Customer Reviews

Leica C-LUX 2 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I won't go into technical details here because those can be found on the Leica site etc. I really wanted to love this camera but...for the price I expected better. Here is a short and simple synopsis of what I found:

PROS:The material and workmanship of the product are supurb. The design is flawless and all controls are easy to access. You don't have to go deep into the menu to change basic important features. The "self protrait" feature works very well. Color and low light capture are superior.

CONS:The macro feature is only OK. The landscape pictures I took were poor. I tried all the different settings, took about 50 pictures and only a handful were acceptable to me. The video capture is OK with somewhat poor sound quality. You can't zoom while filming.

Overall, this is an interesting little camera. But for the price there are better alternatives like the Sony T-100. It is incredible both for pictures and video.

I was hoping to find something different. Something better than the rest. Sometimes you just don't feel like the usual selection is good enough. I already had a Canon, everyone and their brother had a Nikon.
I was thinking about the slim line Casio, but who wants to buy a Casio?
So one late night / early morning I found this Leica. It looked different than the Canon/Nikon/Casio/Olympus and plus it had that little red badge on the front. I had to have it.
I found a local dealer on the Leica website and the next day I bought it for the same price as Amazon.
BTW, I knew there was a Panasonic version for half the price. I bought into the cosmetic of the Leica, the story, and that little red badge.
Supposedly this model has different firmware than the Panasonic which gives your JPEG files a color palette similar to classic Leica cameras.
It does not shoot in RAW.

Design

The look of this camera is gorgeous. It is very understated but an instant classic design. The build quality is also very good. It doesn't attract unwanted attention but once you put your hands on it you know it is a well built product.

Ease Of Use

The button layout is nice. It is simple and clean with access to shortcuts for flash, exposure, self timer, and review.
Choosing auto settings or manual mode is easy and the icons make sense.
I wish there were shortcuts for shutter speed and ISO settings. To access those you have to get into the menu which is time consuming and cumbersome. PS most cameras are like that though.

Ergonomics

It is so small and thin that it is kind of hard to hold steadily. Definitely use the wrist strap because it has slipped out of my hands a few times.

Picture Quality

This is very subjective. With good lighting I love the way my pictures turn out. Colors are very natural and not over saturated at all. It is very hard to get "tac sharp" shots with it but I don't think that is the point of a point and shoot.
With average or difficult lighting this point and shoot really struggles. I hate using high ISO settings because anything over 400 has a lot of noise of this camera. The flash blows out the picture if you are less then 6 feet away. It isn't powerful enough in a dim room if you are more then 8 feet away. There are no controls to dial down the flash. To get a good picture with or without flash you spend a lot of time changing exposure, ISO, and shutter speed. There is a +/- 2 exposure control but the shutter speed can only be set to a maximum of 1 second in manual mode. ISO can be set from 100-1250 but again anything over 400 has a lot of noise. Using "simple mode" usually jacks up the ISO settings in dark rooms or uses the flash which is useless most of the time. You can get a good shot in a dark room or outdoors but it will take some time to set it up.

Extra

Includes a copy of Photoshop Elements which is a fun program to add effects to your photos.

Overall

If you are thinking about this for outdoor day trips to the beach or mountains then this might be a good choice for you. If you want something to take to parties and nights out with your friends then you need to find something with better low light performance and a smarter auto mode. I don't regret buying it but it is not all that I hoped for considering Leica's reputation and premium price.

I have had the Leica C-Lux 2 for a few months now, and am happy to report that it is a fantastic camera. I appreciate the small size and light-weight and the fantastic image quality. I upgraded from an older Canon Powershot that was only 4.2MPs and over twice the size. Needless to say, I could not be happier! I really like the fact that, although small and compact, the camera still feels solid. That is, there are some other ultra-small cameras I looked at that which felt flimsy (plastic-y and not durable), but the Leica (despite its super small size) does not have this quality. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quality piece of electronics!

I've just had this camera a mere few days, but I am enjoying it immensely! A great little device for the small purse or pocket, with satisfactory wide angle and telephoto capabilities; all contained in a package comparable to the size of my Motorola Razr!

Offering easy to employ features, this camera provides razor-sharp digital images and reprints follow suit. I was in awe at how spectacular finished enlargements appear, while maintaining their artistic integrity. The flash is more than satisfactory even in low-light environments.

All in all, a bit more pricey than most all other compact digital cameras, but a cut above the rest.

Yes, its expensive, and you pay for the name. However, there are some Leica tweaks to the system, and this cam takes absolutely beautiful pics. The look is much cleaner and classier than it's panasonic companion.

It is Leica, and a excellent camera. I compared it with my old Canon camera. Definately it has more feature and control. Lens doesn't seem to be sharp as I expected. Probably a little sharper than Canon. Generally, I am happy but I still think it is a little overpriced.

I am *extremely* impressed by this little Leica.

This will be a rather short review since this camera model is already, like, 300 years old in dog years.

I was able to pick a new one up for less than [...] on the internets from someone who clearly didn't know what they were parting with. When I inquired into why the party was selling she only told me that her husband needed something newer.

I have owned and used dozens of cameras (Leica, Nikon, Canon, Rollie, Mamiya) in my career.

The C-LUX 2 is an amazing unit in terms of color authenticity, image quality, zoom quality, sensitivity, precision, workmanship, and most of all: usability and convenience.

I cannot stress how perfect the menu system is on this camera. It's perfect and the controls are precise, accurate, and delightful to use.

Convenience means that having this camera in your pocket you will never miss a great shot no matter where you are. Yes it really is that good. With controls from scene mode to nearly manual you have precise control of your pictures. There is no reason you cannot achieve a National Geo picture with this camera.

When the C-LUX 2 debuted at [.........] it was really a Euro-jet-setting no-show. Now that you can find this gem below [....] it is a must have.

5 stars based on current market conditions and availability in late 2008. Good luck finding a mint unit. If you are indefatigable you will find no better camera in the same class at any price.

A very nice camera; very easy to use intuitive interface - you'll rarely if ever need to use the handbook. Choose this or the D-LUX-3 over the cheaper look alikes.

CLUX-2 has more pixels (7.2M vs 6M) is smaller in all dimensions, and lighter, but even so I preferred the C-LUX 1 - the interface was just easier to drive, and had a nicer feel to it. (examples: flash mode cycled through options, whereas the C2 requires you to go down a 2 layer menu; the rotary mode select wheel on the C2 doesn't have the end stops the C1 had - so you now have to look to check the mode you've selected).

They should have just changed the sensor and kept everything else the same as the C-LUX1 - it was perfect.

I found this gorgeous little camera at a thrift shop completely broken and priced by someone who obviously had no clue what it was. I sent it to the Leica shop to get it fixed which cost several hundred dollars. For $260 (which is what I ended up paying for it total), it was completely worth it. It's stylish, it takes great photos, it's tiny; basically it's perfect. But honestly, there's no way it's worth the full price new. The photos are really nice, but maybe I'm spoiled by my DSLR, which takes photos whose quality easily rivals film. I mean, they're just not that nice, if you get what I'm saying. If you can find one of these cameras used, I say snap it up. But really, it's not worth it's price tag.

I bought this camera with full faith in Leica products despite the high price tag
Five months after light use (about 300 photos in all), the camera was not working.
Leica repaired but refused to replace bad product with same or equivalent model.
Customer service was completely insensitive to my troubles with their product and my
request for replacing it. If I have problems with it again, I will have to pay for repairs since
the warranty expires soon. For professional photography Leica may be worth the investment.
For non-professional, social use, Leica is a waste of money. My friends are happy with their
$100 equipment while I am stuck with a lemon.