After a seven-year wait, Leica’s releasing the Leica Sofort 2 instant film camera

Seven years after releasing the Leica Sofort, Leica has finally announced a sequel: the Leica Sofort 2. The instant film camera will be available for $389 on November 9th.

The new Leica Sofort 2 costs about $90 more than its predecessor, and it transforms the product from a fully instant camera into a hybrid instant camera — it takes pictures with a 1/5-inch digital sensor, and you get to choose the photos you want to print. You also have the option of printing out photos you take with your smartphone, just in case you prefer those over the ones the Sofort 2 captures.

In addition, the camera now also comes with USB-C support along with a few extra features and design updates. That includes multiple lenses and a lever you can pull to print photos, as well as two new color options: red and black.

With the Sofort 2, Leica appears to be trying to rival Fujifilm’s excellent Instax Mini Evo, which is one of our top instant camera picks and, at $200, is nearly half the price. Like the Sofort 2, the Instax Mini Evo is a hybrid instant film camera that lets you print photos you want, and you can also print smartphone pictures. The Sofort 2 is a stylish instant film camera, too, with a lever that even prints Instax Mini film. It also comes with 10 film effects and a macro mode for close-ups.

Yet, unlike the Instax Mini Evo, you can also print photos taken with other Leica cameras, which are already stored in Leica’s companion app, FOTOS. All you need to do is transfer them to the Sofort 2 via the app to print. In addition, the Instax Mini Evo lacks USB-C support and doesn’t come with ten lenses like the Leica Sofort 2.

Moreover, the Leica Sofort 2 also sports a modern, minimalist look with a menu structure and button layout similar to those of other digital Leica cameras. In contrast, the retro-inspired Mini Evo seeks to replicate the look of older, traditional cameras and comes in only black and brown.

Of course, we’ve yet to test the Leica Sofort 2, so we can’t comment on how it stacks up to the Instax Mini Evo in reality. However, we will soon and will publish our thoughts, too, so stay tuned.