Company founded in 1869 by Ernst Leitz in Wetzlar as factory of precision optical products. In 1887 the company produced its 10.000th microscope. In 1925 it launched the Leica. In 1937 made the first standard 8 movie camera. In 1960 marketed the Leicina 8S. In 1975 the production of small format movie cameras stoped when the swiss Wild Heerbrugg AG took over the company. In 1986 the camera making activities of the Leitz company were bundled in the Leica GmbH.