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The exceptionally hard-wearing, olive green paint has a long-standing tradition at Leica. The first Leicas
to be treated with this superior-quality enamel finish were designed for military use. It was not long
before the cameras became widely renowned as robust tools that could withstand even the most
extreme conditions.

What started in the year 1960 with the Leica M1 “Olive” for the German Armed Forces, went on to
become an enduring success story. While the Leica M3 and M4 in olive green were still manufactured
exclusively for military use, a growing demand among private customers prompted Leica to release the
first market version – the Leica R3 “Safari” – in 1977. This was followed by the M6 TTL “Safari” of 2000,
the M8.2 “Safari” of 2008, the M-P (Typ 240) “Safari” of 2015 and, most recently, the M10-P Edition
“Safari” of 2019.