If you didn’t read yesterday’s rambling post about my weekend, full stop. Go back and read it, or else this is going to seem a bit silly. Go ahead, we’ll wait. 

Ok, back? The story is this: When my Holga 135 blew up, I went onto eBay to pick up another one, and was outbid. Twice. I didn’t want to order one from China and pay the extra shipping, and I really don’t like buying cams from Lomo, so I thought I would just hit up Freestyle or B&H… but then I looked a few auctions down. In the ‘Point and Shoot’ category on eBay was a Leica. Had to click on that one, just to see what it was all about. It was the Z2X, an auto zoom with a flash, new in box- and cheaper then the Holga I just bid on. So what the Hell, I put a $40.00 bid on it, had a laugh and went back to work. Later that day, an email popped up saying I had just won an auction, thinking it was for a load of film, I went to pay. But it was the Leica, and I had just won it for $36.00. Think about that- these are selling for $150 to $200 on Amazon, and I just got one for less then I was going to pay for my new Holga 135. 

This is the actual camera I paid $36.00 for.

The name Leica is revered with such awe, that just saying it gives you chills. They are the Rolls Royce of cameras. I once got a chance to meet my idol, Sebastião Salgado, and he spoke of his Leica like a collector would speak of his 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic. It’s that good. But this is not an M6, this is the equivalent of a Ferrari build on a Fiero chassis.

Ah, but its also not a Toy Camera, and no, I wouldn’t even consider this a Leica. But I am not going to dust off the M6 for a test on FourCornersDark, that wouldn’t make much sense. So what was I going to do with this new purchase? I figured it would be a nice point and shoot to have around the house for parties and holidays, but didn’t think I would be breaking it out on the weekend jaunts- but I did want to run a roll through it to make sure it was ‘as new’ so I grabbed some Kodak 400cn, and loaded it up. 

Leica made a few variations on their Point and Shoots, or more accurately stuck their name and lens on a few point and shoots. The MiniLux was brilliant, in the same vein as the stunningly beautiful Nikon 35ti. But this was neither of those- and in a way that offends the purist. I am not one to fall for the Lexus badge on a Toyota, and I don’t think that Honda fooled anyone when they stuck an Acura badge on a Honda Accord- so was this camera as good as its famous siblings? Only one way to find out- match it up with the cheapest piece of crap I own, the Special Moments 650, which costs one dollar. Over the course of yesterday’s post, I alternated images from each camera. Guess what? Not one of you emailed me with a right answer.

So here are the results, shot for shot. Leica Z2X versus the camera you can buy at any Dollar Store, right next to the six year old frozen meat. 

Leica’s view of the path…

…and the same view from the SP 650.

Close up detail goes to the Leica, it actually does have a great lens.

SP650 is a little soft at close range.

Leica may have better detail in the shadows,

…but not by much. The SP 650 comes pretty close.

The baby temple as seen by the Leica…

…and the SP 650’s version.

Yesterday’s cover shot, from the Leica…

…and the one that I actually used, from the Dollar Cam. 

So what was the point of this test? That cameras, much like everything, are not always what they seem to be. Sure one has a fancy name on it, but is it really better then the one you can buy with the change from the floor of your car? So often I hear photographers going on and on about the latest camera, the latest lens, the most expensive SLR.. but does it matter? Hell No. Every time you pick up that plastic camera you have a chance to create images that are just as beautiful as the person with their fancy SLR. When I was wandering around Longwood Gardens a few weeks back with my Blackbird, Holga and Ikimono, there was a workshop taking place for weekend warriors with their D3’s and macro’s learning how to photograph flowers. I got tired of trying to explain not only the technical mistakes they were making (which were many…) but also why I was shooting the same thing with a plastic camera. 

So to answer the question: Can you beat a Leica for a buck?   Yes you can.