LEICA CAMERA C3 Compact 35mm Camera

by Leica

Product Details

• Item Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00007G79S
• Item model number: C3
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,097 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 13, 2002

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

If you are looking for new perspectives, you shouldn't have to cope with a tight angle of view. The Leica C3 simply lets you see more because the range of focal lengths of its Leica zoom lens begins with a 28 mm wide-angle setting: This creates great new opportunities, especially in landscape- and architectural photography, and the sides are no longer cut off in interior-and group photographs. The Leica C3 also combines an unusually good lens speed with its 28 – 80 mm range of focal lengths. This makes it much easier for you to master difficult room situations as well as unfavorable light conditions.

The Leica C3 will be offered in an exclusive gift set. This set contains the respective camera with case, film, battery, a high-quality album and a pencil by Faber-Castell.

The Leica C3 at a glance
Everything in view
Panoramic landscapes, groups of people, city views – with the 28 mm wide-angle setting you simply capture more on your pictures. A decisive advantage, when no one has to be left out in group photos or houses and monuments can be captured completely. And the aspheric lens elements in the Leica lens render your subject with sharpness, rich contrast and natural colors, even under poor light conditions.

No compromises
From Leica you can expect that your camera meets the highest quality standards and that it is made of high-grade materials. From the lightweight aluminum body housing and its precise mechanisms to the zoom lens, which is fabricated completely of genuine optical glasses.

Secure handling:
The C3, with its elegant aluminum design, has an ergonomic grip, so that it will also fit well in your hands when you want to take pictures spontaneously while you are traveling. All its control elements are laid out for easy operation. A practical plastic box is included for safe transportation.

A sturdy protector: the box for the LEICA C3.
And a good looking one at that: The translucent hard-cover box combines the protective function with the demand to offer a fashion-able accessory. The camera is not hidden, instead it allows the stylish design to shine through. As a weather resistant accommodation for the Leica C3 this modern design keeps water droplets and dust where they belong – outside! The formfitting, custom-designed case also ensures that the Leica C3 cannot slide around in the box – under the motto: If the camera fits in, the box fits on. All photographers that brave wind and weather, and await the same from their camera, will see how valuable this transportable carrying case is.

Guaranteed quality:
We are aware of the high quality that is expected of a Leica and for how long our cameras are expected to last. That is also why we offer an unusually long guarantee of 3 years for the Leica C3.

Product Description

Fully automatic 35mm Film Camera / Easy to use / Precise Leica mechanism and optics / Sleek, European Design

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leica C3 compact, January 16, 2003

By 

A H Holmes (Romsey, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: LEICA CAMERA C3 Compact 35mm Camera (Electronics)

This is a really great camera which has a really wonderful lens for this type of camera - the colours and the details are quite stunning when compared to previous high end compacts I've used (£200 ish category). The lens is f3.6 at 28mm, very fast for a zoom compact.

It's also unusual in design which makes it quite interesting to my mind. For example it has a T mode for long exposures of up to 90 seconds (great for night scenes in cities or traffic trails). It also has a stepped zoom at 28,42,50,60,70,80mm, which I find quite handy when composing, and you can zoom right through it you want to.

Metering is excellent, I've tried a number of different films from 100-400 asa including 2 slide films, which have been perfectly exposed.

the flash is very powerful, perhaps a bit too much so, but if you focus on the nearest subject, it closes the aperture and this lessens the blast as well as giving good depth of field. It does give red-eye, but most on camera flash will - just get a red eye pen and sort it that way.

But overall it's the lens which is the real selling point. OK it's expensive, but you can't really value the difference it could make.

A tip - and this is obvious - get your photos developed somewhere pretty good as it makes all the difference when you have a good lens.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leica C3: Dont go digital justt yet !!!!, September 13, 2003

By 

"alan15716" (Beaumaris, VIC Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: LEICA CAMERA C3 Compact 35mm Camera (Electronics)

It seems everyone that is contemplating buying a new camera these days (particularly in the novice and point/shoot market place), will automatically go for the digital option, and pay a lot of money and get a camera that on the service of it, appears to offer every option under the sun, but in reality takes disappointing photos! But the thought of going back to a good old 35mm point and shoot camera, is just to socially hard to except! So why should the Leica C3 change your mind about 35mm compact point and shoot cameras!
Well to start off....Its a Leica, probably the most prestigious camera maker in the world, built designed and bread in Germany. Only the best material, best optics. and best styling go into making every model, so which ever one you go for (C1,C2,C3), you can be pretty sure its way up there on the list in its class. Even before you find out what the C3 has under that solid stainless steel casing, you won't want to put it down. It feels, looks and handles beautifully. The C3 is built to last with a real retro feel and every part of the camera oozes quality. The buttons and display are very simple, clean and very well laid out, making the camera so simple to use a child would be able to pick it up and take pictures.
The C3 features a 28mm - 80mm lens, the same as a standard lens for many an SLR. What's sets this lens apart from other brands of camera is its build (only genuine optical glass not plastic), its incredible speed for a compact camera (making pictures in less than adequate lighting a breeze and worry free) and its sharpness/depth of colour. Infact the colour reproduction is breath taking, reproducing deep rich smooth colour within pin sharp focus! I have had friends amazed by what the C3 can achieve!! The 28mm wide angle lens is also great for capturing landscapes and architecture, whilst the 80mm top end will aid you with portraits and macro work.
So with the C3 you really are getting value/quality for money and obviously a great looking camera, wearing that exclusive Leica label.
Sure this camera may not be a 5 mega pixel, movie making piece of stainless steel the size of a stock cube (although the 35mm pictures it takes cover as much, if not more detail than a 13.5 mega pixel camera, something digital lovers like to leave out), but you are getting a solid camera that takes amazing photos every time. My advise before buying any camera would be to think carefully about what you are buying it for! And If your looking for a camera that feels great, looks the part, takes breath taking photos in almost any lighting condition, that is simple to use and that can fit into your pocket, the Leica C3 is the one for you. The Leica C3 also comes with a 7 year warranty and a hard as nails plastic transparent case, making this product almost indestructible.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Versatile Camera At A Moderate Price, January 7, 2005

By 

Thomas Edwards (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: LEICA CAMERA C3 Compact 35mm Camera (Electronics)

...the leica c3 is a good versatile camera at a moderate price, in my humble opinion, and should make a good traveling companion (perhaps as a backup) for those impromptu moments...

...for naturalists and outdoor enthusiasts, the camera's wide-angle capability, alone, may be worth the price, as it is difficult to find point-and-shoot compacts with this feature...

...the vario-elmar lens (the same as used on leica's new cm zoom 35 - 70 which retails for around $1.2k) produces sharp and nearly 3-d quality images which are slightly better than the images from my older olympus zoom wide 80 compact...

...some negatives include a film door that did not close properly (but was repaired by leica on a one-month turn-around time basis), and a jammed film rewinder button...

...if you want the best zoom compact camera available go for the new leica cm zoom...if you want wide-angle capability at a moderate price, the leica c3 should not disappoint...