Leica
The manufacturer Leica is a German company based in Wetzlar, which is mainly known for the production of cameras, but also specializes in binoculars and riflescopes. The company found its origins in the Optical Institute, which was founded by Carl Kellner in Wetzlar in 1849 and from which Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH emerged. In 1986 it became Leica Camera AG. The name is an abbreviation for Leitzsche Camera.
Company history - everything began with microscopes
After the company was taken over by Carl Kellner in 1849 by Ernst Leitz, the expansion of the today internationally active company began. Initially, the company concentrated on the production of microscopes and, from the 20th century onwards, also added the production of binoculars and episcopes. Only then did the company begin to manufacture professional film cameras and miniature cameras, for which the company is particularly known to a broad consumer public. In particular, the barnaque 35 mm camera, later called Leica I, was a great success for the company in the 1920s.
In the 1980s, the company was split into Leica Camera AG, Leica Microsystems GmbH and Leica Geosystems AG. After various spin-offs and corporate integrations, Leica Camera AG, which had meanwhile moved to Solms, was spun off from Leica Holding B.V.. It went public in 1996. In the course of the early 2000s, various groups held shares in Leica Camera AG - including the French luxury goods group Hermès and ACM. In 2011, the financial investor Blackstone bought into the company, which was 96.5% owned by ACM at the time.
In 2014, the company moved back from Solms to its birthplace in Wetzlar, where Leica Camera AG still has its headquarters today. The approximately 600 employees now work in the Leitz-Park Wetzlar - the new company headquarters built by the architects Gruber + Kleine-Kraneburg.
At the beginning of 2016, the company announced a future collaboration with the Huawei Consumer Business Group, which aims to develop high-quality smartphone cameras.
Sport optics: Binoculars and spotting scopes complement the portfolio
The general public will be less aware that Leica also plays a leading role in the field of sports optics. However, experts are aware of the quality of the prism binoculars and spotting scopes that the company has been manufacturing for over 100 years. In 1907, the company developed the first prism binocular - the Binocle 6x18. Until the production of binoculars was discontinued for economic reasons in 1931, Leica produced further models with patented innovations - including the Porro II construction method.
A little more than 20 years later, the product division was revived and the Leitz Amplivid 6x24 was launched in 1956. It was the first roof prism binocular based on three of the company's earlier patents. Two years later, the first model from the Trinovid series followed, with which for the first time the distance settings at the lenses inside the lens were made and not by shifting the entire lens.
Binoculars & Monoculars
In the field of binoculars Leica offers the following series with different models: Leica Noctivid, Leica Ultravid HD-Plus, Leica Ultravid Blackline, Leica Ultravid Silverline, Leica Duovid and Leica Trinovid HD. While the Trinovid binoculars represent the compact series from Leica in the low-cost segment, the Ultravid and Duovid models offer absolute premium class and best optical quality.
With the Geovid and the Monovid, Leica covers further requirements of hunters, nature observers and various leisure activities - on the one hand distance measurement (Geovid) and on the other hand practical handling thanks to its small dimensions (Monovid). The Leica monoculars impress with their handy size, elegant design and reliable optics - ideal for visits to the theater, concerts or on hikes.
When developing the binoculars, the company attaches great importance to an intensive experience for the user - whether in hunting or in bird and nature observation. This is why the production process is based on the practical experience of binocular users, who are then complemented by the know-how of the engineers. Characteristic features are high-quality materials, precise workmanship and excellent resolution of the binoculars. The mechanics are stable and make the binoculars of all Leica series reliable, robust companions in nature.
Spotting Scopes
With the APO Televid, Leica does not currently offer a large selection of spotting scopes, but due to two different models and construction methods, different requirements for hunting and nature observation are fulfilled. The APO-Televid 65, like the APO-Televid 82, is available with both straight and angled (45°) viewing. The first model has an objective lens diameter of 65 mm and can focus at close range to approx. 2.9 m. The first model has an objective lens diameter of 65 mm and can focus at close range to approx. 2.9 m. The first model has an objective lens diameter of 65 mm. The second model has a lens diameter of 82 mm and focuses up to 3.8 m at close range. The focal length of both spotting scopes is approx. 440 mm.
Rifle Scopes
With currently three different series of rifle scopes Leica wants to meet the different requirements of hunters. While the Magnus-i series offers riflescopes with illuminated reticles and sharply focused illuminated dots, the ER LRS series has a particularly wide interpupillary distance of 10 cm. This makes an ER LRS series riflescope suitable for larger calibres. Hunters will find an all-rounder in the Visus i LW line. These slim rifle scopes are particularly suitable for classic weapons - whether for stalking or hide hunting.
Rangefinder
Leica rangefinders reliably measure the distance to the target object. Both the Geovid and the Rangemaster CRF feature high-quality laser distance measurement. The rangefinders have more than 25 years of experience and know-how in civil laser rangefinding. As a result, electronics, mechanics and optics are at an excellent level.
Digiscoping
The photographer of nature and animals through a spotting scope is also an important area for Leica - digiscoping is finding more and more interested parties. The company therefore provides its customers with a comprehensive range of high-quality accessories for digiscoping - including innovative spotting scopes and the company's own cameras. As a manufacturer of digital, SLR and compact cameras, Leica naturally has it easy to offer the right models for the spotting scopes. Leica is the only manufacturer to offer such integrated systems, including a digiscoping camera, in which all components fit together optically and mechanically. So nothing stands in the way of breathtaking images of nature and wildlife.
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The company has defined passion and precision as values - and implements them in the various product series and models for the "hunting" and "nature" experience. Customers are offered products that can be operated intuitively and are made of materials that retain their value. Ultimately, however, it is the brilliant optics that make Leica one of the leading manufacturers - after all, it was the lenses that laid the foundation for the brand. The masterpieces, manufactured with the highest precision, are characterized by practice-oriented innovations, best contrast quality and perfect image reproduction.
It goes without saying that such a manufacturer belongs in a widely positioned online shop for hunting equipment. Experience the wide range of Leica products in our range and be convinced by the first-class quality of our binoculars, rifle scopes and other hunting and natural optics!