Episode 222 - Pirates of the Leicaflex

Episode 222 - Pirates of the Leicaflex

From Classic Camera Revival by Alex Luyckx

April 28, 2026 · 55 min · Episode 215

About this episode

The episode discusses the history and development of the Leicaflex camera series and its lenses.

Join John and Bill with special guest Jeff Greenstein of the smash hit I Dream of Cameras to talk about everything Leicaflex. Everyone connects the names Leitz and Leica with rangefinders, from the classic Barnack to the modern M-Series. And while that is what Leica is known for, they also saw that SLRs were becoming popular in the 1960s and decided to throw their hat into the ring. In 1964, they released the Leicaflex, an SLR based around their own R-Mount. The program dates back to 1955, when Ludwig Leitz was urged by Walther Benser to develop an SLR, as Benser believed SLRs would become popular. The Leicaflex was followed by the SL in 1968 and the SL2 in 1972. A technology-sharing partnership with Minolta in 1971 led to the introduction of the R-Series of Leicaflexes, starting with the Leica R3 in 1976. The R4 in 1980, the R5 in 1987, the R6 a year later, and then the R7. The 1990s brought a radical redesign of the R-Series with the R8 and R9. The entire series ended in 2009. The one thing to look out for is the R-Mount lenses; these come in several categories. One Cam lens works only with the original Leicaflex. Two Cam lenses are good for the SL and SL2. They will work on…

People in this episode

Hosts: John, Bill

Guest: Jeff Greenstein

Topics covered

  • Leicaflex
  • SLR cameras
  • R-Mount lenses
  • Leica history
  • camera technology
  • photography

Keywords

  • Leicaflex
  • SLR
  • R-Mount
  • Leica
  • camera history
  • photography

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Leica, Leitz, Minolta

Books & works: I Dream of Cameras

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