Leica updates its Lux and M8 range
Company looking to the old-school for inspiration
Leica has chosen this year's Photokina to unveil a whole host of new image-taking delights.
First up are two updates to the company's Lux range, the D-Lux 4 and C-Lux 3.
The D-Lux 4 range of compact cameras feature a 1/1.63in CCD image chip, 3.0in LCD, made up of 460,000 pixels and a 24 to 60mm (equivalent) lens.
The C-Lux 3 cameras are that little bit smaller in the imaging stakes, housing a 1/2.33in CCD, 2.5in (230,000 pixels) LCD monitor and 24 to 125mm (equivalent) zoom range.
Same as Lumix
If you take a quick glance at the images of the cameras, you would be forgiven in thinking that they bear a striking similarity to Panasonic's Lumix LX3 and FX37. That's because they are essentially the same cameras, with a few aesthetic and 'retro-fied' tweaks.
Feature-wise, the D-Lux 4 is blessed with a 10.1MP sensor and uses technology that apes the look of Leica M film photography.
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The D-Lux 4 also comes equipped with a hotshoe – for a 24 mm viewfinder accessory option – and is able to shoot in Fine, Standard and RAW formats.
The C-LUX 3 "oozes style" according to its hyperbolic press release. Saying that, it is a great-looking 'old-school' camera that shoots from an f2.8 starting aperture on to a 10MP sensor. Various features include face recognition, image stabilisation and comes in either black and white.
Both cameras are available in October and are priced at £529 (D-LUX 4) and £420 (C-LUX 3) respectively.
M8 in a solid-state
Another new release from Leica is an update to its frankly fantastic Rangefinder, er, range – the M8.2.
The camera may use the same body as the M8, but underneath there's been a few changes. These include: lower vibration, and a quieter focal plane shutter that now comes with the option to re-cock the shutter at your convenience.
There's also the inclusion of a 'snapshot' mode that allows quicker filming in reportage conditions and an ultra scratch-resistant sapphire crystal cover glass for the camera monitor. Which is a first, apparently.
All this comes at a cost, and a magnificently high one at that, with the M8.2 looking to retail at £3990.
Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.