Leica V-Lux 1 Digital Camera Kit with Two 4GB SD Cards USA

Comments about Leica V-Lux 1 Digital Camera Kit with Two 4GB SD Cards:

I have a Panasonic DMS-FZ30. The V-Lux 1 is a vast improvement over it. The WB is very stable compared to FZ30. Luv the function button for LCD. It looks like a PC drop down menu with ISO, WB, Picture Size, Quality, Metering Mode and AF Mode all changable from one screen when in Aperture. I bought because of Leica lense, it is a manual zoom lens Smooth, moves inside not outside. The 12X (35mm - 420 MM) is just right. I went to a botanical garden to take pictures of butterflies. I am using 3m Picture Size and High Saturation. Color and detail of Monarchs was outstanding. My wife and I went to Sedona, Az to see Aspen Leaves but were a little late. The Red Rocks and sky came out great with 3M & Hi setting above. I tried night scenery mood and it is great! We have Palm trees with 20w Malibu lights lighting them from below. The color, detail and background were perfect. If you would like to look at an owners manual try leica-camera com .click on support, you should see one available for your Adobe Reader, all 120 pages. I am very pleased I bought V-Lux 1 instead of FZ50.

Expertise: Advanced Amateur

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Panasonic DMC-FZ30

Items I Recommend: Nothing

Comments about Leica V-Lux 1 Digital Camera Kit with Two 4GB SD Cards:

I like the layout of the camera. All of the functions are logically placed and are easy to use. The 12x lens is really high quality. The image stabilization is handy and works well. The manual focus assist is a neat feature- it magnifies the center of the image, or the whole image if you set it up that way, so you can check focus without zooming in. I actually don't mind the small LCD. I do have some negative comments about the camera though- see below. The camera doesn't look like a million bucks, which can be a really good thing. All in all, it's a very good consumer-grade camera. My star ratings are based on other consumer-grade cameras and not the pro SLRs.

Problems Encountered: I should start by saying this is the exact same camera as a Panasonic DMC-FZ50; it's just $400 more, and its JPEG compression is slightly different. So if you don't need a copy of the included Photoshop Elements and want to shoot in RAW, go with the Panasonic model!Digital noise in the pictures is a problem. You have to shoot at 100 ISO to avoid a good bit of noise, which means you need a lot of light to expose. I bought a DMW-FL360 flash, and it helps when shooting indoors. The camera's write speed is slow in RAW mode. It takes about 4 seconds to write an image. There's also no Bulb shutter speed- the max is 60 sec. People seem to like the JPEG compression on this model. I think it looks pretty crappy- heavily compressed and lacking in detail. I shoot in RAW. In RAW mode the camera records both a RAW and JPEG picture. There's no way to tell it not to record the JPEG, which reduces card disk space. The camera's autofocus is almost always accurate, but sometimes it takes a few times to lock on, and it's not the fastest either. It's hard to find accessories. There are only two flash models made, and they are expensive. It might seem like I'm bashing the camera, but I wish I knew some of this before I bought it.

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Nikon D70

Items I Recommend: Panasonic DMW-FL360 flash, Additional battery, Stand-alone storage device

Comments about Leica V-Lux 1 Digital Camera Kit with Two 4GB SD Cards:

Got the V-Lux 1 yesterday. The camera works fine after some initial concerns with EVF. See below. Bought this camera for my wife. She is delighted with it and likes it much better than her previous Kodak digital. As a longtime Nikon/Leica SLR user, I like everything except the electronic view finder which can't match optical viewfinders on my Nikon F3 and Leica R8/9 cameras. My preference for an optical viewfinder is reason for Feature rating of 4 stars. The camera focuses fine and produces sharp pictures. Very easy to operate.

Expertise: Advanced Amateur, 40 yrs SLR use

Problems Encountered: Originally the EVF (electronic view finder) was EXTREMELY FUZZY and would NEVER get sharp. After some anxious moments spent studying the camera and searching the user manual, I discovered the Diopter Adjustment Dial semi-hidden on the left side of the viewfinder. Turning this little dial worked wonders. Now the EVF looks sharp. Check this little dial if your EVF is not sharp.

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Kodak DX7590 (digital), Nikon F3HP, Leica R8/9

Items I Recommend: LowePro EX140 case ($29)