Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/06/19
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>The info about the new MINILUX ZOOM are now
>on the Leica Camera web site:
>
><http://www.leica-camera.com/compact/cmlxzoom_e.htm>
>
>Lucien
It looks like Leica have fallen quite short of the competition here. The
Contax Tvs (which takes beautiful photos) costs the same (or less) and is a
better camera.
A quick comparison:
Contax: Leica:
1/700 1/250
top shutter speed
16 1
bottom shutter speed
+/- 5 EV (1/3 step) +/- 2 EV (1/2 step)
exposure comp.
- -0.4 EV 2.5 EV
meter sensitivity
Aperture priority No aperture priority
0.5 cm close focus 0.7 cm close focus
28mm 35mm
widest angle
Simple mechanical Motor driven (battery draining)
lens zoom
5 No filter threads
available filters
0.38-0.68x 0.33-0.57
viewfinder mag.
In every instance the Minilux Zoom loses out. Unless someone can
demonstrate that the lens is clearly superior to that on the Tvs, the MZ
has nothing to offer. I shot a roll of film with the Tvs and the lens was
excellent, so coming up with something very much better in a point and
shoot wouldn't be easy. In addition, I trust Kyocera to be a more reliable
manufacturer of electronic cameras than Leica given their track records (I
have a friend who's had to have _two_ R8s replaced for electronic problems,
and they were treated very kindly).
The only reason that I can see to buy a Minilux Zoom would be blind brand
loyalty.
- -Charlie
- --------------------------------------------
Charles E. Dunlap
Earth Sciences Department
University of California
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Tel.: (408) 459-5228 Fax.: (408) 459-3074
mailto:cdunlap@es.ucsc.edu
- --------------------------------------------