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Leica Sofort Adds Modern Twist to Instant Camera

The high-end shooter has a handful of different shooting modes, including a selfie-like option.

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Wedding reception and birthday party photo booths just got an upgrade thanks to Leica's Sofort instant camera.

Leica's high-end shooter boasts a smaller, more compact frame than the popular Fujifilm Instax Mini, as well as a handful of different shooting modes.

Most notable is Self-Portrait (the classier way of saying selfie), which utilizes a small rectangular mirror on the front, so you can be sure you're in frame and smiling. It also comes with a self timer and two different delay settings.

In Automatic mode, the Sofort takes advantage of natural light as long as possible before triggering the integrated flash; users can also try Party & People, Sport & Action, and Macro.

"The creative scope offered by the Leica Sofort provides opportunities to rediscover instant photography and create small, haptic works of art and lasting memories," Leica said in a statement.

There's also the option to turn on or off the flash, and focus distance separately from the selected program mode.

The camera is set to hit shelves in November in white, orange, or mint, for a reported $300. Leica is also selling 10-exposure packs of color and monochrome film, as well as a range of accessories (straps and cases, postcards, and photo album).

Leica joins Polaroid, Fujifilm, Lomography, and the Impossible Project in celebrating the modernization of old-school film photography. In May, the Impossible Project launched its $300 I-1 instant camera, which features only a shutter button, a dial for exposure compensation, and an approximate focus selector.

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