The Leica Sofort has been getting a lot of buzz since the announcement leading up to Photokina and has proven to be a bit of a surprise hit here at the show. After handling the Sofort for myself, I can see why. It just looks cool. The colors and styling are retro, complete with brown leatherette trim. For such an inexpensive camera, it feels quite nice in your hand, in spite of being a bit boxy, or perhaps because of it. The LCD menu and buttons on the back are simple to navigate. Loading film packs is easy enough. The selfie mirror is nicely implemented. And, then there's that thrill of an image appearing on paper as if by magic.
I sat down with Stefan Daniel, the Head of Product Management, for a discussion about the Sofort. The highlight, of course, was our demo of the selfie mode. If you aren't familiar with the Sofort, check out my earlier article covering the announcement. If you wish to place a pre-order for the Sofort, you can do so at Leica Store Miami, by clicking here. And, of course, be sure to check out the video right below.
Tech Specs
| Camera type | Instant camera |
| Picture format | 62 x 46 mm |
| Film type | Leica instant film pack: 10 shots, colour or monochrome, Instax-mini format, speed ISO 800 |
| Lens | |
| Aperture/Focal length | 60 mm f/12.7 (34mm in 35 mm equiv.) |
| Focusing Area | 3 Focus Steps: 0,3 – 0,6 m (Macro)/0,6 – 3 m (close range)/3 m – infinity (far range) |
| Shutter Speed | 1/8 – 1/400 sec. (mechanical shutter) |
| Viewfinder | Optical real image viewfinder 0,37x with target spot and parallax compensation for macro mode |
| Mode Dial/Mode Button | Automatic, Selfie, People & Party, Action & Sport, Bulb, Macro, Self-timer, Double exposure |
| Exposure control | |
| Exposure mode | Time automatic |
| Exposure compensation | -0,7 EV/0,0 EV/+0,7 EV |
| Light metering | Automatic exposure control LV 5.0 – LV 15.5 (ISO 800) |
| ISO | Sensitivity ISO 800 |
| Self-timer | 2 Sec. / 10 Sec. waiting period |
| Flash | Built-in electronic flash<br>Auto, Forced on, Forced off, Forced on with red-eye reduction |
| Operating conditions | |
| Temperature working range | 5 – 40°C |
| Battery | Lithium-ion battery (supplied) |
| Voltage/capacity | 3.7V, 740mAh, 2.6 Wh |
| Battery life (approx.) | 100 pictures at 20° |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 124 x 94 x 58 mm |
| Weight | |
| (without battery and film pack) approx. 305 g | |
| Scope of delivery | Camera, battery BP-DC17, charger BC-DC17 with adapter plug (varies from country to country), carrying strap, brief instructions |
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