It took Leica seven years but the company has finally announced the Leica Sofort 2, an instant film camera. It takes pictures with a 1/5-inch digital sensor, and you get to choose the photos you want to print. This is a hybrid instant camera, which means you also have the option to save digital images permanently.
The camera comes with a selfie mode, which has its dedicated shutter button, a landscape mode and a close-up macro mode. Framing up is undertaken on the three-inch rear monitor at 460,000 dots, and a good deal of lens and film effects are there to make your shots come to life. There’s a built-in flash module and the manual lever to the top rear is used to initiate printing. Further, it comes with USB-C support.
In case you are saving digital pictures, you can send photos from the Leica Fotos smartphone app to the Sofort 2 for printing, including images captured with other Leica cameras.
The camera can be seen as a rival to Fujifilm’s Instax Mini Evo, which too is a hybrid instant film camera that lets you print photos you want, and you can also print smartphone pictures.
“Since 1947, instant cameras have offered a new photography experience, which gained cult status, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. Back then, the instantly printed photo symbolised acceleration, whereas in today’s fast-paced world, it represents a moment of pause and relief,” Leica has said in a statement. It will be available from November 9 for $389.
