Leica Leicaflex SL
At the beginning of the 1960s, Leica had a lock on the rangefinder market with its Leica M3. But the winds of change were blowing and consumers were coming to favor the newer SLR cameras coming out of Japan. Leica decided to respond to this trend by launching its Leicaflex series. Initially, the Leicaflex camera couldn't compete with the likes of models from Pentax and other Japanese cameras, but Leica stuck with it. In 1968 they introduced the successor to their original Leicaflex camera with the Leicaflex SL. The biggest change for the SL was the inclusion of a TTL light meter that had been lacking in the previous model. The SL introduced a few other minor changes as well, such as a new focusing screen and the replacement of the mirror lock up lever with a depth of field preview lever instead.
The Leicaflex system makes use of what Leitz calls the "R-mount", which would be kept in use for many decades through the R-series cameras that eventually replaced the original Leicaflex cameras. While considered clunky and not as elegant as most other SLR cameras, the Leicaflex cameras still make use of Leitz lenses and some truly astounding optics can be had for these cameras. Additionally, they are some of the least expensive items with the "Leica" badge that you can buy. There are Leica M-series accessories that cost more than these whole cameras...
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