Leica Minilux Special Edition

[Terence]

Picked up a special edition Minilux recently but I couldn't find out any more info about it. Anyone has any idea how many of the Schmidt 100 Years Minilux were produced? And when?

Thanks

 

[Tachi]

I got mine in 1998, same as the photos you posted.


Regards
Tachi..

 

[madmacs]

not much info in google. saw a post from a dr joseph yao who says its a 1995 model since schmidt was founded in 1895 ;p

 

[Terence]

Read from a couple of places which indicated that the production run was about 300 pieces. There were 2 or 3 other special edition Miniluxes specifically for Hong Kong which came out about the same time.

 

[madmacs]

how much did you pay for it?

 

[Terence]

Not sure, it was part of a package deal. I'm guessing about $500 odd...

 

[haagen_dazs]

Not sure, it was part of a package deal. I'm guessing about $500 odd...

nice camera... part of leica is all about collecting
i am assuming price is in sgd?

 

[Terence]

Yep, it's in S$ from a local purchase. I'm not much into collecting though my range of high end point and shoot compacts has been growing. Try to use most of them but a few favorites have begun to emerge. The Leicas usually get left behind due to their larger size and heavier weight.

 

[szekiat]

Yep, it's in S$ from a local purchase. I'm not much into collecting though my range of high end point and shoot compacts has been growing. Try to use most of them but a few favorites have begun to emerge. The Leicas usually get left behind due to their larger size and heavier weight.

heya mate, any particular abandoned compact u feel like selling off, drop me a PM pls? Looking for an ideal P&S still and somehow i suspect the ones i'd want is already amongst your collections

 

[leef]

heya mate, any particular abandoned compact u feel like selling off, drop me a PM pls? Looking for an ideal P&S still and somehow i suspect the ones i'd want is already amongst your collections

drop me pm also..tks

 

[Terence]

Haha, unfortunately none of them are sale at the moment so there will be no PM forthcoming to either of you.

SK, I think you should look at either the GR1s, GR1v or a Contax T3. They are amongst my favorites.

Looking for the elusive Minolta TC-1 if anyone comes across one.

 

[szekiat]

haha, i have a gr1s coming my way. The minilux is nice but the viewfinder is rather squinty so i sold mine off. Considering a CM (reportedly better) and on the lookout for a gr21 (which i know u have!)

 

[Terence]

I think most of these high end compacts are comparable in the image quality they are able to reproduce. The deciding factor should be focal length, viewfinder brightness and size... for me at least. With those factors in mind, the compact size and bright/clear viewfinder of the Ricohs and Contax works best for me.

The GR21 is nice but may be a bit too wide for some. I think you'd be very happy with the GR1s... it is a bit of a battery guzzler so be sure to have a spare battery in the bag at all times. No point forking out a premium for the GR1v as I don't think the few extra features justifies the additional amount. The Leica are nice but their larger size and heavier weight puts them out of contention, same goes for the Nikon 28Ti and 35Ti... but the Nikons are amongst the few high end compacts which are capable of the faux panorama perspective, which can be interesting at times. And those beautiful dials...

 

[szekiat]

my only attraction to the gr21 is fond memories of my old one before it got lost. As you say, the gr1s is a great camera. The size and poor viewfinder of the leica ruled them out quickly. As for the nikons, well, the dials are so nice but.....

 

[szekiat]

i'm surprised no one has mentioned the hexar af though? how much are they worth these days?

 

[Terence]

Totally forgot about the Mju II, probably because mine is in the horrible gold finish, the black Epic is a lot easier on the eyes. I'd agree with celery on this, it's probably the biggest bang for your buck. They are readily available for under US$50 and are capable of some really great shots.

The Hexar AF is a bit of a strange one. I divide my collection by camera type and this one hangs out with the rangefinder/classic camera group. I wouldn't have gotten it except that I came across this one in a limited edition and picked it up purely for collection, I've never actually used it. Way too big and cumbersome, and very limited in features to be a useful everyday cam.

 

[szekiat]

is the mjuII really that great? My limited experience with it was scarcely as good as the hype would suggest. I know i'm probably expecting too much in that i was hoping for at least something close to the performance of the T5

 

[chiif]

Yes, the black muiII... brings back fond memories....

It's a very handy pocket camera, with a very sharp fixed 35mm f2.8 lens. For many many years, this camera was with me on most of my backpack holidays. It even fire at temperature -30 degrees at Ha'er-bin. The initial batch was made in Japan. I got one and lost it in one of my trip. Got a second one which was assembled in HK and the feel just wasn't the same anymore...