Very sharp and colorful pictures.

Great flash.

Expensive--lists for around $300 new. Bought mine as a demo for under $200, with no problems.

It is great to be able to carry this high quality camera around in your pocket. Even closeup pictures of flowers, etc. come out suprisingly well, considering that wasn't the intended use of the camera.

Customer Service

Demo didn't come with an instruction manual. Leica sent one with no questions asked within three days.

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Have used Minolta SLR and Yashica rangefinders in the past.

Excellent overall. I took night shots with estimated exposure times only, and was pleasantly surprised at the results. The sharpness and richness of color obtained by this little guy is better than the SLR's I have used. Clean and elegant design. A fast lens and superb flash.

Does not shut itself off completely. The electronics do go into a sleep mode to conserve battery power, but the lens remains open and exposed.

Excellent all purpose camera. The flash is surprisingly powerful. If you can live with the limited zoom capability, which I can, this is the only point and shoot camera you will need.

Customer Service

Excellent. I needed a replacement manual and it was there the next day.

Similar Products Used:

Olympus Stylus LT Zoom, Epic, other point and shoot cameras from Pentax, Minolta etc. Also low-end SLR's from Can

flexible
optical quality

can't find any

This camera offers top-class SLR quality in a small, handy but sturdy body.

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olymous miu

great lens,(superb colour and contrast) good metering, splash proof, powerful flash (for a P&S)available in black

wish it was 28mm on short end, limited shutter speed, a little thick around the middle

For the price, can't complain. The vario-elmar is a gem and the camera has exceeded my expectations for day to day shooting. The only reason I use the TVS is because of the 28mm. Other wise would recommend z2x without reservations

Customer Service

Probably good, not tried yet

Similar Products Used:

Contax TVS

Lightweight, compact size, lense quality.

Plastic body, be careful. Fork over the extra $30-$40 for the very nice leather case.

For the price; $270 at CWO this camera is an unbeatable value for travelers that want quality photos without lugging around the extra weight of a top rated 35mm SLR. Plus its a Leica!

Customer Service

Haven't had to use cs.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax IQzoom 115, Rollei 35

Size, great Vario-Elmar lens, ease in using.

None

A joy to use anywhere, anytime--indoors or outdoors. I LOVE the quality of prints I get from negative film exposed with this camera. Greatly SHARP lens, wonderful color interpretations, delightfully pocketable, adorably LEICA!

Similar Products Used:

Mini Zoom (its predeccesor)

Fantastic lens, very good metering, excellent flash that works really well in all circumstances, quiet, very good viewfinder, great mini tripod so light and small that you can carry around in your pocket.

None. Could be smaller. Max. speed only 1/350 sec.

The best value/quality PS camera in the world.

Similar Products Used:

Canon mini, several Olympus and Pentax.

Small, lightweight and very easy to use. Photo quality is excellent. A number of my friends have also used it and the results have still been great.

Sometimes it appears that the flash exposure appears a bit light resulting in rather thin negatives.

Very hard to find any real negatives. It is a great camera to travel with you at all times for the oppurtunities that arise when you do not have the bulky SLR in tow. Always seems best to use 200 asa+ films due to small lens.

Customer Service

Not required

Similar Products Used:

Nothing simular but use Minolita 7Xi SLR

* Excellent sharp and high contrast lens. Rivals my Olympus OM (Zuiko) lenses in optical quality.
* Fast-operating zoom.
* Handy size and weight.
* Reasonable control offered through different modes.
* Battery lasts a reasonable time.
* Bright viewfinder.
* Seems well built.

* Lens subject to excessive flare if there is a bright light in the frame or with strongly backlit subjects..
* No manual override other than +2ev mode.
* Clumsy method of stepping through the different modes using a button.
* Noticeable focusing delay when taking a shot - definitely NOT the camera for action shots.
* Lens is relatively small aperture because of the zoom feature. Would rather have a faster fixed lens.
* Easy to get your fingers in the way of the photocell or auto-focus sensor.
* Flash very limited range and, as another reviewer mentioned, fall-off at the corners at 35mm zoom setting.

Overall, a good P&S but with limitations - don't expect too much versatility. Having said that, the lens is a cracker!

Customer Service

Not used but I've seen bad reviews on the Internet, e.g. at www.photo.net, suggesting that Leica is less than enthusiastic about customer service for its P&S range.

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* Olympus XA, which I found too small for comfort.
* Minolta P&S, which had a truly vile lens.

Excellent glass for a point & shoot. Easy to use. Sharp photos with very good contrast throughout the zoom range. The depth of field surprised me. The camera is lightweight. Also, the manufacturer rebate makes it a good buy.

The plastic camera body feels "cheap." Not quite pocket size.

This is an excellent point & shoot camera primarily because of the glass. If you are looking for a non-serious camera that takes sharp photos, look no further. I ranked the value category 5 stars because of the manufacturer rebate.

Customer Service

The instruction manual was missing and I'm still waiting for it.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta and Pentax.