Leica mini 3 - how does it compare?

I know lots of you use P/Ss as well as your Ms and Rs, but has anyone

used Leica mini 2s or 3s? A word in praise of the mini 3, which my

wife picked up for the princely sum of USD100. Cons: limited shutter

speed (1/250 max), auto only (+2EV override) no lenscap (but no

problem if treated carefully, less to go wrong, quieter, and makes

camera faster to use). Pros: really small goes anywhere (like skiing),

excellent 32mm f3/2 lens. More reliable than my minilux which packed

up. Simple and effective. Too simple to sell? Leica doesn't make them

anymore. Why not, I wonder? Do people prefer zooms? Any other comments

on preferred P/Ss and ow they compare?

I've owned the Mini ( not the 2 or 3) since 1988/9. It takes SHARP

pictures and the lens is fast by P/S standards. All three versions

are a steal if you can find them because they're cheap and generally

under appreciated. Ironcially, much of the functionality introduced

on the Mini's represents much the core functionality in the Minilux,

Minilux Soom, C1, etc.

I had a Leica mini but wasnt happy with it, the results were just

marginally better than the average compact. I traded it in on the

Leica Mini 2 and it was better in that it prefocused but still its

results werent what i would consider a super compact. So I then

traded it on a Yashica T5 (T4 super in the USA)and instantly found

the results i was looking for out of this type of camera. I gave

Leica its fair share but it simply couldnt match the Yashica in

focusing accuracy, exposure and lens quality. Then the Mini 3 came

out but wasnt prepared to risk it when I am very happy with the

Yashica. Very glad your happy with the Mini3, I have always been

curious what its results would be like, if you ever get some pics

scanned please email me a couple.

I have used the Mini I and II. The II is much better because of the

exposure compensation feature and (to a lesser degree) the red-eye

reduction feature. They serve as a handy (and lightweight) alternative

to having to carry a flash, are quick and easy to use, serve as a

backup camera, offer the possibility of using a different kind of film

than in your main camera, and provide an inexpensive alternative to

having to hand your M6 to a stranger to take your picture in front of

Eiffel Tower. You also can give it to a companion to use, so that you

are not the only one having all the photographiic fun. It is auto

focus, so all they have to do is point and shoot.

I have the Mini 3 now for several years. In my opinion, this might be the most beautiful little camera Leica ever released. Mechanical performance is flawless after all these years. It draws attention from cognoscenti tourist-colleagues in a sea of Nikon SLR-s.

Now as the pictures concerned, it has its own temperament; which shot will turn out breathtaking and which less than leicaesque, and why, no point to speculate about; it's part of the mystery and attraction. I dread the day when it will show the first signs of mechanical wear.

After scouring Photo.net for months I bought a Leica mini 3 in 1999. I love it- the

pictures are sharp as expected, the handling is superb, the camera is a tough little

one too. A full year ago on vacation I dropped it down a few wooden steps and it

bounced unto the sidewalk. Then I dropped it again on the tile floor while out to

dinner. I thought my heart would break. I thought it was naturally going to be

damaged. That roll had no dates on it when it came back from the photo finisher, but

guess what! All subsequent rolls have the date correctly and there was no damage to

my camera from the falls. This you could not expect from any other P&S that I ever

had. Exceptional feel and size and a Leica lense?! What else could I ask. The battery

for the date is still the same one that came in the camera in 1999. I usually just put

the mini 3 into my purse when I travel, and it fits nicely. NOTE - my husband has the

T4, and the focus takes a bit longer when you press the shutter and it makes lots

more noise than the Leica, which is practically silent in use.

Although this thread is dead, I have to check in once more. Another year has past. I have dropped the little Mini 3 a couple of times...the total is now four drops in three years. Pictures are still great, lense tight, all is well. I can't believe that because after each of the last two times I dropped it, I felt that the camera would be a goner, and my fault. It has bounced down a wooden stairway and hit a sidewalk, it has fallen directly unto a wood floor, and it has slipped out of my purse and landed on a slate floor. It landed flat on the back last time, yet no problems. And, the battery that powers the date function is still working as well - I mean really - after five years...what can I say - I carry my little Leica everywhere and I get great pictures. The only thing that has happened is a bit of distortion in the very edges of the photos (and it is a wide-angle lense anyway so this isn't all that odd), and since I am takng the routine people, pets, flora and scenery pictures, so far this isn't a problem for me. I too dread the day the camera is worn out.