Leica BOX prototype, a Leica R6 owned by photography icon Sebastião Salgado, and outstanding lenses in the spotlight 

The auction house Leitz Photographica Auction is staging the 49th edition of its namesake event dedicated to historically significant cameras and vintage photographic equipment. Among the highlights of the auction, which will take place on 28 November at Leica World in Wetzlar, are an exceptionally rare Leica BOX camera from the 1950s, a Leica R6 owned by Magnum photographer Sebastião Salgado (1944–2025), and a re-edition of the Elcan 66 mm f/2. In addition, an exhibition celebrating 60 years of Leica Noctilux will open at Leica World during the auction weekend.

More than 400 lots will be offered at Leitz Photographica Auction 49. While Leica cameras, lenses and equipment make up the majority of the lots, numerous items from other renowned manufacturers will be offered as well. Estimates range from the three-figure to the six-figure euro range.

“We are delighted to once again present, in the 49th edition of our auction, an exciting selection of cameras and photographic equipment from the past 100 years, alongside the collectibles of tomorrow,” says Alexander Sedlak, Managing Director of Leitz Photographica Auction. “As always, we expect particularly strong interest in historically significant rarities and special editions. One such highlight is the Leica BOX camera, of which only one operational example is known to exist today.”

The Leica BOX 18x24mm prototype

The Leica BOX camera offered at auction is a prototype produced in the mid-1950s. Developed as an extremely compact 18 × 24 mm camera, it measures just 100 × 64 × 48 millimetres, making it one of the smallest Leica cameras ever built. Only two units were produced. One is on display at the Leica Museum in Wetzlar and was constructed as a non-working design study, whereas the camera offered here – bearing the serial number 000.01 – is fully operational. The Leica BOX is regarded as one of the most exceptional rarities in the Leica universe. Its estimate ranges from 400,000 to 500,000 euros.

The Summicron-M 66 f/2 with the serial number 001 

One of Leica’s most celebrated lenses has its origins in the company’s former Canadian subsidiary, Ernst Leitz Canada. Dr Walter Mandler developed the Elcan 66 mm f/2 on commission for the US Navy. According to Mandler, the Navy’s intelligence service requested a lens that “looked like any other but delivered an unparalleled level of resolution.” In the late 1960s, Ernst Leitz Canada produced merely 200 units of the Elcan 66, making it one of the rarest lenses ever made for the Leica M system.

This year saw the release of the Summicron-M 66 f/2, a re-edition of the Elcan 66, limited to 660 units. The Summicron bearing the highly collectible serial number 001 will now be offered at Leitz Photographica Auction 49. Its estimate ranges from 16,000 to 20,000 euros.

Yet another lens will take centre stage during the auction weekend. Leica began production of the Noctilux in 1966 and presented it at Photokina in Cologne, Germany, that same year. At the time, it was the fastest lens of its kind, making it possible to capture images with remarkable detail and contrast even in low ambient light.