i'm seriously thinking about getting a minilux... any experiances would be helpful..good or bad!

how good is it as a pure point and shoot in 'difficult' lighting conditions. when using flash and transparency film...is it consistent?

thanks!

-- Stewart Weir (weirs99@aol.com), April 04, 2002

Answers

I have been using a minilux zoom for the past 18 months and have found it to be very handy in situations where a full size camera is impractical or uncomfortable to carry i.e. skiing, climbing as well as at parties for the quick grab shot. The flash function, both full and fill, as well as EV comp work in tandem and independently very well. However the glass is what makes this camera special Erwin’s Review of Minilux It is however a battery hog. No doubt it is expensive for what it is but it returns impressive (to me) results. BTW it is so intuitive both my 8 & 10 year old girls use it with ease.

-- Brooks (Bvonarx@home.com), April 04, 2002.

I have the minilux (not the zoom). The lens is comparable to many of the older lenses in the Leica line. The lens (40mm) is terrific. The camera's metering and the abiity to use the camera in an aperture priority mode is very helpful.

-- Dennis Goldstein (dennis.goldstein@gsa.gov), April 04, 2002.

Photo.net review of Contax T3

I don't agree with all the points mentioned in the above article, but it's a good starting point. Many people consider the Contax T3 a worthy competitor to the Minilux. I for one have owned both and prefer the T3 for its light weight, customizable features, and quiet operation. It's also a truly pocketable camera, unlike the Minilux.

-- JM Woo (wooismyid@deletethis.yahoo.com), April 04, 2002.

i am going to chime in and recommend the GR1 from Ricoh... if you like wide angles this is certainly the P&S to get, it is MUCH smaller then the Minilux. If you just want a "cheaper" backup camera then the Konica Hexar AF is probably the way to go - but it is about the size of a leica M.

-- Matthew Geddert (geddert@yahoo.com), April 04, 2002.

I use for grab shots a Ricoh GR1.It is a lot smaller than the Minilux.The quality of the 28mm lenses is excellent.The lense is also avialable for a M (that tells a story).It has a snap mode,it will literally fit into your shirt pocket,the flash has always been consistant for me.It is a metal bodied camera,and tough.(i have dropped at least 3 times,still working).I am sure the Minilux is equally as good...but it is a lot bigger.To my mind you might as well carry a M.For grab shots size is important,28mm works better.Just offering a alternative to consider.Sure the Leica will be very good as well from reports i have read.Just the size i would find a bother.

-- Allen Herbert (allen1@btinternet.com), April 04, 2002.

The Minilux is very good, but I think if I were going for a camera in this class today I'd buy the Contax T3 instead. I think it has a better lens and it's smaller, more handy. The Ricoh GR1 that someone else suggested is very nice, but I didn't like a 28mm lens as my only choice; prefer the 35-40mm of the T3 and Minilux.

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), April 04, 2002.

Stewart,

Frank Riper took the words out of my mouth..."But I'll tell you something funny. The Contax (he means TVS-III) may be the best all- around P&S, but it's the Leica Minilux [not, as you might expect, the Minilux Zoom) that is going to wind up in my camera bag."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- srv/photo/galleries/essays/001208.htm

Here's the debut article on Minilux for your amusement.

http://photolosopher.tripod.com/mini_debut/just.htm

There are many cons you need to consider:

Small viewfinder, no filter thread, can not rememebr setting once off, the cable connecting lens and body seems to have higher probability to break after hard use (My two Minilux are free from this problem, however), Battery hog since it move the lens to prefocus.

Others may disagree, but Contax T feels like an SLR and tries to do everything but Minilux is just like a M, it can't and won't do a lot of things. Size is not a problem for me.

I don't own a Contax so take it with grains of salt. You need to decide for yourself. Good luck.

Chi

-- Chi (chihuang@yahoo.com), April 04, 2002.

Chi, that was written before the Contax T3 shipped.

Godfrey

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), April 04, 2002.

I bought a Minilux (non zoom) 2 years ago, my first Leica, and it opened my eyes to what a really great lens could do. I had used cheap Pentax SLRs up to that point, and I can't complain about the Pentax lenses, they're fine, but I can't stress it enough, the Minilux lens is just wonderful. Even 4 x 6 photo lab shots are special. I've had very good luck with slide film. Exposure is usually just right, although you have to use common sense about where you focus for best exposure, or use the compensation override when needed. The ability to prefocus and recompose is a nice feature in a point and shoot.

Cons include the top shutter speed of 1/400 (if you've got fast film loaded, you're stuck with 1/400 @ f16 on a sunny day), and that the flash setting reverts to auto after shut off, although for a point and shoot, it is amazing how often it will not resort to flash in marginal light - it must be looking for something slower than f2.4 @ 1/60 before flash is engaged (I've seen cheap point and shoots auto flash in full daylight pretty often). Also, there's no lens hood - I usually don't encounter much flare, but a strong side light can do it. There have been reported breakdowns as well. I haven't had a problem, but I'm sort of glad I purchased an extended warranty, just in case I do get that failure message. Also, a case is extra. And, for a P&S, it's a little heavy, like a small brick, so if I was buying now, I would consider the Contax T3. But I don't see how the T3 lens could be any better.

-- Bill Macintire (wlmacintire@msn.com), April 04, 2002.

I like the Minilux more than the Contax T3 to be honest. It feels like a point and shoot M with its heavier weight. It's not pocketable but the weight stabilizes the exceptional lens.

The Contax T3 makes for a better spy camera however.

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), April 04, 2002.

I have the Minilux for several months and have shot several rolls with it. I would say that as a pure point and shoot Minilux definitely produces high quality pictures. Before I got it I have used SLRs for 4-5 years. I was surprised that the pictures the Minilux produced are pretty much as good as my SLR pictures, in both sharpness and colors. In difficult lighting conditions, Minilux can use flash but it would defeat natural lights. I am pleased that it also allows no-flash and a slower shutter speed. And it Does tell me what my shutter speed is, so i can decide if i need to set the camera down or use a tripod. It Can be consistent because you can manually set flash to be permanently on or off. You can also manually set aperture and focus. I would say that this camera can be consistent as long as the shooting environment is consistent. I don't think transparency or film make a difference. I don't know if i am supposed to post other websites here but i found this site to be quite helpful. it provides many reviews. www.photographyreview.com

-- Emily Wang (emilywang@email.com), April 05, 2002.

Minilux, auto-exposure, flash off

I've found the exposure system of the Minilux to perform quite well under difficult lighting situations. Speed of operation is also excellent; fast focus and virtually no shutter lag when focus is locked. In those respects, performance feels identical to the Hexar- AF.
That the shutter speed only goes to 1/400 (and 1/250 for the Hexar) has never troubled me. Full sun just means you'll have to use slower film.

-- Peter van de Haar (vdhaar@prl.philips.nl), April 05, 2002.

Hmm, seem to have made a typo in the file name ... I'll try again.

Minilux, auto-exposure, flash off

I've found the exposure system of the Minilux to perform quite well under difficult lighting situations. Speed of operation is also excellent; fast focus and virtually no shutter lag when focus is locked. In those respects, performance feels identical to the Hexar- AF.
That the shutter speed only goes to 1/400 (and 1/250 for the Hexar) has never troubled me. Full sun just means you'll have to use slower film.

-- Peter van de Haar (vdhaar@prl.philips.nl), April 05, 2002.

Stewart - a word of warning I'm afraid. On the plus side, my Minilux produced good results and it undoubtedly has a first-class lens. Pictures can be enlarged with fine detail rendition. It also aperture priority and exposure over-ride. However...on the downside, it is not the most ergonomic camera and has a small viewfinder. But the biggest negative: my camera developed the EO2 fault, which would necessitate a new shutter costing about $150. Not worth it. This apparently is not uncommon. (Search the LUG archives under EO2 error). As a point and shoot I would recommend a much simpler camera like the Leica mini 3 or Yashica T5 - if it breaks or you lose it, you have not spent a fortune - but as far as both longevity and results goes, nothing beats the Leica M. I don't think P/S cameras are really made to last. This conclusion is based on experience. Good luck!

-- David Killick (dalex@inet.net.nz), April 05, 2002.

thanks to everyone for your thoughts... im still not sure. one of the reasons im thinking about the minilux is because i have the 28 and 50 m lenses and the minilux 40mm fits perfectly in the middle! the small viewfinder also is irritating. i have a sneaky feeling that the minilux is due for a revamp within the next year. my fav all time p&s was the t2... why contax couldnt just modernise that and maybe do a f2.4 lense is beyond me.

-- Stewart Weir (weirs99@aol.com), April 05, 2002.

I second everything Dave Killick said above: Superb lens of a PS, average ergonomics. It also developed the failure mentioned by Dave.

-- Xavier C. (xcolmant@powerir.com), April 05, 2002.

Amazing coincidence: my Minilux showed the EO2 error code last night right after I had submitted my earlier message! After some fiddling it is working again, but I expect it's going back for warranty repairs on the extended warranty. Even off warranty, I would think a $150-200 repair would be worthwhile. You couldn't get anything comparable new for that.

-- Bill Macintire (wlmacintire@msn.com), April 05, 2002.

Dear Stewart,

It is in my opinion a personal choice. What do you intend to do withe the camera. I found the Contax unreliable. It has been returned to the manufacture twice and on one occassion went back to Japan. My black Minilux has replaced an M camera for artless photography. I would suggest a lenshood. I made one with the assistance of Solms and can provide you with the specs. if you require them. The optics compare with M & R and I would not be without the big brothers.

Find a good retailer who will let you borrow a camera for the weekend.

Best of luck.

Justin Scott

-- Justin Scott (jcdscott@bigpond.net.au), April 07, 2002.

Stewart, You may wish to think of buying a Rollei 35. I just bought a Rollei 35S with Sonnar40 f2.8 lens in addition to my T3, Ricoh GR1V, Nikon 35Ti. The Rollei is a gem. All manual, you have to guess the focus, set the shutter speed and the apperture, but it make you think before you shoot and eventually you will get improved.

-- tom tong (tom.tong@ckh.com.hk), April 17, 2002.

I just returned my Contax T3 (Black).

The pictures are sharp! The many features are great. This is a good looking camera.

Why return?

The camera is too small, and the lens at 35mm is too small...for me.

I missed many picture opportunities because I had to fiddle with the buttons.

I needed simple. I think the minilux with all it's faults might be the better bet.

Or better yet, a Rollie AFM 35 (Fuji Klasse in Japan) is on top of my list concerning simplicity.

The Contax T3 is wonderful, don't get me wrong. When I was shooting with the T3 I was always conscious about the fragile titanium body. Let's face it, it scratches easily and dents just as fast. Just like steel.

Don't think I'm telling the truth...Look at Ebay once in a while and you will see cosmetic damaged Titanium cameras now and then.

Now the Minilux is also of the same metal, but I don't feel like I have to baby it now that you can get one for about $599 and under.

Rollie AFM as of this writing is also running at $599.

Take care everyone!

Greg

-- Greg Mendez (greg799@pacbell.net), May 23, 2002.

I guess I just don't get it. These kinds of cameras (Minilux, Ricoh GR-1, Contax T3, Rollei 35, Hexar AF etc. etc.) make sense if you regularly use gig banana cameras like the Nikon F5. But a Leica M is such a small quiet camera that you could carry it around for situations in which a P & S would be used. This is especially true of the M7 but also with non-AE M Leicas. The M Leica is a great party or after dinner speaker camera. I just don't see the need for a P & S, Leica or otherwise.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), May 24, 2002.