The Leica R3 was a 35mm SLR camera by Leica and the first model of their R series. Leica launched the Leica R3 in 1976. It was the successor of the

Leicaflex The Leicaflex series of high-end single-lens reflex 35 mm format film cameras were introduced by Leitz Camera in 1964. The first camera body was paired with the new R bayonet series of lenses. Three model of the cameras were sold by Leitz; the ...

SL2, and was developed in cooperation with

Minolta was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras, camera accessories, photocopiers, fax machines, and laser printers. Minolta Co., Ltd., which is also known simply as Minolta, was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1928 as . It made the first integrated aut ...

, together with the

Minolta XE The Minolta XE, known as the XE-1 in Europe and the XE-7 in North America, is a manual focus, 35 mm single-lens reflex camera produced by Minolta of Japan between 1974 and 1977. It was developed in collaboration with Leica Camera and has many si ...

bodies.photoscala.de, July 2018, »R« – in the Shadow of the »M«, retrieved at 1 November 2020
(German). It was a 35mm SLR with a

Copal Copal is tree resin, particularly the aromatic resins from the copal tree ''Protium copal'' (Burseraceae) used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and for other purposes. More generally, copal includes re ...

CLS electronic focal plane shutter, which was produced for Leica and Minolta only. Image:Leica-R3-Safari-p1010670.jpg, The Leica Safari, a tropicalised version of the R3

Development

Following the Leicaflex series Leica took a totally new approach; the R3 was developed in cooperation with Minolta and closely based on their XE. Initially manufactured in Wetzlar, Germany, production was later moved to the new Leica plant in Portugal. In appearance very similar to the Minolta XE using the same electronics, the camera incorporated a Leica developed shutter and modifications to the metering system offering Leica's traditional facility of selective metering in addition to integrated (centre weighted) metering. It was the first Leica SLR camera to offer automatic exposure. At its back the R3 has a window to show the type of film which is currently used. In 1978 the R3 MOT with the possibility to use a winder came into the market. The camera was a commercial success at a very difficult time for the company, sales of the latest rangefinder

Leica M5 The Leica M5 is a 35 mm camera by Leica Camera AG, introduced in 1971. It was the first Leica rangefinder camera to feature through-the-lens ( TTL) metering and the last to be made entirely in Wetzlar by hand using the traditional "adjust and fi ...

had been very poor and the previous

series had made little or no profit leaving the company in a precarious financial state, the R3's success seemed to indicate a new direction.

Light Measurement

For selective measurementbutkus.org, Leica R3 / R3-MOT, retrieved at 1 November 2020
the R3 used a secondary mirror with light cell in the base just like the

Leicaflex SL The Leicaflex series of high-end single-lens reflex 35 mm format film cameras were introduced by Leitz Camera in 1964. The first camera body was paired with the new R bayonet series of lenses. Three model of the cameras were sold by Leitz; the Le ...

. For integrated measurement two light cells were mounted on the viewfinder prism; switching between selective and integrated was electronic.

Leica R-mount

The

camera lenses had either one or two sloping cams for aperture connection. The R3 replaced these with a single "stepped cam" conveying, in addition, the maximum aperture. From then on most lenses were made with all three cams but a few, especially those supplied with R cameras, had only the third stepped cam and were marked "Leica R Only". These lenses had a very small modification to the original bayonet making it impossible to mount them on earlier cameras.

References

{{From Camerapedia, Leica R3 135 film cameras 3 Cameras introduced in 1976 Products introduced in 1976 de:Leica R3