount bayonet was designed to accommodate a flange distance generous enough to allow retrofocus wide-angle designs without compromising the mirror mechanism.
The original Leicaflex was produced from 1964 to 1968 — just four years — before the Leicaflex SL replaced it with genuine open-aperture TTL metering. It exists in relatively small numbers and is considered a significant collector piece.
The original Leicaflex is historically significant as the founding body of the Leica R system — every R-mount lens produced over the following four decades traces its mount specification to the R bayonet established here. It is also one of the heaviest and most robustly built 35mm SLRs ever produced, a testament to Leica's Wetzlar engineering culture applied to the SLR format without compromise.
For practical photography, the original Leicaflex is limited by its stop-down external metering — a significant inconvenience compared to the open-aperture TTL of the Leicaflex SL and later bodies. Collectors and camera historians value it more for its historical significance than its working utility.
The 1-cam R-mount lenses produced for the original Leicaflex work on all subsequent R bodies (in stop-down mode on SL/SL2 and later), giving the camera a lens compatibility story that extends through the entire R-system era.
Leica R bayonet (1-cam). Lenses designed for the original Leicaflex have 1-cam indexing and couple only to the Leicaflex's external metering system in stop-down mode. On Leicaflex SL, SL2, and later R bodies, 1-cam lenses work in stop-down metering mode only. First-generation R lenses: Summicron-R 50/2 (1-cam), Elmarit-R 28/2.8 (1-cam), Summicron-R 90/2 (1-cam), Elmarit-R 135/2.8 (1-cam). Accessories: Leicaflex Motor (early motor winder); cable release; lens hoods specific to 1-cam lens generation.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →Leica Leicaflex
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