I finally did it! I gave in and purchased the Leica Minilux. This wont be a review of the image quality because there have been plenty of other people that have already covered that.
This will be more of a design analysis that will focus on the ergonomics and the user experience.
I sent no less than 25 offers on eBay to multiple sellers across all parts of the globe and I finally found a Minilux that hit the sweet spot between quality and price. This process took me about 4 months before I finally stuck with one listing and watched it like a hawk. The seller was kind enough to send me 8 extra batteries two weeks after I received the camera, so that was a nice surprise.
The seller shipped the camera via next-day delivery with FedEx and I will let you know, it did NOT arrive the next business day. It arrived 3 business days later but once I took it out of its well-traveled box, and gave it a good wipe down with disinfectant wipes (cuz COVID, you never know!), I was immediately in awe.
This small, cold, titanium rectangle is such a beauty! You would expect that holding this shape would be an awkward experience but it felt really natural to me because of the location of the shutter button. I’ve read reviews that have said the shutter button is set too far towards the center of the camera, but, I disagree. The shutter button sits right under my index finger and allows me to grip the camera confidently without worrying about it slipping out of my hand. It makes all the whirs and gear noises you would expect from late 90’s tech, much of it coming from the sliding body cap and retracting lens.
The camera body has no organic shapes that your hand can mold to so I understand it may be uncomfortable to hold for a person with larger hands. I would say I have average sized hands, I wear a size 10 wedding band and it fits slightly more comfortable than my M240. There has only been one camera I’ve used that has made my fingers cramp within a few minutes of holding it, the Olympus Stylus XZ-2 . That camera had really impressive features for the time but I could not deal with it’s tiny size so I sent it back the following day.
The fonts used on the camera are easy to read, as is the top LCD panel that displays your modes, shot counter, shutter speed and aperture. The viewfinder is awful, but only if you use glasses, if you don’t, then just put the camera up to your eye, squint and take the photo! Check the picture below for a comparison between the viewfinder on the Minilux and the M240 (click the pic).
If you appreciate German design with high quality materials such as a titanium outer shell and a long-lasting vulcanite strategically placed in a high-traffic area then you will enjoy using this camera.
There’s an article that shows how to convert the beautiful lens on the Minilux into something you can use on your M thats coupled to the rangefinder! That’s where I found the awesome tear-down photos below. You can visit the site by clicking here.
I’ll be running a few rolls of film through this cool little camera and will share the pics on the next post so make sure to come back and check for that!