[Leica] re: minilux or hexar

[Rolf Hanson <rolf@cortex.med.cornell.edu>]

I recently tested a number of P&S cameras
at B&H photo in NYC, making use of their 14 day
return policy.

The quick answer to your question
is: the Hexar is a better all-around camera, but you probably don't
want it.
The lens is very sharp, a bit faster than the Minilux,
there are more manual overrides. The Hexar is
extremely quiet for an automated camera. At B&H, the Hexar
is also $150 less than the Minilux. 

However:
The Hexar has TOO MANY manual overrides for 'P&S' style photography.
The Hexar is too large to be considered a P&S. The controls
are very unintuitive. I had it for a week and returned it because
I wanted something small and truly "point and shoot." 

You should
consider what sort of photography your wife will be doing with
the camera. For P&S snapshot shooting, a smaller camera with fewer
decisions to make before releasing the shutter seems a better
choice. 

The Minilux is interesting because of the 40mm/2.4 lens. Aside from
that, the ergonomics don't seem much better than P&S cameras costing
5 times less. IMO, the Contax T2 has better ergonomics, and cleaner
styling than the Minilux, and has a 38/2.8 lens close to
the 40/2.4 of the Leica. If you buy it
before the end of the year there is a $100 rebate. 

The ergonomics
on the Ricoh GR-1 are better than both the Minilux and T2, and the
camera costs $379. The GR-1 is also much smaller than the T2 and
Minilux. The lens on the GR-1 is excellent. However, the lens is
a 28mm which is proving to be a bit too wide for my usual snapshot
subjects and I'm thinking of taking it back next week to revisit the T2 and
Minilux.  If you can live without the Leica/Contax labels and 
stylish titanium casing, the Yashica T4 super has an excellent
Zeiss lens, is weatherproof, and costs about $140. 
 
- -Rolf