Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/10/20

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Leica Minilux
From: "Dimitrios V. Lyridis" <dimitris@central.ntua.gr>
Date: Sun, 20 Oct 1996 19:25:56 +0200

About three weeks ago I entered a photo store in Biel (Switzerland) and
intended to buy the Leica Minilux as an everyday camera. And just then I
asked the old man at the counter how he would choose between the Leica
minilux and the Contax T2. That was out of curiosity but what I heard just
made me change my mind and ended up buying nothing.
Specifically, he said that this Leica was no M6 (he told me that even most
parts of the R series are made by Minolta). The quality for one. The plastic
parts inside (he said: "no, no german puts these thins inside, the foam
around the cover used for tightness, how long do you think is going to last,
the film holder, the curtain in the back..."). Instead the Contax had I
think a ceramic back, not foam  (was it rubber) around the door, metal parts
inside. But the most important was that the viewfinder of the minilux looked
like plastic while that of the contax was saphire glass. You could most
certainly see the difference.  In the viewfinder of the contax you could
also see focus info plus other stuff. That of the Leica... Well if you put
the distance manually you don't know when its focused. That's very useful,
yeah, especially at f2.4! And then he went on about the lens differences
(leica is warmer, contax has more contrast) and finished: "this is of course
Leica (it says so) and this is contax; you make up your mind".
Of course I couldn't, because I wanted the leica but I knew that contax was
better.
My question is (since then I looked up camera catalogues) that I cannot
realize why nobody talks about the ideal for me point and shoot camera which
is the Contax Tvs (with a very useful zoom: 28-56, although a rather slow
lens and a good price).  If by next month that I am going back to CH Leica
don't come up with something I think this is the one I will buy. Unless of
course anybody has any suggestions...

Thanx
Dimitris