Snap in Style: Digital Cameras That Deserve Exposure

Rolleiflex Minidigi Af5.0
For nostalgia nuts

MiniDigi AF5.0 is a miniature replica of the legendary twin-lens Rolleiflex. It’s compact (one-sixth the size of the original), but it packs enough digital technology to snap 5MP images. Although the MiniDigi doesn’t use film, a turn of the side crank gets the camera ready for the next shot, just like the original Rolleiflex.

The viewfinder is located on top of the camera, which allows you to take pictures from an angle as low as your waist. The sight of this nostalgic gadget will make your subjects grin and relax; you’ll get more natural and candid shots. Win-win.

RMB 3,699
www.rollei.jp/e/pd/MiniDigiAF.html
Rayi. Unit S0502, Soho New Town, 88 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District (8589 2659) 锐意，朝阳区建国路88号Soho现代城底商S-0502

Minox Digital Spy Camera
For secret snappers

This discreet gadget is smaller than a business card (measuring just 86 x 29 x 20mm). It can be slipped out of your pocket at any moment to snap spontaneous (or incriminating) candids. It features 5MP resolution and a bright viewfinder. An additional external flash with a 1.5-inch-LCD monitor can be connected to the DSC when needed. The Minox DSC has a 128MB built-in memory and supports micro SD cards (up to 16GB).

RMB 1,999
www.minox.com
Rayi. Unit S0502, Soho New Town, 88 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District (8589 2659) 锐意，朝阳区建国路88号Soho现代城底商S-0502

Leica M9
For enthusiasts who buy with their heart, not their mind

To be honest, Leica isn’t for everyone. The brand appeals mainly to pros with a passion for perfect pictures and amateurs who can afford expensive toys.

The new Leica M9 has an 18MP image sensor that captures images in full 35mm film format; when mounted on the M9, therefore, all M lenses offer the same focal length as originally intended. Although it lacks some fancy features that are included on Nikon and Canon SLRs, such as autofocus, image stabilization and video, the Leica M9 is the smallest full-frame SLR (measuring only 139 x 37 x 80mm). The fact that you can operate it with one hand means you’ll snap A-class professional pictures while looking as casual as an amateur.

RMB 63,030
www.m.leica-camera.com
Beijing Shemao Jinguangjiao. 303 Dongsi Beidajie, Dongcheng District (400 700 5182) 摄贸金广角, 东城区东四北大街F303号

Samsung Dualview St550
For self-portraits

The best thing about the Samsung ST550 is its extra LCD in the front next to the lens. When taking pictures, you see what you get and you get what you see. Ideal for snapping people who like posing in front of a mirror but get nervous and unnatural when facing a lens.

The ST550 has 12.20MP, 4.6X optical zoom and a 27mm wide-angle lens. Other features include 720p video recording and playback, touchscreen LCD in back, and a built-in image stabilizer. It also has a trash can function, so you can recover photos that were accidentally deleted.

RMB 2,499
www.samsung.com.cn
Suning (Sanyuanqiao branch). 10A Shuguangli, Chaoyang District (6468 9288) 苏宁 （三元桥），朝阳区曙光里甲10号

Fujifilm Finepix Real 3d W1
For tech heads

The two lenses of the Real 3D W1 each take the shot from a different angle; then the built-in processor evaluates factors such as focus, brightness and color tonality before merging the two images into a single one with enough depth to create the illusion of 3-D. You can review images in 3-D on the camera’s LCD monitor.

To better display and share your W1 images in 3-D, though, you’ll have to pay separately for the Fujifilm Real 3D V1, an 8-inch 3-D digital viewer that will make images jump out of the screen.

W1 RMB 3,400
V1 RMB 2,999
www.fujifilm.com.cn
Fuji retail store. Rm 806, Phase 1, Dinghao Building, Zhongguancun, 38 Haidian Dajie, Haidian District (6269 2381 ext 812) 海淀区海淀大街38号中关村鼎好电子大厦一期806室