Leica V-LUX 1 Digital Camera

by Leica

Product Details

• Item Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
• ASIN: B000KG78XG
• Item model number: V-LUX 1
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

The V-Lux line makes photography in the compact class more professional than ever before. The all-purpose digital camera for universal use combines the best Leica image quality with the convenience of an intelligent all-in-one solution. Equipped with the 12x optical zoom and the optical image stabilization, there is hardly any photographic situation you won't be able to master with your V-Lux 1.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leica Digital V-Lux1 10MP camera, January 29, 2007

By 

Richard Sargent (Lahaina, Hawaii United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

As an ex-Navy combat photographer, I can only say I wish that I'd had one of these babies back then. Quick and easy to master, it's a snap to shoot single-handed. No extra lenses to lug around. The single Leica 35mm to 420mm lens is all you'll ever need. Whether or not you shoot full auto or on automatic, the results are amazing!! I'm currently shooting ultra-sharp photos of sailboats on the open ocean at 16x magnification off the island of Maui. The camera stablization takes over and "shakes" are a thing of the past. Think what you could accomplish using it for sports photography!! It looks good, feels good, and it rivals anything in it's class for quality. I own Cannons and a Sigma SD-10.....there's no comparison! The Cannon digital Rebel SLR doesn't shoot movies but for the same price, this Leica does! Probably the reason you don't hear too much about this honey of a camera is that the stores have a ton of inventory they've got to sell and if everyone knew how this Leica stacked up against the competition....there'd be a lot of sad shop owners holding the bag. Regards, Dick Sargent

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leica V-Lux 1 is a surprise in its simplicity, August 1, 2007

By 

James B. Martin - See all my reviews
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This camera was a total (GOOD) surprise when I received it. I WAS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IT AND OPERATE IT ! You have no idea how important this was to me. The camera's "buttons" and menus make sense and the Instruction book is actually understandable. This was important to me because I glaze over badly when I am confronted with a techie piece of equipment. Other shocks about this camera were the incredible amount of USEABLE zoom -- up to 85 X zoom, and the stabilizer control that can actually stabilize the picture at huge zooms. Example: I have quite a clear and full frame picture of a hovering harrier bird that I took with this camera from 300 yards away. Anoither pleasant thing: when you choose one of the "programs" like "portrait", "landscape", "night sky", "candle light" etc. that the ACTUAL DESCRIPTION of exactly what the program does comes right up in clear English language on the screen. This Leica ranks among the best products i've owned.

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Twice the price it should be, January 2, 2008

By 

Jack P. Hailman "zoologist" (Jupiter, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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Being a field biologist specializing in the study of animal behavior, I wanted a camera with high resolution (10 mp), good optical zoom (at least 10x), minimal delay between shutter release and recording on the CCD, fully manual focus option, video capacity, and reasonably light weight for carrying on my neck through the day. The Leica V-Lux 1 fits the bill as no heavy DSLR could possibly do. Similar "advanced" cameras by Canon, Fujifilm, and Nikon have less resolution or smaller zoom, or both, as well as other deficiencies. The Leica has proven to be a wonderful camera with which I have (in only a few months) taken an estimated 4000 photos -- but the price is a bit of a rip-off.

Before explaining the rip-off, I report one annoying and initially alarming problem with the camera. In the field, in the low humidity environment of Patagonia (Chile), drizzle began and while the camera was under my rain jacket and did not get wet, the CCD went screwy. At first it put a purple haze over everything (viewfinder or LCD, viewing or playback, and permanent on the photo when downloaded). This aberration then turned to black and white horizontal lines. Nothing in the manual's troubleshooting section mentions this problem, although p. 5 deals with condensation fog, which I suppose this was an unusual version of. The camera was unusable for half a day, and then the patient spontaneously recovered from its strange malady.

Returning to the rip-off, according to Wikipedia, all the Leica digital cameras (with two trivial exceptions) are actually made by Panasonic in Japan. The excellent lens systems appear to have been developed jointly by the two companies. Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FZ50 is nearly identical with the Leica V-Lux 1, with obvious differences in external finishes and labels, and hidden differences in the firmware, so that Leica processes white balance, noise reduction, etc. differently. If you don't want to pay for the Leica label, buy the Panasonic version at approximately half the price. (Yes, the pricing is really that different.)

If you've already naively bought the Leica as I did -- or decide you want it despite the small difference from the Panasonic -- at least be aware that all the accessories are interchangeable (and again, the Panasonic versions run about half the price). Third party batteries and chargers are cheaper yet. Furthermore, Leica apparently does not post their manuals online for download, so go to Panasonic's website and get a pdf of the Lumix DMC-FZ50.

Finally, I could not find that either Leica or Panasonic markets a teleconverter lens for the V-Lux/Lumix although such are mentioned on pp. 97-99 of "the" manual. (Yes, even the pagination is the same for the Leica and Panasonic manuals.) However, Olympus makes a 1.7x teleconverter with 55 mm diameter screw mount that fits the V-Lux/Lumix. That combines for a zoom of over 20x, and works just fine with my Leica. Panasonic DMC-FZ50 10.1MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)