Optics, rugged body, viewer

price?

I have used the camera for 6 weeks now, making lots of different pics, indoor and outdoor, moving and still object, difficult light circumstances. The results are amazing. the shutter is very very silent. This is a real like

Customer Service

probably good

Similar Products Used:

leica z2x

Excellent feel in the hand. Beautifull lense at all focal lengths. Very sharp prints with good contrast. Fill flash on demand.

Expensive case.

This is a superior point and shoot. Flash is easy to control and relatively strong. The lense is super and covers a good range. For most daylight situations it is equal to a SLR. A bit pricey but well worth the money. It feels and behaves like a quality product.

Customer Service

Not required but reputed to be very good in NYC.

Similar Products Used:

Canon and Nikon

Excellent picture quality: sharp and good contrast.
Silent zoom/film-advance motor.
Light-weight aluminum case.

No aperature control
Only one mode button to recycle all modes

I used my Nikon F4 for 7 years and it's too heavy for a vacation trip. Therefore I bought C1 and this is my first Leica. It's light-weighed, classy, and easy to use. Surprisingly the pictures from it are comparable to those from my F4. I took 3 rolls (36 exposures) so far, I already got some great pictures from it. Yes, it's a great P&S camera.

Customer Service

Not used yet

Similar Products Used:

Nikon, Canon

Great compact with zoom lens. Nice quality and lightweight built due to the aluminum body. Best looking P&S with non-complicated features.

Pricey for a compact and does not come with a case.

Wonderful quality prints and great optics.

Customer Service

No experience

Similar Products Used:

Contax T-2. Great camera with solid built due to titanium body. No zoom and a little heavy.

Superb construction and handling
Near-silent zoom
Crystal clear viewfinder
Light weight
Non-moving flash
3x Zoom
1.5 frame per second motor drive

Wish for wider angle zoom than 38mm
Long exposure option reverts to manual exposure guesswork

Sure, this camera is a bit expensive (though I paid only $350 on special from Cameraworld), but the thrill of owning and using this BMW of P&S's was worth every penny. It is a mechanical marvel. Our waitress at Johnny Rockets inadvertently took four photos of us by holding the button down, thereby activating the motor drive--she kept waiting to hear the camera take the picture! My initial quest was for a sharp, affordable wide angle zoom P&S, after a miserable experience with my Pentax 928 (wide 28mm zoom, yes--but horrible vignetting) in China. I then did side by side tests with the 28mm Minolta Explorer and Olympus Wide zoom P&S's, and experienced similar disappointment when shooting outside against a bright sky. I have sacrificed the 28mm wide zoom for Leica's outstanding optics and now shoot with confidence. Test photos through this Leica zoom lens easily equal the excellent optics on my fixed lens Olympus P&S. The C1 gives exposure override options, but you then lose the auto light meter, so exposure time becomes strictly guesswork--my only slight disappointment. 5-position (silent!) power zoom (pre-set at 38, 60, 75, 90 and 110mm) makes composing a shot delightfully predicable. While nearly the same size as my Pentax and old Olympus Infinity, its smooth ends and slightly thinner profile make it noticeably less bulky on my belt. My newest problem: Once they saw the Leica's shark-smooth skin and felt the cat-like purr of the zoom, they were hopeless. They will no longer accept my other cameras as hand-me-downs. I wonder if C1's are cheaper by the half-dozen?

Customer Service

Not used since I have not had any difficulties.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax 928
Olympus Infinity (35mm f2.8)

excellent picture quality--
high sharpness, contrast and dead on exposure
light weight feel but heavy duty performance
i took it on a cruise to alaska--could not tell the difference between the images from it and my good SLR -post card quality prints.
i felt i could sell my grab shots to national geographic magazine
flash exposures were excellent-even from 15-18 feet away. red eye worked very effectively

feels light
wish it had a wider lens than 38
slow flash sync with zoom needs a tripod
no aperature control

its exciting to see the quality of images you can get....from a P&S....almost sellable. this is my first experience with Leica...and while they are expensive, they are impressive!

Customer Service

not used as yet

Similar Products Used:

pentaz point & shoots, olympus XA2, epics, olympus OM4 with olympus/Zuiko lenses

Picture Quality

Quality Control?, expensive

The first Leica C-1 that I purchased would not detect when film was loaded correctly. Consequently, it wouldn't let me take pictures. The very helpful dealer took it back in exchange for a second C-1, which works perfectly. I recently took a 1500 mile drive across the country and took some phenomenal pictures with this camera. Sharpness and contrast are first-rate!

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Olympus, Canon

Built like a tank. It doesnt feel like a toy as compared to my other plastic Point and shoot cameras. It is the best point and shoot I have ever used and owned. It is light, sturdy,and has a strong flash. It takes better pictures than some SLRs that I have used before.

Price.

If you can afford it, buy it. My first roll of film produced some very spectacular shots. The colors are bright and sharp. Not to metion that it looks very classy, not like the other cheap looking toys in the market.

Customer Service

Not yet tried, but the Leica store I went to was very helpful.

Similar Products Used:

Olympus, Nikon, Panasonic,and Canon.

Everything! This thing deserves far more than being characterized as a point and shoot. It takes better pictures than my trusty old SLR.

If there is such a thing, it would be as many others have said is price. However, for what you get, it's worth it.

Worth every penny paid. The features and focal length that the Leica C-1 has rivals SLR's in same and higher price range, but you've got it all in a compact package that doesn't make it a burden to haul around.

Customer Service

Haven't had to use it and really don't expect to for the quality of the product.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta Freedom Zoom. Good point and shoot.

Amazingly GREAT pictures. I shot some pictures at Yosemite that turned out to be spectacular, but its Yosemite, so of course the were spectacular. I shot some pictures in a dark bar at a bachelorette party. They turned out to be GREAT. The bar was so dark, we could barely see the people we were trying to take pictures of. The lighting in all the pictures was very good. This camera is incredibly durable, I have banged it against this and that and it keeps on working.

Flash is slow to charge.

Run, don't walk, to buy this camera. As far as little point and shoots go, its phenomenal. It may be better than my Nikon 5005 SLR. Whether you take pictures just for fun, or you are more serious about your picture quality, I doubt any camera can combine the reliability, picture quality and durability of this little gem!

Customer Service

None, hope I won't need it.

Similar Products Used:

Olympus Stylus 140 (broke after 14 months/ 70 rolls of film). It didn't compare to this. Spend the extra money, this camera is worth it!