Leica, the brand that pioneered 35mm cameras, originated from the Optics Institute, which was founded in Wetzlar, Germany, by Carl Kellner to improve upon microscope technology. Mechanic and instrument maker Ernst Leitz I took over the company in 1869 and renamed it after himself. Leitz optical engineer and mechanic Oskar Barnack was also an amateur photographer around the turn of the century. Because he had asthma, Barnack found the...Continue Reading