Who owns leica

Today, the opportunity to capture a moment in history, and have it viewed the world over, is all the easier thanks to the invention of smartphones — but Leica has done what perhaps no other camera brand has managed: not only survived in an increasingly digital world, but thrived.

Production was stalled due to the First World War, but eventually a refined version, the Leica 1, was unveiled to the public in , becoming the first commercially-available 35mm still camera and marking the start of a new era for photography in the process.

In the almost-century since, the camera industry has seen both spectacular growth and catastrophic decline. According to data released by Statista, the industry was at its peak in , producing more than million new cameras that year. By , that number had dropped by 84 per cent, to just 19 million. Leica, managing director Jason Heward says, has weathered the storm because of its position as a premium product that enables budding photographers to explore and harness their creativity.

It is a brand you graduate to when you want to take your hobby to the next level. In some cases, it can take as much as six weeks to create a single lens.

Such a painstaking process affords the brand greater opportunity for technical innovation than its competitors whose products are mass manufactured. It harks back to Bauhaus, which is about keeping everything very much essential — both the design and functionality of the product — but at the same time making sure it stands up against any other technology and innovation.

Stefan Hell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy. In collaboration with Leica Microsystems, this principle was translated into the first commercially available STED microscope. The surgical microscope Leica M OH6 is equipped with technology to enable surgeons to see better into deep, narrow cavities.

Researchers can build their Leica DMi8 microscope fully modularly. The platform can be adapted to their needs any time — a big difference to former instruments. Enabling scientists to visualize and study cellular structures and processes down to the molecular level, the instrument was voted among the Top 10 Innovations for laboratories and research.

First surgical microscopes with integrated TrueVision 3D technology enable an entire operating team to see what the surgeon sees without the need for a separate cart, thus saving space in the operating room. Acquisition of Aotec, distributor for more than 25 years moves presence in Latin America forward. For its switchover to Kanban systems, Leica Microsystems Operations in Wetzlar, Germany, won the Manufacturing Excellence award for logistics and operational management.

The Leica TCS SP8 confocal microscope combines high-performance optics, the fastest true confocal scanner and the most sensitive detection system available, to enable researchers to uncover life's secrets. Science Lab is the knowledge portal on microscopy and EM sample preparation.

Articles, interviews, tutorials, and webinars help users with interesting and hands-on information. By , Science Lab has grown to an online resource with more than articles. Students and teachers can now view microscope images in HD quality during microscopy classes which enables them to detect more detail in the images. Max Planck Innovation grants exclusive license for the new GSDIM ground state depletion microscopy followed by individual molecule return super-resolution method to Leica Microsystems.

The Leica SCN Slide Scanner offers an alternative to the microscope for the examination of histological samples in pathology, research, and teaching. The Leica Cleanliness Expert is an all-in-one system for measuring impurities in cleaning liquids for micro-mechanic and motor components during production in the automotive industry.

This helps failure analysis and quality assurance. Leica M OH5 - the world's most compact neurosurgical microscope with horizontal optics with patented mobility concept and greatest overhead maneuverability. This first commercial STED microscope achieves an optical resolution of less than 90 nm.

After integrating Vision BioSystems, the Leica Biosystems division was formed — as the only source to offer instruments for the entire histo-pathology process. The Leica DMD increases physical comfort, significantly speeds up daily workflow without changing the process, and provides an easy-to-use network solution for sharing data. The company wins the award in the medium-sized business category. The company already won the prestigious award in for the ELSAM acoustic microscope and again in for the DUV high-resolution microscope objective for photomask and wafer fabrication.

With its enhanced laser technology, the Leica LMD is suitable for processing thicker specimens and harder materials, making it ideal also for botanical research applications.

The Leica AF LX integrated system for advanced widefield fluorescence imaging and analysis enables researchers to study the processes of life by imaging fast cell dynamics or 4D experiments over several days. Leica EZ4 W educational stereo microscope for college and university recognized with Worlddidac Award. Leica Optical Coherence Tomography OCT systems support ophthalmologists, ophthalmic surgeons, and researchers with easy-to-use, high-quality imaging technology.

Wi-Fi Education Solutions. The Leica Science Lab hosts articles, interviews, tutorials, and webinars for users. The Leica M C stereo microscope with FusionOptics creates images with high resolution and a greater depth of field for better 3D impression. First commercial STED microscope achieves an optical resolution of less than 90 nm.

Talk to our experts. We are happy to answer all your questions and concerns. In Portugal, in order to offset the cuts imposed by the government, Leica shared its profits with employees in a year in which turnover amounted to 40 million euros. The investment in this new factory was around In May, Leica Camera AG opened its new factory in Am Leitz Park 1 in the new industrial area of Wetzlar, the city where it all began and to commemorate the th anniversary of the Leica camera, the company joined the Swiss watchmaker Valbray to produce a limited edition of Leica inspired watches.

Produced in Portugal, the Leica T is the first camera made worldwide with the «unibody» concept: all the exterior is constructed from a single block of aluminum. This model, produced in collaboration with Audi design, offers a touch screen and integrated WiFi module.

The Leica Store in Porto was opened on December 1 st , His invention was a success among scientists, and the Optical Institute began the production of microscopes that stand out for their quality and precision. This was the first step taken in creating one of the most renowned and recognised companies in the world known for the quality, innovation and differentiation of their products. Timeline Ernst Leitz begins to work at the Optical Institute.

At the age of 22, Ernst Leitz became a partner at the Optical Institute. Oskar Barnack is born. Leitz produces microscopes per year. Leitz opens a branch in New York. The company produces 9, microscopes per year and employs persons.

Its latest invention is launched: the binocular microscope. Oskar Barnack creates the Ur-Leica, the prototype of a small-format 35mm camera. Leica A.

The first mm Leitz projector for slides or film appears. Leica IIIf. It was discontinued in ; 9, units were produced. Only about 1, MOTs were manufactured. Production discontinued in ; 31, units were produced. Manufactured until , also called Leica «compact», it had Minolta participation.

A model produced until Model manufactured until Produced until Only units were produced. Cx Series — C1. A lighter version of the R8 is produced weighing g less. This model was discontinued in A homage to the original MP this time, meaning «Mechanical Perfection». However, the situation is quickly overcome. The presentation of the Leica X1 camera series is made. A compact camera without a viewfinder plug-in for optional electronic viewfinder.