Leica D-Lux 4- The Super King of Compact Cameras

The Leica D-Lux 4 is a camera that has raised lots of expectations among the professional photographers. Not only because of its brand name of Leica. Leica is a name that means a lot of enthusiasts. The optical quality of their lenses is legendary. It has gladdened the heart of many a professional when digital photography was not as popular as it is now and the quality was not the watchword when photography was concerned.

The quality of each part was not dissected and discussed as it is being done now. However Leica has always maintained a high standard of quality from the time it first produced the 26 mm lens when most of us were yet to be born. Leica has signed a partnership with Panasonic by which Leica provides its superior lenses to Panasonic and in return Leica has its digital cameras made by Panasonic. Due to this some models of Panasonic and Leica resemble each other that many have dubbed them to be “twins”.

One such pair is the Panasonic Lumix LX 3 and the Leica D-Lux 4. The only difference between them is the price. Unfortunately the Leica D-Lux 4 is priced on the higher side than the Panasonic Lumix LX 3 but that is expected due to the optical quality of the lenses and the sheer value of the red logo with Leica inscribed on the surface of the camera.

There is nothing much to say about the features of the Leica D-Lux 4 as it so similar to the Panasonic LX 3 and you probably won't notice the difference between the two cameras. However the D-Lux 4 incorporates several small changes with the most interesting and unusual of them being the choice given to the user to select between three aspect ratios. The aspect ratios are 16:9 ratio capable of shooting pictures at 9 megapixels, 4:3 ratio shooting pictures at the maximum effective pixel ratio of 10 megapixels and 2:3 ratio at 9.5 megapixels. The camera varies the aspect ratio by changing the aperture size and it provides uniformly great pictures in all aspect ratios. The 16:9 ratio is especially useful if you want to shoot panoramic pictures.

On the closely related subject the camera provides you with excellent f2.0/ - f2.8/ wide angle lenses with the superior optical quality of Leica. But the drawback of these lenses is that they do not have in built lens protection. The user has to manually remove a lens cover before shooting photos and remember to put it back on to protect those delicate Leica lenses.

The build of the Leica D-Lux 4 is also more or less similar to that of the Panasonic LX 3. It has a more glossy and retro looking titanium finish but instead of the rounded edges of the Lumix the D-Lux 4 has a rather flat top and front surface and makes it a bit more slippery.

If you liked the Panasonic LX 3 or if you had just missed buying it (it has stopped production now) then the Leica D-Lux 4 is the right camera for you. Well, that is the moment it hits the open market as this product can not be currently found anywhere online, when it does hit the market you can find the best price for this model at Price Compare website.