Leica Minilux 35mm Film Camera

Being an "almost-there" professional, I needed something small to carry around everyday to get those pictures that would otherwise be forgotten; and with a lens that I could make LARGE quality prints from. The Leica Minilux is fantastic; the lens being THE selling point. In terms of features, the Minilux is somewhat limited compared to most modern point and shoot cameras, but with the aperture priority and manual focus (via selectable distances ranging from 0.7 meters ~ infinity) it is easy for experienced photographers to get exactly the results they want.

Particularly well suited to low light, this camera is great for handheld photography without a flash. The only drawback is the flash sometimes takes a few seconds to recycle, and it would have been nice if Leica engineers had given the camera a closer minimum focusing distance.

With Contax no longer producing the marvelous T2, the Minilux is hands down the best fixed focal length 35mm point and shoot camera in production.

One note: It is also worth checking out the zoom model, although it will not perform as well in low light, given the slower aperture lens.