Originally published at: Leica's Sofort 2 is a fancier instant hybrid camera | Boing Boing
…
2 Likes
Spendy for what it is, but an interesting gadget. That it will also print photo from your phone is a huge plus. I wonder, though, how it handles with such a highly polished surface and no discernible grip?
1 Like
Will you be able to get photos off the camera without the app? This is unclear from the minimal copy provided.
If not, it’ll just be another piece of crapware when Leica inevitably stops supporting the app. Though I guess you could still use it as a “dumb” instant camera. A $400 dumb instant camera.
(Aside, I also think it’s weird that you get to “choose” which shots to print. That makes it… not an instant camera. It makes it a camera with a photo printer attached. Something something purism, I’ll shut up now.)
5 Likes
If you are in a DIY mood…
6 Likes
“I’m entrusting you with the plans for the Death SLR.”
9 Likes
“That’s no Leica…”
6 Likes
I’ve been slowly getting up to speed with the https://zins.tax back flanged onto my Mamiya RZ67… lacking the electrical contacts to send exposure info makes for a slower overall experience, but still a fun one.
1 Like
A $200 surcharge for a Leica compared to a technological cousin is actually rather cheap - they normally charge thousands more than the Panasonic ~equivalents of their ILCs after all.
2 Likes
It has a slot for a microSD/microSDHC memory card, so I’m going with “yes”.
However, a resolution of 2560 x 1920 Pixel (4,9MP) does not send me into transports of delight.
Kinda neat all around, but at the end of the day just another overpriced toy.
1 Like
It’s an instant film camera, so image quality isn’t a priority - one might even say that a relative lack of image quality is a positive here, as a specific feel is the desired outcome, not perfect reproduction of what is in front of the lens. And while backups are nice, I sincerely doubt the average user of this will store these photos anywhere but on their fridge/wall/wherever they choose to hang them. Also, it’s not like several thousand dollar cameras aren’t also overpriced toys, so that criticism kind of falls flat. Sure, they can be professional tools, but so can this in the right application, and if by ‘toy’ you mean ‘something used for fun’ then that applies to the equipment of literally every photography enthusiast out there. And is being a toy a bad thing? Not at all.
Twice the fun and four times the resolution for a tenth of the price - and it looks like a cute kitteh!
Checkmate , gin, and Yahtzee, my friend.
1 Like
It would definitely be interesting to see this Leica compared to other instant film cameras, including dirt cheap ones like that, no doubt. It’s a rather weird mix, given that Leica’s schtick is typically image quality-focused, which doesn’t really work here. My guess: executives wanting to capitalize on brand mindshare, either by selling an “affordable Leica” to new customers or selling a new “cheap” thing to existing ones, and thus keeping the enshittification cycle going. But still, this is far less egregious than a lot of everyday product launches these days.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
