Leica Reviews

I purchased my Lumix LC5 for personal use after using one in my profession for displaying enlargements and for publication. After 1300 exposures and half as many prints at many degrees of enlargement I feel very at home with the LC5.

What caught my attention immediately was its similarities in appearance to the Canon G series, and a couple of major label 35mm German rangefinder cameras of recent years. Picking the camera up and trying it out in the store I was reminded of the size, weight, and controls of quality traditional film cameras.
The Leica name on the lens really sold the camera before I had a chance to see its output. And therein lies the fly in the ointment, albeit a small fly if the user is familiar with post-camera photo editing processes to repair the fault.

Clearly, the optics are outstanding. The menus are well thought-out. One can use vitually all kinds of metering methods and achieve wonderful exposures with the LC5.

The weak point appears to be the processor which often "overprocesses" the 1680 X 2240 images. The result can be posterization effects in neutral areas, and eccessive "noise" appearing as grain on the monitor at high magnifications. This is especially observed at ISO's of more than 100. I have found however, that there is less appearance of these problems in print output than on the monitor.

At times I've had mysteriously underexposed original files that needed post-processing as well. All of this is correctable if one has the time and skill and enjoys doing it.

I found that using the 1600 X 1200 resolution setting seemed to clear up almost all of the problems. Perhaps the CCD and processor are really better designed for the smaller files. The problem is, I have a two megapixel camera for the price of a four, if I stick with the lower resolutions. This isn't a problem until enlarging above 5 X 7. So if you're not planning to enlarge much above that, the 2 megapixel solution works.

But the question is: do you want to pay for a four megapixel camera that doesn't quite measure up to its competition? For the sake of the wonderful speed, build quality, optics, and camera-like handling, I'm still not too sad about the processor downside. But I might be changing up to another camera a year or two down the road for those really perfect enlargements the competition seems capable of producing at four megapixels and above.

If you don't need the "Perfect" camera in this price range, the Lumix LC5 has a lot of things to offer.

Boy was I worried about buying this camera. I have read ALL the reviews and there was just enough negative pub to give me pause. But I'd seen Steve Lang's sample pics at a Fry's display and was impressed with its potential, even though he is a National Geographic photographer. I was worried about the durability issue, but then I remember even my Minolta Maxxam 5000 went down on me a couple of times. Well, I saved enough on the camera to buy a 5yr service contract, bit the bullet and bought it, got it home, zipped through the booklet and rattled off a few macro pictures of some cosmos growing in my alley. Holy pixels, Batman, the clarity, the color the beauty of that Leica lens just blew me away. Ya gotta READ the booklet to get the MOST out of this camera, but even without it the pics are simply glorious . . . and that's just the screen renderings! Bear in mind this camera is optimized for PRINTS not SCREENS. I can't wait to print some of these beauties. OK so the built in flash is a bit strong inside, but which one isn't? I was excited to learn you can program it to adjust the flash output, the exposure, saturation, quality and other features. The neat thing is I got GREAT pics without the flash inside with just ambient light. It looks, good, feels good, the big screen is GREAT, the pics are stunning and it is EASY to use. I just looked at a self pic I took last night here in my room with a tripod and the 10 sec delay, no flash and just ambient, incandescent light. The flesh tones are so natural and the definition is so frighteningly clean that my ugly mug almost jumps off the screen. Scary! This is one SCARY neat camera too! I understand it has been discontinued. Too bad! If you can find one buy it! It will impress you!

I don't own this one, but after getting a killer deal on a Panasonic DMC-LC40, I dug around a little. This camera here (LC5) is virtually identical with the Leica Digilux1. The Digilux1 is Leica's top of the line for point and shoot digital cameras. The only step up is a CCD backplane adapter they offer for their SLR line, which will cost you (including the SLR body plus lens) the equivalent of a new car! After playing with my LC40, which seems to have the same lens as this one, I have taken shots that I never had from my 35mm SLR set in almost 25 years in the hobby. I would not hesitate to get an LC5 (if I were not already happy with my LC40), as the Leica optics, coupled with the fast action and high resolution Panasonic electronics have a created a combination that blows everything else out of the water!

Do not buy Panasonic cameras. I bought a DMC-LC20 one year ago, and it died exactly one day after the warranty expired. It began taking pictures with green/pink tones. Support for digital cameras is terrible. They replaced the main board with a second hand one as a "favor" without improvement, now (6 weeks later) they still have the camera and now want to replace the CCD for $129.00 + labor. Panasonic has not returned any emails I've sent about my disappointment with this product. I will throw it away and buy Sony.

I just bought one (silver) and I'm satisfied with the features and content about the quality images. Although the lens and lcd screen have a quality look and feel, I have to admit I was a little dissapionted with the shell. It feels and looks a little cheaper than I anticipated. The silver paint, the dials, buttons, and icons especially look cheap. So, I'm not thrilled but I am pleased with the pictures it takes. It's true that the lens creates a softer more natural looking image and that the lcd presents an accurate picture. Considering the price, the picture quality and ease of connectivity (I have a mac), I would recommend this camera highly. But, if you are more concerned with aesthetics, take note.

As an experienced 35mm and medium format photographer with 40 years experience, I have, until recently, been suspicious to the point of hostility of digital cameras. However, I have been amazed at the quality of pictures produced by many digital cameras. My Panasonic Lumix LC40 was an impulse buy but I am delighted I took the plunge. The combination of excellent lens and 4 megapixels delivers pictures that capture many subtle shades and colours. This is particularly true when shooting the subdued tones of a British winter.There is also a special magic about taking a batch of photographs, downloading them then wiping the memory card. There are some disadvantages to this camera. The 16mb memory card is rather small enabling you to save only 7 shots at max resolution. When using the LCD screen ( a must when shooting macro shots) the image is difficult to see in bright daylight. The abscence of full manual controls is a limiting factor. But these really are quibbles when set against a camera that has fired up my creative imagination and revived my interest in photography.Whether your interest is capturing creative images or just shots of the family buy an LC40 today. You will not regret it!

Plusses: sharp, properly exposed pictures; easy to use; small; light; photos easy to transfer to a computer.
Minuses: neck strap inappropriate; poor battery access; maximum time exposure a bit short; no manual shutter speed control.

The camera came with a neck strap; 2-1600 mA-hour AA rechargable NiMH batteries; a 2 battery recharger, an 8 MB SD memory chip; a video cable to play back movies on a TV (haven't tried it yet); a proprietary USB cable (one end is for this and some other cameras only - not cheap to replace, so keep track of it) for connecting to a computer to get the photos off the memory chip; a CD with USB drivers and Photo software (haven't tried the photo software yet), and instructions.

You can let the camera decide what settings to use, but you also have quite a bit of control. You can photograph at 640×480, 1024×768 or 1600×1200 resolution, except movies are 320×240 only (but with sound). Manual ASA settings are 100, 200 & 400. You can force exposure changes of ±2EV in ¼EV increments. You can turn the flash off or force it to flash. The flash isn't for beyond about 8' (2.4m), or for movies. Zoom is 3× optical and 2× digital (digital can be turned off). You can make the camera focus and adjust for light on a particular object, and then hold the setting while you compose the picture and shoot. Macro shooting is done in a separate macro mode at distances starting at about 8" (20cm). Time-delay self trigger is easy to use, and can be set for a 2 or 10 sec delay.

The color display can be shut off to save battery power, but the optical viewfinder isn't quite as accurate. You can review the picture you've just taken and magnify it to see how sharp it is, or you can change modes to review all the pictures stored on the chip. While reviewing a picture, you can delete it to make room on the chip. Photos are saved as .jpg files; movies are saved as Quicktime .mov files. The internal menu system is clear and easy to use.

You can't manually set shutter speed; and time exposures appear to be limited to about 8 seconds. Movie length is limited to 19 seconds. On the camera, you can't review movies you've taken, and (the instructions say) watching them on a TV with the video cable will be without sound.

Pictures are sharp and properly exposed (if I don't mess up). The camera is light and will fit in a shirt pocket, but then the neck strap interferes. I'll probably make a wrist strap for it. Depending on what you're doing, the batteries can get empty quickly. Get 4 extra 1800 (more is better, not 1600) mA-hour NiMH batteries. That way you can have 1 pair in the camera, one pair being recharged, and still have a backup. I haven't bought (or made) an AC power supply for the camera yet (Panasonic does offer one), but with 3 pairs of batteries, I haven't been stuck without power yet. As soon as a pair is empty, I start recharging them. Recharge time is 5 hours.

If you're running Windows NT, you won't be able to use the USB connection (unless you can find a memory card reader that comes with USB drivers for NT - Panasonic doesn't have them for the camera). You'll also need more memory chips, 8MB is 8-12 photos at maximum resolution. 128MB total (one big chip or several smaller chips - it pays to shop around, too) should be more than enough if you can pull the photos over to your computer from time to time.

The neck strap is too much for such a small, light camera. It also gets in the way when using a tripod. A strap that can be configured as either neck or wrist strap might have been a good idea. The triangular metal eyes used to connect the strap to the camera tend to catch in positions you don't want them in.

The display on the back of the camera is a bit unprotected, so be careful. If you use the neck strap, make sure you adjust it so that when you walk, the screen isn't banging against a metal zipper, snap, belt buckle or button, etc. Get (or make) a soft carrying case with room for charger, extra batteries and extra memory chips. When visiting friends or relatives, you might want to bring cable(s) and software, too. The camera came with a Panasonic "rebate" offer of 2 extra 16MB memory chips, which arrived in a small plastic bag inside a padded mailer; nothing protective for transporting them in normal use. A SanDisk chip I bought came with its own protective case. I haven't solved this problem yet...pillbox? matchbox?

The camera is tricky to use in low light and close quarters, particularly if focusing is required (you won't be able to see anything on the display, and a camera has to "see" to focus). A tripod has helped, but not for moving objects. You may not be able to get the chip (or batteries) out of the camera while it's screwed to a tripod base.

You must remove the memory chip to change batteries, and the battery and chip slot cover is a 2 piece articulated cover that is tricky to open and close for battery access. This makes changing batteries harder than changing memory chips; but you'll be changing batteries more often. The arrangement looks a bit flimsy to me, so if you're rough on equipment or all thumbs, this camera may not be right for you. Otherwise, I definitely like and would recommend the camera.

I got the camera for making photos to view on screen, for which it has proven excellent. I can't say if 2 megapixels is enough for printing. Having never used other similar cameras, I can't give a comparative recommendation.

I bought this, my first digital camera a month ago and it has exceeded my expectations! I did a tremendous amount of research to figure out what features I most wanted in a digital camera. I was basically looking for a small DC I could take around and take lots of pictures with.

Despite Panasonic being pretty new to DC's, I noticed a lot of the features that I was looking for on the LC-20 and decided to take a chance. What first caught my eye about this Panasonic was the Leica Lens. Being somewhat familiar with photography, I have always known Leica to make excellent (and expensive!) lenses. I don't have a digital photo printer so I can't comment on how well these pictures print out.

This baby had just about every important feature I was looking for: 2.1 mp, 3x optical 2x digital (but everyone knows digital zoom's useless), compact, light, plugs directly to my computer via USB (don't need to buy a separate reader), burst mode rocks; and it uses 2 AA batteries (included with charger!) which have averaged a good 70+ shots with the LCD screen on.

Movie mode with sound is a great addition too with a 20s film clip eating 3.25megs each. One feature that I thought was awesome and I'm still learning to use is Burst mode. This was another feature I highly desired, seeing that one of the major complaints my friends had with their DC was the 1-2 second lag in between picture-taking. Burst mode allows you to take 3-5 pics per second, with one drawback being you can only take as many pictures as fast as the flash will allow. This basically translates to being able to use burst mode most effectively outside during the day.

I talked to friends before I bought this camera, most of whom own one of the Canon Elphs (great line of cameras too), others have Olympus Camedias (huge and bulky) and Sony's (not bad, but pretty pricy for what you're getting). I tried theirs out before I made my purchase and I can safely say I'm much happier with my camera for the following reasons:

-The Panasonic powers up FAST! Power-up to a picture taken is about 3 seconds.
-The delay between hitting the shutter button and the camera actually taking the picture is very short, less than or about a second.
-Burst mode! Although it really only functionally works during the day when you don't need a flash, one of the most frequent complaints I heard from friends is it's impossible to time action shots. Burst mode helps remedy that.
-AA batteries are cheaper than proprietaries and can be bought anywhere if you find yourself on vacation or just out and unable to recharge quickly
-The camera fits well in my hand
-The macro feature is a definite bonus
-I recently took this camera skiing and can happily report that I could turn the camera on/off, and take pictures pretty easily even with my gloves on.

Some drawbacks that I've come across:
- Don't even bother with the packaged software. Even using plain old Windows Explorer beats it.
- Doesn't include a DC adapter, but this is easily remedied by buying a set of 4 rechargables for a total of 6, that'll take care of 200+ pics at a time)
- Of course 8MB isn't enough, but you need to buy a new memory card with every DC on the market anyway; my 128MB card can hold 159 1600x1200 pics without compression. That jumps to over 1000 pictures if you lower the resolution to 640x480 and use compression.
- Uses SD (SecureDigital) memory cards, which are slightly more expensive than Compact Flash and Sony Memory Sticks (and hardly anyone else uses them so you're stuck if you want to switch brands later). These memory cards are SMALL, though, about the size and thickness of a dime.

Some people may say 2.1 mp is a drawback, but these pictures come out crisp and clear at 1600x1200 and are already pushing 700kb. If you want 3-4mp, you'll probably need to invest in huge memory sticks not to mention a bigger hard drive. Digital pictures add up! I've already taken over a thousand in the past month!

The key to buying a DC will be to ask yourself what you will be using the camera for most. Is it something you want to bring with you EVERYWHERE? If so, you'll probably want something ultra-small, smaller than this camera (and thus probably twice the price of this camera). I just wanted something to replace my Point-and-Shoot, something that allows me to take a lot of pictures without worrying about the cost of film, development, etc. IMHO, this is a great starter DC. It's relatively cheap, has a lot of great features, and it's compact enough to carry in a jacket pocket. Overall, it has exceeded my expectations and continues to please.

i got this camera last christmas, and it's great, you may say that 2.0 mega pixels, is too low in quality, but you will be stunned, the pictures comes out clean and clear. when put on digital mode you can get high quality pictures. i'm having fun in the airport taking pictures and sending them in to airliners and myaviation.net. if you are an amatuer photographer this camera is the perfect starter camera.

I have a Canon PowerShot s230, and bought the Lumix for my mother for Xmas hoping to save some money and get a camera of similar quality. Sadly, I'm disappointed with the Lumix despite the savings.

For those familiar with the Canon, you know that it's a very effective digital camera experience. It's solid, sturdy, has a great interface and takes excellent pictures. The Lumix is none of these things.

Holding the Lumix in your hand is disappointing compared to the Canon. It's flimsy at best. There's no weight to it, but that's not a good thing. It feels hollow, as if it would really sustain serious damage if dropped or otherwise banged up. The case is stainless steel, like my Canon, but my camera's solid construction and obvious design superiority makes it a more satisfying experience. As I said, the Lumix is too light to feel dependable.

The Lumix experience, overall, was disappointing. There's no intuitive buttons on the body of the camera. It actually took me about 20 minutes to find the 'on' button. (it's actually more if you count me trying to find it two separate times). Nothing is clearly marked. To make matters worse, there is not only no "getting started" mini-manual in the package, but the instructions are confusing with about 1 out of every 10 words spelled incorrectly.

Finally, the operation of the camera resembles something that was designed and engineered in a rush by a company that doesn't really know what they're doing. The display on the rear of the camera is grainy, the operation of the device is sketchy, and, as I mention above, the interface of the buttons and display screen icons is confusing where it's not completely impossible to understand.

Can you tell I'm disappointed with my purchase? If you're in the market for a camera, go with the Canon. This camera seems like it's either the last deliverable of the last generation cameras, or a rushed-to-market early adopter model of the current generation. I'm very satisfied with my Canon and will definitely never advice anyone on anything else.

This is my first digital camera - I've had it for over a year and overall I have been happy with the purchase. I particularly like the metal case - it is very sturdy (has survived a few falls already), nice and compact, easily fits in a front jeans pocket. Also nice is the rechargable battery: you plug a power supply straight into the camera so no need for an external charger. Now for the photo quality - in general, the photos come out quite well, sometimes they are a little grainy, but they are good for computer use and printing onto standard photo size is usually comparable to a regular camera. I would consider buying another panasonic camera when it comes time to upgrade.

This is a camera that has everything a good camera should have in it and none of the junk alot of other digital camreas do have. It is quickly obvious that this camera was designed by leica, it is a nice size, intuitive, easy to hold and has a great lens. Most digital camras i found hard to hold or were so small and flimsy feeling you tought you might break them, this camera very much has the weight and feel of an older rangefinder camra which are some of the nicest camera to shoot with. The most used controls and settings are set with knobs, without having to go into the menus, alot of digitals most things are in the menus so u forget where they were or it takes time to get to them. And best of all this camera has a real focusing ring for manual focusing. The camera has a massive LCD screen on it which is bright and easy to see, it is 2.5 inches, much more than others 1.5, it has a hood u can put on it to protect it and keep the sun off on bright days. but this camera you dont really need the screen with most shooting functions on dials, and a great veiwfinder, and also a small lcd screen like is found on 35mm cameras that shows u all the current camera settings and more. This camera is everything people should be looking for in a camera, great feel to hold and use it, excellent lens and image quality, the absence of electroc junk (some camreas have 30 sooting modes and time zones for 62 cities around the world, if u need 30 shooting modes you will just use auto anyhow) and easy to use intuative contols with limited need for menus. I did alot of looking and this is one of the best camreas out the at almost any price, and why buy the leica at twice the price this is the exact same camera

Takes awesome shots and the large LCD screen is really nice to have versus other digital cameras. Has many bells and whistles. Not complicated to work. The only drawback is that it's a bit bulky.

The digital camera put out by Leica, The Leica Digilux 1, is a very impressive camera. The sales rep at the camera store told me that Leica partnered with Panasonic to develop that camera.

Surprise surprise! Panasonic comes out with an almost identical camera with the same exact Leica Lens that is in the Leica version.

The price is lower :-)

The biggest difference I can see from the spec sheet is:

Leica - Lightweight Magnesium Body (Believe me, it is lite)
Panasonic doesn't list this as a feature so I assume they don't have it.

Leica comes with a 64 MB SD Card
Panasonic comes with a 32 MB SD Card

They seem to be the only differences. I imagine these two points account for a bulk of the price differential.

If you want a Leica digital camera but don't want to pay the Leica price, then this would seem to be the way to go.

I had been searching for this camera for a month. I was frustrated because the best price online vendors were always out of stock. Then I saw Amazons price and ordered it on a Sunday afternoon. I paid for regular ground shipping thinking I could wait a few more days. The camera was delivered Wednesday afternoon by FedEx. The affiliated vendor, KB camera sent the camera expedited shipping even though I only paid for regular shipping. What a great surprise.
The camera is everything I thought it would be-great fit and finish, all the accessories promised and that wonderful Leica lens. Kudos to Amazon and KB Camera for service that exceeded my expectations.

Do not buy Panasonic cameras. I bought a DMC-LC20 one year ago, and it died exactly one day after the warranty expired. It began taking pictures with green/pink tones. Support for digital cameras is terrible. They replaced the main board with a second hand one as a "favor" without improvement, now (6 weeks later) they still have the camera and now want to replace the CCD for $129.00 + labor. Panasonic has not returned any emails I've sent about my disappointment with this product. I will throw it away and buy Sony.

I just bought one (silver) and I'm satisfied with the features and content about the quality images. Although the lens and lcd screen have a quality look and feel, I have to admit I was a little dissapionted with the shell. It feels and looks a little cheaper than I anticipated. The silver paint, the dials, buttons, and icons especially look cheap. So, I'm not thrilled but I am pleased with the pictures it takes. It's true that the lens creates a softer more natural looking image and that the lcd presents an accurate picture. Considering the price, the picture quality and ease of connectivity (I have a mac), I would recommend this camera highly. But, if you are more concerned with aesthetics, take note.

As an experienced 35mm and medium format photographer with 40 years experience, I have, until recently, been suspicious to the point of hostility of digital cameras. However, I have been amazed at the quality of pictures produced by many digital cameras. My Panasonic Lumix LC40 was an impulse buy but I am delighted I took the plunge. The combination of excellent lens and 4 megapixels delivers pictures that capture many subtle shades and colours. This is particularly true when shooting the subdued tones of a British winter.There is also a special magic about taking a batch of photographs, downloading them then wiping the memory card. There are some disadvantages to this camera. The 16mb memory card is rather small enabling you to save only 7 shots at max resolution. When using the LCD screen ( a must when shooting macro shots) the image is difficult to see in bright daylight. The abscence of full manual controls is a limiting factor. But these really are quibbles when set against a camera that has fired up my creative imagination and revived my interest in photography.Whether your interest is capturing creative images or just shots of the family buy an LC40 today. You will not regret it!