Did I only buy it because it has ‘Leica’ on it?
Of course.
It’s a not-particularly-small point and shoot with minimal controls, a short zoom range and a max aperture of f4… why else would anyone buy it?
Leica Mini Zoom
Olympus AF1
A descendent of the XA2, ancestor of the Mju II (via the AF10); I really like this chunky ’80s camera.
The Olympus AF-1, which was introduced in 1986, earned the nickname “Nurepika” (“Wet Flash”). As the name suggests, it was the world’s first weatherproof fully automatic compact camera. http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/camera/popup/auto_af1.html
Olympus AF-10 Super
A more rounded (literally; no sharp corners) design than the AF1, you may have been fooled into thinking Olympus was on a journey back towards pebble-like XA territory with the AF-10; but no, Olympus compact design was due to go completely tits-up with the Mju II.
A step up from the AF1 is a flash control switch (which resets to auto when you close the clamshell). A step down is the speed of the lens; 3.5 compared to the AF1’s 2.8.
Ricoh Shotmaster Tru-Zoom Date
Big, chunky, easy to use. My son’s camera and he loves it. And the pictures are really OK.
It was a charity shop find and looks like a low-end charity shop camera; but doesn’t feel like one. This has some weight and the plastic feels very solid.
Olympus Mju II
So small you always have it with you, good quality pics that are almost always in focus, sliding lens cover, basic controls. Brilliant.
