Leica Reviews

Think of buying the Digilux Zoom? Let me help you make a more informed decision. The Digilux was Leica's first-born in the digital world. While the lens stands up to the Leica name, the body and electronics (outsourced to Fuji) do not. My Digilux Zoom broke TWICE, each time exhibiting the same malfunction with the lens motor. While Leica was very helpful in replacing the camera, I strongly urge you against this purchase. Instead, make a long-term decision and consider Leica's second-born - the new 3.9 mega-pixel Leica Digilux. It stands up to the Leica name and also comes with a 2-year warranty... a nice plus in the ever-evolving world of digital photography.

I was deliberating over this camera or the highly rated Olympus D-360L (slightly lower res), which is generally available for about $300. A friend of mine has the Olympus D-340R. It does seems to do a bit better than my Leica with photos in low-light without flash (as the Fuji MX-1700, which is almost the same camera as the made-by-Fuji Leica, is supposed to: see CNET's comparison of the two). However, it came down to design. When will these manufacturers get a clue and start hiring some decent designers? Why produce 1 million Olympus cameras that work great but are externally ugly plastic pieces of junk? It just seems like a waste. Additionally, when considering price, the Olympus takes AAA batteries, so you would want to add the cost of rechargeable lithium batteries (approx. $35?), plus an AC adapter ($50), so you're looking at $385. Also, the Leica comes with Photoshop LE, a nice addition, and it's so easy to recharge by plugging the AC adapter right into the camera. Battery life has seemed okay- using it heavily on a trip I would recharge it every other night. My only real complaint is that sometimes the camera acts 'smart', deciding that conditions aren't good (ie camera shake in low-light) and refuses to take a photo. Annoying. You go digital so you can erase the bad ones, right? Oh, also the flash range is short. In closing, I would compare the Leica to the Fuji MX-1700: with prices comparable, I went for the cache of the Leica (it's a little prettier, in my opinion, and easier to hold on to) but the Fuji's flash might be better. Also, I highly recommend getting the Smartdisk floppy adapter ($60). You don't have to worry about getting to the back of your computer to plugs, or plugging in the camera to save batteries, it's fast, and it's portable.

Leica is not popular amongst the American public as being one of the world's best camera manufacturers. If you are looking for mid-level digital camera for family use, i would totally recommend the Leica Digilux Zoom. Easy to use, well designed and excellect results. Definate buy over the Fuji MX-1700 !!