"Leica" – have you been pronouncing it wrong all these years?

Leica pronunciation
(Image credit: YouTube: Analog Insights)

It's a brand that every photographer knows: Leica, short for Leitz Camera Wetzlar. But have you been pronouncing this legendary German brand name incorrectly all these years? 

It's not just Leica, of course. Such is Germany's astonishing contribution to the photographic industry that there are countless iconic German brands that are common parts of camera lexicon. From Carl Zeiss and Voigtländer to Rollei and Agfa to Praktica and Meyer Optik Görlitz… and many people have been saying those names wrong for decades!

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James Artaius
Editor

The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon MagazineN-Photo: The Nikon MagazineDigital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.