1 comments about Leica M7 Rangefinder 35mm Camera w/ .72x Viewfinder, Silver (Model 10504).

1. The Leica M7 is truly one camera that is long overdue. Without a doubt, it is the finest - and most expensive - rangefinder camera currently in production. Much of what the Leica M7 offers is not revolutionary, but rather, a natural, evolutionary progression spanning nearly five decades since the introduction of the M3, Leica's first bayonet-mounted rangefinder camera. The shutter remains essentially the same as the one found on the M6, but it is far more accurate than its immediate predecessor; it is still a silk curtain shutter, but one that is now electronically controlled, guaranteeing accurate exposures every time. Surprisingly, it is now also quieter than the shutter for the Leica M6. Those familiar with Leicas, especially the M4 and M6, will find the M7 easy to use. However, you may have to carry additional batteries since this camera won't work without them, with the notable exception of two shutter speeds. Otherwise, I regret that this fine camera is truly too expensive for most photographers.

1 comments about Leica C11 APS Camera, Black.

1. This is a GREAT camera!The author is a serious advanced amateur, having two Hasselblads, a 4x5 rail camera, Canon EOS 3, Leica M3, 25+ lenses, etc. Did I mention a Nikon Coolpix 800? So, where does the C11 fit in? NOTHING is as small and light. This camera is about the size of a deck or cards! The lens is great for the 4x6 prints (if I want 16x20, there are better choices). But it is great for snapshots! Why is it better than the Coolpix? Better lens resolution AND the batteries aren't always dead!
   The flash works well to about ten feet. You can just pick this up, turn it on, and take a nice photo in about three seconds. I have lots of cameras that can take good photos, but it takes half and hour to get ready.This camera is easy to hold (I really like the round bulge on the side, very gripable). All the unique APS features are present (panorama mode, date, mid-roll change, etc.).I bought this for my mother-in-law and had to get one for myself! You rarely go wrong with a Leica product; the C11 is another winner!

5 comments about Leica C11 APS Camera, Silver.

1. I bought this camera the first week it came out because I thought it looked fantastic, and, well, I really like Leica cameras. This is my first APS camera and I really like it. It takes very nice pictures, although not on the same quality level as my Leica Minilux 35mm P&S, and it is very easy to use. Best of all, the auto focus system is very fast and accurate. If you want a stylish APS camera this one is worth considering. The quality is high, the finish is outstanding, and the feel is that of a very well made device. Although it is not as small as the Elph (Canon) it is a very portable camera that is fun to shoot. Too bad APS film choices are so limited :-( If you want super-high-quality images, however, I'd recommend a 35mm camera as the small APS negative size (24mm) will never match the 35mm in quality. For standard 4X7 images though, it is nice and the APS design is sooo easy to use (and store).



2. I am not sure if it's the camera or ASP film but the pics the camera took were on par with a cheap 35mm camera. I tried ASP film from both Fuji and Kodak 100,200,400. Before this camera I had an Olympus Stylus Zoom. Now that was an excellent P&S camera. This is my first Leica, they are suppose to be good, but I don't know. The camera looks great, a little bulky but unfortunately I cannot recommend it.



3. When I saw this camera for the first time I was probably the victim of irrational thought processes, seduced by the stylish minimalism and the Leica Logo of course.

   However, after almost a year of use I have been really impressed by how easy it is to take good quality snaps. I always use good quality 400 and 800 film to avoid the use of flash and regularly load up with Kodak B&W 400 Advantix for excellent Black and white shots.

   I have taken school sports day photos, holiday snaps, B&W panoramic landscapes on misty mornings in Cornwall and party snaps / candids and all types of photos between. The Leica performs without fuss, is easy to use, has incredible battery life and looks stunning. The case is virtually waterproof (heavy shower resistant anyway) and tough. The Fuji mechanism and lens is smooth and has never failed. Superb.

   (I also use Minolta SLRs , Ricoh GR1s and Yashica T5 compacts and the Leica C11 stands up well in this company.)




4. When I saw this camera for the first time I was probably the victim of irrational thought processes, seduced by the stylish minimalism and the Leica Logo of course.

   However, after almost a year of use I have been really impressed by how easy it is to take good quality snaps. I always use good quality 400 and 800 film to avoid the use of flash and regularly load up with Kodak B&W 400 Advantix for excellent Black and white shots.

   I have taken school sports day photos, holiday snaps, B&W panoramic landscapes on misty mornings in Cornwall and party snaps / candids and all types of photos between. The Leica performs without fuss, is easy to use, has incredible battery life and looks stunning. The case is virtually waterproof (heavy shower resistant anyway) and tough. The Fuji mechanism and lens is smooth and has never failed. Superb.

   (I also use Minolta SLRs , Ricoh GR1s and Yashica T5 compacts and the Leica C11 stands up well in this company.)




5. I try to stay away from APS in general. It was a gift from me for my mom since she wanted small easy camera with an average zoom. It's a simple design with suprisingly good picture quality. Automatic flash does the great job in mixed lighting environment. Pictures are sharp and crisp. Color saturation is outstanding. Even if APS film is limited and negative size is smaller than regular 35mm film I was really amazed by the quality. My mom who is not the most technical person had no problems operating the controls or loading the camera. It was a piece of cake for her in no time. Also very nice weatherproof box that came with the camera protected the piece in the rain. Leica did a really nice job and even if the camera is little bigger than elphs and nikon nuvis it is worth every penny.

   I very rearly shoot with point and shoots I prefer medium format cameras as well as 35mm SLRs but about now Im thinking about getting one of those Leicas as my pocket snap shot/ location scout piece.

5 comments about Leica C-1 35mm Camera (Silver).

1. Working in the photo industry both as a vivid photographer and a salesperson I've use Leica equipment many times. The sturdiness, quality and reliability were always a reason for me to purchase Leica product. Not this time. Slamming you brand name on the average camera to drive the price up is not a right thing to do... It's cheaply made and takes average quality pictures... From the outside it look and feels great but inside you can see right away that Leica engineers were trying to save on finishing costs. Lens is not what you expect and my old Ricoh takes better images... If you are planning to purchase this item do you self a favor and buy their Minilux Zoom model or if price is a factor buy Olympus LTZoom 105. In my opinion Leica just tries to fill the market with their name not with the quality products... It's a nice looking camera not worth your buck.



2. The Leica C1 is a good looking camera that fits well in the hand. But when compared to other, less expensive point and shoot cameras, there is really nothing to justify the extra cost.

   The automatic exposure works well with print film but is not accurate enough to handle slides. The lens is sharp, but certainly not better than other mid-range P&S cameras.

   There is no diopter adjustment, no manual overrides other than flash and a fixed +2EV setting. The "step" zoom takes some getting used to but turns out to be faster to use than a standard zoom. The camera is not weather resistent, the manual makes it clear that this is strictly a "dry always" camera.

   In summary, the C1 looks nice, works well, but offers nothing new or improved over other, cheaper, point-and-shoot models.




3. As someone who's always wanted to own a Leica camera, buying a C1 proved to be a bitter disappointment. That first moment of running the lens in and out and hearing what sounded like gravel in the lens barrel wasn't a good start. I immediately sent the camera back and got another one, same thing. A further disappointment was actually using the camera. With a lens speed about as fast as a glacier,(f10.5 @105mm), using the camera in the middle of the day, albeit overcast, with 100 ISO film trying to take a landscape, the camera was screaming for the flash. I sent the camera back and bought a Canon Z135, great camera, half the price and twice the features, (with a much faster lens). Buy anything, but this over rated "Leica wanta be"



4. From it aluminum body to it vario-elmar lense. I've taken several pictures and they all came out absolutely incredible, the details and contrast are picture perfect. The camera is a little big to fit in a pocket, but it is very solid feeling, and user friendly, zoom works flawlessly.



5. Lets face it this is a P&S camera. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles but whatever it does, it does best. I have taken some excellent pictures with this camera. I have 2 SLR cameras and 6 lens. This camera does have some shortcomings but I like the quality.

   Here are some shortcomings
   When you zoom in it requires flash
   Its slippery cuz it has a very smooth surface. I highly recommend the case if you are buying this camera
   It does not store the settings. So everytime I disable the flash for the next pic I got to do it again

   advantages
   Takes SLR quality picture
   Compact
   Different from other camera

   I bought this at an online auction which had 3 month warranty. There was some noise and I send the camera back and got a new one in a week. The customer service was excellent. This is almost a year back. I clicked anywhere from 20 to 30 roll of film on this camera. Its worth the money.

4 comments about Leica Minilux Zoom 35mm Camera.

1. The only realistic competition for the Leica Minilux zoom is the Contax. For a bit more money, that has an equal or better lens and is smaller. But, it also fits hands and fingers less well and has somewhat more complex mechanics (since Contax decided to add an automatic lens cover--convenient, but a likely maintenance problem). The Leica Minilux gives one the confidence of quality construction and an attractive, slightly retro, design.



2. Yes, it is an excellemt one . buT gotta learn and experiience how to use it for better result eg. yr hand must be quite steady when shoot. But the result is more than I can say! If money is no object , should get one.



3. I have owned both the Minilux and the Minilux Zoom ; I have since resold the Minilux Zoom. The lens is simply too slow compared with the less expensive Minilux which uses a fast (bright) 40mm lens which is much closer to what the eye sees (50mm).I worked for the National Film Board of Canada,I have used many cameras but when I travel I bring only the Minilux because it takes incredible pictures even in the worst low light conditions and even without the flash; I use inside churches and museums with the flash turned off. A zoom this size is simply too slow to be useful, 3 steps forward or three steps back will produce the same result with the Minilux and you will be able to take incredible pictures in those low light conditions. Save your money, buy the Minilux. It's the lens that counts.



4. I'm going to make it very simple. Leica when it comes to cameras is like a Land Rover when it comes to jeeps. Of course you can buy a Cherokee or a Chevy Blazer but if you want reliability, quality and durability you would go for Land Rover. Same goes for Leica... If you are looking for strong, sharp, durable piece of equipment that will not fail you and has possibilities of being expanded, Minilux Zoom is the way to go. You have to realize before purchase that this camera has a relatively short zoom by industry standard (only 2x). Lens is not as fast aperture wise as original Minilux. But the quality of optics and output is superior to many cameras and comparable only to Contax T series. This camera is not for everyone due to the price and some features that are fairly limited for regular/average user. On the other hand for a pro, serious amateur or journalist Minilux Zoom offers features (manual focusing, exposure compensation and full flash control) that they would truly appreciate. Having control over their exposure in such a small package without compromising the image quality is quite rare to get. Anyone who had to drag/carry his/her SLR (single lens reflex) cameras will understand and cherish the value of this piece. Also in order to fully benefit from this camera a basic knowledge and understanding of photography principles is very helpful. Also additional possibilities such as mounting extra flash, bulb mode and cable release makes it an all around camera as well.

5 comments about Leica Z2X 35mm Camera.

1. If you've always wanted to own a Leica but didn't want to spent thousands of dollars to do it, this camera is your chance. It's actually made in Singapore instead of Germany, if I remember right, but what the hell, you still get the Leica name and logo on your camera.

   The camera is a little bulky compared to most of the other offerings out there, but it's okay. It has most of the features of a typical point and shoot, but the main thing here is the sharpness of the lens. The short zoom lens is very sharp and takes excellent photos.

   Since we're on the subject of point and shoot cameras I wanted to make a little plug here for a great little APS point and shoot camera that isn't carried... This is the little Fuji Tiara APS. It's super tiny (the dimensions are less than a credit card) and although it is a fixed-focal length lens, it's very sharp. It's also wide-angle as the focal length of the lens would be equivalent to 29.2 degrees in 35mm format.

   I've been using mine for over a year and have been very happy with it. I've had several of the photos I took with it blown up to 8 x 12 and hung on my office wall, and I've gotten lots of compliments on how sharp the photos are, especially given the smaller size of the APS negative.

   There are two Tiara models, one in titanium for about...and the other with a plastic body for about... I have the plastic one and it easily fits in your shirt pocket. At 4.6 ounces you hardly know it is there. The camera got a great review in Popular Photography magazine a year ago from the reviewer. Can't recall the guy's name, but he's a famous camera expert and writer/reviewer and he basically loved it and he's not easily impressed usually.

   One of the other nice features is that the Tiara supports mid-roll film change, which not all APS cameras offer. With this you remove the APS cassette, put in another one with a higher or lower ASA rating, for example, and when you're through, you put in the original roll of film and it spools back to where it left off originally.

   This is another great little camera in case you don't want to spend the money for the Leica.




2. I own a Leica R7 SLR, but at times am reluctant to take it abroad because it would very expensive to replace if it were stolen. I bought this Leica P&S so that I could carry it in my jacket pocket or on my belt when travelling and get adequate results. It has been a good choice. It is far superior to most point and shoot compacts in that the lens is sharper. It is not an SLR however and enlargements or slides clearly show some limitations. But for most general applications, it is a fine camera.



3. I love this camera. The lens is top notch ! Crisp and clear pictures are almost garenteed with this camera.

   I carry mine in my pcoketbook for all those times I used to wish I had a cmera with me.




4. Bought this camera in April 1999 having read several good reviews. Have to say I'm disappointed; the lens is undoubtedly sharp (though on normal size prints, the advantage is negligible) but the exposure/focus/flash system rarely gets it right. Exterior daylight shots, about one in four is OK. Inside or night, far less. Have tried different ISO rolls, different processors, variations on the manual settings as well as leaving it on fully auto, but no improvement. What is annoying is comparing with the shots taken under same conditions by friends with P+S Pentax etc. (Olympus seems expecially good). They paid half the price and get twice the result! Will not be buying another Leica compact again - have the impression I paid for the name and possibly the lens, but lost out on the rest.



5. I have owned slr cameras from the big three camera makers, so I was able to do shot-for-shot comparisons. I can tell you that the sum photographic quality produced by the Leica Z2-X camera is incredibly high. It's a lot better than 90% of the major camera manufacturer's lenses. I bought the Leica Z2-X solely for those spur-of-the-moment outdoor trips that might need a quick snapshot here and there, so this is the perfect backpacking and fishing camera. It's light and compact; the handling is pretty much like a standard point-and-shoot camera. The autoexposure and autofocusing is nearly flawless. For sample photos, go to flickr dot com.