Leica Sofort £250 / $249

Sofort is German for ‘instant’ – and everything about Leica’s surprising incursion into this market is efficiently executed. However it’s twice the price of Fujifilm’s very similar Instax Mini 90 (not reviewed here). The Leica takes the same Instax Mini film, which costs £1 per 8.6 x 5.4cm print (with a 6.2 x 4.2cm image).

On the other hand, this is the cheapest Leica you could own. Operation is straightforward; the only top-plate button is the shutter release, and it features a selfie mirror, an optical viewfinder and a built-in flash. The on/off button is kept out of the way of accidental activation on the backplate. It’s the top control in a vertically stacked row of five, alongside a tall, narrow LCD displaying operational settings via simplistic icons.

The 60mm lens with f/12.7 aperture provides the focal equivalent of a 34mm lens; an approximation of what we see with the human eye. As with any instant camera, trial and error is required to arrive at pleasing results: prints are a bit softer than we’re used to seeing in this digital age – and from Leica itself.

PROS Fun yet fashionable with it; the most affordable Leica camera you can buy

CONS Expensive compared with alternatives; image quality no better than cheaper models

Verdict