Leica CL (1973)

This is a Leica CL a 35mm rangefinder camera designed by Ernst Leitz, but made by Minolta in Osaka, Japan between the years 1973 and 1976.  The Leica CL was the first of several cameras produced through a partnership with Minolta as the two companies worked together, Minolta to gain Leitz’s pedigree and brand recognition, and Leitz to gain Minolta’s ability to mass produce cameras with a high level of quality at a less expensive cost.  The Leica CL uses the Leica M-bayonet lens mount and is compatible with many M-mount lenses made for other M-series cameras.  The standard lens which was most commonly sold with the Leica CL was a unique 40mm f/2 lens produced specifically for this camera, although it will work on other M-mount cameras.  It uses a TTL CdS exposure meter, mounted to an arm which swings in and out of the path of light in front of the shutter.   The Leica CL was and still is the most compact M-mount camera ever made.

Film Type: 135 (35mm)
Lens: 40mm f/2 Leitz Wetzlar Summicron-C coated 6-elements in 4-groups
Lens Mount: Leica M Bayonet
Focus: 2.7 feet / 0.8 meters to Infinity
Viewfinder: Coincident Image Coupled Rangefinder, 0.6x Magnification
Shutter: Vertically Traveling Cloth Focal Plane
Speeds: B, 1/2 – 1/1000 seconds
Exposure Meter: Coupled TTL CdS Cell w/ viewfinder match needle
Battery: 1.35v PX25 Mercury Battery
Flash Mount: Hot shoe and M and X Flash Sync, 1/60 X-Sync
Weight: 514 grams, 380 grams (body only)
Manual: https://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_cl.pdf

Ever since the first Leica cameras were sold in the mid 1920s, for the next four decades Ernst Leitz Wetzlar dominated the ‘miniature 35mm’ market.  Starting with the original Leica Model A, through the M-series of the 1950s, Leica cameras were often repeated, but never equaled.

It would take until the mid 1960s for Leitz to finally get into the world of SLRs releasing the first Leicaflex SLR in 1964 and the updated Leicaflex SL in 1968.  True to Leitz’s reputation, the Leicaflex was built to the highest quality standard and supported the best lenses the company could make.  While the Leicaflexes were good cameras, they lacked any cutting edge technology, falling behind the competition on the spec sheet, and they were very expensive.  In 1964, the retail price of a Leicaflex with the 50mm f/2 Summicron-R lens was $585, which when adjusted for inflation compares to $4850 today, an astronomical price for a brand new SLR without features available on other cameras costing far less.

It wouldn’t take Leitz long to realize that if they were going to remain competitive in the hugely growing SLR segment, they would need help from someone who could build them for less money and with newer technologies.  For this, they turned to the Japanese camera maker Minolta to help them build their next SLR.

Why Minolta you might ask?  I can’t say for sure as I was unable to find any definitive explanation, but of the most well known Japanese camera makers, Minolta was the one that had its eye on the German industry more than others.  Chiyoda Kogaku’s first camera, as they were originally known back in the 1930s, was a camera called the Minolta Auto-Press which although not a copy of, took a lot of inspiration from the German Plaubel Makina.  Many other early folding Minolta cameras took inspiration from Zeiss folders like the Ikonta and Nettar.  Their successful line of Minolta Automat and Minolta Autocord TLRs took great inspiration from German Rolleicord and Rolleiflexes.  When it came time to make their first 35mm camera, they built the Minolta 35, which borrowed upon features of the Leica rangefinder.

Minolta, like other Japanese camera makers, was good at building compact cameras inexpensively, but the Japanese camera market was saturated with other good camera makers and Minolta needed a way to stand out from their competitors by releasing a more premium product.  So with Leitz needing expertise at building cameras for a lower cost and Minolta needing something to raise their reputation among their peers, in 1972 both companies agreed to a partnership to share technologies and co develop new cameras.  This partnership would eventually result in the shared Leica R3 and Minolta XE-7 from 1974.

In the early 1970s, Leitz’s most advanced rangefinder was the Leica M5.  The M5 was the first 35mm rangefinder camera in the world with TTL (Through the Lens) metering and it featured a clever viewfinder match needle system.  In order to add all this new technology to a rangefinder camera, the body grew in both weight and size.  While the earlier M1-M4 cameras were larger than earlier screw mount Leicas, the M5 was significantly larger and also more expensive.  Realizing they were headed down the same path with rangefinders as they were with SLRs, they decided that in addition to needing help building their next SLR, they also needed a more compact rangefinder too, a compact M-series camera, so to speak.

Upon completion of the M5, Leitz got to work with Minolta on the first compact Leica M camera.  Internally referred to as the Leica CM (Compact M), a large number of design studies began, trying to figure out what a compact M-series camera should look like.  The design of the new CM camera was done in house in Wetzlar, but when it came time to build it, it would be built in Japan.  While this was the same plan for Leitz’s next SLR, the rangefinder project was less ambitious and got done quicker.

The following two images are courtesy “Prototyp Leica” published by Leica Historica and written by Lars Netopil.

The design of the new Leica CM would be significantly smaller than the Leica M5, but still retain a similar TTL metering cell connected to an arm that swings up in front of the film plane before the moment of exposure.  The camera would retain the Leica M-mount, match needle viewfinder with coupled rangefinder system, and composite metal body.  A new vertically travelling cloth shutter was developed for the Leica CM which had the same top 1/1000 shutter speed, but eliminated slow shutter speeds below 1 second.

Although still supporting the Leica M-mount, some lenses would not be compatible because they would come in contact with the meter in front of the shutter such as the 15mm f/8 Hologon, 21mm/4 Super Angulon, 50mm f/2 Dual Range Summicron, 90mm f/2 Summicron and a few others.  A few other lenses would also interfere with some of the physical differences in the shape of the body as well.

In an effort to add value to the new camera, two new M-mount lenses would be developed for it, a 40mm f/2 Summicron-C and a 90mm f/4 Elmar-C.  The 40mm lens would be entirely designed by Minolta, but the 90mm would be a Leitz design, based on earlier 90mm lenses the company had already been making.  At some point during the design cycle, the name Leica CM was replaced with Leica CL for “Compact Leica”.  My best guess for why they did this, was Leitz likely wanted to avoid any confusion that the CL hinted at future designs for the M-series.  The Leica CL was always intended to be a smaller and less expensive camera and referring to this as a “Compact M” might have confused people.

In April 1973, the Leica CL would be released worldwide except in Japan.  Per Leitz’s agreement with Minolta, a co-branded version called the Leitz Minolta CL was released in Japan in November 1973 with Rokkor branded lenses, but other than the name changes, the two models were the same.

Early sales for the Leica CL were positive with an estimated 35,000 Leica CLs sold in its first year, not counting the Minolta branded versions, however sales quickly dropped and by the time the camera ended production in 1976, only 65,000 units had been sold.  Throughout its production, very few changes were made to the Leica CL, however a special “50 Jahre” version was made in 1975 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the release of the first Leica.

The Leica CL was discontinued only 3 years after its release, but the exact reason is not clear.  I have read conflicting reports both online and in print which suggest different reasons for its quick exit from the market.  One explanation was that consumers had concerns about the reliability of a Japanese Leica and avoided it, not considering it to be a “real Leica”.  Another explanation was that the camera was eating into the sales of the much more expensive M5 and relaunched M4 so Leitz discontinued it because they made less profit on each sale of the CL.  In my opinion, both explanations seem plausible as Leica shooters are notoriously fickle and the thought that they would shun a Japanese Leica is believable.  On the other hand, that more Leica CLs were sold in its first year of production than the entire four year production of the Leica M5 (35,000 CLs compared to 33,900 M5s) would suggest that the CL might have been eating away at the M5’s customer base.

In Modern Photography’s year end wrap up in their December 1974 issue, they list the price of the Leica CL with 40mm Summicron-C lens for $525.  In that same issue, the Leica M5 with 50mm f/2 Summicron carried a retail price of $1182.  When adjusted for inflation, both of these prices compare to around $3280 and $7380 today!

After production of the Leitz Minolta CL ended in 1976, the only cameras in the world being produced with a Leica M-mount were actual Leicas, but in 1981, Minolta returned with an updated camera called the Minolta CLE.

The CLE was largely based on the original CL, using a similar body and the same lens mount, but replacing the old mechanical shutter was an all new electronic one and the old CdS meter was upgraded to a new silicon exposure cell which together were capable of aperture priority automatic exposure.  As they did for the release of the original CL, three new lenses were developed for the CLE, they were the M-Rokkor 28mm f/2.8, the M-Rokkor 40mm f/2, and the M-Rokkor 90mm f/4 lenses.  The Minolta CLE would remain in production until 1985 after which time, no further compact Leica-M mount rangefinders would be made.

It has never been my goal to shoot every Leica ever made.  In fact, after shooting a variety of screw mount bodies, an M3, M5, M6, and M8, I really thought I didn’t need to try another, until my friend Paul Rybolt came to me and said he had a nice Leica CL with the 40mm Summicron-C lens attached and asked me if I had anything I’d like to trade for it.

While the thought of trading for a Leica camera appealed to me, it was the lens that intrigued me most.  If you’ve read more than a few reviews here or listened to me on the Camerosity Podcast, you’ll know that 40mm is my ideal focal length for prime lenses.  While 50mm lenses are far more common, I find myself more often than not having to step backwards when framing images with 50mm lenses.  However my mind’s eye composes images, 50mm is just a little too narrow for me and whatever my first instinct is, I usually need to step back a bit to fit everything into frame as I see it.  This isn’t a problem for me when shooting 40mm lenses. Whether its a Canonet rangefinder or a Konica SLR with the wonderful Hexanon 40mm f/1.8 lens, I find myself loving that focal length, so when Paul showed me his recently serviced Leica CL with a 40mm lens, I put together a package we were both happy with and I made the trade.

The Leica CL is the first ever Leica I’ve handled not made in Germany.  While many current Leica digital cameras are made by Panasonic, the Leica CL was produced in Japan in partnership with Minolta.  While there’s no reason to believe Minolta would have cut corners, it is still interesting to see how the combination of German and Japanese DNA would effect the build quality, and my knee jerk reaction is…not at all.  Original owners of the Leica CL were likely pleased with the feel of the camera and we now have the benefit of over 50 years since these cameras were made to tell us that they held up well.  Any fears from 1973 regarding this Japanese Leica’s ability to stand the test of time were unfounded.

The Leica CL features a die cast metal body with metal top and bottom plates but some internal parts are made of plastic.  The body is not weather sealed like other Leicas so it would be wise to not allow the camera to experience too much weather.  The body covering is a textured synthetic material that provides excellent grip and over half a century has proven to not peel, chip off, or fade.   By far, the most distinct feature of the Leica CL is its size.  Since the day it was released, it remains the most compact interchangeable lens rangefinder with the Leica M mount.  Compared to other cameras, it is closer in size to the Rollei 35 than it is to a Leica M5.

The top plate is very clean, with a large Leica logo on the left, flash hot shoe in the middle, cable threaded shutter release, film advance lever, and automatic resetting exposure counter on the right.  The film advance lever requires a full swing of about 200 degrees to fully advance the film and cock the shutter.  Shorter intermediate motions are not possible.

Changing shutter speeds is done with a dial on the front face of the camera similar to the original Konica Auto-Reflex, and it overlaps the front edge of the top plate slightly, allowing you to turn the dial without lowering the camera from your eye.  This is a very welcome feature as selected shutter speeds are displayed within the viewfinder.  In addition, intermediate shutter speeds between displayed speeds are possible, except between 1/30 and 1/60.  This allows you to manually set a shutter speed of roughly 1/300 between 250 and 500 or roughly 1/20 between 15 and 30.  In the center of the shutter speed dial is a metal button that when pressed in and rotated, sets the film speed.  Settings for ASA / DIN speeds between 25/15 and 1600/33 are possible.

The back and sides of the Leica CL are pretty clean.  The back has the rectangular eyepiece for the viewfinder and nothing else.  The camera’s left side has two strap loops, one each near the top and bottom of the camera.  This allows the camera to be hung from a neck strap sideways without the tendency to tilt forward with a heavy lens mounted.  This design where both strap loops are on the same side of the camera was taken from the Leica M5 which was the same way.

The base of the camera has a 1/4″ tripod socket surrounded by a flip up and rotating key for unlocking the film compartment.  This key works similarly to the keys found on early Contax rangefinders in which you lift up the handle to 90 degrees from the body and then give it a short counterclockwise twist to release the lock.  Installation is the opposite of removal.  On opposite sides of the base are the rewind knob with flip out handle, and a film reminder dial.  The reminder dial is not coupled to the meter and only allows you to select what type of film is loaded.  Finally, next to this dial is a rewind release button.

The Leica CL was the first Leica rangefinder with a removable film back allowing you to load film without having to go through the bottom.  The camera back and bottom both come off in one piece.  Inside, the film pressure plate is not attached to the back of the camera, rather it is a bottom hinged design which folds down while loading film.  Although the Leica CL’s film compartment is quite cramped, everything is here and loading film is basically the same as any other 1970s camera.  Film transports from left to right onto a multi-slotted integrated take up spool.  After attaching the leader for a new roll of film and winding the camera a couple times, you must fold the pressure plate back down before sliding the film door back on.  The Leica CL does not have any type of foam light seals, so there was nothing to replace, but as is the case with any old camera, you should inspect the door channels for damage which might cause light leaks.

The Leica CL’s battery compartment is inside the film compartment, beneath the take up spool and uses a single 1.35v PX625 battery.  The Leica’s electronic circuits will not show a correct reading using a 1.5v modern battery, so if you plan on using this camera today with the meter, you either need to find a correct voltage Wein MRB625 cell, or have the camera’s battery circuit modified to work with 1.5v batteries.  This particular Leica CL previously had this modification done by DAG Camera in the United States.

Looking down upon the 40mm f/2 Leitz Summicron-C lens that came standard on most Leica CLs, the controls are logically laid out and easy to change.  A depth of field scale is engraved into the lens closest to the body, and a focus ring with distances engraved in feet and meters is next.  Focusing the lens can be done by feeling for a curved protrusion which sticks out near the bottom of the lens.  This allows you to quickly focus the lens with a single finger and the camera to your eye.  Finally, the aperture ring is closest the front of the lens with click stops from f/2 to f/16.  On this example, a rubber lens hood is screwed into the 39mm filter ring.

Although the compact size of the Leica CL was its signature feature, that it supported the Leica M-mount and (almost) its entire system of lenses was a really big deal too.  The 40mm Summicron-C and a 90mm Elmar-C were built specifically for the CL, but if you had other M-mount lenses you could mount them to the camera with only a few exceptions.  Lenses which protrude too far into the camera could interfere with the hinged exposure meter along with other lenses which block the viewfinder or rangefinder windows.

Mounting and dismounting lenses is done exactly like it is on full size Leicas.  A bayonet lens release button is located near the 9 o’clock position around the lens mount.  Press this while rotating the lens counterclockwise to remove it.  Installing is the opposite of removal.  With the lens off, you can see the rangefinder coupling wheel near the top of the mount and with the shutter cocked, the hinged exposure meter which is mounted to an arm in front of the film plane.  This meter is only visible with the shutter cocked.  The purpose for the meter being in this location is so that a TTL (Through the Lens) reading can be taken right in front of the focal plane where it is most accurate.

The viewfinder on the Leica CL is one of its best features.  Like other M-series cameras, the main viewfinder is large and has a purple tint to make other parts of the viewfinder easier to see.  The curved rectangle rangefinder patch, frame lines, shutter speed scale and match needle window are a lighter shade than the rest of the viewfinder providing excellent contrast.  The image to the right does not reflect how bright the viewfinder is as that is difficult to capture using a smartphone camera.

A red indicator across the top of the viewfinder points to shutter speeds from 2 to 1000 plus B.  A black match needle along the right side indicates proper exposure when the needle points to a notch in the middle.  Frame lines for 40mm and 50mm lenses are displayed at the same time, however when a 90mm lens is mounted, a third set of 90mm frame lines appear.  The entire viewfinder, including the rangefinder patch, frame lines, and shutter speed scale all automatically correct for parallax when focusing close.

I was pretty excited to shoot the Leica CL, so I quickly went through two rolls of film to get a sense for what it was like to shoot.  For black and white, I shot an expired roll of Eastman 5220 XT Pan, which is a fine grained motion picture stock with a slow ASA 25 speed, and a fresh roll of Santa Color 100 which is a relabeled version of Kodak Aerocolor IV aerial film.

Starting off, I am not a fan of Kodak Aerocolor IV aerial film, at least not as a general purpose color film like the people who sell it as Santa Color would like you to believe.  The film has a strong cyan and green color shifts which some people may like.  I did not care for most of the outdoor photos as I found the look to be muted and lacking in “pop”, but when used indoors under tungsten light, it performed much better.  Although there aren’t many shots in this gallery, I shot this film in another camera for another review and all the indoor shots look much nicer, so if you’re interested in trying this film, use that information however you choose.

As expected, the 40mm Summicron-C did nothing to tarnish its reputation as one of the best semi-wide primes ever made.  I can’t say with absolute certainty, but compared to other 40mm primes I’ve shot like the one in the Canonet GIII QL17 rangefinder or my favorite budget lens, the Konica Hexanon AR 40/1.8, the Summicron-C is likely the sharpest lens ever made at this focal length.  Even if it isn’t, there’s certainly nothing better.  Sharpness was excellent across the frame with no vignetting or softness near the corners, nor were there any of the other optical anomalies that would be common on lesser lenses.

The 40mm focal length is perfect for casual photography as it is wide enough to compose images in tight spaces without being so wide as to offer a drastically different look than how we see the world with our own eyes.  A 40mm lens offers increased depth of field, meaning that getting precise accuracy with the rangefinder is not necessary, while still being long enough to capture portraits when needed.  The combination of a slightly wider lens with greater zone focus ability on a compact camera makes for an excellent street shooter if you so choose to use the camera this way.

When then Leica CL first debuted, it was the most compact Leica camera with the Leica M bayonet mount, a title it retains to this day.  When it was released, both the 40mm lens here and a 90mm lens were purpose made for this camera, although most other M-mount lenses would work too.  Despite an immediate availability of so many other lenses, I can’t help but shake the feeling that a majority of users rarely mounted anything else.  While there certainly are many valid reasons for swapping the Summicron-C for a lens with a different focal length, the greatest strength of this camera is with this lens mounted.

The Leica CL itself shows both its Japanese and German heritage.  When this camera first debuted, there were those who feared that a Japanese Leica would be inferior to those made in Wetzlar, but today in 2026 with over half a century to look back on, we know that those fears were unfounded.  Those working at Minolta and the rest of the Japanese camera industry were more than up to the challenge of building a top tier camera with a German label.

Ergonomically, the Leica CL feels great in your hands.  All of the camera’s controls are exactly where you’d expect them and apart from a quick refresher with the user manual the first time you use one, there is very little learning curve to getting great images from this camera.  The compact size of the CL body and 40mm lens means this will fit in everything but the smallest pockets.  On cool days, I had no issue quickly putting in and taking out the camera from the pocket of my hoodie and for those who carry around purses, it would feel right at home next to whatever else people put in small purses.

The viewfinder on the CL is good, and compares favorably to the best Japanese rangefinders of the 1970s, but somehow is just a tad “less” than that of German Leicas.  In a side by side comparison between the Leica CL and my Leica M5, I found its rangefinder patch to be just a little brighter and easier to see than that of the CL.  In addition, while I found the amount of information visible in the CL’s viewfinder to be good, it also came across as just a tad cluttered.  These are mere nitpicks however as when comparing two Leicas, you really can’t lose.  The Leica CL may be a compact Leica, but that doesn’t mean it is less of a Leica.  In fact, with its smaller size offering better portability, I’d say there is a greater chance you might pick this camera over the larger and heavier models in the series, simply due to the fact that it fits in your pocket better!

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External Links

https://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Leica_CL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leica_CL

https://casualphotophile.com/2018/12/10/leica-cl-review-the-smallest-m-mount-rangefinder-defies-comparison/

https://www.cameraquest.com/leicacl.htm

https://mrleica.com/leica-cl-film-camera/

https://gear.vogelius.se/-editorials/leica-cl/index.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20200117000951/http://www.lausch.com/leicacl.htm (archived)