Today’s Post by Joe Farace
Money may not buy happiness, but I’d rather cry in a Jaguar than on a bus.—Francoise Sagan
The Leica Z2X was a small but hefty (8.64 oz) 35mm point-and-shoot camera that had a built-in Vario-Elmar 35-70 mm f/4.0-7.6 lens hat consisted of seven elements in six groups. When turned on, the lens extends from the body and automatically closes when camera is switched off.
The plastic-bodied Z2X was made from 1997-2002 and is typically finished in black or black and titanium with chrome trim but was also available in electric blue. A special Jaguar edition, that I own, was released in 2000 and had a production run of 1,000 cameras. Its body is finished in black and British racing green with Jaguar leaper appearing on lower front of the camera.
The camera uses passive autofocus when lightly pressing the shutter and focuses when the shutter release button is fully depressed. In poor lighting an auxiliary AF light is activated automatically. Its focus range was from 24 inches to infinity. Focus is locked and metered value saved with continuous slight pressure on shutter release button. There’s a standard tripod socket on it’s base.
How I works
Exposure control was via Program mode, center-weighted metering and a plus 2Ev exposure override that can be manually activated. The shutter speed range was from 1/4 sec to 1/300 sec along with a “B” setting (up to 99 sec.) Under poor lighting conditions the built-in flash automatically activates but has manual ON/OFF capability. A 10-second self-timer that’s indicated by a flashing diode on front of the camera. It’s activated by a button atop the camera and is next to the on-off button—and somewhat confusingly looks identical to it.
Film speed is automatically set for DX-coded films from ISO 50 to 3200. For film without DX-coding or coding that is lower than ISO 50, the camera automatically defaults to ISO 100. With films with coding higher than ISO 3200, the default is set to 3200. The camera has a automatic film threading and advances to first frame when you close its back. There is also motorized advance after each exposure that’s surprisingly quiet. Continuous shooting is available by simply holding down the shutter release. The Z2X will automatically rewind after last exposure and mid-roll rewind is also possible. The Z2X has a modestly sized viewfinder that can be challenging if you wear glasses or put your eye right up next to it. There is a perfect viewing spot but finding can be is a challenge.
Power is supplied by a 3V lithium battery (CR 123A) with Batteries Plus selling 2-packs (even though you only need one) for $12-17, depending on brand. I purchased my Jaguar Limited Edition back in the day for $485 with help from a friend in the UK. Used Z2X’s (not Jaguar editions) are currently selling from $298 to $599.90 on eBay.
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