Polarizing Leitz microscopes were introduced in 1885. Leitz was a wellspring of innovation and started producing microscopes with hollow frames, built-in illumination sources to replace reflector mirrors, and pioneered phase contrast, dark field imaging, and camera mounts and cameras specifically for photomicrography.
By the end of the first decade of the 20 th century, Leitz had expanded its product line to include film projectors for the nascent movie industry and binoculars. In the first 20 years the company produced 15,000 microscopes.
Ernst Leitz was hired as an engineer 1865 and was running the company by 1869 when he reorganized it as the Optical Institute of Ernst Leitz.
