Re: Compact 35s (was Re: OLYMPUS MJU II)

[Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@bayarea.net>]

><< I would really choose again for the Nikon 35 Ti, or for the Leica Minilux 
> (which did not exist in 1994). The results are comparable to the quality 
> one is expecting from top of range lenses for SLR's or Leica M. 
> Personally, but this is a matter of taste, I do not like the Contax or 
> Minolta brands.
>  >>

>Have you seen any test results comparing the Nikon 35Ti and the Leica
>Minilux?  I thought there was one on the WWW somewhere, but I do not know
>where it is.  Can anyone help?

I owned a Nikon 35Ti for about two and a half years. I found it to be a 
good camera but ultimately rather frustrating to use ... the control 
ergonomics are just crummy and it's harder to use the manual overrides 
than it ought to be. And that's why you're paying such a premium price 
for this type of camera. I'd picked it over the Contax T2, which was a 
mistake I realized later. When I tested all three together, I liked both 
the Leica Minilux and Contax T2 more for some things but picked the Nikon 
for a couple of features which I ultimately found to be too difficult to 
use very effectively. Point of fact is that my Leica Minizoom returns a 
better picture, more consistently, than the 35Ti did.

I sold the Nikon as part trade on a Rollei 35 Classic Platinum, which I 
like a lot more. I'm just a manual camera kind of person. The Sonnar 
40/2.8 lens is absolutely superb. The price is also pretty terrifying.

But I wanted another high-end automatic compact. When I revisited the 
available cameras, I picked the Contax TVS. It's only real fault for me 
is that the Vario-Sonnar 28-56mm f/3.5-6.5 lens is fairly slow (I tend to 
use it at f/8-11 most of the time; it vignettes a bit at the short focal 
lengths when wide open). The features are very complete, the images are 
very crisp and saturated, and the control ergonomics work well for me. 

If I were concerned about available light needs, I'd go with a fixed 
focal length model like the Contax T2 (35mm Sonnar f/2.8) or if I wanted 
the wider angle settings more, the Ricoh GR-1 (28mm f/2.8). 

The Olympus MJU II is likely an excellent camera as well, in a less 
expensive category, but I haven't seen its results to compare with others 
of similar price. It lacks the adjustability of the higher end cameras. 
But if it's as good or even near as good as the Leica Minizoom, it should 
be a great picture taker.

Godfrey