Nicca III-L

## Nicca III-L

The **Nicca III-L** is a 35mm Leica screw-mount rangefinder camera introduced by **Nicca Camera Company** in 1958. It was one of the final Nicca-branded cameras and represents the company’s most modern Leica Thread Mount rangefinder design before the Yashica transition.

The camera uses the **Leica Thread Mount**, also known as **LTM**, **M39** or Leica screw mount. It accepts Nicca screw-mount lenses, Nikkor LTM lenses, Canon LTM lenses, Leica screw-mount lenses and other compatible 39mm rangefinder lenses.

The Nicca III-L is a major departure from the earlier Barnack-style Nicca bodies. It keeps the Leica screw mount but introduces a flatter, taller top plate, a combined viewfinder and rangefinder, projected bright-line framing and a distinctive film advance lever positioned on the rear of the camera.

The viewfinder is one of the main reasons the III-L deserves its own entry. Earlier Nicca models usually followed the Leica III-style separate viewfinder and rangefinder layout. The III-L uses a combined 1x finder/rangefinder with a projected, parallax-corrected frameline for 50mm lenses.

The shutter is a cloth focal-plane shutter with speeds up to **1/1000 second**, plus Bulb. It has no built-in exposure meter and no battery-dependent functions. The camera includes flash synchronization, although the exact X-sync speed should be checked from the body or manual because public sources do not provide a single universally confirmed value.

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## History

**Development and Launch**

The Nicca III-L was released in **June 1958**. It appeared at a transitional moment for Nicca, because Yashima, soon renamed Yashica, acquired Nicca in the same period. Despite that ownership change, surviving III-L bodies continued to carry **Nicca Camera Co., Ltd.** engraving.

Mike Eckman describes the III-L as the last Nicca-branded camera released by the company. Japanese Leica Copies also notes that III-L sales continued into 1959, beyond the Yashica YE release and possibly until the Yashica YF appeared later that year.

**Design Evolution**

The III-L was based on the late Nicca 5-L concept, but it changed the camera’s shape and viewing system significantly. Japanese Leica Copies describes the body as based on the previous high-spec 5-L, but with a flatter, taller top plate to accommodate the larger combined viewfinder/rangefinder system.

The III-L therefore stands apart from earlier Nicca Barnack-style cameras. It still loads film through the bottom, but it also has a rear film advance lever, automatic resetting exposure counter and a more modern finder arrangement.

**Viewfinder and Frameline System**

The III-L has a combined rangefinder and viewfinder with a projected frameline for **50mm** lenses. This makes it more advanced than the ordinary Nicca 3-F and many earlier Japanese Leica copies.

The later Yashica YF expanded this concept with additional projected frameline support for longer lenses, usually described as 100mm or 105mm depending on the source. The III-L should therefore be kept separate from the Yashica YF even though the two cameras are closely related.

**Relationship to Nicca 5-L**

The Nicca III-L should be kept separate from the Nicca 5-L. The 5-L is an extremely rare late Nicca body with lever wind, hinged back and 1/1000s shutter. The III-L takes the late Nicca concept in a different direction, with a combined finder/rangefinder, projected 50mm frameline and rear advance lever.

A simple matching rule is: **Nicca 5-L equals rare late 5-L-feature body with hinged back and classic separate finder layout. Nicca III-L equals later combined-finder LTM body with projected 50mm frameline.**

**Relationship to Yashica YF**

The Nicca III-L should also be kept separate from the Yashica YF. The Yashica YF was introduced after Yashica’s acquisition of Nicca and continued the same general design direction. However, the YF carries Yashica branding and has its own body and finder identity.

Japanese Leica Copies specifically notes that Yashica appeared to draw a line between Nicca-branded models and its own Yashica interpretation. That makes **Nicca III-L** and **Yashica YF** separate database entries rather than one shared model.

**Relationship to Tower Versions**

Some Nicca-related cameras were sold under Sears **Tower** branding. The III-L may be encountered in Tower-related discussions or listings, and some sources connect late Nicca and Tower designs. Tower names should be treated carefully as aliases or related-market versions only when the physical camera supports the match.

Do not automatically merge every Tower listing into Nicca III-L without checking the body design, finder type, serial number and engraving.

**Serial Number Notes**

A complete official factory serial-number range for the Nicca III-L is not reliably published. Japanese Leica Copies documents observed examples and discusses Nicca’s date-coded serial numbering system.

For database use, the safest wording is **observed examples from approximately 1783xx to 1862xx, date-code based range, not a complete official factory range**. This makes clear that the range is based on observed bodies and collector research rather than factory-published production data.

**Identification**

The Nicca III-L is identified by its Nicca top-plate identity, LTM screw mount, tall flat top plate, combined viewfinder/rangefinder, projected 50mm frameline, rear-mounted film advance lever, automatic resetting exposure counter and shutter-speed dial reaching **1/1000 second**.

Common listing names include **Nicca III-L**, **Nicca IIIL**, **Nicca 3-L**, **Nicca III L**, **Nicca III-L LTM**, **Nicca III-L rangefinder** and **Nicca 3L**. These should point to the same base model.

**Collector Notes**

The Nicca III-L is a significant collector camera because it was the final Nicca-branded rangefinder and one of the most advanced Japanese Leica screw-mount cameras. It is closely tied to the transition from Nicca to Yashica and to the later Yashica YF.

Collectors should check rangefinder alignment, projected frameline visibility, shutter curtains, slow speeds, rear advance lever, exposure counter, lens mount condition, viewfinder clarity, serial number format and whether the camera is actually Nicca-branded rather than Yashica-branded.

The **Nicca III-L** should be treated as a separate **LTM film camera** because its 1958 release, combined finder, projected 50mm frameline, rear advance lever and late Nicca identity distinguish it from the Nicca 5-L, ordinary Nicca 3-F and Yashica YF.

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## Sources

* Mike Eckman. *Nicca III-L (1958)*. https://mikeeckman.com/2022/06/nicca-iii-l-1958/
* Japanese Leica Copies. *Nicca Rangefinder Cameras*. https://leica-copies-japan.com/Nicca.html
* Japanese Leica Copies. *Yashica YE & YF Rangefinder Cameras*. https://leica-copies-japan.com/YE%26YF.html
* Camera-wiki. *Nicca III-L*. https://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Nicca_III-L
* Mike Eckman. *Tower 45 (1957)*. https://mikeeckman.com/2020/08/tower-45-1957/