Leica II

The Leica II, introduced in 1932, added a separate coupled rangefinder window to the Barnack body — a breakthrough that transformed the Leica from a capable snapshot camera into a precision photographic instrument. Before the Leica II, focusing a small camera meant guessing distances or using zone focus. With the coupled rangefinder, a photographer could focus accurately in any light, on any subject, at full aperture.

This single addition changed photojournalism. With precise focus available at a glance, photographers like Erich Salomon could work in low-light, uncontrolled environments with confidence. The rangefinder patch was in a separate window from the viewfinder — combined VF/RF would wait for the M3 — but it was enough. The Leica II is the body that made the Barnack platform complete, and the coupled rangefinder it introduced remains the defining feature of every M camera Leica makes today.