If you love flowers, you’ll want to smell them when you see them. If you love books, you’ll want to buy them when you see them. And if you’ve used three or more cameras, you’ll want to take a look when you see a Leica!
It’s no secret that many of us have been eagerly awaiting a full-frame autofocus camera from Leica. And Leica delivered! The Leica Q and SL were instant hits, and it’s easy to see why. As a matter of fact, Leica actually made a full-frame autofocus camera back in the days of film photography! They were called the PS pocket camera, including the Leica mini, minizoom, and so on. Even though they were tiny and made by Japanese companies like Minolta, Panasonic, and Fujifilm, the lenses and designs, like the Verio-Elmar, were really made in Germany.
The Leica Z2X is a tiny little zoom camera that you can fit in your pocket! It has a focal length range of 35mm to 70mm. The whole body is designed to be sleek and streamlined, just like a car. And when you hold it in your hand, it feels lightweight but surprisingly good! I was really surprised that plastic could feel so nice and smooth, just like holding a bar of soap or tearing a loaf of bread. I was really surprised at how comfortable it was to wear around my neck with just a thin string! The Leica Z2X is so easy to use! It has only four buttons: the power switch, zoom, shutter, mode, and self-timer buttons. I think this camera is just charmingly simple to use! All you have to do is pick it up and start shooting! It’s fully automatic, so it’ll focus, meter, and wind the film for you. The Leica Z2x is super quick and easy to use. You’ll love how fast it focuses, and you can even ignore the sound of the shutter. Plus, the flash is really powerful!
Where is the Leica spirit in the Leica Z2x?
- The Leica has a quick start-up speed, which is essential for capturing images quickly.
- Just a quick note to remind you: Once you’ve turned on the camera, if you don’t touch any buttons for a while, it’ll go into sleep mode and the lens won’t retract. This design is quite similar to that of a Leica M camera. You can quickly wake up the camera and start taking pictures right away. The Leica mini3 also has this feature.
- If you’d prefer, you can turn off the flash. When you turn on the camera, just press the mode button seven times to turn off the flash. When the camera goes into sleep mode and then wakes up, the flash stays off. I’m so pleased with this design that I no longer turn off the Z2x when I hang it around my neck. The lens doesn’t retract when the camera goes to sleep, so you can quickly wake it up and start shooting again the next time you use it.
The viewfinder of the Z2x is quite comfortable, of course it cannot be compared to the Leica M. There are no parameter displays inside, but for a pocket camera like this, it is very bright. I have no complaints.
The mystery of the Z2X’s birth
When Leica named the Z2X, it was a truly special moment. Leica already had the mini zoom series, so the Z2X was a little lonely without any siblings like the Z1x or Z3x. I’m sure the name “2x zoom” is meant to convey that idea. This lens was a totally new design compared to the previous mini zoom series from Leica. It was so good that it inspired the famous lens of the later Minilux zoom, which had a slightly expanded aperture.
How do I use the Leica Z2X?
I often load color film into this pocket camera and usually put it in my bag. I mostly use the Leica M with black and white film, but I also like to use the Leica Z2X as a second camera. It’s great for getting different shots. It’s also very affordable, which is a big plus.
Brand Leica
Film Format Type 35mm
Exposure Control Type Manual, Automatic
Item Dimensions LxWxH 5 x 1.71 x 2.75 inches
Item Weight 1 Pounds
Stylish and fully automatic 35mm compact camera with date imprinting.
High-quality Leica Vario-Elmar 35-70mm zoom lens (f/4.0 to f/7.6).
Passive autofocus system with automatically activated flash.
Automatic exposure with center-weighted metering and manual shutter speeds of up to 99 seconds.
Bright real-image viewfinder allows for easy composition.
