We’ve seen many long-zoom lenses cameras in the market from various brands such as Sony and Nikon. But from all those products, we can barely see the definition of “fashionable” is reflected. Most of them are come up with typical big and long fixed lens, makes the camera looks chunkier than any others in the market. So, in order to overcome this common issue, the one and only, Leica, launched a new product that’s aimed to compete in Long-zoom camera while manages to have clean touch of aesthetic. So here it is: the new Leica C-Lux Camera.
Leica C-Lux Camera: Design
For those who follow Panasonic’s Lumix camera update, the new Leica C-Lux Camera must bring such reminiscence to the latest Panasonic Lumix ZS200. Not only from the outlook, but the specification inside of these two cameras is also similar. So, the claim that basically, C-Lux is just the re-skinned version of Lumix ZS200 with ultimately iconic Leica’s red label addition feels so real.
Overall, the design of Leica C-Lux Camera is eye-catchy and potentially grabs so many attentions when you’re using it in public. With several Leica’s nice touches on design, the camera is indeed, looks like the “more-aesthetic” variant of ZS200 which is defined as more rugged and adventurous option. There are two color schemes offered: “Light Gold” and “Midnight Blue”. Both are really amazing and will never be outdated in term of classiness.
On the rear side, Leica C-Lux Camera has 3-inch touchscreen TFT-LCD with 1,240 k-dot resolution. The screen is nice and responsive. It delivers a great deal of image showing capability with nice detail and bright color. More importantly, it has typical Leica menu system which is simple and easy to understand. overall, using the menu on this camera is as easy as using smartphone.
Move to the top of the display, you can see an electronic viewfinder with 2.33 magapixel resolution. This viewfinder offers setting range of dioptre compensation to provide unhindered use for those with glasses on. The viewfinder performs really well with 100% coverage of image field. Framing is also precise on Leica C-Lux Camera, and composing image will be easier with that coverage. What you see on viewfinder is what you will get on paper.
Leica C-Lux Camera Specification
In term of specification, Leica C-Lux Camera is not that far from the latest Panasonic Lumix ZS200. As mentioned in Leica’s official site, it uses Leica DC Vario-Elmar 8.8–132 mm f/3.3–6.4 ASPH lens with 20.1-megapixel resolution sensor.
Just like the Panasonic’s, this lens has 24 to 360 mm focal length, which is equivalent to 35 mm. So, no wonder if Leica C-Lux is able to deliver crisp image in both JPEG and RAW format with 10 fps of continuous shooting. ISO compensation ranges to ISO 25600, which is sufficient for all lighting conditions.
Zooming capability is the highlight on Leica C-Lux Camera. On paper, this new Leica camera offers 15x optical zoom. It’s claimed that with this camera, you can capture Eiffel Tower from Montmartre and everything in between. While in the focusing, Leica C-Lux has sharp simultaneous autofocus system with face detection. The autofocus is equipped with 49-point fast autofocus that will let you capture every moment even in the unexpected timing. That’s why you can definitely bring this camera to shoot fast moving object.
Movie recording is pretty promising too (well, it’s Leica. What can be not so promising about it). Even with 15 minutes of limit, the new Leica C-Lux Camera is already capable to deliver 4K video with 100 Mbps. Directly from this 4K video, this camera allows you to extract and save pictures with 8 MP resolution.
Surely, this feature above would be very handy as you don’t need to take both still images and video anymore. Just take the video, and extract the photo from it. In addition, Leica C-Lux is also equipped with advance Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity for instant sharing to your laptop and smartphone, as long as dong remote shooting.
Leica C-Lux Camera Price and Release Date
When it comes to Leica, price is something you can’t compromise with. Engadget says that if you want to bring this camera home, the new Leica C-Lux Camera will start shipping in middle of July and priced around 1,050 USD, which is 250 USD more expensive than the Panasonic ZS200.
Indeed, that’s a big deal of money. However, we’re also aware that there should be high fee to pay all premiumity offered, or should we say there is a high fee to attach Leica’s red dot signature on Panasonic ZS200? Well, whatever it is, Leica brand is really something. It has a long history, and captures the progressive development of their technology. So, Leica C-Lux Camera is really worth the price.